 LOCATION  PLACE  HUMAN-ENVIRONMENT INTERACTIONS  MOVEMENT  REGIONS

( Absolute and Relative)

 Answers the basic question: Where “Where?”  Absolute  Absolute and Relative Relative location are two ways of describing the positions of the earth’s physical and cultural features.

 Absolute, or exact location tells us exactly where something is.  A grid system representing latitude and longitude is one way of showing absolute locations.  Example: The absolute location of Mt. St. Helens is 46 degrees N latitude 122 degrees W longitude.  The absolute location of Maywood Middle School is th Ave SE, Renton, WA,

 Another way of looking at location has to do with the interaction of places.  Relative Location has to do with how a specific location is connected to other places.  In what Mountain range is Mt. St. Helens located?  Are there other volcanoes in that range?  What cities or highways are nearby? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?

 Using the picture-cards on your table, decide as a group on one example of Absolute Location and one example of Relative Location.  Choose someone in your group to share your answer with the class.

(Physical and Human Characteristics)

 All places on Earth have special features that distinguish them from other places. Geographers usually describe places by their physical and human characteristics.

 Physical characteristics are naturally occurring (NOT man-made).  Los Angeles, California and its neighboring communities, for example, are known for such physical characteristics as sandy beaches, abundant sunshine, and a mild climate.  What are some unique physical characteristics of the place in which we live?

 Human characteristics (man-made, or population-related) also help to define a particular place.  Some human characteristics of Los Angeles include the density of its population and the ethnic makeup of its people.  What are some unique human characteristics of the place where you live?

 Using the picture-cards on your table, decide as a group on one example of Physical Characteristics and one example of Human Characteristics.  Choose someone in your group to share your answer with the class. (Choose someone who did not share the last time.)

 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?

 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.

 Using the picture-cards on your table, choose one card to represent each of these categories:  Adaptation  Modification  Depending  Choose someone in your group to share your answer with the class. (Choose someone new to share.)

 Movement includes the mobility of People, Goods, and Ideas.  People everywhere interact. They travel from place to place, they communicate, and they depend upon other people in distant places for products, ideas, and information.  How do you and your family depend upon people in other places?  How does movement affect what you can buy in stores in your city or town?

 In your group, use the cards on your table to find examples of:  Movement of people  Movement of goods  Movement of ideas  Choose someone (new) to share your ideas.

 Regions are areas on the surface of the Earth that are defined by certain unifying characteristics.  These characteristics may be physical…  Or they may be human.  For example, the peaks and valleys of the Rocky Mountains form a physical region.  The corn belt, on the other hand, forms a human region.  Regions provide an organized way to study the Earth’s landscapes and peoples.

 Using your picture cards, find an example of regions. Be prepared to explain your choice.