Location, Location, Location – Grade Seven
Ohio Standards
Connection:
Geography
Benchmark C
Explain how the
environment influences the
way people live in different
places and the
consequences of modifying
the environment.
Indicator 4
Use physical and historical
maps to analyze the
reasons that human
features are located in
particular places.
Lesson Summary:
This lesson engages students in the study of physical and
historical maps of the ancient river civilizations. Through
small group activities, students will analyze the reasons that
human features are located in particular places.
Estimated Duration: Three hours
Commentary:
This lesson builds on knowledge about the ancient river
civilizations learned in the sixth grade and serves as a
review and introduction at the beginning of seventh grade.
Each of the sections of Attachment D, Why There? may be
used as a separate lesson as the class studies each culture.
The geographical resources needed for this lesson can be
found in student atlases, world history textbooks and
reference books.
A teacher who field tested this lesson noted that it “led
students to a better understanding of geography and its
impact on civilizations.” Another teacher commented that
“in class conversation, there was a significant understanding
of common geographic features for civilizations and both
the positive and negative effects of those features.”
Pre-Assessment:
To determine students’ prior knowledge of various geographic
features and processes, have students complete the PreAssessment, Attachment A.
Scoring Guidelines:
Use the pre-assessment to determine students’ prior
knowledge of geographic features. Provide intervention for
students who lack background knowledge.
Suggested Answers:
 Physical features: e.g., lake, mountains, peninsula,
estuary.
 Human features: e.g., dam, city, bridge, tunnel.
 Types of climates: e.g., tropical, continental, polar,
Mediterranean.
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Location, Location, Location – Grade Seven



Types of vegetation: e.g., rain forest, scrub, grasslands.
Effects of weathering: e.g., erosion, deposition.
Types of seismic activity: e.g., earthquakes, volcanoes, geysers.
Post-Assessment:
Have students complete the post-assessment activity on Attachment F to determine if they
can apply what they have learned about ancient river civilizations to maps of Greek citystates.
Scoring Guidelines:
Use the answer key provided in Attachment G.
Instructional Procedures:
Day One
1. Administer the Pre-Assessment, Attachment A, and determine which students need
intervention.
2. Distribute Attachment B, To Build or Not to Build: That is the Question. Divide students
into groups of three or four. Allow groups 10 minutes to brainstorm answers to section A.
3. For section B of Attachment B, assign each group an environmental influence: tundra,
desert, river, tides, volcanoes, earthquakes, continental climate, tropical climate or
monsoons. Have each group think of ways the environmental influence they have been
assigned affects human features and activities.
4. Have each group report one example from its list to the class. Continue from group to
group until all examples have been shared. Record the answers on a class chart and save.
5. Lead a class discussion about how environmental influences affect human features and
activities using examples provided by students. Be sure to point out which examples are
valid and why. Clear up misconceptions by discussing which examples are not valid and
why.
Days Two and Three
6. Distribute Attachment C, A River View, and Attachment D, Why There? along with the
necessary maps and/or atlases.
7. Model the completion of Attachment C, A River View, with the entire class.
8. Allow pairs of students to use their maps and atlases to complete the activities on
Attachment D, Why There? The handout is divided into sections for each river
civilization: Egypt, Mesopotamia, Indus River Valley and China. All sections can be
assigned to all students, completed by different groups, or used separately with different
units of study. See the General Tips section for more suggestions.
9. Conduct a class discussion of similarities and patterns, helping students form the
necessary concepts. Refer to the suggested answers provided on Attachment E.
Day Four
10. Administer the post-assessment using Attachment F, Post-Assessment, It’s All Greek to
Me!
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Location, Location, Location – Grade Seven
Day Five
11. Follow up with students by reinforcing correct answers and clarifying misconceptions.
12. Re-teach if necessary.
Differentiated Instructional Support:
Instruction is differentiated according to learner needs, to help all learners either meet the
intent of the specified indicator(s) or, if the indicator is already met, to advance beyond the
specified indicator(s).
 Have students work independently, in pairs or cooperative groups.
 Encourage the use of a variety of resources including print, video, internet, interview, etc.
 Challenge students to create charts and graphs comparing the location of human features,
physical features and population.
Extension:
Have students research and examine how technology influences the location of human
features in the modern world. For example, how did the technology of air conditioning affect
the location of human features in Florida or Arizona?
Homework Options and Home Connections:
Have students investigate how the environment may have influenced the location of their
town. What nearby physical features would settlers have considered? What climate,
vegetation, weather or seismic concerns may have affected the decision to settle in that
location?
Materials and Resources:
The inclusion of a specific resource in any lesson formulated by the Ohio Department of
Education should not be interpreted as an endorsement of that particular resource, or any of
its contents, by the Ohio Department of Education. The Ohio Department of Education does
not endorse any particular resource. The Web addresses listed are for a given site’s main
page, therefore, it may be necessary to search within that site to find the specific information
required for a given lesson. Please note that information published on the Internet changes
over time, therefore the links provided may no longer contain the specific information related
to a given lesson. Teachers are advised to preview all sites before using them with students.
For the teacher: Chart paper, markers, class set of student atlases, various world history
textbooks with suggested historical maps.
For the students: Pencil, chart paper, a copy of a student atlas, world history textbook which
has a world map showing the ancient river civilizations, a physical map of
the world, political maps of each of the ancient river civilizations, physical
maps of each of the ancient river civilizations.
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Location, Location, Location – Grade Seven
Vocabulary:
 physical feature
 human feature
 climate
 vegetation
 weathering
 seismic activity
 estuary
 peninsula
 scrub
 tectonic plates
 tropical
 delta
 cataracts
 tundra
 monsoons
 silt
 tributaries
Technology Connections:
Have students use Web sites with Geographic Information Systems technology to create
maps that show the locations of particular physical and human features.
Research Connections:
Edelson, D. et al. Addressing the Challenges of Inquiry-Based Learning, Technology and
Curriculum Design. Journal of the Learning Sciences, 8(3-4), 1999: 391-450.
Inquiry-based learning helps students become resourceful, effective investigators and
problem solvers. Research reports that with effective teacher facilitation, studentcentered inquiry projects can reverse patterns of underachievement. Inquiry-based
projects can build learning communities that foster communication skills, interpretive
abilities and an understanding of issues from a variety of perspectives.
General Tips:

You may decide to use only selected parts of Attachment D depending on the needs of
your class and the time available.

This lesson was developed for use with student atlases and the historical maps available
in most world history textbooks.
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Location, Location, Location – Grade Seven
Attachments:
Attachment A, Pre-Assessment
Attachment B, To Build or Not to Build: That is the Question
Attachment C, A River View
Attachment D, Why There?
Attachment E, Suggested Answers for “A River View” and “Why There?”
Attachment F, Post-Assessment, It’s All Greek to Me!
Attachment G, Post-Assessment Suggested Answers
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Location, Location, Location – Grade Seven
Attachment A
Pre-Assessment
Directions: List examples under each category. Both words and pictures may be used to
complete the worksheet. Example: lakes are physical features.
1. Physical Features:
2. Human Features:
3. Types of climate:
4. Types of vegetation:
5. Effects of weathering:
6. Types of seismic activity:
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Location, Location, Location – Grade Seven
Attachment B
To Build or Not to Build: That is the Question
Directions: In teams of three or four students, brainstorm examples in each category.
A. Name or draw pictures of human features and activities related to geography. (Dams and
fishing are both possible examples because a dam is a man-made feature and fishing is a
human activity.)
B. The teacher will assign your group an environmental influence (e.g. tundra, desert, river,
tides, volcanoes, earthquakes, continental climate, tropical climate or monsoons). List all
of the human features and activities that could be affected by that environmental
influence. For example, houses built in tropical climates often have air conditioning or
homes built in a desert area may have rock gardens instead of grass lawns.
C. Share your results with the class by using pictures or text on chart paper.
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Location, Location, Location – Grade Seven
Attachment C
A River View
Hey, history detectives! Ever wonder why civilizations developed where they did? Are
you ready to unravel the geographic mysteries of ancient civilizations?
Directions: In teams of two, use the indicated maps to answer the questions. Locate the
following maps in your student atlas or world history textbook:
1. A world map showing the ancient river civilizations (Nile River Valley,
Mesopotamia, Indus River Valley and Huang He River Valley)
2. A physical map of the world
River Civilizations
Many ancient civilizations were located on major rivers. To understand the reason that early
peoples settled near rivers, use an ancient river civilizations map to answer the questions.
1. Name three reasons ancient people might choose to settle beside a river.
2. What annual problem would these ancient people have faced because of the river?
3. Ancient people needed to control the river. What kinds of human features would these
people have used to control the river if there was too much water or not enough water?
a. Too much water:
b. Not enough water:
Thinking Question
How did the solutions that the early river people used to control the rivers lead to the
formation of early governments?
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Location, Location, Location – Grade Seven
Attachment D
Why There?
Directions: In teams of two, use the indicated maps to answer the questions. Locate the
following maps in your student atlas or world history textbook:
1. A world map showing the ancient river civilizations (Nile River Valley,
Mesopotamia, Indus River Valley and Huang He River Valley)
2. A physical map of the world
3. Political maps of each of the ancient river civilizations
4. Physical maps of each of the ancient river civilizations
5. A classroom atlas of the modern world
Egypt
1. Where were the major cities of the Egyptian civilization located?
2. A large delta is located at the mouth of the Nile Valley. What physical process formed
the delta?
3. Using a map of ancient Egypt, describe how far the fertile area of the Nile Valley
extended.
a. To the east and west
b. To the north and south
4. What physical feature lies to the west of the valley?
5. Using a vegetation, land use, economic or environmental map, compare the fertile areas
of the ancient Nile Valley to the fertile areas of the modern Nile Valley.
6. What features protected the early Egyptians from invasion by other groups of people?
7. Examine a map of ancient Egyptian trade routes. What major physical features
determined where they were located?
8. How did these physical features determine the way the Egyptians traded?
9. Cataracts are places where rushing water forms waterfalls and rapids. There were six
cataracts on the southern part of the Nile River. How did these cataracts affect the
isolation and security of the ancient Egyptians?
Thinking Question
Ancient Egypt had many natural resources, but it did not have a natural harbor on the
Mediterranean Sea. While the Egyptians were protected from invasions, how did this
isolation and surplus of natural resources affect their culture?
Mystery Thinking Questions
a. Using all the clues, predict where you would put a dam in modern day Egypt to control
the flooding of the Nile River. Explain your reasoning.
b. Use a map of modern Egypt to see if you were correct in your prediction. If you were not
correct, explain why the modern Aswan Dam was located at that particular spot on the
Nile River.
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Location, Location, Location – Grade Seven
c. Using all the clues, predict where modern-day Egyptians live. Explain your reasoning.
d. Using a world atlas, check a modern population map of Egypt to see if you were correct
in your prediction. If you were not correct, explain why modern Egyptians live where
they do.
e. Use all the clues to predict the routes that modern Egyptians use to travel and trade.
Explain your reasoning.
f. Check a transportation map of Egypt to see if you were correct in your prediction. If you
were not correct, explain why modern Egyptians travel the way they do.
Mesopotamia
1. Where were the major cities of the Mesopotamia civilization located?
2. Use a map of ancient Mesopotamia to measure how far the fertile area of the Euphrates
River and Tigris River extends.
a. To the east and west
b. To the north and south
3. What other two major physical features are located in Mesopotamia?
4. How would these physical features protect the Mesopotamians from people outside the
valley area?
5. The Mesopotamian people had few natural resources and lived on a broad flood plain
between two rivers. Their city-states were very close to each other. Explain how these
facts affected their culture.
6. Explain why the people of Mesopotamia lived in small city-states with independent
governments.
Thinking Question
Use all the clues to predict how the Mesopotamian cities were built. Describe the different
human features located in the cities. Explain your reasoning.
Mystery Thinking Questions
a. The Fertile Crescent area and the rest of the Arabian Peninsula receive less than 12 inches
of rain a year. Examine a land-use map (or an economics map) to see how the land is
used today. Using all the clues, predict the type of products the Fertile Crescent and the
rest of the Arabian Peninsula produce today. Explain your reasoning.
b. Check a product map or energy map to see if you were correct in your prediction. If you
were not correct, explain.
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Location, Location, Location – Grade Seven
Indus River Valley
1. Where were the major cities of the Indus River Civilization located?
2. Using a map of the ancient Indus River Valley, describe how far the fertile area of the
Indus River Valley extends.
a. To the east and west
b. To the north and south
3. What other two major physical features are located near the Indus River Valley?
4. How did these features protect the early Indus Valley people from invasions by outsiders?
5. Use an atlas to find the natural hazard that occurs in this area.
Mystery Thinking Questions
a. Use the clues to predict the type of building materials the ancient people of the Indus
River Valley needed to use.
b. The Indus River Valley had an annual flood, a regular rainy season, fertile land and many
towns with similar cultures and systems of trade. Predict what kind of government the
Indus Valley might have had, a strong central government or city-states. Explain your
reasoning.
China
1. Where were the major cities of the Huang He River Civilization located?
2. Use a map of ancient China to measure how far the fertile area of the Huang He River
extends.
a. To the east and west
b. To the north and south
3. Name three major physical features located near the Huang He River.
4. Would the nearby physical features have protected the early Chinese people from
invasions by outsiders? Explain.
Mystery Thinking Questions
a. By 200 B.C., what man-made or human feature was built to protect China from outside
invaders?
b. Where is it located?
c. How well did it serve its purpose? Explain your reasoning.
d. According to legend, an engineer named Yu founded the first Chinese dynasty. The
Huang He River was nicknamed “China’s Sorrow” because of the great floods that
occurred. How are these two facts related?
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Location, Location, Location – Grade Seven
Attachment E
Suggested Answers for “A River View” and “Why There?”
River Civilizations
1. water for farming, transportation or drinking; fertile land; trade.
2. flooding
3. a. dams, dikes, b. irrigation systems, ditches, canals
Thinking Question:
Controlling the flooding and creating irrigation systems required great organization. A
central authority would be needed to plan, to organize the labor force and to oversee the
work.
Egypt
1. along the Nile River
2. The flooding of the Nile River brought deposits of silt (rich soil) to the mouth of the
river.
3. a. 20 – 30 miles, b. 20 – 30 miles
4. Western Desert or Sahara Desert
5. They are about the same.
6. Western/Sahara Desert, Eastern/Arabian Desert, cataracts in the south
7. Mediterranean Sea, Red Sea, Nile River or land routes that required animals
8. Water travel made it easier to transport goods; land routes would have connected water
routes.
9. Cataracts kept Egypt safe from enemies to the south, but also made it hard to trade with
other civilizations to the south.
Thinking Question:
Little interaction with other cultures; stable government with little change, few challenges
to the government; relied on their own resources, did not seek outside resources; money
and resources allocated to public projects (pyramids) instead of security; art, literature
and culture changed little over many years; technology and science were developed for
irrigation, land surveys, to build pyramids and palaces.
Mystery Thinking Questions:
a. Near the first cataract to control flooding; accept any answers with logical reasoning.
b. To control flooding.
c. Near the Nile River because there are deserts on both sides of the river.
d. The fertile land is near the river; deserts on both sides of the river.
e. They use the Nile River; the river makes it easy to move goods and travel; roads
would be difficult to maintain in the desert.
f. Desert- hard to maintain roads. River- easy for transportation of goods and travel.
Mesopotamia
1. On the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers, closer to the Persian Gulf.
2. a. 180 – 250 miles, b. 700 – 750 miles
3. Syrian Desert, Zagros Mountains
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Location, Location, Location – Grade Seven
4. Deserts and mountains make travel into the valley difficult.
5. They had few resources and needed to trade; developed record-keeping systems because
of trade; flood plain allowed for good crops; close neighbors caused conflicts and the
need for walled cities and strong governments.
6. Fertile areas surrounding the cities were used to grow barley and wheat; needed local
leadership to control flooding and to provide protection from enemies.
Thinking Question:
Walled cities created for protection; flooding and farming made irrigation systems
necessary; cultural temples built because of a strong need to please the gods.
Mystery Thinking Questions:
a. Farming (near the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers and along the coastlines) produces
grains; nomadic herding of sheep and goats; petroleum and natural gas.
b. grains, sheep, goats, petroleum, natural gas
Indus River Valley
1. along the Indus River and its tributaries
2. a. 250 – 450 miles, b. 150 – 350 miles
3. Thar Desert and Himalayan Mountains
4. It was difficult to travel over mountains and through deserts.
5. earthquakes
Mystery Thinking Questions:
a. Oven-baked clay bricks; inexpensive materials that could be easily replaced because
of floods and earthquakes.
b. Accept answers supported with logical reasoning.
China
1. Along the Huang He River (Yellow River) and the Yangtze River.
2. a. 1100 miles, b. 1000 miles
3. Gobi Desert, Yellow Sea, Plateau of Tibet, Pacific Ocean, Takla Makan Desert,
Mongolian Plateau
4. The Pacific Ocean could have been used for an invasion, but it is too vast and other
cultures did not have the proper ships. Deserts and plateaus made for long trips through
harsh lands.
Mystery Thinking Questions:
a. Great Wall of China
b. North of the Huang He River and south of the Gobi Desert
c. It helped, but eventually there were warlike nomadic tribes that invaded.
d. Engineering was important to the control of flooding; Yu could have gained power
since he had this knowledge.
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Location, Location, Location – Grade Seven
Attachment F
Post-Assessment
It’s All Greek to Me!
Directions: Use a historical map of Greek city-states ca. 500 B.C. and maps of modern
Greece to answer the following questions.
1. On a physical map of Greece, notice that Greece is located on a peninsula and includes
many islands. Greece is surrounded by what three bodies of water?
2. What physical feature covers three-fourths of Greece?
3. Examine a climate map of Greece.
a. What type of climate does Greece have?
b. Describe the winters.
c. Describe the summers.
4. Ancient Greek homes often had an open courtyard in the center of the house. Explain
how the climate influenced this building concept.
5. Examine a vegetation (environmental) map of modern Greece. What are the major types
of vegetation in Greece?
6. Examine a land-use (economic) map of modern Greece. What is the main land use in
modern Greece?
7. Ancient Greeks had small farms where they raised crops of olives and grapes. What
physical feature would have influenced this type of farming practice?
8. Examine a map of tectonic plates or seismic activity. What natural hazard is likely to
happen in Greece?
9. How could this natural hazard influence the type of homes the ancient Greeks built?
10. What physical feature is between most of the city-states on the peninsula?
11. How far are most city-states from the sea?
12. Explain why the ancient Greeks located their cities in those particular places.
13. Ancient Greece consisted of city-states which are small independent units of government.
Explain why ancient Greece had city-states instead of a strong central government like
Egypt.
14. Examine a transportation map of modern Greece.
a. Describe the network of highways in modern Greece.
b. How do the geographic features of Greece affect the highway network?
c. What would be the easiest way to travel in Greece?
15. Examine a population map of modern Greece. Greece has three different areas with a
high population density. List the areas of high population density according to the
number of people per square mile.
16. How do the geographic features of Greece affect the population patterns?
Essay: Write a paragraph that summarizes how the geography of Greece influenced life in
the Greek city-states.
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Location, Location, Location – Grade Seven
Attachment G
Post-Assessment Suggested Answers
1. Ionian Sea, Aegean Sea and Mediterranean Sea
2. mountains
3.
a. moderate or Mediterranean
b. rainy
c. hot and dry
4. The Greeks were able to spend time outdoors during both winter and summer.
5. cropland, grazing land and woodland
6. agriculture
7. mountains
8. earthquakes
9. Greece is located in an area with a great deal of seismic activity. With the dangers of
earthquakes, the homes could be simple one-story structures with materials that were
easy to replace.
10. mountains
11. close to the sea: often less than 40 miles due to a long irregular coastline
12. The cities were close to the sea for transportation and trade. The cities were not directly
on the sea coast for protection from enemies.
13. The short mountain ranges would have separated and isolated the city-states from each
other. The mountains would have made land travel among city-states difficult. This
isolation of the city-states would have encouraged small, independent governments.
Since city-states were near the seas, each city-state could function as a trade center.
14.
a. Few main highways shown on map.
b. Mountains limit easy highway access to many parts of Greece.
c. The seas would allow the Greeks an easy form of travel.
15. Near the sea: 60 to 125 people per square mile; Athens and the western edge of
Peloponnesus: 125 to 250 people per square mile.
16. Mountains would limit the economy for the center of Greece so few people would be
able to live there. Near the sea, more people are able to utilize the products of the sea and
be able to trade. The western edge of Peloponnesus has some flat land along the sea,
which could encourage more population.
Essay, Possible points:
Mountain ranges influenced location of city-states.
Location of cities near the seas influenced trade patterns.
Climate and location influenced outdoor life style.
Climate and geographic features, such as rugged mountains, influenced farming patterns.
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