Title: 5 THEMES OF GEOGRAPHY
15 THEMES OF GEOGRAPHY
- AN INTERACTIVE LEARNING MODULE
- BY KRISTIN STILES
2DEFINITION OF GEOGRAPHY
- geography1 a science that deals with the
description, distribution, and interaction of the
diverse physical, biological, and cultural
features of the earth's surfaceSource-Merriam
Webster Collegiate Dictionary
3IN PLAIN ENGLISH
- Geography is the study of the earth and
everything on it.
45 THEMES OF GEOGRAPHYVisit each of the following
sites. Follow all buttons on each page. Save
the BACK ARROW button until you are done with
each page. The BACK ARROW button will bring you
back to this page. When you have visited all 5
Themes, click on the RIGHT arrow button below.
MOVEMENT
Human-Environment Interaction
PLACE
LOCATION
REGION
5NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC SOCIETY
- By clicking on this site, you will visit the
National Geographic Society 5 Themes of Geography
web page. After reviewing the web page, click
the back arrow on your browser to come back here. - NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC SOCIETY http//www.nationalgeo
graphic.com/resources/ngo/education/themes.html
6WHERE DID THE 5 THEMES COME FROM?
- The 5 Themes of Geography originated by the
National Geographic Society to fulfill a need for
geographers (people who study the earth and
everything on it) categorize everything they
learn. These 5 places are easy to remember.
Just say the word PRILM.
7WHAT IS PRILM?
- PRILM is a mnemonic device that can be used to
help remember what the 5 Themes of Geography are.
Simply put, take the first letter of each Theme
to create the word PRILM. They are - Place
- Region
- Interaction (Human-Environment)
- Location
- Movement
8PLACE
- It is a description of what makes that place
different to others. If I was trying to tell you
about the bedrooms in a house, and I wanted to
explain to you exactly which one I meant, I could
say, "the one with two beds and one window". If
the other rooms had only one bed each, or two
windows, then you could easily tell which room I
meant. - This is divided into 2 parts
- Physical Differences and Human Differences
- Physical differences, or characteristics, include
things that occur naturally, such as mountains,
rivers, type of soil, wildlife, climate etc. - I might say that a place is flat with rich soil
and many rivers. I'm still being vague, but
already you can see a picture of it in your head,
and maybe even begin to imagine what the land is
used for. - Human differences, or characteristics, are things
that have changed due to people, such as roads
and buildings, how people live and their
traditions. - This is where you can really go to town in your
description. You can discuss the cities,
lifestyle, culture and all sorts of other
interesting facts that make the place you are
talking about different and special.
9PLACEThings to think about
- Place -- What makes a place different from other
places? Differences might be defined in terms of
climate, physical features, or the people who
live there and their traditions.
10PLACEmore
- What physical characteristics exist in this city
such as plant and animal life?What cultural
(human) characteristics are typical of this
city?Which ethnic, religious, or political
groups live here?
11REGION
- Regions are areas that can be grouped together by
a set of things special to that region. We have
countries, ruled by governments, areas speaking
the same language, or having the same religion,
and we have areas served by a particular service,
such as a school district.The three types of
area are Defined by a government or physical
characteristicsDefined by a functionLoosely
defined - Regions defined by a government or physical
characteristics are regions that are strictly
maintained, such as countries or continents. - Regions defined by a function are areas served by
a particular service.Take the example of the
school district for Geek's Rule School. If Geek's
Rule School closes down, then the school district
will no longer exist. Of course, it won't just
disappear in a cloud of smoke, but it will have
to be named or described some other way. - Loosely defined regions are regions that are
grouped together in general terms.These are
things such as the North, or the Midlands or the
Buddhist World, or even the Far East and Middle
East. They are the sort of definitions that
people will argue about, and say that a certain
place should or shouldn't be included in the
definition of that region.
12REGION-Things to think about.
- Regions -- How can Earth be divided into regions
for study? Regions can be defined by a number of
characteristics including area, language,
political divisions, religions, and vegetation
(for example, grassland, marshland, desert, rain
forest).
13REGIONmore
- THE STUDY OF REGIONSWhat other regions are
there in the United States besides this one?How
are they different?How do these regions change
over time?(Descriptions of regions can include
information about the physical or cultural
characteristics. Physical refers to mountains,
deserts, climates, etc. Cultural refers to
history, religion, and language.)
14HUMAN-ENVIRONMENTAL INTERACTIONS
- This is about the relationship between people and
their environment, or how they work together. It
answers a lot of important questions What
effects have the people had on their environment?
How has the environment affected them, do they
depend on it for anything? What changes have they
made to their environment to make it easier to
live in? - It can be divided into 3 parts How people have
been changed by the environment.How the
environment has been changed by people.How
people depend on the environment. - How people have been changed by the environment
can be called adaptation. It is the way humans
change to suit their environment.An example of
this is people who live in very cold climates
wearing well-insulated clothes to keep warm. It
can also include the way people transport things,
in a desert the best way to transport some things
is by camel. - How the environment has been changed or
modification is the way people change their
environment to suit themselves.Artificially
watering your lawn, if you live in a dry area is
one example, or on a grander scale, creating
fertile land in desert areas to grow food crops.
Another good example is clearing forests to make
room for growing crops. - Depending on the environment is when people
depend on their environment for
something.Examples of this are using trees for
firewood, or coal to warm us in winter, rivers to
transport goods and natural resources like oil
and coal, to sell or exchange for other needed
items that are not available. - Sometimes it is difficult to tell exactly where
something belongs . For example, if people clear
forests to get wood for fires and to grow crops,
that may be considered changing the environment
to suit themselves and depending on the
environment for something. When you think about
the environment and people, just remember the
three important questionsHow have the people
changed? How have they changed the environment?
Do they depend on the environment for anything? - If you have the same answer for two questions,
then it must be important, but you don't need to
say it twice.
15Human-Environmental InteractionThings to think
about
- Human-environment interaction -- What are the
relationships among people and places? How have
people changed the environment to better suit
their needs?
16HUMAN ENVIRONMENTAL INTERACTIONmore
- HOW PEOPLE RELATE TO THEIR ENVIRONMENTWhat
commodities do people depend on from, and in this
area?How do people in Philadelphia adapt to
their environment in terms of what they wear and
how they build their homes?How do people in
this city modify their environment to accommodate
them? (e.g. building dams, changing landscapes)
17LOCATION
- This is divided into 2 parts Specific location
and General Location - Specific location is shown by an address. The
address can be any type of address that gives an
exact position. It is sometimes called absolute
locationHere are some examplesA Street
Address1, Silly Street, Anywhere Town, Nowhere
PlaceA Map Address15o20' North, 20o15' West - Both of these examples well tell you exactly
where a place is. - General location is shown by saying where
something is in relation to somewhere or
something else. It is also known as relative
location.Here are some examples - ten minutes away by train
- in front of the bank
- With these two examples you can only find what
you want if you know from where you are starting.
It's useful, though, for describing things. If I
just told you that New York was located at 40o
North, 73o West, you probably couldn't picture
that in your head. If I told you that it was in
the North-Eastern United States, you could
probably imagine it much better.
18LOCATIONThings to think about.
- Location -- Where are things located? A location
can be specific (for example, it can be stated as
coordinates of longitude and latitude or as a
distance from another place) or general (it's in
the Northeast).
19LOCATIONmore
- LOCATIONWhat is Eastmans exact latitude and
longitude?What is the citys location in
relation to other major cities?What geographic
factors caused Philadelphia to be located where
it is? (e.g. land, water)
20MOVEMENT
- Movement includes the movement of people, things,
such as goods, as well as communications (the
movement of ideas). - We can describe the type of communications a
place has and the main forms of transportation,
as well as what goods are exported and imported.
These all come under the heading of movement.
21MOVEMENTThings to think about.
- Movement -- What are the patterns of movement of
people, products, and information? A study of
movement includes learning about major modes of
transportation used by people, an area's major
exports and imports, and ways in which people
communicate (move ideas).
22MOVEMENTmore
- THE MOVEMENT OF PEOPLE, GOODS, AND IDEASHow
are people transported in this city?How are
goods transported in this city? What are they?
Who depends on them?How are ideas transported
in this city? (e.g. communication)
23Quiz AboutThe Five Themes of Geography
- Click the bell to the left of the correct answer.
- Applause will sound if the answer is correct.
- A gong will sound if the answer is incorrect.
- A key to the quiz follows the last slide.
- You may continue answering each question until
the correct answer is found. - Click on the orange arrow key to progress through
the quiz.
24Question 1Which of the following is NOT a
geography theme?
- B. human-environmental interaction
- D. people
25Question 2 Which of the following is an example
of Human-Environmental Interaction?
- A. getting the mail
- C. playing Gameboy
- B. watching TV
- D. Rainforest Clearing
26Question 3Which of the following helped create
the 5 Themes of Geography?
- A. Geographica Institute
- C. National Council for Social Studies
- B. National Geographic Society
- D. Social Studies Teachers of America
27Question 4 Which of the following is an example
of PLACE?
- A. Deep South
- C. Dodge County Middle School
- B. McDonalds
- D. Skating rink
28Question 5 Which of the following is NOT an
example of Location?
- B. Dodge County Middle School
- 1103 Herman Ave
- Eastman, GA 31023
- D. the hills
- A. Springfield, Missouri
- C. Georgia
29Question 6Which of the following is an example
of region?
- A. Georgia
- C. United States
- B. South America
- D. The Midwest
30Question 7 What is the name of a person who
studies the earth and everything on it?
- A. Photographer
- C. Geographer
- B. Cartographer
- D. Mapographer
31Key
- 1) D
- 2) D
- 3) B
- 4) A
- 5) B
- 6) D
- 7) C
32SUMMARY
- Making Sense of it All
- Now that you have found out a little about the
five themes, how can you use them? - Imagine for a minute that you are a newspaper
reporter. An important discovery of a lost land
has been made, and you have the chance to be the
first person to interview the returning
explorers. Make a list of the questions that you
might ask. Remember, the five themes and ask the
most important questions from each. - Here are some questions to get you started
- Where is it?
- Where exactly is that?
- What does it look like?
- How many people live there and where?
- What settlements (cities, villages) does it have?
- What sort of climate does it have?
- Does it have any extremes of weather?
- Is it prone to any type of natural disaster?
- What are the natural resources and how are they
used? - What type of agriculture is there?
- What are the main types of transportation and
communication? - What makes the people there different to people
in other places? - What sort of government does it have?
- Is it associated with any other place?
33INTERNET REFERENCESClick on the links below to
view additional information.
- http//www.nationalgeographic.com/resources/ngo/ed
ucation/themes.html - http//sd71.bc.ca/Sd71/Edulinks/ICT6_9/lessons/geo
1/5themes2.htm
34REFERENCES
- http//www.funsocialstudies.learninghaven.com/arti
cles/fivethemes.htm - http//www.education-world.com/a_lesson/lesson071.
shtml - http//www.classbrain.com/artaskcb/publish/article
_34.shtml