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From
Global to City Air -
World Geography Lessons
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World
geography explores the patterns and functions of human settlement,
specifically cities. Students assess how physical geography
affects settlements and cities and how health concerns can play
a central
role in city design. The history of human settlement, impact
of physical systems on human systems, and urban geography are
the underlying topics addressed in this unit. Students’ work
in this unit provides the necessary background students will
need to complete the final project - the creation of an environmentally-friendly
city with minimal air and water pollution that considers the
physical geography and cultural needs of a given region.
Content
Standards addressed by this unit include: ‘The World
in Spatial Terms’, ‘Places and Regions’, and ‘Human
Systems’.
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Threaded
Big Idea |
Human
settlement is historically based on its functions, physical
location, climate, and cultural needs. These settlements
reflect a city’s history and impact its future developmental
needs in relationship to its inhabitants. |
Essential
Question |
How
do cities develop historically based on the cultural and
developmental needs of its inhabitants, and continue to change
to meet current/growing needs? |
Learning
Cycle |
Lesson
Title & Description |
Objective
Students will: |
Class
period & week |
Engage |
Describe
my City
This
Engage lesson is the beginning of a series that helps
students explore the functions of cities by creating
a visual image of their own neighborhood. In this lesson
students will begin to recognize why people live in
cities and engage in activities based on their cultural
and economic needs, and physical location. |
1. Diagram, list, and label the major business and cultural
centers of the neighborhood where they grew up.
2. Identify its major cultural aspects including major language(s), religion(s),
and art.
3.
Describe the geography of their city. |
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Explore |
Human
Migration in the United States
The United States is the world’s
third largest country in land area and population.
Its abundance of natural resources and variations in
climate, fertile soil, and plentiful water has attracted
many immigrants in search of a better life.
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1.
Locate the 4 major subregions of the U.S.
2. Distinguish the economic functions, natural resources, physical features,
and climate of each region to examine how they shaped development and
settlement.
3. Explain the push-pull factors of migration in each region. |
2
class periods
Week 2
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Explain |
Hello
Mexico City
In
this lesson, students will research and explain the
functions, characteristics, and cultural aspects of
Mexico City and analyze how they have affected development
and settlement.
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Describe
the physical features, cultural characteristics, economic
activities, and urban geography of Mexico City.
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Apply |
What’s
In Your City’s Future?
In
this Apply lesson, students will review and evaluate
their notes, specifically their responses to the Mexico
City homework, with their partner to identify potential
problems and solutions regarding air pollution in the
city where they live.
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Interpret
the characteristics of your city and analyze potential future
issues it will encounter. |
1
class period
Week 2 |
Threaded
Big Idea |
Geography,
climate, and geology impact the choices of human settlement. |
Essential
Question |
In
what ways do geography, climate, and geology affect cities
and the ways humans live within those cities? |
Learning
Cycle |
Lesson
Title & Description |
Objective
Students will: |
Class
period & week |
Engage |
Your
Favorite Hobbies
In
this Engaging lesson, the teacher will begin the unit
that leads to the idea of how climate and geography
influence the way people live in their cities. |
Identify how geography and climate affect human activity. |
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Explore |
Ancient
Cities
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Explore how geography and climate affected the development
and land use of ancient cities. |
3
class periods
Week 3
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Explain |
Getting
to Work and Making Money
In
this lesson students explain the role of geography and climate
in relationship to professions and forms of transportation
unique to their city. |
Explain
the major professional lifestyles in a city are a product
of the climate and geography..
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Apply |
Fun In
the City
In
this lesson students will apply their understanding of a city’s
layout based on geography and climate. The favorite hobbies
that students listed in the Engage lesson will be the sources
from which students design their ideal city.
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Given
your city’s climate and geography, as well as your
personal interests, design a new layout for your city. |
2
class periods
Week 4 |
Threaded
Big Idea |
A
city’s geography and climate, and the ways in which
human actions modify or live within the environment,
affect air quality and environmental health. |
Essential
Question |
How
do city landscapes and human industrial and residential
actions directly impact air quality and human health? |
Learning
Cycle |
Lesson
Title & Description |
Objective
Students will: |
Class
period & week |
Engage |
Looking
for the Dirty Scoop
In this engage lesson, the teacher
will begin to introduce the idea that there is a connection
between geography, climate, city functions, resident
activities and air pollution. |
Identify forms and locations of transportation, industries,
and waste disposal and locate where most air pollution
is emitted. |
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Explore |
Not In
My City
This
lesson will give students the opportunity to explore the issue
of air pollution and its negative health effects on city residents. |
Identify types of pollution caused by different elements
of a city and analyze how and why this affects people of
different socio-economic status. |
3
class periods
Week 4 & 5
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Explain |
Saved
by the Law
In
this lesson students explain to each other the legislative
efforts to improve air quality and local health issues.
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Explain
the legislative efforts of local or state government
regarding air quality issues in your city.
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Apply |
Smart
Cities
This
lesson’s intent is to have students analyze how a city
in the United States and one beyond, have created “smart
growth” ideas to improve air quality and healthy living.
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Analyze
how 3 specific major cities have worked to improve human
health and environment. |
3
class periods
Week 5 & 6 |
Threaded
Big Idea |
The
environmental issues within a city that are created by
climate, geography, and geology must be considered, in
relationship to human health, when developing an environmentally
safe city. |
Essential
Question |
Considering
its physical environment, how can an environmentally healthy
city be developed and planned today? |
Learning
Cycle |
Lesson
Title & Description |
Objective
Students will: |
Class
period & week |
Engage |
Dreaming
of a Healthy City
Dreaming
of a Healthy City is the introductory lesson to this
unit’s final project. During the lesson students
review the essential elements of a city. |
Identify essential elements of a city while maintaining
high air quality standards. |
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Explore/Explain |
Planning
a Healthy City
Students
will apply their understanding of city layout and effects
of city design on air quality and environmental health
as they build a scaled model city.
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Create “blueprint” for a city that contains
all essential elements while maintaining high quality air
standards. |
2
class periods
Week 6
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Apply |
Building
a Healthy City
Students will apply their understanding of
city layout and effects of city design on air quality and
environmental health as they build a scaled model city. |
Build
a scale model city, in a given location, that contains
all essential elements while maintaining high quality
air standards.
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Threaded
Big Idea
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City
policies and plans can be evaluated to reflect the current
need to develop healthy cities.
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Essential
Question
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In
what ways can new city policies and plans be changed or
improved to continue evaluating the construction of a healthy
city? |
Learning
Cycle
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Lesson
Title & Description
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Objective
Students will:
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Class
period & week
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Engage
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Mega-cites
Have Their Mega-problems |
Explore mega cities and identify problems specifically
associated with mega cities.
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Explore/Explain
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Us and
Them |
Compare and contrast their model cities with the actual
cities. Explain why the actual city might have developed
as it did. Identify the solutions that could be incorporated
into the existing city.
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1-2
class periods
Week 8
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Apply
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A
Recommendation for the Future |
Write
a formal letter outlining air quality concerns of a given
city and describing might begin to improve air quality.
Propose at least one city policy or plan that will ensure
cleaner air for future inhabitants of the city.
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