Geography will be a focus of study throughout the year. When studying world history and culture, it is important that students have a sense of place and location, as that will help them understand how cultures developed differently in different areas, and more importantly, why.

To facilitate this, students will learn to use an atlas, read and create maps, and understand what types of maps are useful in different situations. They will also learn about the 5 Themes of Geography, as this will give them a foundation of geographical study to be used throughout the year.

A goal of this study is that students will understand and appreciate how environmental factors impact the development of a place. Further, they will see that changes in one aspect of the environment can have far reaching effects on human and animal life.