The document summarizes the topics that will be covered in an American Geography class, including a review of American families and leisure/sport trends, views of American college students, and the US pop music/economy. It also provides instructions for a KWL chart activity where students will write what they know, want to know, and learn about American geography. Key facts listed include the 50 states, coastal plains, Rocky Mountains, Appalachian Mountains, climate zones, natural resources, transportation methods, main industries by region, and agricultural production.

1. AMERICAN GEOGRAPHY
Reading British &
American Culture
Week 10
Professor Hayashi

2. TODAY’S CLASS
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attendance
article presentations – CHAT CHAT!
review: the american people
KWL chart
American Geography

3. #
1
Review
• American families
• Rise in one
parent families
• More single
mothers
• More on health
• Household Expenditures
• Less on
travel/food

4. Leisure & Sport
• Most popular participation sports:
MEN- swimming
WOMEN- walking
• Both enjoy cycling
• Aerobics are more popular for
women
• Fishing & basketball for men

5. American College students:
• Top concern
- environment
• New concern
- government hand-gun control efforts
• More conservative about
- drugs & crime
• More liberal about
- abortion

6. Pop Music/Economy
• Rap and heavy metal were under attack
Positive Changes
Negative Changes
- GDP doubled during the 1980’s
- GDP doubled through borrowing
- lots of people prospered
- national debt tripled
- 20 million new jobs were created
- corporate & personal debt soared
- booming international trade is spreading - widening gap between rich and poor
wealth around the world
- poverty increased
-new jobs were low paid service positions
- USA was the world’s biggest creditor
then largest debtor

7. K-W-L Table
• Know – Want to know – Learn
K
W
L
http://docs.google.com/viewer?
a=v&q=cache:waD_rFqaBXQJ:users.manchester.edu/Studen
t/GJTribbett/Webpage/Example%2520KWL
%2520Chart.pdf+kwl+chart+example&hl=en&pid=bl&srcid=A
DGEESj5ZWAxXkoQgO3HHZZoxFafLWnraMh2Fo1YksvqZP
_GdKH9rqYCTw34vuZtd5b2vJFIc7pqesPPq_Mr1zdLNM9kJv
LAvzr7px-TcJ1LgDpFk7Rga58hFy0Gf-jMmtgkwP4Edvy&sig=AHIEtbQMfkPIabzlU19jbhufPEXjGOIcGw

8. KWL Chart
• In partners, write down what you know
about American geography
• Next, write down what you want to know,
what you’re curious about
• Go through the chapter together and write
down what you’ve learned

9. Important Facts
• the 50 states – 48
continental/conterminous
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=WhDrGnjacvA
• Surrounded by the Atlantic & Pacific
Oceans
• Coastal Plains – East, long, gently rolling
lowland
• Rockies – high, discontinuous chain of
mountains containing metals
• Appalachians – West of Atlantic coastal
plain, low, unbroken, contain iron, coal

10. Important Facts
• Mount McKinley in Alaska is the highest point;
Death Valley in California the lowest
• Longest river: Missouri
• Population 245,000,000 (317 M now)
• flow chart – pg. 59
• most of country has humid continental climate
– hot summers/cold winters
• US has ¼ of world’s coal, 1/7 of petroleum

11. Important Facts
• People go by cars, trucks, planes
• Commercial goods go by trucks
• Freight goes by rail

12. Important Facts
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Main industrial area: midwest
Banking & Insurance: New York
almost half of the land (47%) is farmland
Midwest: agriculture
South: traditional crops
West: cattle, wheat farming
Texas: cattle, sheep, cotton and rice