World Geography (9-12)
Unit 1: Tools of Geography
Standards to be Addressed:
BVSD Geography 1
BVSD Geography 3
LESSON 1: Introduction to Geography
General Goal(s):
SWBAT being to understand what the job of a geographer is, and what kind of different tools they use to achieve their goals.
Specific Objectives:
SWBAT to list three different goals of a geographer.
SWBAT to name three new and three old tools that geographer’s use.
Required Materials:
Computer, Power Point Presentation
Anticipatory Set (Lead-In):
Write on the board, “What do geographers do?” Have students come up and write their ideas on the board. When reviewing, make sure to delineate the new jobs of geography from the old jobs of geography.
Ask students what types of tools and skills they believe would be necessary for geographer’s.
Step-By-Step Procedures:
1. Open Power Point. Review slides that have to deal with the jobs of a geographer.
2. Terms to define:
Human geography, physical geography, geography, perspective, landscape
Subfields: cartography, meteorology, atmospheric science, human-environment interaction
3. Where do Geographers Work?
4. How do we study geography?

The 6 Essential Elements:
1. The World in Spatial Terms
2. Places and Regions
3. Physical Systems
4. Human Systems
5. Environment and Society
6. The Uses of Geography
Closure (Reflect Anticipatory Set):
In their notebooks, have students answer the question:
What do you think a “geographical approach” to studying an issue might be?
Plan For Independent Practice:
Adaptations (For Students With Learning Disabilities):
Extensions (For Gifted Students/PIB):
LESSON 2/3: Map and Map Projections
General Goal(s):
SWBAT understand the various differences between maps and map projections.
Specific Objectives:
SWBAT identify the differences between political, physical and thematic maps.
SWBAT name the four different types of map projections.
SWBAT list advantages and disadvantages of the different projections.
Required Materials:
Computer, Power Point Presentation

Anticipatory Set (Lead-In):
Ask the question, “what is the most common tool used in Geography?”
Step-By-Step Procedures: (DAY ONE)
1. Open Power Point about maps and map projections.
2. Terms to define:
Political map, physical map, thematic map, different themes that can be used in thematic maps, Mercator projection, Winkel-Tripel, Robinson, Goode’s Interrupted
3. How did cartographers work in the 16 th
century?
4. How did cartographers work in the 19 th
and 20 th
century?
5. ASSIGNMENT: Have students bring in a copy of a political, physical and thematic map – all of the same country.
Closure (Reflect Anticipatory Set):
In their notebook, have students answer the following question:
How do cartographers work in the 21 st
century?
Step-By-Step Procedures: (DAY TWO)
1. Provide a sample political, physical and thematic map on the board.
2. As a class, have students make observations regarding the political map.
3. Then have students make observations regarding the physical map.
4. Then have students make observations regarding the thematic map.
5. With the observations on the board, have students try to analyze the information. What conclusions can we draw about this place based on the maps.
6. Have students do the same thing with their own maps.
Closure:
Have students share observations with one another.
Plan For Independent Practice:
Adaptations (For Students With Learning Disabilities):

Extensions (For Gifted Students/PIB):
LESSON 4: Cartograms and Mental Mapping
General Goal(s):
SWBAT describe the importance of creating different visual and spatial forms of maps.
Specific Objectives:
Required Materials:
Computer with Internet, “KML Factbook” (http://www.kmlfactbook.org/)
Anticipatory Set (Lead-In):
Draw a mental map depicting the grounds of Fairview. Include Viele Lake, Greenbriar, the building, the student parking lot, the faculty parking lot, the football field and the flag out front.
Step-By-Step Procedures:
1. What was easy? What was hard?
2. How has mental mapping been used in the past?
3. How can it be used in the future?
4. How else can you visually represent location?
5. DEFINE: mental mapping, location, spatial, cartogram
6. Show examples of three cartograms
7. Ask general observation questions about each.
8. How does the visual representation help?
9. KML Factbook: Show students how to make a 3-D map on KML Factbook.
10. What observations can they make?
11. What are the advantages and disadvantages of creating a map through KML
Factbook? (Think about: 3D heights vs. 2D techniques like shading or cartograms, fixed units of area, pre-defined set of data available.)
Plan For Independent Practice:

Adaptations (For Students With Learning Disabilities):
Extensions (For Gifted Students/PIB):
LESSON 5: Mapping Assessment
General Goal(s):
SWBAT demonstrate knowledge of goals and objectives from Lessons 1 – 4.
Specific Objectives:
Required Materials:
Computer Lab
Anticipatory Set (Lead-In):
Step-By-Step Procedures: (DAY ONE)
Closure (Reflect Anticipatory Set):
Plan For Independent Practice:
Adaptations (For Students With Learning Disabilities):
Extensions (For Gifted Students/PIB):
LESSON 6: GIS/ESRI
General Goal(s):
SWBAT build on basic map skills knowledge and apply to GIS/ESRI.
Specific Objectives:

Required Materials:
Makings for sandwiches, Computer with Google Earth
Anticipatory Set (Lead-In):
Have students describe a sandwich, focusing on the different layers that can be put on the sandwich or taken off. Make a connection between the layers of the sandwiches and the layers of GIS systems.
Step-By-Step Procedures:
1. DEFINE: GIS (Geographical Information System) and use ESRI (Environmental
Systems Research Inst., makers of ArcView/ArcGIS line of software) as an example.
2. Explain the process of layering data.
3. What different observations could you gather from this process?
4. Show different real-life solutions that can be created through the use of a GIS system.
(Ex. Bus routes for schools, sewer systems, evacuation routes, etc.)
5. Demonstrate Google Earth showing the different layers that can be put on and taken off.
5a. Some examples, as of 12 April 2010:
Add all borders and labels (gives national, state, county borders, city names)
Ocean → State of the Ocean → Animal Tracking (look in the San Francisco to Baja region) Try “download track” to see locations where animal was spotted.
Weather → Clouds, Weather → Radar (Question: how current is this information? Get students thinking about data quality issues.)
Closure (Reflect Anticipatory Set):
How do GIS systems and programs like Google Earth inform us with more complexity?
Plan For Independent Practice:
Adaptations (For Students With Learning Disabilities):
Extensions (For Gifted Students/PIB):
LESSON 6: Map Skills
General Goal(s):
SWBAT demonstrate basic map skills including latitude, longitude, map scale.

Specific Objectives:
Required Materials:
Google Earth
Anticipatory Set (Lead-In):
Step-By-Step Procedures:
1. DEFINE: longitude, latitude, map scale, coordinate system, elevation
2. Describe the use of a coordinate system.
2b. Discuss existence of multiple coordinate systems, e.g. lat./lon./elev., UTM, UPS.
2c. Discuss plane, sphere, ellipsoid, “geodetic datum.”
3. Have students complete a worksheet practicing basic map skills.
4. Go over map skills in class, review with those who need more guidance.
Closure (Reflect Anticipatory Set):
Why do you think basic map skills are important when using tools like GIS systems,
ESRI and Google Earth?
What has changed? What concepts are still the same?
Plan For Independent Practice:
Adaptations (For Students With Learning Disabilities):
Extensions (For Gifted Students/PIB):
LESSON 7: GPS
General Goal(s):
SWBAT apply basic map skills to GPS.
Specific Objectives:

SWBAT to distinguish between the advantages and disadvantages of GPS.
SWBAT to explain how GPS informs geographers with more complexity.
Required Materials:
Software for Google formatting of coordinates ( from http://ecsite.cs.colorado.edu/content/geo ), computer, GPS units. Ensure that GPS units display coordinates as decimal degrees (not degrees, minutes, seconds, or UTM) using the WGS84 reference datum.
Anticipatory Set (Lead-In):
Review latitude and longitude.
Step-By-Step Procedures:
1. Define GPS.
2. Explain how GPS works using graph: Start with the assumption that GPS units directly know their distances to satellites, and the satellites' locations. Draw 2dimensional examples: If you know your distance from one point, there's a circle of places you could be; with 2 places, there are 2 circles; in general they intersect at two places; with three circles, they intersect in exactly one place. Repeat with 3-D case. 3 spheres will intersect at 2 points, but only one will be (roughly) on the surface of the earth, so 3 distances should be enough.
3. What are the advantages of GPS?
4. Show students software that overlays coordinates onto Google Earth using Pearl Street demonstration.
5. Divide class into groups. Issue a hand-held GPS unit to each group.
6. Remind students of the mental maps they made of Fairview the week prior.
7. Assign each group a specific landmark on the Fairview grounds (Viele Lake, student lot, football field, building, etc.)
8. Have students go outside and record the coordinates for their respective areas.
9. When students reconvene, enter their coordinates into the formatting software.
10. How accurate were the coordinates that were retrieved?
Closure (Reflect Anticipatory Set):
How was the activity different from the mental mapping activity?
Plan For Independent Practice:

If GPS units are not available, look up the coordinates ahead of time and place them around the grounds. Have students then go look for them, modeling what a GPS unit would do if the technology was available.
Adaptations (For Students With Learning Disabilities):
Extensions (For Gifted Students/PIB):
LESSON 9-10: Google Earth Lab
General Goal(s):
Specific Objectives:
Required Materials:
Computer Lab with Google Earth
Anticipatory Set (Lead-In):
Step-By-Step Procedures:
1. Reopen Google Earth and demonstrate how to use the various layers.
2. If done in the computer lab, this could be modeled step by step.
3. DEFINE: absolute vs. relative location
4. Have students check off the Rumsey Historical Maps layer. Overlay a historical map over the satellite image. (Japan is a great example.) What difference do you see?
5. What Fair trade product is most available in Guatemala?
Closure (Reflect Anticipatory Set):
Plan For Independent Practice:
Adaptations (For Students With Learning Disabilities):
Extensions (For Gifted Students/PIB):

LESSON 11: Defining a region
General Goal(s):
Specific Objectives:
Required Materials:
Anticipatory Set (Lead-In):
Have students write different examples of regions on the board. What makes those areas regions? How would they map that? How would they graph that?
Step-By-Step Procedures:
1. Define graphing.
2. Define mapping.
3. What is the difference between the two? What information can you gain from mapping, what information could you gain from graphing?
4. How would you use mapping and graphing in the context of regions?
Closure (Reflect Anticipatory Set):
Plan For Independent Practice:
Adaptations (For Students With Learning Disabilities):
Extensions (For Gifted Students/PIB):