Colorado Middle School Geography for Western and Eastern Hemisphere Years
Geography Complete – Middle School gives a Colorado Grade 6 or Grade 7 teacher the geography skills and physical geography half of the hemisphere course, ready to teach, from $149.90. It does not walk region by region through the Western or Eastern Hemisphere; you bring those case studies. What you get is map work, location, landforms, climate and resources, taught with inquiry tasks and answer keys.
Open Geography CompleteGeography Complete – Middle School ($149.90, or $189.90 with the Teach-Life-Balance course) holds 60+ resources for Grades 6–8 in three areas: geographic inquiry with maps, atlases, data and graphs; maps and location, including latitude, longitude and map types; and physical geography, from landforms and climate zones to natural resources, ecosystems, erosion and plate movement. It suits Colorado's Grade 6 and 7 regional courses as the skills core. It has no Colorado-specific or region-by-region hemisphere units.
The resources
Geography Complete – Middle School, Grades 6–8
Start with the first resource; the others are optional add-ons. Open any cover for the full contents and price.
Geography Complete – Ready-to-Use Curriculum for Middle School Geography
World History Complete – Ready-to-Use Curriculum for Middle School History
Environmental Science Units Bundle | Climate Change, Climate Data, Ecosystems, Resources & Climate Ethics | 5 Units | Grades 8–12
Teach-Life-Balance: The Complete Time-Saving Course for Teachers (incl. Planner, Guides & Templates)
The real problem
Two hemispheres, two years, one regional lens
In Colorado's social studies scope and sequence, revised and approved in 2022, the middle grades are not a chronological march through world history. Grade 6 studies the Western Hemisphere and Grade 7 the Eastern Hemisphere, both through a geographic and regional lens. Grade 8 then turns to U.S. history from the American Revolution through Reconstruction. That puts geography at the center of two straight years, and it shapes what a teacher needs. Students cannot compare the Andes with the Himalayas, or explain why cities grew along certain rivers, until they can read a map, use latitude and longitude, and understand how climate, landforms and resources affect where people live. A student who is shaky on those skills in September struggles with every region that follows. The regional content changes between the two years; the skills do not. So the teacher's real problem is building a skills and physical geography core strong enough to support both hemispheres, then layering the regions on top without rewriting every map lesson twice. Doing that alone, with worksheets and answer keys for every lesson, takes most of a summer.
Why it fits
Which parts carry the hemisphere courses
Use the curriculum as the backbone that both Grade 6 and Grade 7 share, then add regional studies.
- Latitude, longitude and absolute versus relative location give students the tools for any region.
- Map elements and map types prepare students to read regional and thematic maps in either hemisphere.
- Landforms, weather and climate zones let students explain physical differences between regions.
- Natural resources and ecosystems support lessons on how people in a region make a living.
- Data and graph work lets students compare regions using numbers rather than impressions.
- Erosion and plate movement, taught conceptually, explain mountain ranges and earthquakes in both hemispheres.
Getting started
A suggested split across Grade 6 and Grade 7
This plan shares one curriculum across two years. Timings are suggestions; your district's course plan decides.
- Grade 6 fall: tools of geographyTeach geographic inquiry and maps and location first: map elements, map types, latitude and longitude. Practice on Western Hemisphere maps you supply so the skills land on the year's content.
- Grade 6 winter: physical systemsMove into landforms, weather and climate zones. Ask students to apply each concept to North, Central and South America, adding your own regional examples and maps.
- Grade 6 spring: people and placeUse the natural resources and ecosystem material, then the cause-and-effect tasks on people and place. Students can finish with a short regional study that you assign.
- Grade 7: review, then reapplyOpen Grade 7 with a quick review of location and map skills from the same curriculum, then reuse the physical geography lessons with Eastern Hemisphere case studies.
- Grade 7 spring: plates and patternsTeach erosion and plate movement with spatial patterns. Mountain ranges, earthquakes and river valleys in Asia and Africa make strong examples, chosen and added by you.
What to buy
What to buy for Colorado's middle grades
Start with Geography Complete – Middle School at $149.90, or $189.90 if you also want the Teach-Life-Balance course. If your Grade 7 Eastern Hemisphere course leans on history as well as geography, World History Complete – Middle School ($149.90) adds early civilizations, belief systems and global connections; buying both complete curricula together qualifies for code TEACHMORE15, which takes 15% off. An eighth-grade earth science or environmental colleague may prefer the Environmental Science Units Bundle ($69.99, parts $124.95), written for Grades 8–12. The Teach-Life-Balance course is also sold alone for $89.90.
Honest limits
What you still need to add
The curriculum is not written for Colorado and is not organized by hemisphere. It has no region-by-region units on the Americas, Asia, Africa, Europe or Oceania, no Colorado content and no Colorado Academic Standards codes. Check it against your grade's standards and your district plan. You supply the regional case studies, current maps or atlases if you want physical copies, and printing. Team use across a department needs a short message to Teach Lessons first. If it is not the right fit, you can exchange it within 7 days for store credit of equal value; cash refunds are not available.
Good to know
Frequently asked questions
Does it follow the Colorado Academic Standards for Grades 6 and 7?
No. It is not aligned to, endorsed by or written for the Colorado Academic Standards, and the store makes no alignment claim. It teaches general middle school geography skills and physical geography. Compare it with the Grade 6 and Grade 7 standards your district uses, and plan the regional content you need to add on top.
Can I really use one curriculum for both years?
That is a suggestion, not a built-in design. The skills and physical geography topics apply to both hemispheres, so many lessons can be taught in Grade 6 and revisited in Grade 7 with new regional examples. If two different teachers teach the two grades, each needs their own licence or a team-use arrangement with Teach Lessons.
Does it include Western or Eastern Hemisphere regional units?
No. There are no units organized by region or continent. The curriculum covers inquiry, maps and location, and physical geography. The regional case studies that define Colorado's Grade 6 and Grade 7 courses need to come from your own planning or your district's adopted materials.
What about Grade 8?
Colorado's Grade 8 focuses on U.S. history from the American Revolution through Reconstruction, which this product does not cover. The curriculum is labeled Grades 6–8, so map and data skills can still be refreshed in Grade 8, but it is not a Grade 8 course for Colorado.
Is it suitable for students at different levels?
The curriculum is described as suitable for mixed-ability classrooms, with worksheets, activities, slides and answer keys. It is also flexible: you can teach full units, short lessons, review sessions or substitute days from it. That flexibility is what makes the two-year approach above practical for one teacher or a small team.
When can I start using it?
Right away. It is a digital download, and the link arrives by email after purchase. The files also stay in your customer account under Orders, so you can download them again on a school computer. Print the worksheets or use the slides and activities in a digital classroom the same day.
Build both hemisphere years on one geography core
See the full list of resources on the product page before you plan your fall.
Open Geography Complete