Activity
Day 1
1. Begin the lesson by asking students. “If you
had a choice to live anywhere in the world, where would
it be?” Lead the discussion by asking why they
chose that particular place? What is it that they like
about it? Narrow the discussion by asking, “What
are your favorite things to do? What are your hobbies?” Try
to steer students away from answers that have to do with
video games or television.
List
those answers on the board or overhead transparency.
2.
Next, ask students, “If you had a choice, would
you choose to live near a lake, mountain, ocean,
desert, or forest? List those answers on the board. Continue
by asking, “What type of climate or weather
would you prefer to live in, hot, cold, rainy, snowy,
mild,
or humid” List those answers on the board.
3.
Give students a handout that has 2 maps, one that shows
physical features of a country, and one that
shows climate. Ask students to look at their maps
and identify
where on their map they can participate in their
favorite hobbies, and to locate where on their
map they can
live in the type of climate they prefer.
4.
Next, lead students into a discussion which explains
to them
that a city is often built around
the activities
that humans can participate in based on the geography
and climate of that city. But also explain to
them that in order for a city to meet all the needs
of it’s
residents, there needs to be other types of activities
for people to meet their basic needs and enjoy
themselves.
5.
Ask students, “What are some
of the basic needs that people need in order
to survive and also enjoy themselves?” Continue
leading the discussion until students have
answered the majority of the answers the teacher
is looking
for including
such basics as libraries, schools, government
offices, highways/transportation systems, sewage,
fire and police
departments, homes, hospitals, sports fields,
parks, churches, business/commercial jobs,
entertainment, etc.
6.
Once all these ideas are on the board, the
teacher should relate the idea that weather,
climate, and/or
the physical features of a locale often affect
many of these activities. The teacher should
lead students
into
making a few connections by asking them for
examples. For example, one question the teacher
can ask
is, “If
someone likes to play baseball, but the weather
is over 100 degrees during baseball season,
how might the weather
affect what type of professional baseball
field to build?” Or, “Will
the fact that you picked running as a hobby
influence where the city builds its parks
or recreation centers?” Another
question based on one’s hobby could
be, “If
you are a passionate snow skier, what type
of city would you probably choose to live
in where you can ski the
most?” Or, “If you wanted to
work as a forest ranger, where might you
choose
to live to work in that
profession?”
7.
Summarize with the class that a city offers its’ residents
many opportunities. People choose to live
in certain areas based on the opportunities
or activities that are
most important to them, but the main idea
they need to remember is that geography
and climate almost always
factor into the decisions people make.
8.
Have students draw a T-sheet on a piece of paper. The
left side is labeled Geography;
the
right side
is labeled Climate. Ask students to look
at all the items
listed on the board, and to categorize
on their T-sheet which activities and
needs are affected
by geography
and which are influenced by climate.
Homework
Have
students ask their parents or other adults the following question, “What
do you like most about the city you live in?” Have students
explain if the answer they gave is related to geography or
climate.
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Embedded
Assessment
Students’ ability
to identify the role of climate and geography on their
lives can be assessed through the t-sheet.
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