World Geography Studies
Unit 3 – Human Geography Lesson 1 – Cultural Geography
OBJECTIVES / WGS.17AWGS.18B
WGS.18D / Using language, religion, land use, systems of education, and customs as examples of cultural patterns, describe and compare aspects that make specific regions of the world distinctive.
Analyze the long and short term causes and effects of cultural changes in specific regions.
Using case studies, evaluate the spread of cultural traits by finding examples of cultural convergence and divergence such as the spread of democratic ideas, US-based fast-food franchises in Russia and Eastern Europe, or the English language as a major medium of international communication for scientists and business people
KEY CONCEPTS / 1. Culture includes basic ideas and institutions such as language, religion, food, clothing, artistic expression, education, custom, traditions, and so on.
2. Differences in culture can sometimes cause conflict.
3. Culture spreads.
VOCABULARY / ethnic group
cultural diffusion / cultural characteristics
cultural hearth
INTRODUCTION ( ___ min) / Warm-up/Vocabulary Building
Ask students to take 1minute to list 10 things that make us unique as Americans. Then have them pair up, share, and add to their lists. Have pairs share out unique responses and record the information. Help students categorize these examples of culture in categories such as Language, Beliefs, Customs, Clothing, Food and Shelter, Arts, Politics, etc. / MATERIALS:
CONCEPT DEVELOPMENT ( ___ min) / Show the PowerPoint B.02.05 – 1, People of the World. As students view each slide, have them jot down words and phrases describing what they see. Ask students to look at their lists and circle any words or items that appear in more than one list. Discuss items students listed and point out that all people in the world share the same cultural characteristics; they just exhibit them in differing ways. For instance, in the first slide, both women were dressed in special clothing, but the clothing had unique aspects for each woman, and so on.
Do a quick talk-through of pp. 71 – 72, emphasizing the definitions of culture, ethnic group, diffusion, cultural hearth, acculturaton. Ask students to give examples of each concept. / Pages in text:
p. 71 - 77
Power Point – People of the World
STUDENT PRACTICE
( ___ min) / Have students examine the World Language Families Today map (p. 74) and the World Religions map (p. 76). Ask them to compare the maps and draw conclusions.
Have students reflect on the data shown on p. 142 – Distribution of Selected Ethnic Minorities. Instruct them to record 2 patterns they notice, 3 conclusions they draw, and 2 good questions for another student to answer. Have students trade questions and answer.
ASSESSMENT
( __ min) / Direct students to the Clash of Cultures graphic on p. 161. Ask students to write a paragraph explaining why they think different ethnic groups tend to have conflict. Ask them t o give examples.
CLOSURE
( __ min)
MODIFICATIONS
Unit 3 – Human Geography Lesson 2 – Population Geography
WGS.12B Analyze how the creation and distribution of resources affects the location and movement of goods, services, capital, and people.
WGS.21D Apply basic statistical concepts and analytical methods such as computer-based spreadsheets and statistical software to analyze geographic data.
KEY CONCEPTS / 1) We measure population statistics to keep track of how people are doing throughout the world. Many people rely on these statistics to help them make decisions about how to use resources to help people in need.
VOCABULARY / infant mortality rate
per capita income
life expectancy
push-pull factors / population pyramid
census
population density
urbanization
INTRODUCTION ( ___ min) / Warm-up Ask, “Why is it important for us to measure population?” Direct students to examine the World Population Growth chart (p. 78). Ask for observations. Read aloud the first two paragraphs on p. 78. Ask, “What concerns do you have about the population growing so fast?”
Vocabulary Building Population Geography handout – defines key terms. Students design a symbol to represent the meaning of each (can be done in pairs). / MATERIALS:
Population Geography Handout
CONCEPT DEVELOPMENT ( ___ min) / Introduce the video, saying you will first take a look at population measures for New York City. Have students take notes on the Population Geography handout as they view “Tracking Population in New York” (4:44 min) (pause at least twice to give students a chance to reflect and record (in pairs or individually). http://streaming.discoveryeducation.com/search/assetDetail.cfm?guidAssetID=97708614-dc0f-4052-92a4-bc008be82fec / Pages in text:
p.
video clip
Population Geography handout
STUDENT PRACTICE
( ___ min) / Have students complete the Population Statistics handout. Model and think-aloud to introduce the handout, then have students work in pairs to answer all questions in complete sentences on their own notebook paper. / Population Statistics handout
ASSESSMENT
( __ min)
CLOSURE
( __ min) / If geographers could only have one measure to determine how a country and its people are doing (GDP, birth rate, population density, fertility rate, infant mortality rate, per capita income) – which do you think would be most valuable?
MODIFICATIONS
Unit 3 – Human Geography Lesson 3 – Economic Geography
WGS.10C
WGS.21C / Compare subsistence agriculture versus market-oriented agriculture, or cottage industries versus commercial industries as examples of ways people organize the production of goods and services to satisfy basic needs and wants.
Construct and interpret maps and other graphics [graphs, charts, diagrams…] and text to answer geographic questions, infer geographic relationships, and analyze geographic change over time in a given region.
KEY CONCEPTS / 1)
VOCABULARY / Economic system
Command economy
Market economy
Gross Domestic Product (GDP) / Subsistence agriculture
Cottage industry
Commercial industry
Factors of production
INTRODUCTION ( ___ min) / Warm-up Project the GDP per capita transparency. Ask students to make some inferences about the map – what patterns do they notice? What might it be about? Give the definition of GDP and explain that the map is GDP per capita (per person). Explain that two nations with the same GDP could look different on the map because the population might be higher in one country, in which case the GDP per capita would be lower.
Gross domestic product, or GDP, is a way to measure the size of a country’s economy. The GDP of a country is defined as the total market value of all final goods and services produced within a country in a given period of time (usually one year).
Vocabulary Building (most terms are defined in the video) / MATERIALS:
GDP per cap transparency
CONCEPT DEVELOPMENT ( ___ min) / “How Economic Activities Define a Culture” clip (20 min) (http://streaming.discoveryeducation.com/search/assetDetail.cfm?guidAssetID=78a7d498-2e0d-48f9-81b3-0991fe803190&tabDisplay=myContent -- Watch film with students, pausing to have students record notes on handout.
pencil factory example – p. 92-93
Read pp. 94, Infrastructure, with students. Discuss examples from Houston of critical infrastructure without which the city could not thrive. Discuss the impact of infrastructure failing, such as the levees in New Orleans. / Pages in text:
q p. 419
q pp. 461-463
handout
STUDENT PRACTICE
( ___ min) / Compare two maps – Economic Activities of the U.S. and Canada (p. 106) and Population Density of the U.S. and Canada (p. 107). Ask students, “What relationships do you see in the two maps? How do you think economic activities have influenced where people choose to live?”
Have students record other patterns and conclusions as they analyze the following maps: Natural Resources of the U.S. and Canada ( p. 120), Agriculture and Industry of Canada (p. 160), Canadian Economy ( p. 159) – pie chart
ASSESSMENT
( __ min) / Project “The Earth at Night” transparency or slide. Ask students to write: “What does this satelllite image tell us about economic development in the world?”
CLOSURE
( __ min)
MODIFICATIONS