Units for Years 7–8

Five units for HASS and Science

Two history units, one geography unit and two science units. Grade labels on the cards are the ones used in the shop.

Mesopotamia and Early River Civilizations | 8 Lessons, 8 Case Cards & a Project | Grade 6

Rivers, cities, writing and law across four early civilisations.

Grade 6$29.99

The Islamic Golden Age and the Mali Empire | 8 Lessons, 8 Case Cards & a Project | Grade 7

Trade, scholarship and the Mali Empire, with a lesson on testing claims.

Grade 7$19.99

Plate Tectonics and the Rock Cycle | 8 Lessons, Case Cards & a Project | Grades 6–8

Plate boundaries, rock types and evidence-based statements about hazards.

Grades 6–8$29.99

Map Skills and GIS Basics | 8 Lessons, 8 Case Cards & a Fictional GIS Dataset | Grades 6–7

Coordinates, scale, projection and GIS layers with a fictional dataset.

Grades 6–7$24.99

Genetics and Heredity | 8 Lessons, 8 Inheritance Models & a Project | Grades 7–8

Alleles, Punnett squares and probability in eight lessons with a project.

Grades 7–8$19.99

At a glance

Which unit fits which learning area

Page counts are for the classroom PDF and the separate teacher guide. Every unit includes a 17-slide presentation and editable DOCX text editions. For the wider range of material by year level, see our Australian Curriculum teaching resources page.

History

Two history units for Years 7–8

The Mesopotamia and Early River Civilizations unit asks why settlements grew along rivers, then moves through cities and specialisation, writing, Hammurabi and law, and religion and power. It compares Egypt with Mesopotamia, adds the Indus Valley and early China, and ends with a lesson on what can be concluded from finds and texts and what stays open. The Islamic Golden Age and Mali Empire unit covers connected regions, translation and scholarship, learning institutions, Mali and trade, Mansa Musa, Timbuktu and culture and power. The last lesson asks students to test historical claims against evidence. The unit works with two example regions and does not cover all of Islamic or West African history, so say so to your class. A single lesson, such as the one on Mansa Musa and Timbuktu, works as a short case study. Both units are closest to HASS history in Years 7–8, but check them against the content descriptions you teach. No alignment is claimed.

Geography

Map skills without needing software

The Map Skills and GIS Basics unit starts with the purpose of a map and builds through coordinates, scale and projection. Thematic maps shift the focus from orientation to message: how colour, classes and legends shape what a reader takes away. Two lessons then treat a map as a stack of data layers and ask students to query a dataset. The dataset is fully fictional and printed in the classroom material, and the teacher guide has a GIS data key. No computer or GIS software is needed. The final lesson, Viewer and ethics, asks who reads a map, who made it and what follows from map data. It suits a Year 7 geography block, and the case cards make it easy to hand a single lesson to a relief teacher. The teacher guide gives answers for the coordinate, scale and query tasks, so marking does not depend on who is in the room.

Science

Earth science and genetics

The Plate Tectonics and the Rock Cycle unit begins with evidence that plates move, separates the lithosphere from the asthenosphere and gives one lesson each to divergent, convergent and transform boundaries. The second half covers rock types and paths through the rock cycle. The last lesson uses claim, evidence, reasoning so students can support statements about natural hazards. The Genetics and Heredity unit runs from DNA, genes and chromosomes through alleles, dominance and Punnett squares to probability, mutation and claims about genetics. It is aimed at Grades 7–8, so many teachers will use it as an extension or revision module. The teacher guide has answers for all eight lessons and a key for the inheritance models. Decide where it sits against your own science sequence. For the broader range of science programs, see our page on Years 7–10 science programs.

Planning

Fitting the units into Term 1 2027

Each unit has eight lessons with three pages each, so a unit can take a full term at one lesson a week, or less if you pick lessons. A Term 1 plan might use one history unit and the geography unit for HASS, and one science unit for Science. Leave a week at each end for the learning check and the project, and allow for the short weeks that start the year. The units use US spelling and a few American examples. The editable DOCX files let you change those before you print, and a unit sold as Grade 6 or 7 may need extra support or extension for your class. If you are still finishing this year, our Term 4 finish and 2027 planning page has more on timing.

Planning

A simple route from overview to first lesson

1. List your Term 1 contentWrite down the content descriptions you need to cover in HASS and Science.
2. Match units to those descriptionsCompare the eight lesson titles in each unit with your list and note any lessons you would skip or move.
3. Decide whole unit or selected lessonsEach lesson stands on its own, so you can use a few and skip the rest.
4. Adjust the DOCXChange spelling and any US examples, then print from your edited version.
5. Check the teacher guideRead the answers and assessment notes before you set the learning check, so you know what a strong response looks like.

Questions teachers ask

Frequently asked questions