Download Unit 1 - Lee County Schools

6th Grade UBD - Unit 1 - The World In Spatial Terms

Defining Geography- Geography, the study of
physical features and living things on Earth’s
surface, is useful for a variety of purposes.

Locating Places and Navigating- There are a
variety of geographic concepts and tools that
help people locate places and navigate between
them.

Geographers study all these
changes to the planet, and
more. Why would people be
interested in studying the
physical changes to our world?
What questions do you think a
geographer would ask about
these changes? (5 minutes)

Work with a
neighbor and
compare your
answer with theirs.
What things are
the same and what
things are
different? (3
minutes)

Geography deals with the location and distribution of
physical features and living things on Earth’s surface and
how they relate to each other.

Geographers try to find patterns in Earth’s physical features
and the ways people interact with the environment.

Geographers classify places with similar characteristics as
regions.
Key Term
Geography – The
study of Earth’s
surfaces and the
processes that
shape it, the
connections
between people and
their environment.
 Location
 Place
 Human-Environment Interaction
 Movement
 Regions
Absolute Location

A latitude and
Relative Location

Described by
longitude (global
landmarks, time,
location) or a street
direction or
address (local
distance. From one
location).
place to another.
Human Characteristics


What are the main
Physical Characteristics

Landforms
languages, customs,
(mountains, rivers,
and beliefs.
etc.), climate,
How many people
vegetation, wildlife,
live, work, and visit a
soil, etc.
place.

How do humans and the environment affect each other?
 We depend on it.
▪ People depend on the Tennessee River for water and
transportation.
 We modify it.
▪ People modify our environment by heating and
cooling buildings for comfort.
 We adapt to it.
▪ We adapt to the environment by wearing clothing
suitable for summer (shorts) and winter (coats), rain
and shine.

How are people, goods, ideas moved from place
to place?
 Human Movement
▪ Trucks, Trains, Planes
 Information Movement
▪ Phones, computer (email), mail
 Idea Movement
▪ How do fads move from place to place? TV, Radio, Magazines

How are Regions similar to and different from other
places?
 Formal Regions
▪ Regions defined by governmental or administrative boundaries (States,
Countries, Cities)
▪ Regions defined by similar characteristics (Corn Belt, Rocky Mountain
region, Chinatown).
 Functional Regions
▪ Regions defined by a function (newspaper service area, cell phone
coverage area).
If you can’t remember what they are
just ask MR. HELP!
M – Movement
R – Regions
HE – Human Environment Interaction
L – Location
P – Place

Describe you and
your family using
the Five Themes of
Geography. Make
sure you use every
theme. (8 minutes)

Geography is the study of
the location and distribution of
physical features and living things
on Earth’s surface and how they
relate to each other.

Geographers try to understand not
only where things are located but
also why they are located there. To
do this they use the Five Themes of
Geography.
Key Term
Location- The
position of
anything on
Earth's surface.

Geographers see the world
in spatial terms. In other
words, they organize their
work by focusing on spatial
areas, or places.

This sets them apart from
other scholars, such as
historians, who focus on
time periods.

Geographers look for
both similarities and
differences among
various places on Earth.

This helps them group
places into regions—
nearby areas that share
common characteristics.
Key Term
Region- An area
distinguished by a
unique
combination of
trends or
features.

Geographers try to find patterns
in Earth’s physical features and
how people relate to them.

For example, a geographer
might study the rivers in a
country and find out that some
rivers flood more than others, or
that flooding happens at
predictable times.

To acquire, process, and report
information, geographers use a
variety of tools,
including maps and measuring
instruments.

Also, geographers often
construct mental maps.

Mental maps help geographers
to organize and place value on
information.
Key Term
Mental Map- A
map in a person’s
mind that
contains his or her
knowledge of an
area or people.

Physical geography is one of
the main branches of
geography. It involves the
study of Earth’s natural
features, including
water, landforms, vegetation,
and climate.

Physical geographers are
curious about how these
features are interrelated.

Physical geographers also
analyze how physical features
interact with plant and animal
life to create ecosystems.

An ecosystem consists of all
the living and nonliving things
in an area and how they relate
to and depend on each other.
Key Term
Physical Geography-
A kind of geography,
the analysis of
Earth's natural
phenomena, such as
climate, soil, plants,
animals, landscape,
and the locations of
all of those things.

Human geography involves
studying human activities as
they relate to Earth.

This branch of geography
analyzes how people interact
with the environment,
including how they adapt to—
and also change—the
surrounding land.

Human geography also includes
studying patterns of human
settlement, movement, and
cultural development.

In addition, it covers the ways
people organize their
governments and economies to
use and distribute resources.

Human geographers often examine
how people modify
the environment.

They also study issues like the
growth of cities and the effects on
air and water quality.

Geographers also analyze how
people adapt to the environment to
better cope with it.
Key Term
Human Geography-
A kind of geography,
the analysis of
human population,
its cultures, and
activities, it's effect
on the physical
world.
Video- Human and Physical Geography

Human geographers also
look at where people settle
and what causes them to
move.

People are not distributed
evenly across Earth’s surface.

Some areas are much more
heavily populated than
others.

Human migration, or
movement from one
place to another, is
another subject of study
for human geographers.

They look at where
people are moving and
why.

Geographers also look at cultural
patterns. They want to know how
culture varies from place to place?

Do people of the same religion
and ethnic background cluster
together?

In what ways might a community
change as people of different
religions and ethnic backgrounds
move in?

People everywhere have to meet
their needs for food and water,
for shelter, and for an organized
society.

People have to decide how best
to use the available natural
resources and how to manage
conflict over resource use.

Geographers study the ways people
create governments and economic
systems to meet their needs.

Geography will also play a role in
shaping the future. If we want Earth
to continue supporting future
generations, we must think
carefully about how to use
our natural resources and manage
issues such as climate change.
Video- Environmental Factors

Absolute location is the exact place on Earth where something
exists.

Relative location is the general position of where something is
located in relation to other things.

Earth can be divided into four hemispheres: the Eastern, Western,
Northern, and Southern hemispheres.

There are four cardinal directions: north, south, east, and west.

The Global Positioning System (GPS) uses signals from satellites to
calculate the location of a person or vehicle.

Absolute location is the
exact spot on Earth where
something exists. Absolute
location is usually
expressed according to a
system of imaginary
numbered lines that
crisscross the globe.

Relative location is the
general position of
where something is in
relation to other things.
For example, the United
States can be described
as being south of Canada
and north of Mexico.

Relative location may not be as
specific as absolute location,
but it can still be valuable
information.

To pinpoint absolute location,
geographers use a grid system
of various imaginary lines that
divide the globe into different
sections.

A continent is a huge
landmass.

There are seven
continents in the world:
Asia, Africa, North
America, South
America, Europe,
Australia, and Antarctica.

Most maps have basic
map components that
help you interpret the
contents of the map: a
legend or key, a scale,
and a directional
indicator.

This was not always the
case. Hundreds of years
ago, people knew very
little about the land and
water beyond their own
homes. Their maps
showed only the areas
they traveled.

As people explored the Earth, they
collected information about the
shapes and sizes of islands,
continents, and bodies of water.

Mapmakers wanted to present this
information accurately. The best
way was to put it on a globe, a
round ball like the Earth itself. The
only difference would be the scale.

But there is a problem with
globes. Try putting a globe in
your pocket every morning. A
globe just cannot be complete
enough to be useful and at the
same time be small enough to
be convenient. People
therefore, invented flat maps.
Key Term
Compass Rose–
A map feature
that usually
shows the four
cardinal
directions.
Key Term
Globe– A round
model of Earth
that shows the
continents and
oceans in their
true shapes.
Key Term
Legend– The
legend, or key,
tells the user
about the
symbols used
on the map.
Key Term
Longitude– The
series of
imaginary lines
that run north
and south from
one pole to the
other.
Key Term
Latitude– The series
of imaginary lines
that circle Earth
parallel to the
Equator; used to
measure distance
north or south of the
Equator.
Video- Latitude and Longitude
Key Term
Scale– A scale tells
the user the size of a
map in relation to
the size of the real
world by giving the
ratio between
distances on the map
and actual distances
on the Earth.
Reading Handout- Maps and Math

If you compare
modern maps with those
drawn hundreds of years ago,
you will see far more detail and
accuracy nowadays.

This is because geographers
have made huge improvements
in the tools they use to gather
and analyze information.

Many people now use electronic
devices that use the Global
Positioning System (GPS) to
navigate over land or water.

A GPS receiver takes in radio
signals from space satellites and
uses these signals to calculate
the location of the GPS user.

GPS receivers can identify
where someone is
according to latitude,
longitude, and altitude
(the height above sea
level).

These devices can even tell
the time of day and
give directions aloud.
Key Term
Altitude– The
height above
sea level.

New communications
technology has also
changed the way people
get from place to place
by making maps more
accessible than ever
before.
Video- GPS-Global Positioning System

What has been the
“muddiest” point so far in
this lesson? That is, what
topic remains the least
clear to you? (4 minutes)

Work with a
neighbor and
compare your
muddiest point with
theirs. Compare
what things are the
same and what
things are different?
(3 minutes)