WELCOME TO YOUR WORLD! Isn't this pale blue dot (the earth!) in the universe an amazing thing? How will you find your place of belonging on your little patch of it? How will you learn about who came before you? How does your light shine amongst the seven billion other individual lights? How will you make a contribution to your world?
Welcome to 7th grade social science, where we attempt to ponder these and other questions that keep you curious and engaged with your contributions as a global citizen. Oh, and yes, spelling matters. :)
Welcome to 7th grade social science, where we attempt to ponder these and other questions that keep you curious and engaged with your contributions as a global citizen. Oh, and yes, spelling matters. :)
Learning Targets and Goals of
7th grade Social Science
By the end of this year of study, you will have a clear understanding of ancient and medieval societies of the Eastern Hemisphere as well as current events. Below are the Oregon State Standards:
HISTORY
7.1. Describe and compare the beliefs, the spread, and the influence of religions throughout Europe, Asia, and Africa, Islam, Crusades, Holy Roman Empire. 7.2. Examine the importance of trade routes and trace the rise of cultural centers and trade cities in Europe, Asia, and Africa. 7.3. Analyze the interconnections of people, places and events in the economic, scientific and cultural exchanges of the European Renaissance that led to the Scientific Revolution, voyages of discovery and imperial conquest. 7.5. Create and compare timelines that identify major people and events and developments in the history of civilization and/or countries of Africa, Asia and the Southwest Pacific. GEOGRAPHY 7.8. Use and evaluate maps, graphs, charts, models, and databases to analyze geographic distributions in the Eastern Hemisphere. 7.9. Collect and analyze data to make geographic inferences and predictions regarding the Eastern Hemisphere. 7.12. Compare and analyze human characteristics (e.g., population, land use, language, and religion) of places and regions in the Eastern Hemisphere. 7.14. Explain how technological developments, societal decisions, and personal practices influence sustainability in the Eastern Hemisphere. |
CIVICS AND GOVERNMENT
7.17. Compare and contrast early forms of government via the study of early civilizations (tribal, monarchy, democracy, theocracy, and oligarchy) in the Eastern Hemisphere. 7.18. Investigate current issues in the Eastern Hemisphere and how they relate to other countries, including the United States. ECONOMICS AND FINANCIAL LITERACY 7.22. Explain outsourcing and describe the costs and benefits. 7.23. Explain the function of profit in the economy. (Include supply, demand, price, scarcity, imports, exports, and outsourcing). SOCIAL SCIENCE ANALYSIS 7.24. Analyze current and historical sources (e.g., artifacts, eyewitness accounts, letters and diaries, real or simulated historical sites, charts, graphs, diagrams, and written texts) for accuracy and point of view while forming questions. |
PROFICIENCY BASED TEACHING AND LEARNING
Students will do practice work and then be assessed in these categories as we learn about the content in each of our main units. Assessments are built from Oregon’s standards-based learning targets for the social sciences. It is important that each student understands how close he/she is to becoming proficient in each skill. Formative assessment: Practice activities are formative assessments that give the student feedback on their learning and help the teacher plan instruction. These assessments are assessment for learning. Practice makes permanent, so students must apply quality effort to properly learn. Students will use a variety of methods and materials such as notes, texts, activities and diagrams to develop their knowledge. Summative assessment: After learning and practicing, students will complete summative assessments to measure their understandings and skills within a topic. These summative assessments will be individual quizzes, tests, projects or performances that show the result of the learning process. Summative assessments will be entered in the gradebook with the following marks: Mastery: Through extensive evidence, the student consistently surpasses the proficient level and demonstrates an in-depth understanding of the standard. Advanced: The student regularly meets the standard and demonstrates a working knowledge of essential skills; while there are still some weaknesses, the strengths are dominant. Meets: Although the student occasionally demonstrates a working knowledge of the essential skills that encompass the standard; there are still more weaknesses than strengths. Approaching: There is very little understanding and skill demonstrated with greater omissions or errors evident. Beginning: No understanding or skill is demonstrated yet. ALL students can reach proficiency in all of the learning targets in each topic. In order for this to happen, students may need to retake quizzes, or tests, or complete summative projects. Practice for each topic should be completed for that particular quiz/test before the student takes the assessment again. Students normally do not show higher proficiency without more focused effort on practice activities. Retakes for assessments will be scheduled as needed, during class time or APP period. |
PHILOSOPHY
The social science program in the Medford School District prepares students for the twenty-first century by developing the cognitive and affective domains of learning. Teachers facilitate the acquisition of knowledge, skills and intellectual foundations, which will encourage personal responsibility in a pluralistic and democratic society. Moving from self through interaction in family and community toward global awareness, the curriculum focuses on the critical and analytical understanding of historical, geographical and cultural characteristics of different civilizations. Special attention is given to the awareness of individual responsibility as a citizen in an increasingly global world. The social studies curriculum provides a broad spectrum of opportunities for students to develop an appreciation of forces that have shaped the past and are affecting the contemporary world. Oregon state standards for the social studies are the guiding framework. WORLD HISTORY: A GLOBAL PERSPECTIVE - Grade 7 This course is intended to familiarize students with the historical, cultural, political, geographic and economic aspects of the world from the ancient times through the beginning of the Age of Exploration. It is designed to help students understand the interconnectedness of our world today and prepare them for 8th grade where the U.S. is the focal area of study. Instructors present an overview of world history, using culture, conflict, and economy as thematic threads. Examination of global issues and problems from multiple perspectives is also an integral part of the course. Academic skills emphasized throughout the year include map reading, graph and chart interpretation, reading comprehension, outlining, research-based writing, discussion, role playing and note taking. Instruction will be aimed at teaching students to think critically in order to make informed decisions that guide social and civic action in an increasingly interdependent world. |