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6th grade · Social Studies · Unit 12 of 15

The Eastern Hemisphere Today

Continents, regions, rivers and climates

What your child practices

The continents, regions, landforms, rivers and climates of Europe, Africa, Asia and Australia, how geography shapes where people live, and how some of today's issues, such as borders and water shortages, have roots in the past.

New York State Learning Standards learning standard: 6.1a; 6.1b; 6.1c; 6.1d · the physical and human geography of the present-day Eastern Hemisphere, its regions, and issues with roots in the past

How we explain it

Children can open this short lesson before they practice.

  1. The Eastern Hemisphere holds Africa, Asia, Europe and Australia.
  2. The Ural Mountains divide Europe and Asia. The Nile is Africa's longest river; the Tigris and Euphrates flow through Iraq.
  3. A peninsula has water on three sides.

Example: What is a peninsula? “Pen” means almost and “insula” means island. It is almost an island. Answer: land surrounded by water on three sides

The Eastern Hemisphere Today in New York

In the New York State Learning Standards, this is unit 12 of 15 in 6th grade Social Studies, after Trade Networks and before Classical China & India.

Gradelings describes a child's practice on this unit as Beginning, Approaching, Meeting or Exceeding (Four practice steps). That reflects practice, not a report-card mark: the teacher decides the mark.

Source: New York State Education Department (NYSED)

Sample questions

A taste of this unit. In the app, questions change every time and get easier or harder to match your child.

  1. Question 1

    Why do so many people live in eastern China and northern India?

    • They are deserts
    • They are frozen all year
    • Fertile river valleys and plenty of water
    • They have no rivers

  2. Question 2

    Which continents are all or mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere?

    • Antarctica only
    • North and South America
    • Africa, Asia, Europe and Australia
    • South America and Africa

  3. Question 3

    Egypt, Morocco and Algeria are in…

    • East Asia
    • North Africa
    • Eastern Europe
    • Southeast Asia

  4. Question 4

    The Ural Mountains are often used as a boundary between…

    • Europe and Asia
    • Spain and France
    • India and China
    • Africa and Asia

  5. Question 5

    The Sahara is…

    • A rainforest in Asia
    • A mountain range in India
    • The largest hot desert in the world
    • A sea in Europe

  6. Question 6

    Why do people farm on terraces in the mountains of southern China and Southeast Asia?

    • To grow rice on steep slopes
    • To store oil
    • To build ports
    • To stop the monsoon

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