By: Judy Carnine, Franklin Township Middle School, Indianapolis, IN

Lesson Plan for Website:    http://members.aol.com/bowermanb/101n.html

Purpose: To enable students to apply the five themes of geography

Grade Level: middle school

Geography Standards addressed:

The World in Spatial Terms:

• 2) How to use mental maps to organize information about people, places and environments in a spatial context
• 3) How to analyze the spatial organization of people, places and environments on the Earth's surface Places and Regions:
• 4) The physical and human characteristics of places Human Systems:
• 9) The characteristics, distribution, and migration of human populations on Earth's surface
• 11) The patterns and networks of economic interdependence on Earth's surface Environment and Society:
• 14) How human actions modify the physical environment

Materials Required: paper, pens/pencils

Objectives:

Students will be able to:

1) Assign relative and absolute location
2) Determine the significant characteristics of "place"
3) Describe a region in terms of culture, physical features, trade, industry
4) List reasons why migrations and trade are key events
5) Explain two significant human-environment interactions

Background:

The students should have a working knowledge of the Five Themes of Geography.

Procedures:

The teacher may use the website in class if computers are available, or pull the information from this website that will enable students to meet the above objectives. List the objectives for the students so they know exactly what they are to accomplish by the end of the class period(s). Using the website, have the students categorize the information into each of the five themes. Then, have the students locate information that meets the objectives. The students should share their information because it is unlikely that any one group/person would have chosen all of the same answers. This could be done as a large group activity using five members per group and assigning one member of each group one of the five themes. Evaluation: Evaluate the students based on their ability to accomplish each of the objectives.

Evaluation:

Evaluate the students based on their ability to accomplish each of the objectives.