Academy Curricular Exchange
Columbia Education Center
Social Studies

TITLE:       THE INFLUENCE OF PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY/CLIMATE

AUTHOR:      Keith Harlow, Polk Middle School, Albuquerque, NM

GRADE LEVEL/SUBJECT:     Appropriate for grades 6-12

OVERVIEW:  Largely due to the development of technology -air
conditioners, gas and electric heating, air travel- students
often seem to lose an appreciation for the limits and demands
from the physical world around them.  The description here will
focus on a lesson about "your" state, but this activity can be
used for the United States, or even Continents of the World.

PURPOSE:  Used during a geography unit -large or small scale- or at the
beginning of a unit on exploration (ex. Europeans to America; Spanish to
New Mexico), this activity focuses on motivating student consideration
for the impact of the physical world on the survival and well-being of
people.  Depending on the importance of Geography (depending on the focus
of the lesson and of the teacher), this lesson is flexible enough to be a
one-day activity, where students write their answers on the chalkboard for
a general introduction to a unit, to a three-day activity, where students
use the Atlas, a State map, and necessary materials -construction paper,
glue, etc.- for a presentation with visual aides.

OBJECTIVES:  The student will:

1)  Identify the geography and climate of your State (ie. New Mexico).

2)  List basic (or other) human needs -shelter, food, water, "MTV, radios,
Nintendo, telephones, etc."- and describe how to meet those needs in the
conditions identified.

3)  Write a letter (contemporary or dated) to/from travelers/explorers to
your State which identifies conditions and important resources which will
be needed.


RESOURCES/MATERIALS:  Depending on the weight given this activity, the
information base can come from either student "brainstorming" to the use
of an Atlas, class texts, and a State map.

ACTIVITIES AND PROCEDURES:
1)  Define the following on the board (other elements may be used as
appropriate):  geography (elevation, vegetation, distances/dimensions);
climate (rainfall -include lakes, rivers, proximity to water) and
temperature in terms of seasonal differences, and human needs (shelter,
food, water, "MTV, radios, Nintendo, telephones, etc").

2)  Divide your State (or could be the United States) into regions and
assign groups (3-4 students) to investigate each region.  Each group should
have no more/less students than the number of assignments.  Work can be
done individually for group consensus or in cooperation.

3)  Finally, students will collect their data and write a letter to travelers
or explorers going to their area.  This can be done either as a letter of
recommendation from the "point of origin," to the explorers, or as a letter
"home" from explorers already in the area of study.  From investigating the
facts, identifying human needs, combining these for describing the impact
of physical geography, students finish by synthesizing the data and their
opinions to a 2-3 paragraph "letter."

TYING IT ALL TOGETHER:  At first, students will probably want to bring
along MTV, "boom-boxes," and plenty of perishable food.  After they
identify the physical geography, the teacher should ask how they plan
using the things they regularly enjoy.  This is also a good opportunity for
asking and investigating what early explorers had and what else the
students think they would need.  An evaluation can come from student
writing or group presentation (with maps, drawings, and original
information, presentations can be very interesting).  Teachers should
remember this is only a BRIEF description; this activity can be used to
introduce a lesson about explorers, as an inclusive geography lesson, and
as a simulation of interacting with the land.

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