Download Author - Princeton ISD

Campus: High School
Author(s): Wagner, Segleski
Date Created / Revised: 7-29-2015
Six Weeks Period: 2nd
Grade Level & Course: 9th Grade Pre AP World Geography
Timeline: 3 days
Unit Title: Physical Geography of Latin America
Stated Objectives:
TEK # and SE
Lesson # Unit
5
Lesson 1
WG.4 Geography. The student understands the patterns and characteristics of major landforms,
climates, and ecosystems of Earth and the interrelated processes that produce them. The
student is expected to:
WG.4A Explain how elevation, latitude, wind systems, ocean currents, position on a continent,
and mountain barriers influence temperature, precipitation, and distribution of climate regions.
WG.4B Describe different landforms and the physical processes that cause their development.
WG.6 Geography. The student understands the types, patterns, and processes of settlement.
The student is expected to:
WG.6A Locate and describe human and physical features that influence the size and distribution
of settlements.
WG.6B Explain the processes that have caused changes in settlement patterns, including
urbanization, transportation, access to and availability of resources, and economic activities.
WG.7 Geography. The student understands the growth, distribution, movement, and
characteristics of world population. The student is expected to:
WG.7B Explain how political, economic, social, and environmental push and pull factors and
physical geography affect the routes and flows of human migration.
WG.8 Geography. The student understands how people, places, and environments are
connected and interdependent. The student is expected to:
WG.8B Describe the interaction between humans and the physical environment and analyze the
consequences of extreme weather and other natural disasters such as El Niño, floods, tsunamis,
and volcanoes.
WG.8C Evaluate the economic and political relationships between settlements and the
environment, including sustainable development and renewable/non-renewable resources.
WG.9 Geography. The student understands the concept of region as an area of Earth's surface
with related geographic characteristics. The student is expected to:
WG.9A Identify physical and/or human factors such as climate, vegetation, language, trade
networks, political units, river systems, and religion that constitute a region.
WG.9B Describe different types of regions, including formal, functional, and perceptual regions.
WG.12 Economics. The student understands the economic importance of, and issues related to,
the location and management of resources. The student is expected to:
WG.12A Analyze how the creation, distribution, and management of key natural resources
affects the location and patterns of movement of products, money, and people.
WG.21 Social studies skills. The student applies critical-thinking skills to organize and use
information acquired from a variety of valid sources, including electronic technology. The student
is expected to:
WG.21A Analyze and evaluate the validity and utility of multiple sources of geographic
information such as primary and secondary sources, aerial photographs, and maps. Eligible for
Dual-coding on STAAR
WG.21B Locate places of contemporary geopolitical significance on a map.
WG.21C Create and interpret different types of maps to answer geographic questions, infer
relationships, and analyze change. Eligible for Dual-coding on STAAR
WG.22 Social studies skills. The student communicates in written, oral, and visual forms. The
student is expected to:
WG.22A Design and draw appropriate graphics such as maps, diagrams, tables, and graphs to
communicate geographic features, distributions, and relationships.
See Instructional Focus Document (IFD) for TEK Specificity
Key Understandings
Physical landscape and climate often changes settlement patterns and helps shape population
distribution.
Misconceptions
Key Vocabulary
River Basin
Isthmus
Suggested Day
5E Model
Instructional Procedures
(Engage, Explore, Explain, Extend/Elaborate, Evaluate)
Day 1
Engage/ Explore
Materials, Resources,
Notes
Students view three population pyramids (U.S., Mexico, and
Guatemala). In groups of three, students write one inference and one
prediction for each of the countries based on the population age
groups. Note: The Teacher Resource PowerPoint: Compare
Population Pyramids may be printed, each slide on one page so that
it is large enough for students to view.
Attachments:
Each group shares one inference and one prediction about one of the
countries.
Instructional Note:
Provide students with
topics to consider when
making inferences and
predictions such as:
economy/employment,
literacy (schools); elderly
healthcare, etc.
Explain to students that
although Mexico is
considered part of North
Explain to students that this next unit of study has very different
demographics than the previous unit of study and that the focus for
this lesson is on Mexico, Central America including the Caribbean
Islands, and South America.
Groups students into three.
Distribute Handout: Blank Map of Latin America.
Teacher Resource:
PowerPoint: Compare
Population Pyramids
Show Slide 1 from the Teacher Resource PowerPoint: Latin
America: 3 Regionsso that students begin to build a mental map of
the three regions of study.
Show Slide 2. Students read the statement on the slide (Physical
landscapes and climate often changes settlement patterns and helps
shape population distribution). Each group decides if this is a true or
false statement and writes a justification for their response.
America, it is being
clustered with Latin
America primarily because
of a common language.
Purpose:
Students decipher data
and make inferences and
predictions.
Groups discuss for about three minutes. One representative from
each group stands up if they support the statement to be true or false
and shares the justification with the class.
After viewing Slides 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7 students label and color the 3
major regions of Latin America on their Handout: Blank Map of Latin
America. (Regions on a map: Mexico, Central America and the
Caribbean, and South America).
Distribute the following handouts:
Handout: Exploring Regions of Latin America
Handout: Climate Zones South America
Handout: Climate Zones North America
Handout: Population Density: South America
Handout: Population Density: North America
Students use the handouts and other resources (such as the CIA
World Factbookhttps://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-worldfactbook/ ) to research regions.
Day 2
Explain
Groups draw a compare and contrast graphic organizer on butcher
paper.
Groups display the graphic organizer for other groups to view.
(gallery walk)
Materials:
butcher paper or chart
paper (1 per group)
markers
Independently, students write an explanation of how the three
regions are alike and how they are different. (Note: focus is on
population density and physical geography.)
Instructional Note:
No key is provided for this
activity because the
answers will vary. The
focus is primarily for
students to analyze maps
Students write an answer to each of the questions.
How have physical features affected the population distribution of
Latin America?
How have climate and natural hazards affected the population
distribution of Latin America?
and data to draw
conclusions.
Purpose:
As a group, students draw
conclusions based on their
research. The gallery walk
reinforces what they
researched and perhaps
self-correct if they find
discrepancies with their
graphic organizer. Lastly,
students are given the
opportunity to arrive at
conclusions independently.


Day 3
Evaluate
Sketch a map that includes the three regions of Latin America
and color each region differently. Create a three column paper
organizer with each column labeled with a region. Include a
description of each regions physical geography, natural
resources, population, and economic activities. In a few
sentences, describe how settlement patterns are affected by the
physical landscape and climate.
Accommodations for
Special Populations
Accommodations for instruction will be provided as stated on each student’s (IEP) Individual
Education Plan for special education, 504, at risk, and ESL/Bilingual.