| Materials Needed: Explore Geography
Picture Dictionary (one per student or student group) and Explore
World History Activity Sheet : "The World." |
| Note: This is a good activity to use with Chapter
14 ("The Middle Ages") in Explore World History. Regions are fundamental
organizing units of geography. They are defined by certain unifying
characteristics such as physical characteristics (e.g., climate, vegetation,
terrain), cultural characteristics (e.g., language, traditions, holidays),
or local characteristics (e.g., school districts, zip codes, neighborhoods). |
| Teacher Directions: Ask students
what the Middle East, the Southwest, and the rain forests of Central
America have in common. Explain that they are all regions and that
a region is an area that has some unique characteristics |
| To help students develop an understanding of what a region is, have
students identify regions within your classroom or school (e.g., the
math center, reading table, lunch area, sports courts). Ask them to
name the characteristics of these "regions" and to define the boundaries.
Students should understand that regions can be any size. However,
they encompass a specific area and are different from other regions
in a significant way. |
| Organize the class into small groups. Hand out one copy of Explore
World History Activity Sheet: "The World" to each group. Choose
a region your class has studied (e.g., Italy, Germany, France, Spain,
England, or Scandinavia). Then choose a variety of geographical terms
students have learned and write them on the board (e.g., peninsula,
forest, gulf, sea). Ask students to describe the terms they name.
Encourage them to use the Explore Geography Picture Dictionary
if they need assistance. Discuss with students how the terms might
describe the characteristics of a region. Have students write the
terms in the box on the activity sheet. |
| Ask students to draw the boundaries of the region using colored
pencils. Have student groups share their maps and explain why they
drew the boundaries for the region where they did. What characteristics
gave the region its identity? Ask students if they were able to determine
a precise boundary for the region. |
 |
Make it Easier: Identify
the characteristics and general boundaries of the region as a class. |
 |
Make it Quicker: Using
an overhead transparency, do this as a class activity. |
 |
Make it More Fun:
After studying several regions, have each group of students draw a
large map of its region. Then have students arrange themselves in
geographical order, from north to south and west to east. Have students
hold the map of their region in front of them. Starting in the west,
have each group call out the name of its region and its unique characteristics. |
 |
Make it More Challenging:
Have students become experts on their regions. Encourage them to read
books, an atlas, and check Internet sites to find out more about their
region. Ask them to think of an interesting way to tell others what
they have learned. |
