Geography

Throughout the school year we are devoted to the "Five Themes of Geography". Studying the geography of the entire world is a huge task, so we tried to make it easier by using the 5 Themes: location, regions, place, movement, and human-environment interaction. The themes are tools that students can use to organize information and to answer the where, why, and how of geography. Below you will find the 5 Themes of Geography powerpoint we used. Also, for one of our culmunating activities we did on a Fun Friday was to work not only our map skills, but on our reading fluency too. Enjoy :)

Song "How to Read a Map" media type="youtube" key="8QlJn_iMeAg?fs=1" height="385" width="480" ** How to Read a Map ** I’m on a road trip. Where are we? I think I made a wrong turn. I’m lost. What should I do? You need a map. I need a clue. You know how to read a map?

Flower shape - easy to see, letters N, W, S and E. Why does this help and tell me now what does it mean? It's a **COMPASS ROSE**. The compass rose shows North, South, East and West.

North and South – well, now I know, East and West - which way they go. What do you call these four main directions? The **CARDINAL DIRECTIONS**. Intermediate directions would be northeast, southeast and so on.

How far is it from here to there? Can we measure distance to anywhere? The map size is smaller than the real world. Look for the **SCALE**. The scale is like a little ruler that helps you measure distances between places.

A little lost…a little lost. I'm getting clues…he’s getting clues. From a map…from a map. That I got from you.

Dots, triangles, colors and many lines; What do all these things define? I see a tiny airplane and what is this star? These are **SYMBOLS**. An airplane shows the airport; a star is a Capital city.

How did you know what the symbols are when you're driving around like in a car? Can you find it on the map and where will it be? Use the **MAP KEY**. The map key tells you what the symbols mean.

This map doesn't show the entire place. I know that it's part of a bigger space. Could it be from England, Iraq or Mexico? Look for the **INSET**. The inset is a small map that's a more detailed view of part of the main map.

I was lost. But I learned something new How to read a map. And I thank you

I was lost…he was lost But I learned something new…something new. How to read a map…how to read a map and I thank you J