Middle School Geography Curriculum for Charter School Teachers
Charter middle school social studies teachers assigned geography with only a few atlases and a projector can teach from Geography Complete – Middle School. Its 60+ resources for grades 6–8 cover maps and location, latitude and longitude, landforms, weather and climate zones, natural resources and ecosystems, and plate movement, with inquiry tasks throughout. Files are ready the moment you check out.
See the geography course →Geography Complete – Middle School is a ready-to-teach geography curriculum for grades 6–8 with 60+ resources, from $149.90. It covers geographic inquiry with maps, globes, atlases, digital tools, data and graphs; absolute and relative location, latitude and longitude, map elements and map types; and physical geography including landforms, weather, climate zones, natural resources, ecosystems, erosion and plate movement. It suits charter teachers building a course fast. Check it against your state's requirements, since it is not state-approved.
The curriculum
Geography Complete – Middle School, Grades 6–8
Start with the full curriculum. The other resources below 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
Civics Complete – Ready-to-Use Curriculum for Middle School Civics
Teach-Life-Balance: The Complete Time-Saving Course for Teachers (incl. Planner, Guides & Templates)
The real problem
Why geography is often the forgotten course at a charter
Geography tends to be the course a charter adds when the schedule has a gap, and the social studies teacher picks it up with little notice and fewer materials. There may be a handful of old atlases, one wall map and no classroom set of globes. Still, students arrive with real gaps: many cannot read a scale bar, confuse latitude with longitude, or think climate and weather are the same thing. A geography course also needs both halves of the subject. Students must learn map skills and location, and they must understand physical processes such as erosion, climate zones and the slow movement of tectonic plates. Each of those needs a different kind of material: map-reading practice, data and graphs, diagrams of landforms, and questions about how places shape people's lives. Finding accurate, readable maps and data at a sixth or seventh grade level takes far longer than it looks, and the risk of using a confusing or outdated map is real. At a small charter you may also be teaching history or civics in the same week, so geography gets whatever planning time is left over.
Why it fits
How the geography curriculum fits
It treats geography as a set of skills and processes, not a list of capitals, and it does not depend on a room full of equipment.
- Map elements and map types are taught directly, closing gaps like misreading scale bars or legends.
- Latitude and longitude plus absolute and relative location give students precise ways to describe place.
- Data and graph tasks let students study climate zones and natural resources without extra equipment.
- Landforms, erosion and plate movement explain why the physical world looks the way it does.
- People–place cause and effect connects physical geography to how communities live and work.
- Maps, globes, atlases and digital tools are all included in the inquiry approach, so you use what you have.
Getting started
Starting geography in the first two weeks
One possible way to open the course. The order is a suggestion, and you can shift it to your bell schedule.
- Pair map skills with physical unitsAfter downloading, match each map skills lesson with a physical geography unit where students will use it. Latitude and longitude, for example, pairs naturally with climate zones.
- Check what students can readIn the first days, use a map elements activity as a quick check on scale, legend and compass rose. It shows who needs the basics before you move to harder tasks.
- Locate places two waysTeach absolute and relative location with latitude and longitude. Students describe the school's location both ways, then find several places on a map using coordinates.
- Read weather and climate dataIn week two, use the data and graph tasks to separate weather from climate. Students compare climate graphs from different zones and explain what they show.
- Connect landforms to plate movementFinish the stretch with landforms and plate movement. Students study a map of mountains or volcanoes and reason about how plate movement might explain the pattern.
Which version
Which geography version to get
The main version, 60+ resources for $149.90, covers geographic inquiry, maps and location, and physical geography for grades 6–8. The $189.90 option adds Teach-Life-Balance, a digital course with a planner, guides and templates for managing teacher time. It is worth it if geography is one of several social studies preps. If you teach geography alongside world history or civics, combining this with World History Complete or Civics Complete – Middle School fits well; the code TEACHMORE15 gives 15% off two or more curricula.
Honest limits
What it does not supply
Wall maps, globes, atlases and devices are not part of the curriculum, so the digital tool and atlas tasks depend on what your school has. Plate movement and erosion are covered conceptually rather than in earth science depth. It is written for U.S. middle school classrooms, but you should check the content against your state's geography or social studies framework. Before colleagues use it, send Teach Lessons a short message. If it is not a fit, you can exchange it for store credit within 7 days; cash refunds are not given.
Good to know
Frequently asked questions
Is this geography curriculum approved by a state or charter authorizer?
No. It has not been approved, adopted or endorsed by any state, district or charter authorizer, and it carries no guarantee of alignment. It is written for U.S. middle school classrooms. States place geography in different courses and grades, so compare the units with your own state's framework and add any regional content it requires.
Does it cover human geography or only physical?
The main strands are geographic inquiry, maps and location, and physical geography. People–place cause and effect is part of the inquiry strand, and natural resources and ecosystems connect physical geography to human activity. If your course requires extensive human or cultural geography, plan to add material for that.
Do I need a class set of atlases or devices?
No, but they help. The inquiry approach uses maps, globes, atlases, digital tools, data and graphs, and you can project many of the map tasks if you lack class sets. The curriculum does not come with physical maps or devices, so work with whatever your room has.
How is plate movement handled?
Erosion and plate movement are covered conceptually as part of physical geography, alongside landforms, weather, climate zones, natural resources and ecosystems. The goal is for students to explain patterns they see on maps, not to study geology in earth science depth. A map of volcanoes and mountain ranges is a good place to start that reasoning.
Can I combine it with world history or civics?
Yes. All Complete Curricula share the same structure, so moving between them is straightforward. World History Complete and Civics Complete – Middle School are the natural partners, and TEACHMORE15 gives 15% off when you buy two or more. Map skills from this course also support history lessons on where civilizations formed.
Our science teacher wants the climate and plate lessons too. Is that allowed?
Overlap between geography and earth science is common in small charters, and climate zones or plate movement may come up in both rooms. Use within your school is possible after you send Teach Lessons a short message, before the science teacher starts. Questions about school purchasing can go in the same message. Sharing outside the school is not allowed.
Give geography a real course, not leftover time
See what the 60+ resources include on the product page, then choose a version and download.
See the geography course →