1. Bellwork
What major cities or towns are we near? What are some physical characteristics of the area in which we live?

2. How does geography influence the way people live?
Essential Question
How does geography influence the way people live?

3. Why Geography?
In order to understand where in the world we’re learning about, we need to master basic geographical terms. If I say that the Sahara Desert lies along the Tropic of Cancer, do you know what that means? Antarctica lies in the Southern Hemisphere, but where is that?

4. Introduction to Geography - Vocabulary
Hemisphere
Latitude
Longitude
Physical Map
Political Map
Special Purpose Map
Scale
Cardinal Directions
Using the sheet I provided, write the definition of each of these terms. Use pages in your book. For each term, write the definition in your own words and draw a picture that will help you remember what the term means.

5. World Map Exercise Arctic Circle Antarctic Circle
Equator
Prime Meridian
Tropic of Cancer
Tropic of Capricorn
All Continents (North America, South America, Europe, Asia, Africa, Australia, Antarctica)
Atlantic, Pacific, and Indian Oceans
Label each of these on your map. You will have to draw in the lines of latitude and longitude (Equator, Prime Meridian, Tropic of Cancer, and Tropic of Capricorn).