“Using
the Five Themes of Geography”
By Anna Hoppe, Lindsay Gaida, Tamara Sather. Central Middle School in Eden Prairie, MN. Geography 8
Theme: Identify the Five Themes of Geography
through various National Geographic articles.
Grade
Level: 7-8
Title: “Using the Five Themes of Geography”
Overview: The students will be asked to choose between
four specific National Geographic Articles to read and complete the accompanying
worksheet. They will be asked to summarize the article’s meaning as
an assessment. This worksheet can be used as a template for any geographic
reading. The focus of this lesson is on the content of the article.
Time: 2 Days
Subjects: Social Studies, English
Required
Materials:
-
National Geographic Articles:
Libya: An End to Isolation? November 2000
Zulu:
People of Heaven, Heirs to Violence.
August 2000
Swahili
Coast: East Africa’s Ancient
Crossroads. October 2001
The
Green Abyss: Megatransect Part
Two. March 2001
Objectives: Students will be able to identify the
five themes from a geographic selection. The student will be able to summarize
the reading.
Note
– this worksheet can also be used to assess understanding of the five
themes at the end of a unit on the themes.
Suggested
Procedure:
-
Opening: briefly review the five
themes
-
Development: After reviewing the five themes, introduce
the 4 articles and assign each student one to read. Go over directions for the Five Themes
Worksheet. Students will quietly
read the article in its entirety. As they read their article they will be
filling out the worksheet.
-
Closing: Form groups of four, making sure each
article is represented and ask students to shared their summaries.
Student
Assessment: Collect the worksheets
for a grade.
Definitions: Have dictionaries available for students
to use if a word is unfamiliar. There are supplemental vocabulary exercises
that can be used as a follow-up or introduction to the unit. See attached
Vocabulary
Ideas.
Standards: 1,3,4,8,10,13,14,15,16,17,18 are all covered
depending on which article is chosen.
Credits: Anna Hoppe, Lindsay Gaida, Tamara Sather.
Central Middle School in Eden Prairie, MN. Geography 8