World Regions

World Geography and History Curriculum Grades 6–8

Why?
Features
Resources
HMH Professional Services
  • Why?

    Exclusive Partnership with HISTORY®

    Together, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt and HISTORY® are creating a new arena in the classroom—and an opportunity for students to relive, reflect, and re-imagine the people, places, events, and decisions that have made us who we are today.

    Support Common Core with Rigor, Skills, and Document-based Instruction

    With today’s emphasis on Common Core State Standards, it is more important than ever to have a social studies program that meets the rigor these standards demand. World Regions exposes students to a wealth of primary sources and develops critical skills while analyzing a variety of perspectives and investigating key geographical topics.

    Experience Social Studies with 21st-century Tools

    The digital generation of students today is like none before, so another way we help them experience success is to provide the capability to access their World Regions book not only on a computer, but on a variety of mobile devices. In addition, with products co-developed with HISTORY® such as the Streaming Digital Media Library, you will be meeting students where they already are—online.

    Engage Students with Accessible Social Studies Content

    From reading support to differentiated instruction, World Regions is filled with a variety of student-friendly features designed to enhance the learning experience. With this support, every student can understand the relationship between people and places.

    HISTORY® and related logos are the property of A&E Television Networks (AETN).

    Explore More

    • Interactive Brochure

      Experience World Regions through an innovative Interactive Brochure! Watch World Regions come alive with embedded interactive links. Sample videos, technology demonstrations, and more are just a click away!

      hmhco.com/SS-MSOverview

      Interactive Brochures
    • Preview

      Experience World Regions Today!

      World Regions integrates HISTORY® multimedia to ensure students learn the essential elements and themes of world geography. Explore how this program engages students.

      HISTORY® and related logos are the property of A&E Television Networks (AETN).

    • Common Core

      With today’s emphasis on Common Core State Standards, it is more important than ever to have a social studies program that meets the rigor these standards demand. World Regions exposes students to the skills and understandings necessary for college and career readiness and helps them become literate, in all its forms, in the 21st century.

      The Grades 6–12 strand in Social Sciences promotes an interdisciplinary approach to literacy by:

      • Including primary source analysis and Common Core informational text reading
      • Incorporating literature and historical fiction selections
      • Utilizing higher-order thinking skills of text evidence, determining point-of-view, distinguishing fact from opinion, and more

      College and Career Readiness Anchor Standards

      Reading in History/Social Sciences

      Key Ideas and Details

      Using key skills like analyzing, evaluating, determining main idea from supporting detail, and drawing conclusions, students will actively look for text evidence in support of learning objectives. Complete skill lessons teach these explicitly, and ample assessment opportunities allow for demonstration of knowledge.

      Craft and Structure

      World Regions teaches students how to read social studies-based informational text with particular guidance and practice on understanding historical readings, developing historical perspective, and formulating historical questions. This focus allows students to understand and compare points-of-view, determine bias, and recognize propaganda as they interpret a variety of primary sources.

      Integration of Knowledge and Ideas

      World Regions offers students continuous opportunities to access a variety of sources—print, audio, visual, interactive media, and video—and in turn to analyze and assess them in 21st-century applications. Students can demonstrate their understanding through projects, proposals, presentations, and more.

      Range of Reading and Level of Text Complexity

      World Regions offers students a wealth of text genres in the Student Editions, related support material both in print and online, and related small volumes focusing on primary source collections, historical readings, literary collections, and historical literature.

      Writing History/Social Sciences

      Text Types and Purposes

      World Regions is committed to the student writing process with skills and lessons to support them every step of the way with ample and varied writing can be found in formative assessment, informal assessment, formal assessment, and portfolio opportunities.

      Production and Distribution of Writing

      Whether in print or online, World Regions offers a variety of writing opportunities and platforms for students to research and publish their writing.

      Research to Build and Present Knowledge

      World Regions teaches students how to analyze bias, determine point-of-view, and recognize propaganda, along with interpret print, visual, and Internet source material. The depth and variety of skills culminates in students critically reading and responding to text and supporting their written argument with critical analysis and text evidence.

      Range of Writing

      World Regions offers a variety of writing projects—both short term and long term—to support the different needs of today’s classrooms and schedules. Students demonstrate their knowledge for a range of tasks, purposes, and audiences.

    • College, Career, and Civic Life (C3) Framework

      C3 Framework Whitepaper

      Research shows us that fewer and fewer students are receiving a high quality social studies education, despite the central role of social studies in preparing them for the responsibilities of citizenship.

      The new College, Career, and Civic Life Framework for Social Studies State Standards was developed with this in mind, and changes the focus of how social studies is taught in the classroom.

      The result of a three year state-led collaborative effort, the C3 Framework has been developed to enhance the rigor of the social studies disciplines, while building the critical thinking, problem solving, and participatory skills necessary for students to become engaged citizens. The C3 Framework also serves to align academic programs to the Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts and Literacy in History/Social Studies.

      To find out more information about what the C3 Framework means for you in your classroom, download a free whitepaper that describes why the C3 Framework is necessary, what the guiding principles are, and how it is organized to engage students in active inquiry.

      C3 Framework Whitepaper (449 KB)

      For more information, or to download a complete copy of the C3 Framework, visit www.socialstudies.org/c3

    • Correlations

      Common Core Correlations

      Eastern World Common Core State Standards, Literacy in History/Social Studies, Grades 6–8 (614 KB)

      Western World Common Core State Standards, Literacy in History/Social Studies, Grades 6–8 (620 KB)

      C3 Framework Sample Correlations

      C3 Framework Sample Correlation - Eastern Hemisphere (1.3 MB)

      C3 Framework Sample Correlation - Eastern World (1.3 MB)

      C3 Framework Sample Correlation - Western World (1.3 MB)
    • Scope and Sequence

      Preview the skills taught throughout each unit and chapter.

      Grades K–12 (7.9MB)

      Grades 6–12 (5.8MB)

    • Author
      Meet the author that has made the World Regions series one of the best-selling middle school programs on the market.

      Christopher Salter, Ph.D. - Program Author

      Christopher L. “Kit” Salter is professor emeritus of geography and former chair of the department of geography at the University of Missouri. He did his undergraduate work at Oberlin College and received both his M.A. and Ph.D. degrees in geography from the University of California, Berkeley.

      Salter is one of the country’s leading figures in geography education. In the 1980s he helped found the national Geographic Alliance network to promote geography education in all 50 states. In the 1990s Salter was co-chair of the National Geography Standards Project, a group of distinguished geographers who created Geography for Life in 1994, the document outlining national standards in geography. In 1990 Salter received the National Geographic Society’s first-ever Distinguished Geography Educator Award. In 1992 he received the George Miller Award for distinguished service in geography education from the National Council for Geographic Education. In 2006 Salter was awarded Lifetime Achievement Honors by the Association of American Geographers for his transformation of geography education.

      Over the years, Salter has written or edited more than 150 articles and books on cultural geography, China, field work, and geography education. His primary interests lie in the study of the human and physical forces that create the cultural landscape, both nationally and globally.

  • Features

    Meeting the needs of all learners is no easy task. This is why Houghton Mifflin Harcourt created World Regions. Designed to engage students with the narrative while integrating rich multimedia assets, the program brings content to life for students and enriches their understanding.

    Teacher and student resources are available in print, online, and via mobile, providing the kind of anytime, anywhere access to resources that today’s learning environment demands. With leading-edge digital tools, World Regions helps students connect to the content like never before.

    Explore More

    • Reading Support and Accessibility

      In World Regions, reading support works seamlessly with the content, preparing students to learn with focused success.

      What You Will Learn...

      What You Will Learn... at the beginning of each section provides students with the Big Idea, Main Ideas, Key Terms and People, and Taking Notes features.

      If You Lived There

      If You Lived There features introduce each section with a provocative question and are designed to make the study of world geography, culture, and history relevant to students.

      Main Ideas

      Main Ideas set the purpose for reading and are connected to the section subheadings.

      Key Terms

      Key Terms are highlighted and defined in context. Academic Vocabulary terms (important cross-content words that students should understand) are defined at point-of-use in the margin.

      Reading Checks

      Reading Checks enable students to monitor their comprehension.

      Section Assessments

      Section Assessments provide scaffolded questions based on Bloom’s taxonomy.

      Close-up

      Close-up features allow students to see how people live and what places look like by taking a close-up view of geography.

      Reading Social Studies

      Reading Social Studies by Kylene Beers helps students in every social studies course develop content-area reading skills. It includes reading-skill practice, think-aloud strategies, graphic organizers, and practice skill lessons for world history, geography, U.S. history, and civics.

      Guided Reading Workbook

      Guided Reading Workbook (English and Spanish/English) helps all students understand and master the content using a visual summary and critical thinking questions to organize chapter content; section-by-section note-taking to master main ideas; and challenge activities to extend concept learning.

    • Compehensive Skill Development

      World Regions develops students’ comprehension skills, critical thinking skills, and analysis skills throughout the text.

      Social Studies Skills

      Social Studies Skills lessons develop students’ analysis, critical thinking, and study skills, preparing them to understand geography and to form opinions.

      Geography and History

      Geography and History features explore the connection between the world’s places and the past.

      Biographies

      Biographies focus on historically significant people related to the content.

      Connecting To...

      Connecting To...explores the connections between geography and other subjects.

      Case Study

      Case Study features take a detailed look at important topics in geography.

      Graphs, Charts, and Quick Facts

      Graphs, Charts, and Quick Facts convey content concisely and foster analysis skills.

      Map Zone

      Map Zone analysis on Maps and Interactive Maps promotes students’ geographic literacy and map skills.

      Focus on Culture

      Focus on Culture encourages students to learn about some of the world’s fascinating cultures.

      Focus on Writing, Speaking, Viewing

      Focus on Writing, Speaking, Viewing use writing, viewing, and speaking skills to reflect on the world and its people.

      Literature

      Literature features provide students with opportunities to learn about the world’s geography through literature.

      Geography, Science, and Culture Activities

      Geography, Science, and Culture Activities include transparencies and print materials that provide motivating, hands-on activities and instructions for teacher-led demonstrations. A rubric for experiments and an observation checklist are included.

      Thinking About Content Reading

      Thinking About Content Reading helps students develop content-area reading skills in every social studies course using the think-aloud strategy and graphic organizers.

      Interactive Skills Tutor CD-ROM

      Interactive Skills Tutor CD-ROM guides students as they learn social studies skills presented in the program. Each skill is introduced, practiced through interactive student activities, and then assessed for student mastery.

    • Differentiated Instruction

      World Regions provides a variety of teaching strategies and activities designed to reach all learners. The Teacher’s Edition and ancillary materials fully support differentiated instruction.

      Differentiated Instruction Teacher Planning Guide

      The Differentiated Instruction Teacher Planning Guide at the beginning of each chapter targets program resources to address the needs of struggling or reluctant readers, English language learners, special education students, and advanced/GATE students.

      Teacher’s Edition

      The Teacher’s Edition provides point-of-use Differentiating Instruction activities for English language learners, special education students, learners having difficulty with the content, and advanced learners.

      All activities in the Teacher’s Edition wrap are labeled Below-, At-, or Above-level as well as Standard English Mastery where appropriate. Activities are also labeled with appropriate learning styles.

      The Teacher’s Edition includes Teach the Big Idea, an instructional plan in the wrap that serves as a Minimum Course of Study when teachers are pressed for time.

      Guided Reading Workbook

      Guided Reading Workbook (English and Spanish/English) helps all students understand and master the content using a visual summary and critical thinking questions to organize chapter content; section-by-section note-taking to master main ideas; and challenge activities to extend concept learning.

      English Language Learner Strategies and Activities

      English Language Learner Strategies and Activities by Julie Chan provides support for social studies teachers who have English language learners in their classrooms. The activities and strategies have been designed to be used with English language learners at the beginning, intermediate, and advanced proficiency levels. It includes Skill Building Activities, Social Studies Theme Activities, and Graphic Organizers.

      Differentiated Instruction Teacher Management System

      Differentiated Instruction Teacher Management System provides a wide variety of resources and instructional strategies to meet the needs of all learners. The package includes Benchmarking Guides, Section Lesson Plans, Lesson Plans for Differentiated Instruction, Interactive Reader and Study Guide Teacher’s Guide, and Answer Key.

      Differentiated Instruction Modified Worksheets and Tests CD-ROM

      Differentiated Instruction Modified Worksheets and Tests CD-ROM provides modified Vocabulary Builder Activities, Section Quizzes, Chapter Review Activities, Chapter Tests, and Vocabulary Flash Cards. The worksheets are editable and printable.

    • Document-Based Instruction

      What does it mean to read like a historian? World Regions teaches students to analyze written documents, photographs, political cartoons, documents, art, and more. By engaging students, the program motivates them to learn with a variety of primary sources to bring content to life.

      Primary Sources

      Primary Sources relive history through eyewitness accounts, literature, and documents.

      Experiencing World History and Geography

      Experiencing World History and Geography involves students in their learning with interactive, collaborative activities featuring biographies, literature selections, historic documents, and map transparencies.

      Primary Source Activity Kit

      The Primary Source Activity Kit is a compilation of primary and secondary sources designed to provide students with opportunities to examine historical, geographical, and government records; to analyze a variety of points-of-view; and to use critical thinking strategies to interpret historical documents. 

      This engaging activity kit includes:

      • Laminated placards featuring the documents and accompanying activities
      • Primary and secondary source documents that cover United States history, world history, geography, and civics and government
      • Teacher’s Guide with lesson plans and answer keys

      Document-based Questions Activities

      World History and Geography Document-based Questions Activities reinforce and extend the curriculum contained in the Student Edition. To understand the world around them, students analyze information from a document-based perspective.

      Primary Sources CD-ROM

      World History Library of Primary Sources CD-ROM includes famous documents, speeches, letters, personal accounts, and literary excerpts.

    • Interactive Online Editions

      When is a book not a book? When it’s an Online Edition! Our online programs contain the same Student Edition that you find in print, but with a host of additional resources and features.

      TextHelp

      TextHelp is a text-to-speech feature that allows for a section of the text to be read aloud at either slow, medium, or fast speeds. Student can also select a word to be translated into Spanish.

      Multimedia Connections

      Multimedia Connections, developed in partnership with HISTORY®, provide in-depth coverage of key concepts and people brought to life in the Online Edition with interactive features, primary source documents, and engaging activities.

      HISTORY® Videos

      High-quality bellringer HISTORY® videos are included with each chapter opener and indicated at point-of-use with various biographies and features. Where applicable, we’ve included links to the full-length videos as well.

      Essential Question Podcasts

      The Essential Question at the beginning of each chapter engages students by connecting people, places, and events and by setting a main purpose for reading. World Regions takes it one step further with Essential Question Podcasts that go into greater detail, providing additional support for all learners and continuing to set them up for success.

      Current Events Website

      hmcurrentevents.com enriches your classroom with subject-specific information from world history, world geography, American history, economics, psychology, sociology, civics, government, and African American history. It also spotlights today’s headlines with blogs, quizzes, activities, and web links.

      Additional Student Resources

      Students find chapter and section resources here, including reading support, enrichment activities, skill development activities, and section and chapter review assessment.

      Additional Teacher Resources

      Everything teachers need to plan, present, and assess is available online through the Teacher Resources section of the Online Edition, as well as the Teacher One Stop™. Teachers will find the Interactive Teacher’s Edition, ExamView® Test Generator, enrichment activities, assessments, answer keys, and much more.

      For a free 120-day preview of the Student and Teacher Online Editions, please contact your Account Executive.

      HISTORY® and related logos are the property of A&E Television Networks (AETN). ExamView® is a registered trademark of eInstruction Corporation.

    • Trade Libraries

      Trade Libraries

      Award-winning titles for content-area reading!

      These social studies trade book libraries provide engaging, award-winning trade books to help students build content-area reading skills and learn more about key social studies topics. Use them to introduce content-area concepts, for additional background, or for independent reading.

      Recommended by the National Council of Social Studies

      Premier Collections include selected popular, award-winning, and classic titles that endure year after year, such as Caldecott® Honor books, Newbery® winners, and other best-selling classics like Johnny Tremain, Jubilee, and Castle.

      NCSS Recommended Collections include notable social studies trade books for young people as selected by the Book Review Committee of the National Council for Social Studies.

      Multicultural Collections highlight the diversity of the American experience through the stories of individuals. Through these collections, students will learn about the rich and diverse experiences of African Americans, Latinos, women, and others, and gain insight into the cultures from which the authors came.

      Curriculum Collections supplement common courses in secondary social studies with engaging trade titles that bring social studies to life. Course collections include U.S. history, world history, and world regions/world geography.

      Caldecott® and Newbery® are registered trademarks of the American Library Association.

  • Resources

    Explore Houghton Mifflin Harcourt’s social studies resources that further develop students’ comprehension skills.

    Houghton Mifflin Harcourt & HISTORY® Partnership Website

    Updated monthly, you will find valuable resources you can incorporate into your classroom, such as teacher’s guides to relevant HISTORY® show airings and related links. Also, you can explore all of the products and sponsorships that link HMH & HISTORY® together, including the brand new Custom Solutions service. Come here often to take advantage of what this site has to offer.

    Current Events Website

    hmcurrentevents.com enriches your classroom with subject-specific information from world history, world geography, American history, economics, psychology, sociology, civics, government, and African American history. It also spotlights today’s headlines with blogs, quizzes, activities, and web links.

    HISTORY® and related logos are the property of A&E Television Networks (AETN).

  • HMH Professional Services

    Our Mission Is to Advance Yours

    HMH Professional Services forges student-centered partnerships with schools and districts in the belief that all learners deserve a quality education and the opportunity for lifelong success.

    HMH Professional Services includes teachers, leaders, and technologists. Our Professional Learning Consultants become part of your team, working right beside you to build and implement professional learning plans that respect the unique needs and culture of your school or district community. Through program, practice, and technical services, we work collaboratively to unlock the full potential of every student, teacher, and leader.

    Visit us at hmhco.com/professionalservices to learn more.


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