Southwest Asia/The Middle-East

Overview of unit:

In seventh grade World Geography Class we will be learning about the positive and negative impacts that the discovery of oil has meant for nations in Southwest Asia.  The unit begins with the physical science background to explain why this particular part of the world was endowed with such an abundance of oil.  From there we will move into some history of the region.  Students will find out about the lifestyles of the people before oil was discovered, including the important role that religion plays in the area.  Finally students will look at the modern nations that make up Southwest Asia.  They will work through three case studies to find out how oil was discovered and how it has helped and hurt the region over the last 100 years.

Students will work hard to understand the vocabulary terms and concepts presented in the Europe unit.  They will make use of written text, maps, videos, pictures, slideshows/power points, lectures, simulations activities, ect. as they seek to answer the essential question for the unit, which is:

Has oil been a blessing or a curse to the countries of the Middle-East?

Unit Assessment:

Students will be assessed throughout the unit by a variety of means including homework assignments, class discussions, quizzes, and eventually a formal written test.  The unit’s culminating task will ask students to demonstrate their knowledge of vocabulary terms and concepts from the unit.  

The Southwest Asia/Middle-East Unit aligns with Common Core State Standards in the following areas: 

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RH.6-8.1 Cite specific textual evidence to support analysis of primary and secondary resources

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RH.6-8.3 Identify key steps in a text’s description of a process related to history/social studies (e.g., how a bill becomes law, how interest rates are raised or lowered)

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RH.6-8.4 Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including vocabulary specific to domains related to history/social studies