CORP ILLUSTRATION TIMELINE

Module 5: Teaching Geography in elementary

Module 5 discusses developmentally appropriate geography skills and canoncepts for elementary students. It also provides many instructional strategies and ideas to incorporate into a classroom, which will be developed further in this infographic.

Developmentally Appropriate Activities

The 6 Elements of Geography

The 5 Themes of Geography

Geographic Skills, Knowledge, and Instructional Practices

References

Developmentally appropriate activities for the facilitation of geography knowledge and skills have been outliens throughout module 5.

The six elements of geography include the world in spatial terms, places and regions, physical systems, human systems, envornment and society, and the uses of geography.

As toddlers, we are already beginning to be introduced to geography through our evnirnonment, play, and everyday activities.

The five themes of geography include location, place, region, human-environment exeriences, and movement.

Click the '+' to view the references for the information in this infographic.

Click on the '+' to view the information!

Click the link to view my activity table.

References

The Five Themes of Geography. (2023, March 1). WorldAtlas. https://www.worldatlas.com/geography/the-five-themes-in-geography.html

Social Studies & the Young Learner. (2007).p 30-32

6 Essential Elements of Geography. (n.d.). Www.youtube.com. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B5f0vZ2YM40

The 5 Themes of Geography

The 5 themes of geography are places, regions, movement, human-environment interaction, and location. Place refers to the unique human and physical characteristics of an area. For example, landforms, climate, bodies of water, and vegetation. Location refers to a specific position on earth's surface. The location could either be absolute, meaning its exact cooridinates, or it could be relative, meaning its location in comparison to something else. Human-environment interaction is how we as humans modify the earth. For example, how humans build dams to regulate the natural flow of water, create crop irrigation, or generate electricity. The theme movement refers to the mobility of ideas, goods, and people. For example, migration, globalization, or cultural diffusion. These "movements" do not necessarily have to be physical. The theme region refers to how areas compare or contrast with each other based on cultural and physical characteristics. These regions can be classified as functional, formal, or perceptual.

The 6 Elements of Geography

The six elements of geography include the following: the world in spatial terms, places and regions, physical systems, human systems, environment and society, and the uses of geography. The element "the world in spatial terms" refers to how we use tools such as GPS's, maps, etc, mental maps to organize information, and analyzing spacial organization. The element "places and regions" means the physcial and human characteristics of places. Our culture and human experiences will influence our attitudes about certain places and regions. We create regions to help us interpret earth and define key differences. The element "physical systems" simply means how our earth is shaped by physcial processes. This includes the distribution of ecosystems. The element "human systems" is the economic and political side of geography. This includes populatios, culture complexity, economic interdependence, and cooperation and conflict. The element "environment and society" refers to how humans interact with and modify our environment. This includes the distribution of resources and physical systems that effect human systems as well. The final element "uses of geography" includes how we apply geography to interpret the past and present as well as how we can apply it to imporve the future.

Skills and Knowledge

in elementary geography

Early elementary students should learn geography skills amd concepts such as basic directions (left, right, in front, behind) so that they can build a framework that will later develop their map skills. An instructional strategy to use to introduce this could be playing the hokey pokey. Elementary students should also be learning cardinal directions and practice reading grid systems. A great way to introduce this is by plaing BINGO with your students. Students in elementary should acquire the knowledge and skills that it takes to analyze and interpret globes. Inflatable globes are a very inexpensive way to offer students hands-on learning experiences. Taking your students on walks outside and exploring the grounds is a great strategy to teach them about topography. Simply playing a game of hide and seek on the playground can extend their learning of this. Allowing students oppurtunities for dramatic play using toy trucks, cars, building blocks, legos, etc can enhance their learning of human-envirnoment interaction and human systems.