Download What is Geography?

What is Geography?
DO NOW: Think about the District of Columbia and
Jot down answer these questions:
1.Wheat monuments are located in DC?
1.What region is DC in?
a.
THE NORTH
c. THE WEST
b.
THE SOUTH
d. THE EAST
3. What makes DC a place that is different from other
places?
 Today we are going to look at the five themes of geography
looking at where we live, the District of Columbia (DC).
 When you see something underlined, I want you to copy it
down!
 COPY IT DOWN IN YOUR GRAPHIC ORGANIZER.
SWBAT identify and explain the five themes of
geography and apply them to the District of
Columbia.
WHAT IS
GEOGRAPHY?
Geography is the study of people,
places, and the environment.
Geography tells us WHERE things
and people are and HOW they
relate to each other.
WHAT IS
GEOGRAPHY?
What is Geography?
There are five themes of
geography that we will
study this year:
1. Place
2. Location
3. Region
4. Movement
5. Human/Environmenta
l Interaction
WE REMEMBER THESE 5 by
USING MR.HELP.
SO HOW DO WE REMEMBER THE 5
THEMES OF GEOGRAPHY?
“MR.HELP”
LOCATION:
Tells us “WHERE WE ARE”
1. ABSOLUTE LOCATION = the exact
location
a. latitude and longitude
b. An address

D.C. is located at 38° N, 77° W

The address of the White House is
1600 Pennsylvania Ave. NW,
Washington, DC 20500.

In DC, to give the exact address, we
have to put NW, SW, NE, NW or WE
CAN GET LOST.
LOCATION:
Tells us “WHERE WE ARE”
1. ABSOLUTE LOCATION = the exact
location
a. latitude and longitude
b. An address
2. RELATIVE LOCATION = the
location of one place to another. It
is described by landmarks, time,
distance, and directions.

D.C. is located at 38° N, 77° W

Jefferson Academy is located in SW.

The address of the White House is
1600 Pennsylvania Ave. NW,
Washington, DC 20500.

To get to Southeast, you cross over
the Anacostia River.

The McDonald’s is about 5 minutes
away from here.

In DC, to give the exact address, we
have to put NW, SW, NE, NW or WE
CAN GET LOST.
STOP:
RELATIVE LOCATION
LOOKING AT THIS MAP, what is the
relative location of the Lincoln
Memorial.
Talk among your groups and be able to
give at least 3 examples of the relative
location of the Lincoln Memorial.
OPTIONAL GAME TIME: WHICH LOCATION IS IT!
PLACE:
tells us “WHAT IS IT LIKE THERE?”
What makes this place different from others?
1. PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS
- Bodies of water
- Landforms
- Climate
2. HUMAN CHARACTERISTICS
Characteristics that humans
make:
- buildings & roads
- religion
- culture
TURN AND TALK: What are the human
and physical characteristics of DC?
DO NOT GET CONFUSED:
PLACE TELLS WHAT THE
PEOPLE AND ENVIRONMENT is
LIKE
and
LOCATION tells you where it is
on a map, globe, or
direction.
TURN AND TALK:
PLACE
The image people have of a place is based on
their experiences, both intellectual – what they
know about a place and emotional- what they
imagine a place to be like.
People's descriptions of a place reveal their
values, attitudes, and perceptions of that place.
In your groups, answer the following:
How do people who live in DC see DC? What
about people who do not live in DC?
Do people who live in NW see DC differently than
people who live in SE?
REGION:
tells us “WHAT MAKES
THIS PLACE SIMILAR TO
OTHER AREAS?”
A region is the basic unit of study
in geography.
A region is an area that usually
has the same culture,
government, language, and
is close together in location.
Regions are determined by
humans.
✪
STOP: REGION
THINK.PAIR.SHARE.
1.What region is DC located in?
(What is this region like: accents,
culture, weather, etc.)
2. How are these regions different
from other regions?
BONUS: Ms. Westbrook is from
Tennessee. What region is her
hometown found in?
✪
MOVEMENT:
tells us “WHY PEOPLE MOVE AND HOW THEY
EXCHANGE GOODS AND IDEAS”
Goods that move:
-technology
-foods (fruits come from Mexico
and DC sends out seafood)
- money
STOP:
DISCUSS
AMONG
YOUR
GROUPS!
Ideas that move:
-Politics
-Fashion
- Music
1. How do we depend on people in other places?
2. Why do people move?
3. What would happen if we traveled by camel or horse?
4. How do we move from place to place?
5. How do we actually get food?
HUMAN/ENVIRONMENTAL INTERACTION:
tells us “HOW PEOPLE INTERACT WITH THEIR
ENVIRONMENT?”
1. Humans adapt to the environment.
2. Humans change the environment.
3. Humans depend on the environment.
STOP: DISCUSS AMONG YOUR GROUPS!
THINK ABOUT THE METRO. WHY DO WE HAVE A METRO SYSTEM? HOW DID HUMANS
DECIDE TO ADAPT TO THE ENVIRONMENT OF DC BY BUILDING A METRO SYSTEM?
What is the environment of a big city?
Given the choice, where would you live? Why? What is the environment?
ACTIVITIES: BASED ON THE
NUMBER I GIVE YOUR GROUP!
1. COMPLETE THE HANDOUT THE TEACHER GIVES YOU ON THEMES!
2. WRITING REFLECTIONS: Think about The District of Columbia. It
is the place you live/work/play in. How are you interacting
with The District of Columbia? Are you happy with your
experiences in The District of Columbia? What would you like
to change about your experiences and interactions in The
District of Columbia?
3. WORLD VIEWS: Based on the 5 themes, how might the world
view the District of Columbia? Incorporate the 5 themes into
your answers.