Download Unit 2 Packet - Westerville City Schools

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Unit 2: Patterns and Change in Places and Regions
Introduction
When geographers (and people like us!) study and try to understand the world, we often try to
find patterns or similarities among places. When we can group places together by finding patterns ​(like,
which places ALL have the same type of climate, or which places ALL have people who speak​ Hindi), it
is easier to organize and make conclusions about our world. A group of places that have something in
common is called a region. The neat thing is, a place can belong to many different regions, kind of like
how a person can belong to many different groups. You are part of a family, but also might be part of a
sports team, and also part of a certain class period, and also part of the Genoa student body, and so on
and so on!
But regions do not stay the same forever. They can shift and change. Change is a permanent
part of our world. The earth itself is constantly changing—continents shift, mountains erode, ice caps
melt, forests are cut down. The earth’s people undergo changes as well—people move to new places,
discover new technologies, adopt new styles of food and clothing. By looking closely not only for patterns
in our world, but also how these patterns are flexible and changing, we wil have a deeper understanding
of the world around us.
Learning Targets
1. Identify and compare different types of regions (​physical regions​ and ​cultural regions​).
2. Explain how physical environments influence human activities, and how human activities alter (or
change) the physical environment.
3. Define ​culture ​and identify elements that make up culture.
4. Explain how cultures change over time, in particular through c
​ ultural diffusion​.
5. Distinguish between ​push factors ​and ​pull factors ​of migration.
6. Describe ​political​, ​environmental​, ​social​, and ​economic f​ actors that cause people, products,
and ideas to move.
Important Vocabulary:
climate
rural
Ring of Fire
*vegetation
migrate
desertification
culture
precipitation
urban
*agriculture
irrigate
erosion
Use the textbook to look up and write down the definitions of your assigned vocabulary words. Then, write a sentence
making a comparison or connection (an analogy) between each new word and one of the “random” words listed below.
Basketball
Cleveland Indians
Cartographer
Word
1.
2.
3.
Definition
Pencil
GPS
Popcorn
Puppy
Analogy
Target 1: Types of Regions
Identify and compare different types of regions (physical regions and cultural regions)
Main idea:​ A ​region ​is a group of places near each other that share common characteristics. These
characteristics make the region distinct (or different) from other areas.
Looking at regions is useful because it helps geographers divide the world into more manageable areas
for study. It is also important to know that regions can shift and change over time.
Types of Regions
Physical Regions
A physical region is an area that shares
landforms, climate, vegetation, or animal life
(physical features!). The Amazon Rainforest, the
Himalayan Mountains, the Sahara Desert, and
the Tibetan Plateau are all examples of physical
regions.
Cultural Regions
A cultural region is an area where people share
common cultural characteristics, such as religious
beliefs, goods, language, ways of dress, and
types of homes. The Middle East is an example of
a cultural region. What do people have in
common there? (They speak Arabic and follow
the religion of Islam.)
The chart below shows some of the criteria that are commonly used to classify and compare different
types of regions.
Type of Region
Definition
Examples
Landform
Shape or form of physical
features on earth’s surface
Mountain
Coastal
Desert
Climate
Long-term patterns in
temperature and
precipitation
Tropical
Arid
Humid continental
Population
Characteristics of the
people who live in an area
Population density
Birth rate
Family size
Economic
How a society produces
and distributes goods and
services
Natural resources
Agricultural products
Levels of income
What region(s) is
Westerville a part of?
Notice how a place, like Westerville, can belong to more than one region!
River Valley Civilizations and Their R
​ egions
Directions:​ Later in the year, we will be studying four major river valley civilizations of the ancient world, in Iraq,
Egypt, India, and China. To introduce us to and help us understand these places a little better, let’s look at which
regions these countries are part of.
Use the classroom textbooks to examine each country. Find each country’s capital city, and look at the different
regions it is part of. On the chart below, describe the regions you see.
Place
Baghdad,
Iraq
(Use maps of
Asia on
pp. 230–234)
Physical (Landform)
Region
Population Density
Region
Economic Region
(Resources/
Land Use)
Climate
Region
“Baghdad is part of a
region that . . .
Cairo,
Egypt
(Use maps of
Africa on
pp. 378–382)
New Delhi,
India
(Use maps of
Asia on
pp. 230–234)
Beijing,
China
(Use maps of
Asia on
pp. 230–234)
1. Describe one ​similarity ​you see between two or more of the places on the chart.
___________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________
______
2. Describe one ​difference ​you see between two or more of the places on the chart.
___________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________________
______
Target 2: Human-Environment Interactions
Explain how physical environments influence human activities,
and how human activities alter the physical environment
Physical Environment
Human Activities
Introduction​: The physical environment surrounding you plays a big part in your human activities—the
things you do to meet your needs and to enjoy life. People must be able to ​adapt in order to be
successful in their environment. For example, we live in a climate with four distinct seasons. How does
that affect our human activities?
The chart below shows characteristics of the physical environment on the left, and lists some basic
human needs on the right. Let’s think about some ways that these interact.
Physical Environments
● Topography​: Are there mountains and hills?
● Soil​: How fertile is the soil?
● Climate​: Is the average temperature hot? How
much rainfall is there?
● Vegetation​: What plants grow there?
● Animal Life​: What type of animals can survive
in this region?
● Bodies of Water​: Is it close to oceans, lakes,
or rivers?
● Mineral Resources​: Are there metals, fossil
fuels . . . or nothing?
Human Needs
● Shelter
● Food
● Clothing
● Transportation
● Recreation
Directions:​ Choose a physical characteristic from the column on the left, and then think about how it
could affect one of the human needs listed in the column on the right. Come up with five different
examples.
[Physical
Characteristic]
e.g. Bodies of
Water...
could affect
[Human Need]
Transportation...
because . . .
At the same time, people do not just “accept” their environment; they often ​modify, or change it, which
can have both positive and negative consequences.
People
Physical Environment
Directions:​ The chart below shows some ways that people modify the physical environment. After we
discuss the definitions, use the class reading to complete the chart by describing TWO positive and TWO
negative results of each activity. Finally, draw and color an illustration to help you remember each term.
Definition
AGRICULTURE
Farming; including
growing crops and raising
livestock
URBANIZATION
The movement of people
from rural areas ​to cities
DAM BUILDING
Building a barrier across
a waterway to control the
flow of water
DEFORESTATION
The widespread cutting
down of trees in a region
DESERTIFICATION
A process by which fertile
land turns into desert
MINING
Digging into the earth in
Positive
/
Negative Results
Illustration
order to find coal, iron
ore, etc.
Directions: ​Cut apart the slips of paper (distributed in class) and classify them into the categories below
that you think they best belong.
Categories
Human Needs Influenced by the Environment
Ways That Humans Modify the Environment
Environments That Affect Human Activities
Human Activities Influenced by the Environment
*For an extra challenge, after you have sorted the slips, see if you can add three or more
examples of your OWN to each category
Targets 3 & 4: Culture and Cultural Diffusion
Define culture and identify elements that make up culture
Explain how cultures change over time, in particular through cultural diffusion
Culture​ is the way of life shared by a group of people. It includes cultural practices (the things we DO)
and products (the things we HAVE). Language, clothing, holidays, gender roles, art and music… All of
these and more are elements of culture. The culture of a group of people usually is a blend of traditions
that have been passed down, as well as new ideas that have “diffused” into a region. In the space below,
create a collage with a mixture of at least 10 words and pictures that represent ​your culture​.
Cultural diffusion​ is the spread of new ideas, products, and practices. If you pour a little milk into a
glass of water, the milk will diffuse, or spread. New ideas, products, and practices will similarly diffuse in
a culture where they are unknown. For example, cultural diffusion brought many ideas and
technologies--paper, the compass, gunpowder--from China to Europe and then to the rest of the world. In
the space below, create a collage with a mixture of at least 10 words and pictures that show examples of
cultural diffusion​.
Targets 5 and 6: Migration / Why People Move
Distinguish between push factors and pull factors of migration
Describe political, environmental, social, and economic factors
that cause people, products, and ideas to move
Introduction:​ People migrate, or move, for many different reasons. Sometimes they move by choice,
sometimes they are forced to flee to save their lives. The many reasons that cause migration can be
organized in a couple of different ways. The chart below will help us to categorize some of them.
PUSH Factors:
Social
(Things that have
to do with ​how
people are treated​)
Political
(Things that have
to do with the
government​, ​war​,
and people’s ​rights​)
Economic
(Things that have
to do with ​jobs​ or
money​)
Environmental
(Things that have
to do with ​nature​ or
the ​environment​)
PULL Factors:
Target 6: Factors of Migration
Political Factors​ (war, citizens’ rights)
War, persecution (mistreatment), and the absence of political rights often lead people to migrate. People
flee their homes when armed conflict breaks out. Fighting might occur because of an invasion by another
country, or because of a civil war caused by conflict between groups that live in the same country.
Real-World Examples ​South Sudan, Syria
Environmental Factors​ (climate, natural disasters)
Changes in the environment, such as rising temperatures or a long drought, may lead people to migrate.
Sudden environmental disasters, such as floods, fires, and earthquakes, also may force people to
migrate.
Real-World Examples ​Sahel region in Africa, Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans, Kiribati
Social Factors​ (discrimination, intolerance, religious freedom, closeness to family)
Throughout history, many countries have persecuted, or mistreated, some of their citizens for their
religious beliefs, political beliefs, or ethnic identity. Societies have even enslaved some of their people to
provide a work force. People sometimes migrate to escape these conditions. They are “pulled” to a new
place where they believe they can live in greater freedom. Other people move to have closer ties with
other members of their family.
Real-World Examples ​Hindus in India, Bhutan
Economic Factors​ (job opportunities, availability of resources)
When a society suffers from extreme poverty, this “pushes” many people to attempt to escape. One of
the biggest motivations for people to move is to find new economic opportunities, namely jobs. ​About half
of the total population of current migrants has left home to find better job and lifestyle opportunities for
their families.
Real-World Examples ​China, India, Mexico