August	September	October	November	December
Essential Questions	What is geography? Review Five Themes from 7^th Grade Geography How do the Five Themes of Geography explain our connection to our environment?  Class Procedures	What determines Canada's regional divisions and population patterns? What economic and environmental concerns are shared by the United States and Canada? How does migration affect Iowa? What landforms/geographic features characterize the different U.S. regions.	What are the two types of Caribbean islands and how do each form? What links with European colonial powers still remain in the Caribbean? What are Central America's three landform regions?  How do physical features affect population patterns of South America?	Why would climate and terrain make it difficult to explore Antarctica? How do different landforms create a diverse landscape in Antarctica? What contributions did explorers make to geography and how the world was divided and organized?	What effect did location have on the development on cultures in Southeast Asia?  How did the Europeans change the environment of Southeast Asia? How have the economies of Southeast Asia been affected by the tsunami of 2004?
Content (topics, unit titles)	Use a variety of maps, geographic technologies including satellite-produced imagery, and other advanced graphic representations to depict geographic problems. Understand how cultural and technological characteristics can link or divide regions. Understand how social, cultural, economic, and environmental factors contribute to the dynamic nature of regions. Evaluate  the impact of human changes on the environment. Google Earth Intro	Use a variety of maps, geographic technologies including satellite-produced imagery, representations to depict geographic problems. Use mental maps of physical and human features of the world to answer complex geographic questions. Understands how social, cultural, economic, and environmental factors contribute to the dynamic nature of regions. Understands past and present trends in human migration and cultural interaction and their impact on physical and human systems.	Use a variety of maps, geographic technologies, and representations to depict geographic problems. Understands how social, cultural, economic, and environmental factors contribute to the dynamic nature of regions. Understands past and present trends in human migration and cultural interaction and their impact on physical and human systems. Understands the Relationships between resources, exploration, colonization, and settlement of regions of the world.	Use a variety of maps, geographic charts to study the exploration of the Artic and the Antarctica. Understand how explorers conquered the earth and how countries claimed parts of the earth. Understand the current status of the Artic and Antarctica and how humans how changed the environment of Antarctica.   Example- Anne Daniels North Pole Expedition in 2002!	Use a variety of maps, geographic technologies including geographic information systems (GIS) to depict  geographic problems. Understands how social, cultural, economic, and environmental factors contribute to the dynamic nature of regions. Understands past and present trends in human migration and cultural interaction and their impact on physical and human systems understands the concept of  sustainable development.
Skills (verbs)	Create a working definition of geography and understand the origin of the term.  Locate continents, oceans, and seas using a world map, as well as, latitude, longitude and elevation. Explore population, population density, as well as how culture defines a group of people's way of life. Understand and describe the five themes of geography!	Label and locate the countries, landforms, capitals, and bodies of water of the region. Explain how history reflects the conflicts that currently exists in Canada and how the country plays a leading role in the global community, as well as, its relationship with the United States. Describe the history, colonization, landscape patterns of the U.S.	Understand the various factors that contribute to creating such a dynamic region.  Understand the impact humans have on the environment and its inhabitants. Understand and describe relationships that exist among the countries of the region and their interactions with other regions of the world.	Locate and label geographic features of Artic and Antarctica. Familiarize themselves with the history of Artic and the Antarctica. Understand the impact humans have had on the Artic and Antarctica. Speculate on the future of both regions in regards to energy production, climate change and ownership rights!	Locate and label the different countries, capitals, and bodies of water in the Southeast region. Compare and contrast various Southeast Asian countries. Students will use current events to understand the economic and environmenta difficulties facing Southeast Asian countries.
Standards/Benchmarks aligned to content/skills	SS-2G-1E         SS-2G-1A   SS-2G-3D SS-2G-6A         SS-2G-3B	SS-2G-2A        SS-2G-3C    SS-2G-4C SS-2G-5C        SS-2G-1C    SS-2G-3E	SS-2G-1B        SS-2G-6C    SS-2G-4A SS-2G-2B        SS-2G-1E	SS-2G-6D           SS-2G-1 SS-2G-2C           SS-2G-4B	SS-2G-3A           SS-2G-4C SS-2G-6A           SS-2G-5B
Activities	5 Themes Projects, Computer Mapping, Class Graded In-Class Projects, Room Tour, Carbon Dating of Globes and Maps, New Countries!	Mapping Projects, Computer Mapping, Graded In-Class Projects, Region Worksheets, Climate Worksheets, Applying 5 Themes to this region	Mapping Projects, Computer Mapping, Graded In-Class Projects, Region Worksheets, Climate Worksheets, Touching the Void Video	Mapping Projects, Shackleton Video, Reading from Explorer Diaries,  Artic and Antarctica ProjectionsClimate Data study, Pole Times Virtual Tours	Mapping Projects, Computer Mapping, Graded In-Class Projects, Region Worksheets, Climate Worksheets, Tsunami mapping
Assessments	Five themes review test Chart using Five Themes Procedures Quiz	Map completion Bumper sticker creation  Regions Test Worksheets Mountains Project Rubrics, Google Earth Project	Map of region Travel Brochure project to cover region Slide-show of Central American (showing change over time)    Natural Resource WS	Artic and Antarctica Projects, Letters, Journal’s, Completed Maps, Shackelton Test and Quiz, Explorers Test, Google Earth Project	Southeast Asia map Student-Podcast Slideshow or Movie - group project on current events Country creation Unit Test
Resources	Textbook, Internet, Wall Maps and Charts, Computer Projected Maps and Themes	Textbook, Internet, Wall Maps and Charts, Computer Projected Maps and Themes, Videos, Podcast, Weather Data	Textbook, Internet, Wall Maps and Charts, Computer Projected Maps and Themes, Videos, Podcast, Weather Data	Internet, Wall Maps and Charts, Computer Projected Maps and Themes, Videos, Podcast, Weather Data, Readings, Diaries, Journals!	Internet, Wall Maps and Charts, Computer Projected Maps and Themes, Videos, Podcast, Weather Data, Class Readings and Projections
Incorporation in BOLD	CE          MCFG         TI GE          HOTS	CE          MCFG         TI GE          HOTS	CE          MCFG         TI GE          HOTS	CE          MCFG         TI GE          HOTS	CE          MCFG         TI GE          HOTS

	January	February	March	April	May
Essential Questions	What is the physical geography of the Pacific islands?  Why would geography make it difficult to explore this region? How do different landforms create a diverse landscape in Australia? What physical features make New Zealand unique?	How do Climates vary according to elevation, location and latitude? What are Microclimates and why do they exist?  What factors make deserts and extreme weather events.  How does the weather affect who is rich and who is poor? What is the impact of global warming and is it real?	What are some unique factors about the Middle East? What cycles impact the cost, availability, or use of oil in the United States? What are the most important aspects of Islam, Christianity, and Judaism? What accounts for violence in the Middle east and can it be stopped?	What obstacles are slowing Africa's attempts at industrialization? How have Africa's boundaries changed from colonial times to present day and why? Should the United States and the United Nations police disputes in Africa involving ethnic genocide?	How do the four regions of Europe differ from each other? How has the 15 new countries (after the break-up of the U.S.S.R.) changed the world? Is Russia a superpower or was the U.S.S.R. ever a superpower? Are the former republics of the U.S.S.R. changing for the bad or the good?
Content (topics, unit titles)	Use a variety of maps, charts, diagrams to depict geographic situations. Identify past and present trends in human migration and cultural interaction and their impact on physical and human systems. Identify the global impact of human changes in the physical environment. Analyze the explorers of different regions of the world.	Use  a variety of climate maps, data, and climate history to depict climate patterns.  Understand climate factors that combine to make each type of climate. Utilize climate trends and the human impact of climate to help predict the future.	Identify how cultural and technological characteristics can link or divide regions. Identify how social, cultural and economic factors contribute to the dynamic nature of regions Evaluate how the allocation of control of the Earth's surface affects interactions between people in different regions.  Womens Rights and Education.	Evaluate how cultural and technological characteristics can link or divide regions. Understands past and present trends in human migration and cultural interaction and their impact on physical and human systems. Evaluate the relationships between resources and the exploration of different regions.	Analyze how cultural and technological characteristics can link or divide regions. Identify how social, cultural and economic factors contribute to the dynamic nature of regions. Identify how the allocation of control of the Earth's surface affects interactions between people in different regions.
Skills (verbs)	Locate and label countries, territories of Australia, major cities, capitals, and bodies of water.  Familiarize themselves with the languages spoken in Australia while learning about the different features of the continent. Differentiate between New Zealand's two islands. Understand the role the Captain James Cook played in exploring the region.	Locate all the different types of climates and where they are found. Familiarize themselves with climate factors and why they are important. Demonstrate the ability to match up climate data with the climate of a place, city or etc.	Evaluate the role the religion plays in people’s lives in regards to nationalism.  Analyze the United States foreign policy in regards to this region.  Analyze the history of the Middle East and the connection between current disputes. Identify how natural resources have changed this region in the last century.	Analyze the borders of African countries to understand how Africa’s borders contribute to ethnic conflicts. Analyze South Africa and study the civil rights parallels between the United States and South Africa! Gauge the impact of AIDS on the population of sub-Saharan Africa.  Analyze climate changes on Mt. Kilimanjaro from Global Warming!	Analyze population issues in Europe. Analyze the benefits and "costs" of belonging to the European Union. Study  the ongoing ethnic conflicts in Europe. Evaluate the success of each republic in a post-Soviet system Students will understand the causes and results of the accident at Chernobyl in 1986.
Standards/Benchmarks aligned to content/skills	SS-2G-1C          SS-2G-4C SS-2G-2A          SS-2G-3A	SS-2G-2A           SS-2G-3C SS-2G-4C           SS-2G-3E	SS-2G-4A           SS-2G-6A SS-2G-6C           SS-2G-2B SS-2G-3C	SS-2G-6A          SS-2G-1 SS-2G-2C          SS-2G-4B	SS-2G-1B           SS-2G-6C        SS-2G-1E           SS-2G-3B
Activities	Mapping Projects, Computer Mapping, Graded In-Class Projects, Region Worksheets, Climate Worksheets, Applying 5 Themes to Oceania	Study Climate maps, Analyze Climate Factors, Evaluate World Weather Controls, Study Prevailing Winds and Pressure Systems, Snow Sites with NOAA Data	Den of Lions excerpts, Religion Maps and rites, the Hajj, the Isreali and Arab situation, PLO and what is a terrorist, Return to the Loins Den Video, Podcast!	Mapping Projects, Computer Mapping Graded In-Class Projects, Region Worksheets, Climate Worksheets, Applying 5 Themes to Africa	Mapping Projects, Computer Mapping Graded In-Class Projects, Region Worksheets, Climate Worksheets, Pod-cast, Video’s, National Geographic Interactive Sites!
Assessments	Unit Test, Mapping Project, Travel Warnings Brochure, Room Tour	Match-up Climate Data Test, Island Project with 7 Maps, Climate Test	Lebanon Test, Natural Resource Mapping, UNIFIL Test, Topography Project Rubrics, Presentations	On-line Test, Mapping Project, Africa-Trek Test, Rwanda Genocide Project and Rubrics	Map of region Slide-show of Russia (showing change) Natural Resource Project Population Trends  End of Year Hands Made Project!
Resources	Textbook, Captain Cook Reading, 5 Themes Book, Maps, Projections, Room Tour	Textbook, Climate, Maps, Microclimate Studies, Snow Mapping	Den of Lions, CNN, Maps, Podcast, Newspapers, Projections	Africa-Trek, Africa Online Project, Climate Change Web Sites, Hotel Rwanda, World Heritage,	Textbook, Web Sites, National Geographic Interactive Web, Weather Underground,
Incorporation: (circle)	CE          MCFG         TI GE          HOTS	CE          MCFG         TI GE          HOTS	CE          MCFG         TI GE          HOTS	CE          MCFG         TI GE          HOTS	CE          MCFG         TI GE          HOTS