Title: Geographic Factors and Economic Growth in Silicon Valley
Unit: The Effects of Geography
Grade: 11
Discipline: History and Social Science
Massachusetts Academic Content Standard(s) Addressed:
Grade 11: U.S. History II, 1877–2000
CONTEMPORARY AMERICA, 1980–2001
USII.30 Describe some of the major economic and social trends of the late 20th century.
(H, E)
A. the computer and technological revolution of the 1980s and 1990s
B. scientific and medical discoveries
C. major immigration and demographic changes such as the rise in Asian and Hispanic immigration
(both legal and illegal)
Goal/Essential Question
How do geography and climate affect the development of social, economic, and political patterns of human life?
Task Analysis
Content Skills and Knowledge
 Students will access and read information from Internet-based resources to answer specific questions
about the influence of geographic factors on various aspects of human life.
 Students will gather and organize information from Internet-based resources to support their
understanding of the impact of geographical factors on human life.
 Students will use a graphic organizer to make connections between the cause and effect relationships
between geographic factors and aspects of human life.
Technology Skills and Knowledge
 Students use technology to enhance learning, increase productivity, and promote creativity.
 Students use productivity tools to collaborate in constructing technology-enhanced models, preparing
publications, and producing other creative works.
 Students use technology to locate, evaluate, and collect information from a variety of sources.
 Students use technology tools to process data and report results.
 Students evaluate and select new information resources and technological innovations based on their
appropriateness to the specific tasks.
Geo-Factors Lesson
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Learners and Contexts
Characteristics of Learners
Heterogeneous high school class of 11th and 12th grade students (including ESL) with various ability levels and
learning styles.
Meeting the Needs of All Learners
Students with language-based learning disabilities will use text-to-speech (TTS) access to the Internet as well
as TTS support in their writing.
Instructional Objectives
Students will access and read information from Internet-based resources to answer specific questions about the
influence of geographical factors on various aspects of human life.
Students will gather and organize information from Internet-based resources to support their understanding of
the impact of geographical factors on human life.
Evidence of Student Learning
Assessment Instruments
Observation
Project/Task
Other—participation in roundtable discussion
Assessment Criteria
 Students will clearly describe cause and effect relationships between geographic and climatic factors in
Silicon Valley and the economy of Silicon Valley.
 Students will use a graphic organizer to effectively describe the above cause-and-effect relationships.
 Students will state information in the roundtable discussion that is backed by solid research information
gathered from the Internet.
Instructional Strategies
Introduction/Pre-Instruction
 Have students think about the pros and cons of different types of climates and geographic locations
(desert, mountainous, cold/warm, inland, coastal, etc.).
 Have students think about how our location on the coastline may impact our economy and have a class
discussion about this.
Instructional Activities
Students research the following topic:
The geographical factors that have led to the economic growth of Silicon Valley.
Geo-Factors Lesson
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Students generate questions pertaining to the topic. For example:
1. How has the semi-conductor industry influenced the economic growth of Silicon Valley?
2. How has the proximity to research and academic institutions impacted Silicon Valley?
3. What role have climatic conditions played in Silicon Valley’s social and economic development?
Culminating Activity/Follow-Ups/Extensions
 Students will summarize and present the information they gathered and organized in a graphic organizer.
 Students will discuss their findings in a class oral presentation.
 Students will participate with their peers in a roundtable discussion of what they learned.
Learning Modes
X Reflective
X Constructive
__Authentic
X Small Group
__Partner
__Active
X Cooperative
Instructional Modes
X Whole Class
X Independent Activity
__Demonstration
Resources Needed
Suggested Internet Resources:
Public Broadcasting Corporation (PBS) web page describing the history of the Fairchild Semiconductor and the
Silicon Valley
http://www.pbs.org/transistor/background1/corgs/fairchild.html
Silicon Genesis Project—Oral History Interviews with Semiconductor Industry Pioneers
http://www-sul.stanford.edu/depts/hasrg/histsci/siligen.html
Geo-Factors Lesson
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