Indiana Social Studies 7.G.2
The Standard
Describe and compare major cultural characteristics of regions in Africa, Asia, and the Southwest Pacific.
2026 Indiana Academic Standards: K-12 Social Studies
Teacher's field guide
What This Standard Means
What Students Need to Do
- Students describe languages, religions, and customs in regions of Africa, Asia, and the Southwest Pacific. They use country examples to compare regions without assuming everyone in a region shares the same culture.
What Mastery Looks Like
- A student can place Tanzania, Indonesia, and Papua New Guinea on a map and name a language used in each. They can describe a similarity and a difference between the places, while noting that each has many cultural groups.
Common Misconceptions
- Students may treat Africa as one country or assume everyone in a region speaks the same language. They may mistake a religion practiced by many people for the belief of every person there.
How to Assess It
- Give students a map and these facts: Swahili is used in Tanzania, Bahasa Indonesia in Indonesia, and Tok Pisin in Papua New Guinea. Ask them to label each country's region, compare language use, and explain why one language cannot represent everyone in a region.
Lesson moves
Ways to Teach It
On a blank map, mark Tanzania, Indonesia, and Papua New Guinea, then attach cards naming languages and religions found in each country.
Ask students to write: Why can't Swahili, Bahasa Indonesia, or Tok Pisin stand for everyone in its wider region?
Play a card match with country names, regions, and language names; have partners explain each match before checking a map.
Read visitor guide pages for Dar es Salaam, Jakarta, and Port Moresby, then list languages a traveler might hear in each city.
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Printable 7.G.2 Worksheet
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Related Standards
- 7.C.2
Compare and contrast historical and contemporary governments in Africa, Asia, and the Southwest Pacific.
- 6.G.2
Describe and compare major cultural characteristics of regions in Europe and the Western Hemisphere.
- 7.G.4
Identify major physical characteristics of regions of Africa, Asia, and the Southwest Pacific, such as deserts, basins, plains, mountains, and rivers, and descr...
- 7.G.1
Formulate a broad understanding of the location of countries within Africa, Asia, and the Southwest Pacific.
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