Teaching Geography in the Elementary and Middle

SchoolWhy should we care? Isn’t that why we have

GPSs?

“An integrative discipline that brings together the physical and human dimensions of the world in the study of people, places, and environments. Its subject matter is the Earth’s surface and the processes that shape it, the relationships between people and environments, and the connections between people and places” (Geography Standards Project, 1994, p. 18).

Geography—what is it?

Where students learn about the world and its people.

Geography—what is it?

The memorization of states and capitals. Coloring pictures of people in sombreros

taking a siesta.

What isn’t it?

Existential Reason—to understand where we are (in the big picture).

Ethical Reason—to better understand the interdependency of life on the planet.

Intellectual Reason—it’s interesting.

Practical Reason—it helps us to solve real-world problems (like how not to get lost).

Why study Geography?

Location—where are places on the Earth’s surface? Where are places in relation to other places?

Place—What characteristics define a place? Relationships within places—How do people

interact with and change their environment? Movement—How and why do people travel

and transport goods, information, and ideas? Regions—What are the characteristics that

define an area?

The 5 Themes of Geography

Theme 1: Location Addresses the basic question: where are we

on the Earth’s surface? Absolute v. Relative Location

◦ Absolute: Lines of latitude and longitude, grid systems

◦ Relative: In relation to other places, landmarks Map reading skills

Where is Billings, Montana? (absolute v. relative location)

Why is Billings where it is? What is the significance of this location?

Location

45˚ N, 108 ˚ WElevation: 3,123 ftYellowstone River ValleyYellowstone County

Finding places using Google Earth◦ Flying◦ Getting directions, taking a bird’s eye trip◦ Measuring distances

Location

Theme 2: Place Addresses the basic question: what makes a

place unique or different from another place? Physical and human characteristics

◦ Physical: not made by humans, i.e., rivers, lakes, mountains

◦ Human: anything human-made, i.e., cities, dams, roads

Map reading skills◦ Identifying symbols, using the legend

Interpreting pictures (geography is not just about maps!)

What are the physical and human characteristics that define Billings?

What physical systems have shaped Billings?

Place

Using street view to explore the world. Billings, Paris, Sao Paolo, Tokyo, Pretoria

Place

Theme 3: Relationships within Places Addresses the basic question: how do humans interact

with the environment in which they live? Adaptation: how humans have been changed by their

environments.◦ How they build their houses, how they use the land and its

resources, even what they do for fun Modification: how humans have changed their

environments.◦ Dams, diverting rivers, clearing trees/forests

Dependence: how people rely on the environment for survival

Impact: the positive and negative influence people have on the environment.

How do people in Billings use the land and its resources?

What would Billings look like without people?

In what ways is Billings dependent on other places? In what ways are other places dependent on Billings?

Relationships within places

Visit interesting places around the world. Palm Jumeirah, United Arab Emirates World Heritage Sites

Relationships within places

Theme 4: Movement Addresses the basic question: how do humans

interact with environments across space? Travel: how and why people travel

◦ Migration◦ Forms of transportation

Communication: how and why people communicate

Movement of resources: how and why people get what they need (importing), how and why people send resources to others (exporting)

How do people get around Billings? How do goods, information, and ideas move

in, out, and around Billings?

Movement

“Visit” cities and explore transportation options.

Movement

Theme 5: Region Addresses the basic question: how do people

define the areas of the Earth’s surface? More general than place (theme 2) The world can be divided into physical regions

◦ Deserts, mountains, plains Climate regions

◦ Tropical, arctic, arid, etc. Cultural regions

◦ Language, religion, ethnicity, politics Map reading skills

What defines the region of which Billings is a part? How does Billings fit into the region? (Remember that regions can be defined culturally, in addition to their physical characteristics).

Regions

http://www.fieldtripearth.org/ http://www.gearthblog.com/basics.html http://www.mywonderfulworld.org/index.ht

ml http://www.worldmapper.org/index.html http://www.nationalgeographic.com/xpeditio

ns/ http://zipskinny.com/

Resources for teaching Geography