The document provides an agenda for a geography class that will cover the key concepts of geography including the five themes: location, place, region, human-environment interaction, and movement. It defines each theme and provides examples to help students understand and identify the themes. It also includes warm-up questions, an activity using pictionary to practice identifying themes, and a closure for the class.

1. Welcome!
Agenda for Wednesday, August 28
• Warm-Up: Why study
geography?
• Presentation: The fields
of Geography, 5 themes
• Activity: “Pictionary”
• Practice: Identifying the
5 themes in the
everyday world
• Closure

2. Warm-Up: Answer as many of the
following as you can. Be prepared to
discuss.
Why is it important to study geography?
In what ways is it useful in real life?
Which careers might be associated with geography?
How can knowledge of geography help you in other
academic areas?
Why We Need to Teach Geography

3. The Field of Geography
• Geography: the
study of Earth and
its people

6. Physical Geography: the study of natural
features on the surface of Earth
• Things that can be seen (landforms) and felt
(weather)

7. Human Geography: study of people as
they have spread across Earth
• Who lives where? Why? How?
• Human-made features like towns, dams &
roads

9. Why Themes?
• The 5 themes are important because they
help the geographer describe the use of
space.
• Location, Place, Movement, Region, Human-
Environment Interaction

10. Location:
Where is it? Why is it there?
• Absolute Location
– Exact
– Latitude/longitude
• Paris is at 48⁰ North
latitude and 2⁰ East
longitude
– Street address
• TCCHS is located at 4717
Bailey Road
• Relative Location
– Depends on a point of
reference. Near, far, a
short drive, etc.
– Described by landmarks,
time, direction or
distance.
• A few miles from
Pearland Town Center
• Across from Turner High
School

11. Think about…
• When might it be important to use absolute
location?
• Describe a scenario where using relative
location would be beneficial.

12. Place: What is it like?
• Physical characteristics
like landforms, climate
bodies of water or
vegetation
• Human characteristics
such as roads, buildings,
culture & beliefs

13. Regions: How are places similar or
different?
• Areas defined by their physical & human
characteristics
• Geographers divide the world into regions to
help them interpret information

14. Formal Regions
• Are based on the related characteristics of an
area (language, religion, climate)
– Many formal regions have natural boundaries
– Commonly defined b continental area and similar
cultures

15. Functional Regions
• Functional regions are based on connections
between places; have a “hub” or central area
– Ex. A city and its suburbs

16. Perceptual Regions
• Are based on
people’s feelings
and attitudes of an
area
• Likely to change over
time
• Can be based on
stereotypes and
influenced by travel,
movies and reading
• Ex. Dixie, Aggieland
Tornado Alley

17. The World Dived into 7 Regions, Each
with a Population of 1 Billion

18. Human-Environment Interaction: How
do people relate to the physical world?
• We depend.
– We need rivers for
transportation.
• We adapt.
– We wear clothing to
protect us from the
weather.
• We modify.
– We use heaters and air
conditioners in our
homes.

19. What do you think of when I say…
• A hot, sunny climate is perfect for ________.
• A cold climate with a lot of snow is perfect for
________.
• Summer in Texas is the perfect time to
________.

20. Movement: How are people and
places linked?
• Linear, time & psychological
• Movement of People
– Cars, trains, planes, animals
• Movement of Products
– Trucks, trains, planes
• Movement of
Information/Ideas
– Cell phones, computers, TV,
radio, newspapers

21. Types of Distance
Linear Distance
• How far across the earth
something travels.
Time Distance
• Amount of time it takes
something to travel
Psychological Distance
• The way people view
distance

22. Questions…
• How can physical geography affect linear
distance?
• List some modern inventions that have
shortened time distance.
• How far away is “far”? What influences your
perception of what is “far”?

23. Ask MR. HELP
• M- Movement
• R- Region
• HE- Human Environment Interaction
• L- Location
• P- Place

24. “Pictionary”
Theme Tells us… Example Picture/Symbol
Location
Place
Region
Human-
Environment
Interaction
Movement

25. Practice
• Identify the themes of geography in the
following photos:

26. Venice, Italy

27. Lake Tahoe, Nevada

28. Times Square, New York

29. Grand Canyon, Arizona

30. Sahara Desert, Africa

31. Hoover Dam & Bypass Bridge on Lake
Mead, Nevada

35. Practice
• Are the following regions formal, perceptual,
or functional?