Grade 6 + 7 History and Social Studies

World Geography and Cultures

Grades 6 and 7 offer a two-year sequence in World Geography and Cultures. This framework covers seven regions of the world:

• North Africa, the Middle East, and Western Asia 
• Sub-Saharan Africa 
• Central America, the Caribbean, and South America 
• South and Central Asia • East Asia 
• Southeast Asia and Oceania
• Europe 

The topics within this two-year sequence offer rich opportunities for students to inquire about their world and humanity’s very long history of achievements. The topics also lend themselves to exploration of what it means to be human and part of a human community, and the concepts that have arisen in societies to guide ethical interactions among individuals, communities, and nations. 

The purposes of the grades 6 and 7 standards are to:  

• extend students’ knowledge of the physical and political geography of the world
• expand their capacity for geographical reasoning  
• strengthen their ability to develop research questions and conduct inquiries 
• introduce the cultural achievements of ancient and classical civilizations worldwide 
• establish foundational knowledge about types of societies and governments in preparation for Civics in grade 8 and World History and United States History in high school