Social Studies

Regions

A region is an area with one or more characteristics or features in common, which give it a measure of homogeneity and make it different from surrounding areas. Human factors or physical features may define region.
from National Geographic: http://www.nationalgeographic.com/xpeditions/

Think about different parks thay you have been to. What are some of the activities people can do there? What special facilities do the parks provide? A park’s recreation area may be anything from a basketball court, to a playground, to a swimming pool, to quiet gardens where people can talk and rest. Design your own park by including the different areas the parks would include and then make a map.

Hemi means “half” and so hemisphere means “half a sphere”. Name other prefixes that mean half. Look up hemidemisemiquaver and explain its name.

Find the Tropic of Cancer and Tropic of Capricorn lines a the map . The sun’s rays strike most directly all year round in a band that circles Earth in the area between these two “tropic” lines. Hence, the climate in this band is said to be “tropical”. The climate in the areas just to the north and south of this band are said to be “subtropical”. Prepare a class presentation about the constellations Cancer and Capricorn showing where they appear at different times of the year.

Draw a portion of a global grid by tens, from the equator to 40 degrees N and 40 degrees S and from the prime meridian to 40 degrees E and 40 degrees W. Label the degree mark of each line and also label the equator and prime meridian.

People Facts and Figures: http://www.os-connect.com/pop/
This site provides a variety of facts and figures on world population. Features include population clocks for individual countries, maps providing graphic detail of population statistics and sections on life expectancy, growth rates, birth and death rates, infant mortality and population age.

Choose a continent shown in an Atlas. Prepare a table to name the continent, identify the lines of latitude and longitude that enclose the continent, and identify the latitude and longitude of the major cities.

Taken your school name and find a town or city that starts with the each letter, along with the
page number and map coordinates.

Gastronimic Geography
Give students a set of questions for places to find, and the answers all have to do with food. Worksheets, decorated with graphics that help with the answers, are used and these worksheets are laminated. The kids use overhead pens to write the answers, and the sheets can then be cleaned and reused. The trick is, you have to make sure your atlases have the locations in them, and that they are fairly easily found.

Each of table has one type of reference book on it - one copy or more if you have them: dictionary, thesaurus, atlas, almanac, the encyclopedia and encyclopedia index (World Book). Make up one question for each source. Kids determine which question could be answered with the source on their table, find the answer, and write it on a worksheet. Then they pass the book clockwise to the next table and started on the next question/answer.

Place your reference books (even sets) out on tables. Make questions for each. Groups of 2 or 3 move about to each of the learning stations and answer all the questions they can in 6 or 7 minutes. Use a timer to keep everyone moving. They stop when it rings and move to the next station.

10 minute research reports
Put an encyclopedia or other reference book in front of each student. They have 2 minutes to look over the book to get the lay of the land. They have 5 minutes to read an article of choice. They have 3 minutes to write a quick summary in their own words of what they learned.

Divide the class into groups. Each group has an atlas. They have to work together to answer a sheet of questions about atlases in general and theirs specifically. Then the groups shared their atlas. Some of the questions could be: have index?, table of contents?, how is the atlas organized, copyright date, what was the atlas about, find 3 pictures/maps they wanted to share about their atlas.

Round Robin Reverence
Pick a topic, like presidents, states, inventors and pair the kids up. Then tell them that they are going to
find the information on the prepared sheet and they are going to use three different reference sources: non-fiction book, an encyclopedia,the web. atlases, almanacs, etc. The lesson is split into three ten minute sections and a third of the kids use the encyclopedia, a third the web, and a third the non fiction book, for example. Then ring a bell and the kids switch to the next source and then the last one. Number the tables so they know who goes where.

Information Scavenger hunt: The room is set up in centers and the students have a two page handout to fill in. Each student is to figure out which center has the material that is needed to fill in the blanks. Information resources are: telephone books, Atlas, encyclopedia, social studies book, and dictionaries.

Give student the name of a place that they've probably never heard of, or one that doesn't exist. Their job is to find out if it does, by using the atlas index. They work in groups of 2-each group is a team. Each team gets a different place to look up. After they have all looked up the place and found out if there really is such a place, they ask the other teams if they think it exists. Each correct team gets a point, nothing for the teams that are wrong. However, the incorrect teams can get a "rebound" point if they can look it up and find out what continent it's on. They have to use the index and go to the
actual map to see where it is.

Lesson Plans
Quick World Maps: http://www.theodora.com/maps/
Printable world maps, country maps, population maps, country flags, and rankings in many catagories can be found at this site. There is a black and white outlines of a world map and also basic flag designs that can be printed and colored. In addition, facts for ten years from a variety of sources, including the USA CIA World Factbooks, the United Nations Statistical Office, The Library of Congress Country Studies, are here.

Atlas of Canada: http://atlas.gc.ca/site/english/index.html
A searchable collection of geographical, historical and topical maps.

Mapping the School: http://www.canteach.ca/elementary/wenviron6.html

Odden's Bookmarks-The Fascinating World of Maps and Mapping: http://oddens.geog.uu.nl/index.html

The Rocky Mountain Map Society: http://lamar.colostate.edu/~mcole/

Online Map Creation: http://www.aquarius.geomar.de/omc/
Enter a set of latuitudes and longitudes, then downloadable map for that region in a variety of map projections.

Degree Conversion: http://quake.geo.berkeley.edu/convert/degree.html

Latitude Longitude Conversion: http://www.directionsmag.com/latlong.asp

Tiger Map: http://tiger.census.gov/cgi-bin/mapbrowse-tbl
Put in name of town and create a map.

National Geographic Xpeditions: http://www.nationalgeographic.com/xpeditions/
This site by National Geographic has a printable continent atlas and also you can also choose to print the countries of Canada, United States, and Mexico. There are geography lesson plans by grade level and activities that are fun for children. Lessons and activities are listed according to the eighteen U. S. Geography Standards.

Make a least of ten cities or countries to visit. Locate each place by latitude and longitude.

Write a letter to a friend describing your region--its physical, climate, and cultural features.

Choose a physical, climate, or cultural geographic feature of your region. Research local history to discover how the physical or climate feature affected the development of your area or how the cultural feature came to develop in your area.

Sun or Moon Rise/Set Table for One Year: http://aa.usno.navy.mil/data/docs/RS_OneYear.html

Since 1994, Chiapas, one of the poorest states in Mexico, has been in the news often because of an uprising there against the Mexican government. Use the Readers’ Guide to Periodical Literature to learn about the uprising, to find the reasons for it, how the government reacted, and the aftermath.

Eyes on the World: http://www.riverdeep.net/current/2002/06/062402_webcams.jhtml
Visit this site to peek at leopards and lions, giant pandas, leaf cutter ants, or Bengal tigers and see what they are doing at now. You can also watch Old Faithful erupt, or watch Mt. St. Helen's change day by day. All is possible because of webcam's that have been place around the world allowing you can visit the Earth's different habitats, flora, and fauna without ever home or school.

Country Reports.org- http://www.countryreports.org/
Country information inclulding current weather, economy, defense, geography and flags. You can also choose to play the national anthem of each country and then play a game to see how many anthems you can match with the correct country.

Geo-Globe: Interactive Geography!: http://library.thinkquest.org/10157/?tqskip1=1&tqtime=0820
This ThinkQuest site has six interactive games (some with sound) dealing with the geography of the world. There are links from some of the games but many no longer work. The games were written at various levels of difficulty.

Make a chart showing “cause and effect”. Show at least 10 examples.

Investigate the meaning of your first name. Tell what it means and the language it may have come from.

FAMILY TWIG: http://www.enchantedlearning.com/crafts/familytree/tree/
This unusual family tree uses a multi-branched twig to list its members. Play dough or sand roots your family tree in a paper cup. This site links to other family tree sites within the Enchanted Learning site.

BULLETIN BOARDS: http://www.EnchantedLearning.com/crafts/bulletinboards/geography.shtml
"Where were your ancestors from?" is the title of this bulletin board that uses a world map,
labels, and pieces of yarn to track ancestors of students in your class. This site has other related bulletin boards and links to bulletin boards on a great variety of other topics within the Enchanted Learning site.

“Language makes culture, and we make a rotten culture when we abuse words.” -- Cynthia Ozick, 1972. Do you agree or disagree with this quotation?

Do research on the American national capital, Washington, D.C. Look at the map and do the worksheet at: http://www.enchantedlearning.com/usa/statesbw/dc.shtml

Do research on the variety of languages spoken in India (at least 16 including Hindi and English) and the areas of the country in which they are spoke. India’s state boundaries are drawn largely along linguistic lines. Draw a map of India and show in what areas the major languages are spoken.

Aneki.com: Country Information, Regional and World Rankings: http://www.aneki.com
Aneki.com provides a world almanac site. It is easy to navigate and provides statistical facts, figures, rankings and general information for over 190 countries in Africa, the Middle East, Europe, Asia, North America, Central America, South America, and Oceania.

CensusScope: http://www.censusscope.org/
This site presents data from the 2000 US Census and compares it to the 1990 census through charts and graphs. The data tells about level of education, household structure, and population trends, among other areas. The information is searchable by state or metropolitan center.

Recent Earthquakes in California and Nevada: http://quake.wr.usgs.gov/recenteqs/

Earthquakes for Kids: http://earthquake.usgs.gov/4kids/

X-treme Science: Exploring Oceans, Volcanoes, and Outer Space: http://www.bishopmuseum.org/education/pdf/XTremeTG.pdf
Believe it or not, this 168 page guide is "abbreviated." The hard-copy version is larger! See page 2 for ordering information.

ISS EarthKAM: http://www.earthkam.ucsd.edu/index.shtml is a NASA sponsored program that provides stunning, high quality photographs of our planet taken from the Space Shuttle and International Space Station.

Iceberg Movies: http://ice.ssec.wisc.edu/iceberg.php

TerraServer - Satellite Photographs: http://terraserver.homeadvisor.msn.com/

Tracking El Nino: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/elnino/

Exploring Earth Visualizations: http://earthsci.terc.edu/navigation/visualization.cfm

Understanding Plate Motions: http://pubs.usgs.gov/publications/text/understanding.html

Nature Moves: http://www.crayola.com/educators/lessons/display.cfm?id=337

Model Volcanoes: http://www.sciencenetlinks.com/lessons.cfm?DocID=320

Mountain Maker, Earth Shaker: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/aso/tryit/tectonics/

The Earth at Work- Hell's Crust: http://www.thirteen.org/savageearth/hellscrust/index.html

Where Is That?: http://www.funbrain.com/where/
Maps of the United States and countries of the world are presented in five different game levels, from easy to quite difficult. There is also a two player version of this geography game, or hold a class competition.

HyperHistory Online: http://www.hyperhistory.com/online_n2/History_n2/a.html
Relates maps, people, events, history and more to each other. This is a very useful site to refer to frequently.

"Do It Yourself" color-coded state maps: http://monarch.tamu.edu/~maps2

National Geographic Map Machine: http://www.nationalgeographic.com/maps/
Not just an online version of a printed atlas, National Geographic's Map Machine lets you create and save your own customized maps. A few examples of your mapping choices include Degree of Ecosystem Threats, Annual Precipitation, Recent Earthquakes or Mineral Resources. Of course,
political maps (as well as flags, statistics and all the country stuff you need for school reports) are also available.

Paleomap Project: http://www.scotese.com/ has resources for changes in the map of Earth and some interactive 3D virtual objects that you can manipulate, rotate, view Modern Globe, Miocene, K/T boundary, Late Cretaceous, Early Cretaceous, Pangea.

This Planet Earth: The Vision and Majesty of NASA's Remote Sensing Legacy - includes "Great Zooms from Space": http://www.gsfc.nasa.gov/topstory/20010419landsatimaging.html

Graphic Maps: http://www.worldatlas.com/graphic_.htm
Includes clip art, geography related books and clip art, and questions.

These sites let you put in an address and you get a map to that address.
TerraFly: http://www.terrafly.com/
Enter a street address and/or a zip code and get a bird's eye view of that place. Explore USGS digital data and learn more about the technology that makes it possible.
Maps on Us: http://www.mapsonus.com/
MapQuest: http://www.mapquest.com/
Map library: http://www.teachervision.com/lesson-plans/lesson-5104.html

The Cave of Lascaux: http://www.culture.fr/culture/arcnat/lascaux/en/
The Paleolithic caves of Lascaux (near the Pyrenees) were closed to the public in 1963, so this site is the only way to see them up close. Students can "discover" by taking a virtual tour through the caves, noting artwork and geological wonders along the way. The site lets kids learn by explaining such topics as figures, iconography, archeological artifacts, and geological dating. The text has pop-up definitions of technical terms, which is a big help.

Walking with Prehistoric Beasts: http://dsc.discovery.com/convergence/beasts/beasts.html
Welcome to the last 65 million years on Earth, which ushered in the rise of mammals, the freezing of the climate and the arrival of humans. Learn about the players (creatures from the Cenozoic Era), their habitat and the science behind these discoveries. Interactive features on this site allow students to Build a Beast from skeletal remains, view the changing environment of the creatures, and e-mail a scientist with unresolved questions.
Grade Level: Elementary, Middle School, High School
Content Area: Science (Life Science), History & Social Studies (Geography)

The Amesbury Archer: http://www.wessexarch.co.uk/projects/amesbury/archer.html

Discovering the Origins, Travels of "Iceman": http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2003/10/1030_031030_icemanorigins.html
The world’s oldest mummy spent his entire life within a 37-mile (60-kilometer) area in the Alps, according to new research

Iceman's final meal: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/sci/tech/2262615.stm

Blood clues to iceman's death: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/3146069.stm

DNA detective uncovers violence of bronze age ice mummy's last hours:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/arts/news/story/0,11711,1017441,00.html

For Teachers
Early Man Webquest: http://projects.edtech.sandi.net/lewis/earlyman/index.htm

Around the World at 30o North Latitude: http://www.iupui.edu/~geni/lsort/arndword.html
This lesson for upper elementary and middle school students reinforces the students' use of an atlas and reference materials, strengthen students' critical thinking skills, and establish awareness of how geographic location can make living easier or harder as they tour the globe at 30 degrees North latitude. They learn cooperatively about the geography and culture of their given region.

 

This site began in March 1998 and was created by Janet Luch.  
This page was last updated on February 14, 2009
Email to studyplans@yahoo.com.