Geography

= = = = =Location= 1. Place countries, cities, deserts, mountain ranges and bodies of water on the continents on which they are located. http://funschool.kaboose.com/globe-rider/games/game_my_world.html In this interactive game students identify where countries are on a world map. http://www.geosense.net/ GeoSense is an online geography based game. You play by yourself or compete against an online opponent to place a city on a map as quickly and accurately as you can. The maps include the United States, Europe, and the World. A fun and effective way of improving place name geography skills. There are no ads, banners, fees, etc, although you do have to make up a username and password to play. **Conquer the Continents Game ** http://www.mrnussbaumgames.com/concon2.htm In this online game you choose a continent and then have 60 seconds to identify as many countries as you can. The country names are displayed randomly. **Mapping Our World ** http://www.oxfam.org.uk/coolplanet/mappingourworld/mapping_our_world/index.htm This great site has nine interactive activities all about maps. In Lesson 1 there are three activites that introduce students to maps and the globe. In Lesson 2 the three activities deal with the idea of projections. They present some of the most popular examples and analyze their similarities and differences. In the final lesson, there are three activities that investigate how different projections and orientations affect our view of the world. http://www.nationmaster.com/cat/geo-geography NationMaster is a fantastic site for statistics on all topics concerning the nations of the world. The information is nicely arranged by topic and can be viewed as totals, per capita, bar graphs, pie charts, or maps. Best yet, the site allows you to see correlations (both positive and negative) between different statistical topics. This allows users to investigate relationships, causes, and effects. This specific topic deals with geography. http://geoedge.wikispaces.com/ A wiki designed for sixth grade students to work on their map skills.
 * My World **
 * GeoSense Game **
 * NationMaster - Geography **
 * GeoEdge**

2. Use coordinates of latitude and longitude to locate points on a world map.

=Places and Regions= 3. Explain the distribution patterns of economic activities and how changes in technology, transportation, communication and resources affect those patterns including: a. Agriculture; b. Mining; c. Fishing; d. Manufacturing. http://www.calisphere.universityofcalifornia.edu/themed_collections/subtopic1e.html <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica">This is a great collection of primary source documents from Calisphere at the University of California. "These images record the rapid growth of small settlements into big cities as people continued to come to California from all over the world. Aerial views show spreading cities, and photographs depict the substantial hotels, stores, and other businesses that served the steady influx of new Californians." **<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica">NationMaster - Economy ** <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica">http://www.nationmaster.com/cat/eco-economy <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica">NationMaster is a fantastic site for statistics on all topics concerning the nations of the world. The information is nicely arranged by topic and can be viewed as totals, per capita, bar graphs, pie charts, or maps. Best yet, the site allows you to see correlations (both positve and negative) between different statistical topics. This allows users to investigate relationships, causes, and effects. This specific topic deals with economy.
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica">1848-1865: Gold Rush Era - Growth of Cities **

4. Identify and describe a variety of physical and human regions by analyzing maps, charts and graphs that show patterns of characteristics that define regions. <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica">http://www.oxfam.org.uk/coolplanet/mappingourworld/mapping_our_world/index.htm
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica">Mapping Our World **

=Human= =Environmental= =Interaction= 5. Describe ways human settlements and activities are influenced by environmental factors and processes in different places and regions including: a. Bodies of water; b. Landforms; c. Climates; d. Vegetation; e. Weathering; f. Seismic activity.

6. Describe ways in which human migration has an impact on the physical and human characteristics of places including: a. Urbanization; b. Desertification; c. Deforestation. <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica">http://www.un.org/cyberschoolbus/habitat/index.asp <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica">This site has units describing the growth, expansion, and consequences of urbanization in history, with possible solutions. Text include city profiles, pictures, and activities for students
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica">Cities of Today, Cities of Tomorrow **

7. Describe ways humans depend on and modify the environment and the positive and negative consequences of the modifications including: a. Dam building; b. Energy production/usage; c. Agriculture; d. Urban growth.

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica">http://planetfesto.org/ <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica">Although perfect for Earth Day, this site can be used year round. At this site students can learn about dozens of practical ways to save resources and protect the environment. Then they get to create a digital piece of ribbon on which they write why they love the planet and what they will personally do to protect it. Finally, their submission will then join all the others from around the world to create a scrolling ribbon for all to view on the web site. <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica">http://www.epa.gov/recyclecity/gameint.htm <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica">In this online simulation game you are the new City Manager for Dumptown. Your job is to clean up the town by choosing which combination of 10 programs to implement. Each program has specific benefits, but also costs money. After each change you make you can see the effect on the city, how much waste has been recovered, and how much this has cost the city. Note: There is no specific way to win the game, but rather many scenarios to investigate in this open-ended simulation. **<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica">1848-1865: Gold Rush Era > Environmental Impact ** <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica">http://www.calisphere.universityofcalifornia.edu/themed_collections/subtopic1d.html <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica">This is a great collection of primary source documents from Calisphere at the University of California. "The images in this group show mines, miners at work, and the tools they used. They also illustrate the effect of the mines and the mining industry on California's landscape. Rivers were dammed or became clogged with sediment, forests were logged to provide needed timber, and the land was torn up - all in pursuit of gold."
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica">Planetfesto **
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica">Dumptown Game **

=Movement= 8. Explain push and pull factors that cause people to migrate from place to place including: a. Oppression/Freedom; b. Poverty/Economic opportunity; c. Cultural ties; d. Political conflicts; e. Environmental factors. <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica">http://www.calisphere.universityofcalifornia.edu/themed_collections/subtopic4a.html <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica">This is a great collection of primary source documents from Calisphere at the University of California. "These images show the devastation that drove the Dust Bowl refugees to leave their homes and migrate to California. They also depict the lives of these families on the road west."
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica">1929-1939: The Great Depression - Dust Bowl Migration **

9. Identify and explain primary geographic causes for world trade including the uneven distribution of natural resources.