Using+Geography+Skills

=Seasons= The changing seasons are toc caused by the movements of the Earth. There are two important movements that effect the Earth. The first, is the rotation of the Earth around an invisible axis. It takes the Earth about 24 hours to finish one complete rotation. The second important movement that effects the Earth is its revolution around the Sun. One revolution takes 365 ¼ days, or one year. Acting together, these two movements create variations in temperature, weather, and in the seasons. We have four seasons because our planet is tilted at an angle. The season depends on whether we are tilted toward or away from the Sun. (Seasons have nothing to do with how close Earth is to the Sun. During summer, Earth is not closer to the Sun. In fact, it is farther away.)

In spring, the northern half of Earth is tilted toward the Sun. The days start to become longer and warmer. By the middle of summer, the Sun’s rays are shining directly on the northern hemisphere. The days are long and hot.

The reverse happens in winter. Then, the north is tilted away from the Sun. So,the sun's rays are spread out over a larger area and the days are short and dark.

When it is summer in the northern half of the Earth, it is winter in the southern half. This means that Christmas comes in the middle of summer in southern countries such as Argentina and New Zealand. We wonder if Santa arrives in sunglasses and shorts?

=Latitude and Longitude=

 The globe has four hemispheres: the northern hemisphere, the southern hemisphere the eastern hemisphere and the western hemisphere. Maps showing the world require a way to locate places. On some maps we use a grid reference.



 Because the planet is a sphere the grid we create is not made of perfect squares and we measure latitude and longitude in degrees, just like angles. Latitude and longitude are lines found on a map. Latitude lines run from west to east and longitude lines run from north to south. Latitude and longitude lines are each numbered, which makes it easier to find a place you might be looking for.

The lines extending around the Earth horizontally are called lines of latitude. They measure how far North or South an object is on the Earth. Drawing imaginary lines at different latitudes produces what we call parallels. All though technically it is possible to draw an infinite number of parallels at any number of latitudes, there are a few which are important for you to understand as you study our planet. The first of these is called the equator. The Equator is located at 0 ° latitude. Going North from the Equator we find the Tropic of Cancer. This parallel is located at 23.5 ° North. Continuing further Northward we reach the Arctic Circle at 66.5 ° North Continuing all the way to the top of the Earth, at 90 ° latitude we encounter the North Pole. If we journey southward from Equator we will find the Tropic of Capricorn at 23.5 ° South. Continuing South we reach the Antarctic Circle at 66.5 ° South. Finally at 90 ° South we find the South Pole.

The lines running vertically around the Earth are called Longitude. These lines are called meridians, and measure how far East or West an object is. The prime meridian is 0 degrees longitude. This imaginary line runs through the United Kingdom, France, Spain, western Africa, and Antarctica. By using the equator and prime meridian, we can divide the world into four hemispheres, north, south, east, and west. For instance, the United States is in the Western Hemisphere (because it is west of the prime meridian) and also in the Northern Hemisphere because it is north of the equator.

Using longitude and latitude it is now possible to accurately describe any location on the Earth, within a correct distance of only a few inches. Your home or school probably have a street address. Perhaps it looks something like 6088 Garden Gate Drive. These numbers tell the mailman where to deliver your mail, and visitors how to find you. While physical addresses are very useful, longitude and latitude are more concise and accurate. A physical address is based on a local system, understood and accepted only by a small community. Longitude and latitude are accepted worldwide by the entirety of humanity. If you know your longitude and latitude, you can tell a distant pen pal exactly where you are on this sphere shaped planet.

Plotting Your Location Using longitude and latitude it is now possible to accurately describe any location on the Earth, within a correct distance of only a few inches. Your home or school probably have a street address. Perhaps it looks something like 6088 Garden Gate Drive. These numbers tell the mailman where to deliver your mail, and visitors how to find you. While physical addresses are very useful, longitude and latitude are more concise and accurate. A physical address is based on a local system, understood and accepted only by a small community. Longitude and latitude are accepted worldwide by the entirety of humanity. If you know your longitude and latitude, you can tell a distant pen pal exactly where you are on this sphere shaped planet.

For hundreds of years, calculating your longitude and latitude was a somewhat difficult process. Using specialize tools, and the stars as a guide, trained experts could determine their location, and make sure that their travels were still on course. However, due to the limits of their equipment, these measurements were only approximate. Today, anyone can quickly and accurately measure their location on the Earth. One popular method for determining the latitude and longitude of an object is through the use of Global Positioning Satellites or GPS. Inexpensive GPS devices use the signals from satellites orbiting the Earth to calculate the exact location of the person holding the device. Many of these devices also allow the user to save their favorite locations in a small computer, so that these locations can quickly be found in the future.

For hundreds of years, calculating your longitude and latitude was a somewhat difficult process. Using specialize tools, and the stars as a guide, trained experts could determine their location, and make sure that their travels were still on course. However, due to the limits of their equipment, these measurements were only approximate. Today, anyone can quickly and accurately measure their location on the Earth. One popular method for determining the latitude and longitude of an object is through the use of Global Positioning Satellites or GPS. Inexpensive GPS devices use the signals from satellites orbiting the Earth to calculate the exact location of the person holding the device. Many of these devices also allow the user to save their favorite locations in a small computer, so that these locations can quickly be found in the future.

Practice using latitude and longitude by playing this this fun game, this [|one], or this [|one].

=Five Themes of Geography= ** Location **Where is it?
 * **Absolute** A location can be absolute (specific) as in coordinates of a map using longitude and latitude
 * **Relative** A location can be relative - examples: next door, nearby, a short drive, down the road a ways. Or, it can be in the same general location as another location - example: next to the post office.

**Place** A place is an area that is defined by everything in it. All places have features that give them personality and distinguish them from other places. If you refer to your school as a place, then that place would include walls, windows, gym, cafeteria, classrooms, people, clothing, books, maps, mops, brooms, hallways, mice (if you have them) and everything else in the school, including the languages spoken.

**Region**
A region is an area that is defined by certain similar characteristics. Those unifying or similar characteristics can be physical, natural, human, or cultural.

**Movement**
Movement refers to the way people, products, information and ideas move from one place to another. This can be local such as how did you get to school today, or it can be global such as how did humans get to North America?

**Human-Environment Interaction**
Human-environment interaction looks at the relationships between people and their environment; how people adapt to the environment and how they change it.
 * **How do people depend on the environment?** (Example: In ancient times, the annual flooding of the Nile River produced good soil for growing crops.)
 * **How to people adapt to the environment?** (Example: The ancient Egyptians rebuilt their homes each year, after the annual flooding. As time went on, they built their homes above the flood plain.)
 * **How do people modify the environment?** (Example: The ancient Egyptians built irrigation ditches to help water the crops. In modern times, Egypt built a dam to control the flood waters of the Nile River.)

=Maps= Geography is the study of the Earth. Geographers analyze the Earth from many points of view. They discuss how far one place is from another. They study oceans, plant life, landforms, and people. Geographers study how the Earth and its people affect each other.

A **map** is a picture or representation of the Earth's surface, showing how things are related to each other by distance, direction, and size. Maps are a way of showing many things about a portion of the earth's surface on a flat piece of paper that can be carried and transported easily. A map is not a photograph of the Earth's surface. It can show many things that a picture cannot show, and as a result, a map looks different in many ways from a photograph of the Earth's surface.Maps have been used for centuries. A person who creates maps as a profession is called a **cartographer**.

Globes are the most accurate way to represent the surface of the Earth. However, because it is not practical to carry a globe into the field, map makers must figure out how to represent a round map on a flat piece of paper, or on a flat screen.Because the Earth is round, it is impossible to show the Earth on a flat surface without some distortion, or change in the accuracy of its shapes and distances. Consider the challenge of gift wrapping a rubber bouncy ball. What happens as you place gift wrap around the ball? Can you wrap the ball in such a way so that the paper is perfectly flat? No matter how long you try, you cannot cover a round object with flat piece of paper without creating wrinkles, folds, or cuts in the paper.

Over the centuries many different ways of representing the round Earth on flat paper have been developed. Each of these methods is referred to as a map projection. What does it mean to project something? Have you ever been to the movie theater? How does the movie get on the movie screen? The image you watch on the screen is projected using a high powered light, from the back of the theater. Now, imagine placing a projector inside of a globe, and projecting the different continents, islands, and other features onto a flat screen. What would the projection look like? This depends on where you place the screen.

Learn about maps [|here]by playing these games.

Have you ever seen anyone using a map to find their way around town? Maps are used extensively throughout society. Road maps provide information such as street names and landmarks. There are many different types of maps. Some maps are used for forecasting the weather, while others are used to plot the population in an area. Learning to recognize what a map has to offer is an important skill. Here's a look at some different types of maps.
 * Types of Maps**

Climate maps give general information about the climate and precipitation (rain and snow) of a region. Cartographers, or mapmakers, use colors to show different climate or precipitation zones.

Economic or resource maps feature the type of natural resources or economic activity that dominates an area. Cartographers use symbols to show the locations of natural resources or economic activities. For example, oranges on a map of Florida tell you that oranges are grown there.Physical mapsillustrate the physical features of an area, such as the mountains, rivers and lakes. The water is usually shown in blue. Colors are used to show relief—differences in land elevations. Green is typically used at lower elevations, and orange or brown indicate higher elevations.

Political maps do not show physical features. Instead, they indicate state and national boundaries and capital and major cities. A capital city is usually marked with a star within a circle.

Road maps show major highways and towns.

Topographic maps show a 3 dimensional world in 2 dimensions by using **contour lines**. Many people have trouble reading these maps, because they have mountains and valleys are represented with **concentric** circles and lines. Many hikers use topographic maps, especially in areas where there are no roads with signs. Geologists depend on topographic maps to record the types of rocks. Engineers use topographic maps when they are planning roads, buildings, or other human–made structures. Imagine designing a city without considering where hills and valleys are located!

A geologic map is a map of the different types of rocks that are on the surface of the Earth. By mapping different rock types, geologists can determine the relationships between different rock formations which can then be used to find mineral resources, oil, and gravel deposits. Also, you want to know what type of rock you are building on or else you might have a Leaning Tower of Pisa or a pile of rubble after a strong earthquake.

Scientists involved in the study of animals, plants, and other living organisms use maps to illustrate where these groups live or migrate. It is important to many zoologists to know where the organisms that they study live and where they move to. People who **monitor** endangered species need to know if the ranges of **migration** have become larger or smaller through time.

Environmental maps include maps that look at human's activity in urban and metropolitan areas and the environment in which we all live. Maps that illustrate **physiographic** features such as forests, grassland, woodland, tundra, grazing land, ocean floors, and ocean sediments could be included in this large grouping. **Meteorological** maps that show climate, weather and wind are types of environmental maps. Meteorologists, oceanographers, geographers, city planners, and many other professionals depend greatly on these maps to record and forecast their specific field.

= = =Parts of a Map= Today maps are used by people to find places they have not seen. Let’s say you are asked to find the nearest high school from your house. You could walk aimlessly from your house and hope you find a school.

However, if you were thinking, you would use a local map to help locate the nearest high school. The **scale** on the map can help you determine the distance and the **legend** reveals what **map symbol** is a high school. The **direction** in which you should walk can also be determined. However, you may need a **compass** to walk in the direction.

In order to learn how to read a compass, first we must look at some of the basics of the compass. How does a compass work? It is a simple device that uses a magnetic needle or card balanced on a pivot point in such a way that it should sit perfectly level and with as little friction as possible with the base. The card or needle will indicate which way magnetic north is. Practice using a compass on this interactive site! || = =
 * =[[image:johnson211/graphic-map-scale.jpg width="388" height="191"]]= || A **Graphic Scale** depicts scale using a line, with separations marked by smaller intersecting lines, similar to a ruler. One side of the scale represents the distance on the map, while the other side represents the true distances of objects in real life. By measuring the distance between two objects on a map, and then referring to the graphic scale, it is easy to calculate the actual distance between those same items. ||
 * [[image:johnson211/map-key.jpg width="260" height="259" align="center"]] || Maps use a **key**, **or legend** to explain the meaning of each of the symbols used in the map. These keys usually show a small picture of each of the symbols used on the map, along with a written description of the meaning of each of these symbols.Maps can be drawn to represent a variety of information. This information might include things such as roads, tourist attractions, and campgrounds, or they might represent the latest weather patterns. The objects on a map are represented using symbols. A symbol is a picture on the map that represents something in the real world. Understanding these symbols requires the use of a key. ||
 * [[image:johnson211/Compass_rose.png align="center"]] || A compass rose is a model of a compass. It tells the cardinal directions, which are north, south, east, and west. One of the tools that explorers of yesteryear relied on in their travels was the compass. Learning how to read a compass is still a valuable skill used today in navigation and in recreation to help people determine in which direction they are headed. While the compass alone has only limited use in long range navigation, it can be quite useful and entertaining without other tools in a smaller area such as a park or campground.

=Calendar=

Notes: Understanding the Earth || media type="custom" key="10718854" || HW: Summer Talk || || || Packing My Bag || || CW: Reading Maps HW: Working on Maps || media type="custom" key="10887956"
 * October 4 ||  || Review unit test
 * October 5 ||  || Notes: Understanding the Earth ||   ||
 * October 6 ||  || CW: Understanding the Seasons
 * October 7 ||  || CW: 5 Themes of Geography || [[file:5 Themes of Geography.docx]] ||
 * October 10 ||  || Notes: Latitude and Longitude || media type="custom" key="10816410"
 * October 10 ||  || Notes: Latitude and Longitude || media type="custom" key="10816410"
 * October 11 ||  || CW: Activity 5 || [[file:Activity 5.pdf]] ||
 * October 12 ||  || Latitude and Longitude Quiz Tuesday
 * October 13 ||  || Parent conferences ||   ||
 * October 14 ||  || Teacher Inservice Day ||   ||
 * October 17 ||  || Review Latitude and Longitude ||   ||
 * October 18 ||  || Quiz ||   ||
 * October 19 ||  || Notes: Maps
 * October 19 ||  || Notes: Maps

|| CW: Robinson Projection || media type="custom" key="10887968"
 * October 20 ||  || Notes: Types of Maps

||
 * October 21 ||  || CW: Study Guide || [[file:Geography Skills Study Guide.docx]] ||
 * October 24 ||  || Notebook Test ||   ||
 * October 25 ||  || Unit Test and planner check ||   ||
 * October 25 ||  || Unit Test and planner check ||   ||