| Materials Needed: Explore Geography
Picture Dictionary (one per student or student group) and Explore
the Ancient World Activity Sheet : "What Happened Here?" |
| Teacher Directions: Have students
name ways that people interact with their environment (e.g., They
build roads; drive cars; build factories, houses, and dams; water
lawns; plant trees and gardens; and discard trash). Record student
responses on the board. |
| Then ask students to name geographical terms (e.g., continent, island,
mountain, ocean, lake, river) and record these on the board. Ask students
to describe the features they name. Encourage them to use the Explore
Geography Picture Dictionary for assistance. |
| Then ask students to match a human interaction with the geographical
feature that might be affected (e.g., building irrigation canals to
water crops might affect the health and course of the river). |
| Organize the class into small groups. Hand out Explore the Ancient
World Activity Sheet: "What Happened Here?" Read the directions with
students and make sure they understand what they are to do. |
 |
Make it Easier: Have
students identify only one way people change places and one way it
affects the environment. |
 |
Make it Quicker: Do
this entirely as a group oral activity. |
 |
Make it More Fun:
Have students identify something they could do to improve the environment
of their school, such as planting flowers or a tree, or cleaning up
trash. Have students make it a class project. Or, describe a scenario.
For example, a tire burning company wants to build a new factory in
your town. The new factory will add to the area's air pollution, but
it would mean a lot of jobs and more money for the community. Give
students three minutes to discuss the issue. Then ask them to vote
on what they would do. |
 |
Make it More Challenging:
Have students discuss the reasons people build such things as houses,
canals, or dams. Ask students to consider what our lives would be
like without them and evaluate the relative "costs" and "benefits"
to a civilization. For example, irrigation projects might change the
course of a river, but they help people grow more food. Then, have
students answer the question "What if?" Ask students to write a sentence
or two describing how their lives would be different without automobiles
(or some other modern convenience). For example, "Without automobiles
we would have to walk, or ride horses, bicycles, or public transportation.
It would take longer to get places. It wouldn't be as convenient."
|
