7th Grade Social Studies Semester 2

Enrollment Message

Students need access to a webcam or video recording device.

Course Description

Students in grade seven explore the history, geography, government, economic systems, current issues, and cultures of the Eastern World with an emphasis on (1) Asia, (2) Africa, (3) the Middle East, (4) the Pacific Islands, (5) Australia, and (6) New Zealand. Learning experiences for students in grade seven should help them to make the transition from concrete information to abstract ideas, concepts, and generalizations. In-depth studies provide greater understanding of environmental influences on economic, cultural, and political institutions. Opportunities to develop thinking and research skills include reading and interpreting maps, graphs, and charts. Decision-making and problem-solving activities should include the following (1) identifying problems, issues and questions, (2) information gathering, (3) hypothesizing, and (4) evaluating alternative solutions and actions. Along with the current academic standards for this subject, the History/Social Studies Content Area Literacy Standards are incorporated with the expectation of a continuum of reading and writing skills development.

Course Goals

Upon completion of the course, students will…

• read and comprehend history/social studies texts independently and proficiently, and write effectively for a variety of discipline-specific tasks, purposes, and audiences
• extract and construct meaning from history/social studies texts using a variety of comprehension skills.
• determine the central ideas or information of a primary or secondary source; provide an accurate summary of the source distinct from prior knowledge or opinions.
• build understanding of history/social studies texts, using knowledge, structural organization, and author’s purpose.
• build understanding of history/social studies texts by synthesizing and connecting ideas and evaluating specific claims.
• write for different purposes and to specific audiences or people.
• produce coherent and legible documents by planning, drafting, revising, editing, and collaborating with others.
• build knowledge about the research process and the topic under study by conducting short or more sustained research.

Indiana Academic Standards

• Social Studies Grade 7

Units of Instruction

• Unit 7 Origins of Southern and Eastern Asia (OSEA)
• Unit 8 Africa Today (AT)
• Unit 9 Economy of Africa (EOA)
• Unit 10 Origins of Africa (OA)

Grading/Evaluation

Indiana Online does not assign letter grades, grant credit for courses, nor issue transcripts or diplomas. A final score reported as a percentage of total points earned will be sent to students upon completion of a course. Your school of record can also access this score within the Student Information System, Genius. The final score will be shown as a percentage in Canvas and Genius. The student’s school of record will determine the letter grade based on their specific grading scale.

Students must complete at least 70% of the course and take all parts of the final exam(s) to have a score reported to their school of record. Failure to meet these requirements will result in a score of 0 reported to the school of record.

Assessments

Online assessments consist of formative and summative assessments represented by computer-graded multiple choice, teacher-graded writing assignments including hands-on projects, model building and other forms of authentic assessments. The course includes the minimum number of assessments

• 7 Assignments
• 12 Quizzes

The assessments for this asynchronous course are weighted as follows

Teacher Contact Response Time

Students can use email or the private message system within Genius or Canvas to access highly qualified teachers when they need teacher assistance. Students will also receive feedback on their work inside Canvas. The Teacher Information page of their course may describe additional communication options.

The teacher will respond to student inquiries (email, text, call) within one business day. Assignments will be graded and posted within two business days.

Expectations for Academic Conduct 

Student Handbook 

It is your responsibility to read the student handbook to understand all aspects of taking an online course including expectations for academic conduct. Contact your teacher if you have any questions. 

Assistance for Students with Accommodations

Indiana Online supports an inclusive learning environment for all students. If there are aspects of the instruction or design of this course that hinder your full participation, such as inaccessible web content, or the use of non-captioned videos and podcasts, reasonable accommodations can be arranged.

Technology

Technology Requirements 

Students will require a computer device with headphones, a microphone, webcam, up-to-date Chrome Web Browser, and access to YouTube. Please review the Indiana Online’s Technology Requirements.

Technical Skills Needed 

Basic technology skills necessary to locate and share information and files as well as interact with others in a Learning Management System (LMS), include the ability to

• download, edit, save, convert, and upload files
• download and install software
• use a messaging service similar to email
• communicate with others in online discussion or message boards, following basic rules of netiquette
• open attachments shared in messages
• create, save, and submit files in commonly used word processing program formats and as a PDF
• save a file as a .pdf
• copy and paste and format text using your mouse, keyboard, or an html editor’s toolbar menu
• insert images or links into a file
• search for information within a document using Ctrl+F or Command+F keyboard shortcuts
• work in multiple browser windows and tabs simultaneously
• activate a microphone or webcam on your device, and record and upload or link audio and/or video files
• use presentation and graphics programs
• follow an online pacing guide or calendar of due dates
• use spell-check, citation editors, and tools commonly provided in word processing tool menus
• create and maintain usernames and passwords

Technical Questions?  Please contact the Indiana Online Helpdesk.