Unit 1 Geography
Activity 1
What is geography about?
What kinds of topics are covered in geography? List 10 different topics on your activity sheet.
Each member of the group must contribute ideas.
Whomever is the oldest in your group will be spokesperson for your group this time.
Mr. Poen will list topics on the board.
Activity 1 Directions Mr. P will assign small groups. In your desk racks you will find a geog. resource.
Everyone in your group may have a different resource. That’s great!
When directed, look through your source noticing what topics are studied in geography.
Define Geography
Still in your groups, develop a definition that the group can agree on.
Write it on your activity sheet. Each person will turn in their activity sheet. Congratulations for earning your first
grade in Social Studies!
Notes:Unit 1 Geography
I. DefinitionA. Geography is the study of the
earth’s structure, surface, and
place in space.1. It studies the people,
their environments, & their resources.
2. It includeslandforms, bodies
of water, climate,
internal forces, & placein space.
B. People who studyGeography are called:
geographers1. They ask how thenatural environmentaffects:
the way we live and how we affect the
environment.
2. How does geography
help historians understand
the past.
Geography holds clues to past events & cultures.
By showing how people and the land are related, geog. helps explain the past and the present.
II. Subject Areas
A. The study of
The physical features
of the planet including
landforms, and bodies
of water is
Physical
Geography
B. This is the study of how theenvironment and geog.
affects the people:
Cultural Geog.
C. This is the study of
weather.
Meteorology
D. This is the study
of climate (long
term weather patterns)
Climatology
E. This is the study of
the Earth’s
structure:
Geology
F. This studies the
earth’s place in
space. It also
includes othe
celestial bodies
such as moons,
planets, nebula,
comets, etc.
Astronomy
G. This studies maps
and map-making.
Cartography
H. This is the study of
the oceans and
other large bodies
of salt water:
oceanography
Think QuestionsWhich subject area of geog does each fit within? 1. Mining for coal 2. Migration pattern of Arctic herdsmen 3. Planning a vacation route 4. Storm chasers 5. Global warming trends 6. Dropping population of some fish species
in the oceans.
III. Five Themes of Geography To help show the connection between
geography and history, geographers have developed five themes.
A. These are:
-Location-Place
-Interaction between people & their
environment -Movement
-Region
B. Theme: Location
1. Answers /describes:
Where did an event happen?
Where is this place?
2. Two types: Absolute (exact) and Relative
3. Absolute (exact) Location:Tells exactly where
something is located.
4. Way to show this:Uses latitude and
longitude, which are terms used to describe the grid of numbered lines on a map or globe.
5. Relative location: tells the location in relation to something well known.
6. Ways to show this:Sometimes it
is more useful to know the relative location of a place, or its location in relation to some other place.
Is Washington D.C., on the east or west of the United States?
Manteno is 30 miles south of Chicago.
Review
Exact Location Tells exactly where
something is located. Uses latitude and
longitude
Relative Location Tells where
something is located in relation to another place.
C. Themes: Place & Region
1. Geographers generally describe a place in terms of
both physical and human features.
2. The physical features
of a place include
climate, soil, plant life, animal life, and bodies
of water.
For example: New England, has a ___ terrain, a ___ coast, and many deep harbors; because of this the region turned to ____ for a living.
3. People help shape the
character of a place through
their ideas and actions. The human features
of a place include:
the kinds of houses people build as well as their means of transportation, ways of earning a living, languages, and religions.
Think of human features of the American frontier. Major ways of making a living? Building practices?
How does Geog. influence the way of life here?
4. What is a region?
It is a large geographical area
with similar features and characteristics.
5. What are characteristics
of a region?
May be physical, such as its climate or landforms.
Example: The Great Plains is considered a region because it has fairly level land, very hot summers, very cold winters, and little rainfall.
May be human and cultural.
Many of the Russian provinces have different languages than the one spoken in the capital.
6. In what physical region
do we live?
Central Plains
D. Theme: Movement
1. Involves the movement
of three things:People
Goods
Ideas
2. Examples:
It occurs because people and resources are scattered unevenly around the globe.
To get what they need or want, people travel from place to place.
3. As people move, they
meet other people and
exchange…
ideas, technology,& goods.
E. Theme: How the people and their environment interact.
Three ways that
humans interact
with their environment:Humans adapt to their environment
Humans modify their environment
Humans depend on their environment
1. Examples: Adapt: learning how tofarm in ancient times;
-People no longer had to move from place to place
in search of food. Cities developed.Modify: Finding ways to irrigate in dry places.-Change unproductive
ground into farmland.Building bridges over rivers
& roads through mountains
Depend: use rivers to transport goods and people
use rivers and lakes for
water sources for drinking, recreation,
and household needs.
2. Due to advanced
technology people may
alter their environments
dramatically bydrilling and mining
cutting down forest to build communities
Eliminating pests that destroy
crops.
IV. Maps and Globes
A. Advantages of maps
over globes:
-May show a variety of information-population, natural resources-Can zoom in and show
great detail
-Easier to store & carry
B. Advantages of globes
over maps:
Globes show “true” land
shape, distances, &
directions.
Maps show distortion more than globes.
V. Kinds of MapsA. What do each type show?
1. Political
show man-made divisions such as countries and states
2. Physical
shows what the landforms and water features are like.
3. Special purpose mapsshow a very specific theme such
as population density, land use, transportation,
trade, etc.
Tea Production Land Use
III. The EarthA. What percent of the
Earth’s surface is
covered by land?
29%; 1/4
B. By water?
71%; 3/4
C. How many people
live on earth?
Over 6 1/2 Billion
D. The earth’s surface
is divided into pieces
called
Tectonic Plates
1. What is the Ring of Fire?
The Pacific Plate is
one of the most active plates.
It surrounds much of
the Pacific Ocean. It is the most active
earthquake/volcanic area.
2. Convergent Plates (Drawing)
3. What is made?
Mountains,
Volcanoes
Earthquake zone
4. Divergent Plates (Drawing)
5. What is made?
ocean trenches
earthquake zone
volcanoes
6. Transform Plates (Drawing)
7. What is made?
earthquake zone
Faults
E. Hemispheres
1. How much of a globe is one
hemisphere?½
2. How many hemispheres are there?
4Northern, Southern,Eastern, and Western
3. What latitude line
separates the Northern
& Southern Hems?
Equator
4. What longitude line
separates the Eastern
& Western?
Prime Meridian
5. In which 2 hems.
do we live?
Northern &
Western
F. Latitude and Longitude Skills
1. What are they for?
to show location
2. Latitude lines are
lines that go side
to side but
measure distance
North/South from
Equator.
3. Starting line:
Equator (0 degrees)
4. Lines of latitude
are called
Parallels
5. Longitude lines are lines that go
up and down but
measure distance
east and west of
the Prime Meridian
6. The starting line
for longitude is
the Prime Meridian
o degrees long.
7. Lines of longitude
are also called
meridians
F. Great Circles
1. What is a Great Circle?
Any line on a map or globe that divides
the earth into two equal halves.
2. What latitude line is
an example of a Great
Circle?
Equator
3. What about longitude
lines?
All longitude lines are Great Circles
4. Use of Great Circles?
air flight routes
Geog. Section 2
I. The Earth’s Surface
is covered by large
tectonic plates and
is divided into
large landmasses and
bodies of water called:
continents and oceans
A. Review Map To the best of your
ability, fill in the
continents and
oceans. Try to
spell them
correctly.
Check your answers and correctif needed: SPELLING TOO!
1. Australia2. Asia3. Europe4. Africa5. North America6. South America7. Antarctica
Oceans
A. Pacific Ocean
B. Atlantic Ocean
C. Indian Ocean
D. Arctic Ocean
II. Common Geog Features
A. Mountains and Hills
1. Elevation is:
the height that the
land rises above
surrounding land.
Mt. Rainier has an
elevation of
14,410 feet.
2. Relief refers to
the degree to
which land rises
from the surround-
ing land.
3. A mountain isan area that risesat least 2,000 ft.above the surrounding land.
Relief- It has moderate to
steep relief.4. A hill is
an area of raisedland that is less steep
and more rounded
than mountains.(less than 2000ft.)
5. Parts of this
American mountain
chain are technically
hills:
Appalachians
B. 2 Types of Mountains:
Structural Dissected.
1. Structural Mts.made by platemovement
and/ormagma. Examples:RockiesHimalayanMauna Loa
(Hawaii)
2. Dissected Mts. Devil’s Tower,
Wyoming
3. They are formed by
erosion
4. Erosion is
the gradual wear-
ing away of the
land.
5. Agents of erosion are
moving water
wind
ice/ glaciers
Plants-root pry
Animals
C. Tallest Mountains1. In the world:
Mt. Everest(29,029 ft. +)in the
Himalayas,Asia.
2. In North AmericaMt. McKinley(20, 320 ft.)Alaska
D. Advantages/disadvantages of Mountain Living
1. Advantages of
Mountain living
List 5
2. Disadvantages of
Mountain living:
List 5
Mt. St. Helens, 1980 Eruption
Bell Work for Sept.18
1. What is the name of the closest plateau area to where we live?
2. On what landform does the bulk of the world’s population live on?
3. Give 2 reasons why this is true.
E. Plateaus are large elevated
areas of flat or
gently rolling land
often close to hilly
or mountainous
regions.
1. Use page Ref. 5 to
find the plateau closest of
where we live:
Ozark Plateau
F. Plains are
areas of flat or
fairly level land.
1. On which landform
do we live? Ref. 5
Plains
2. Our region?
Central Plains
3. On which landformdoes the bulk of theworld’s population live?
Plains4. Reasons?
Flat land is easier to build on, farm,transport things, &has most of the rivers pass throughthem.
G. Peninsula is
land surrounded
on 3 sides by
water.
1. Examples?
Italy
Florida
H. Between an isthmus and
strait?
1. Isthmus is
a narrow strip of
land that separates
2 larger bodies of
land.
2. Example:
Panama
It connects
North and South
America.
3. Strait is a narrow strip of water
that connects 2 larger
bodies of water.
4. Example?
Bering Straitconnects Arctic andPacific Oceans
III. Which Ocean?A. Largest:
PacificB. Deepest
B. Pacific(36,198ft atMarianas Trench)Atlantic: 12,881 ftaverage to28,681
C. Smallest
Arctic
D. Most heavily traveled
Atlantic
E. Most hurricanes that
affect the U.S. coast
form in the
Atlantic
F. Longest river in world
Nile, Africa
4145 miles
Mississippi: 2348
Amazon: 3900
IV. Physical Regions & Features Maps
p REF 8-9
V. Climate and Weather
A. Weather is
the condition of the
atmosphere at the
present time or
short time in the
future.
1. Atmospheric conditions include:
temperature Precipitation Barometric
Pressure Relative
humidity clear cloudy
2. Relative humidity is theAmount of moisture in the air.
3. Precipitation is
forms of water that fall
from the sky.
4. Examples:
Rain,
sleet
snow
hail
Why are these weather statements?
Tomorrow there is a 40% chance of rain.It is 76 degrees, partly cloudy, and is 30% relative humidity.There is a slight risk of severe storms this
weekend.
B. Climate is the average
weather conditions
for an area taken
over a long period
of time.
average weather
patterns taken over
a period of 20-30+
years.
Average temp.
ranges
Average amount of
precipitation.
Why are these climate statements?
In Northern Illinois in June, the average amount of rainfall is 2.7 inches.
The average temperature range for Central
Illinois in June is a low of 68 degrees and a
High of 84 degrees.
Practice: Weather or Climate?
1. A TORNADO WATCH is in effect until
9 PM for all of East Central Iowa.
2. In Rome, Italy the average monthly temp.
in September is 80 degrees F.
3. The highest recorded temp. in the U.S. was at Death Valley, Ca. at 134 degrees.
4. In the Tropics, it is warm or hot all year round.
Bell Work Review for Sept. 25Write the answers on paper.
1. There are 5 factors which shape climate.
List 2.
2. Mountain climates as compared to lowland climates like ours are A)more wet; B)have about the same amount of precipitation; C)cooler; D)warmer.
3. Define altitude:
Bell Work Review for Sept. 25Write answers on paper:
Weather or Climate?
1. This is the average weather conditions for an area over a long period of time.
2. Hurricane Agnes threatens Bermuda in the next week.
3. The rainiest spot in the U.S. is Mt. Wai’ale’ale in Hawaii with 460 inches of rain per year.
VI. 5 Factors which Shape Climate
A. They are
Altitude
LatitudeBodies of land and water
Shifting pressure centers
Prevailing winds and
currents
B. Altitude is the height above
sea level.
1. What happens
to the temp. as
one rises up a
mountain?
The temp. drops 3.6
degrees/ 1000 feet
2. Mountain climates
are generally
_____ than lowland
climates.
cooler
See Flip chartLatitude: Climate Zones
D. Climate Zones
1. Tropics/tropical
climates are
warm/hot all year
round.
2. Polar climates are
cool/cold all year round
3. Temperate climates
are
warm/hot summers
& cool/cold winters
4. We live in
the Northern
Temperate Zone
E. Bodies of land and
Water
1. Land generally
heats and cools
faster than bodies
of water.
2. Water bodies
retain (keep) their
heat and cool more slowly
than land.
3. Air takes on the
characteristics of
the land/water it is
over.
4. Drawing
F. Pressure Centers
1. 2 types:
High
Low
2. Type of weather
associated with
Highs:
Clear/Fair
3. Type of weather
associated with
lows:
stormy
4. What is the line
separating 2 different
air masses called?
a front
5. A cold dry air mass
collides with a warm,
moist air mass. This
may create:
severe storms
6. Severe weather
watch: conditions are
favorable for
severe weather to
form.
7. Severe weather
warning:
actual severe
weather exists so
take precautions.
F. Severe Weather
Rules
School:
Go into hallway by
lockers away from
glass; not large roomDuck and cover
if necessary
Remain calm and
quiet
At home:
Go to the basement or
lowest level in a small
interior room away
from glass.
In a car:
Don’t try to outrun
a tornado. Pull over &
lie flat in a ditch.
Cover your head.
In a mobile home:
Go to a sturdy
storm shelter or lie
flat in a ditch.
Tornado Warning Safety RulesAt Home
1.////
2.////
3.////
H. Prevailing winds and
Currents
1. What effect on the
climate of Western
Europe does the
prevailing winds
blowing over the
warm Gulf Stream
Current have?
England & other
areas of Western
Europe have
warmer and more
wet climate.
Humid continental
VII. Climate TypesA. Our type:
Humid Continental
2. Characteristics:
mild summers
cold winters
Rainfall varies but
is heavier in the
summer than the
winter.
B. Main type for our Southern
States:
Humid Subtropical
C. Largest type in the west?
C. Largest type found
in the Western U.S.
Steppe
Semiarid
dry
D. Name 2 cold climates
tundra
subarctic
E. Tropical Rainforests/
jungles:
Tropical Wet
1. Where in the U.S.?
Hawaii
S tip of Florida