Connecting Themes Used In 7th Grade

Social Studies

Unit One

5 THEMES OF GEOGRAPHYThe five themes of geography were

created in 1984 by the National Council for Geographic Education and the Association of American Geographers to facilitate and organize the teaching of geography in the K-12 classroom. While they have been supplanted by the National Geography Standards, they provide an effective organization of the teaching of geography.

5 THEMES OF GEOGRAPHYThe 5 Themes of Geography are:1. Location-Geographic study begins with

learning the location of places. Location can be absolute or relative.

2. Place- Describes the human and physical characteristics of a location.

3. Region-Region divides the world into manageable units for geographic study.

4. Movement-Studies movement and migration across the planet.

5. Human-Environment Interaction-How humans adapt to and modify the environment

LOCATION- Place on a mapABSOLUTE LOCATION- Uses Latitude and Longitude to locate a place on the map

ex.- Douglasville Ga. Is located at: 33° 44' 59" N / 84° 43' 23" W

RELATIVE LOCATION- Use descriptive terms to locate one place in relation to another.

ex.-The City of Douglasville, GA, is about 20 miles west of Atlanta in Douglas County.

PLACE-Describes the physical and human characteristics of an area.

Physical Characteristics include the geographic features such as landforms and climate of an area.

GEOGRAPHIC FEATURES (LANDFORMS)MountainRiverValleyOceanSeaPlateauIslandArchipelago

s

PeninsulaGulfPlainVolcanoPlainDesertRainforestSavannah

DeltaCanalStraitRift ValleyBasinContinent

Climate-There are 3 major climate zones on earth.

Temperatures in these three climate zones are determined mainly by the location, or latitude, of the zone.

1. Polar(High Latitude)-In each hemisphere, the polar zone extends from the pole (90) to about 60 degrees latitude.

2. Temperate-In each hemisphere, the temperate zone is found between 60 and 30 degrees latitude.

3. Tropical(Low Latitude)- In each hemisphere, the tropical zone extends from 30 degrees north and south latitude to the equator (0 degrees)

Polar Zone-Within the polar zones, the average yearly temperature remains below freezing (below O degrees C). Polar climates have no summer. Even during the warmest months of the year, the average temperature does not rise above 10 degrees C. There is little precipitation in the polar zones.

Climate

Temperate-In the areas of the temperate zones farther from the equator, snow is common in the winter. In the areas of the   temperate zones closer to the equator, rain normally falls all year round. But the average amount of precipitation is about the same throughout the temperate zones. Average temperatures in the temperate zones vary greatly.

Climate

Tropical-Tropical zones are also known as low latitude climates. Tropical zones have high temperatures and high humidity. Precipitation in the tropical zones is usually very heavy during part of the year. The average temperature during the coldest month of the year does not fall below 18 degrees C.

Climate

Marine and Continental Climates

Within each of the three major climate zones there are marine climates and continental climates. Areas near an ocean or other large body of water have a marine climate. Areas located within a large land mass have a continental climate.

Climate

Marine ClimatesAreas with a marine climate receive more

precipitation than areas with a continental climate. Temperatures in areas with a marine climate do not vary greatly. Areas with a marine climate have warm (not hot) summers and mild winters. This is because their nearness to a large body of water has a moderating effect on the air temperature.

Climate

Continental ClimatesA continental climate is drier than a marine

climate. There is usually a great range in average temperatures during the year. Areas with a continental climate have hot summers and cold winters. Most of the world's deserts that are located just north and south of the equator have a continental climate.

Climate

PLACE-Describes the physical and human characteristics of an area.

Human Characteristics include such things as government, religion, language, economic system, history, population and culture of an area.

Government- the people and groups within a society that have the authority to make laws, to make sure they are carried out, and to settle disagreements about them.

Human Characteristics

Government-There are many types of government. Here are some of the most common.

DictatorshipTotalitarianTheocracyMonarchyParliamentaryRepublic

AnarchyTotalitarianOligarchyDemocracy

GovernmentDictatorship-Rule by a single leader who has not been elected and may use force to keep control. In a military dictatorship, the army is in control. Usually, there is little or no attention to public opinion or individual rights.

Example- Cuba

Totalitarian-Rule by a single political party.  People are forced to do what the government tells them and may also be prevented from leaving the country.

Example- China

Government

TheocracyA form of government where

the rulers claim to be ruling on behalf of a set of religious ideas, or as direct agents of a deity.

Example-Iran

Government

MonarchyA monarchy has a king or queen, who sometimes has absolute power. Power is passed along through the family

Example- Jordan

Government

ParliamentaryA parliamentary system is led by representatives of the people. Each is chosen as a member of a political party and remains in power as long as his/her party does

Example-Israel

Government

RepublicA republic is led by representatives of the voters. Each is individually chosen for a set period of time.

Example-United States

Government

AnarchyAnarchy is a situation where there is no government.  This can happen after a civil war in a country, when a government has been destroyed and rival groups are fighting to take its place. 

Example-Afghanistan

Government

TotalitarianRule by a single political party.  Votes for alternative candidates

and parties are simply not allowed. Citizens are allowed and 'encouraged' to vote, but only for the government's chosen candidates.

Example-North Korea

Government

OligarchyA form of government which consists of rule by an elite group who rule in their own

interests, especially the accumulation of wealth and privilege. Only certain members of society have a valid voice in the government. This can reflect (but is not limited to) economic interests, a particular religious tradition (theocracy), or familial rule (monarchy).

Example-Pakistan

Government

DemocracyIn a democracy, the government is elected by the people. Everyone who is eligible to vote - which is a majority of the population - has a chance to have their say over who runs the country. 

Example-India

Government

Major Languages of the World

LLanguage Principal locations Number of speakers

(estimated in millions)Chinese China 885English North America, Great Britain, Australia, South Africa 450Hindi-Urdu India, Pakistan 333Spanish South America, Spain 266Portuguese Brazil, Portugal 175Bengali Bangladesh, India 162Russian Former Soviet Union 153Arabic North Africa, Middle East 150Japanese Japan 126French France, Canada, Belgium, Switzerland, Black Africa 122German Germany, Austria, Switzerland 118Wu China (Shanghai) 77Javanese Indonesia (Java) 75Korean Korea 72Italian Italy 63

Major Religions of the World

Economic Systems of the World

Most students have been taught that the three economic systems are:

CAPITALISM , SOCIALISM, and COMMUNISM.

The above terms are social political constraints and are NOT the correct names for the major economic

systems of the world.

Economic Systems of the World

Economic systems can actually be divided into 3 categories based on how the country manages the production and distribution of goods and services. These are:

TraditionalCommandMarket

Economic Systems of the World

TRADITIONAL ECONOMIC SYSTEM What is produced and what each

person does is determined by birth. A person might

be expected to do what his father did. The share of wealth

is determined by custom or one's position in society.

There are traditional economies that exist today in parts of Asia, the Middle East, Africa and Latin America.

Economic Systems of the WorldCOMMAND ECONOMIC SYSTEM- The individual has very little say as to how the basiceconomic questions are answered. What is produced and what each person does might be determined by a small group of individuals.The product might be the property of the small group in control or shared with others. The People's Republic of China ,Uganda and the Soviet Union are examples of command economies, although, most of these nations have gradually moved toward a limited market economy.

Economic Systems of the WorldMARKET ECONOMIC SYSTEM- What is produced and what each person does is based on the activity within the market. Buyers and sellers decide for themselves what goods and services will be produced. Individuals decide for themselves the answers to the basic economic questions. The United States is classified as a market economy.

RegionRegion divides the world into manageable units for geographic study.

Regions have some sort of characteristic that unifies the area. Regions can be formal, functional, or vernacular.

Region

Formal regions are those that are designated by official boundaries, such as cities, states, counties, and countries. For the most part, they are clearly indicated and publicly known.

RegionFunctional regions are defined by their connections.

For example, the attendance zone of a school is the functional region of that school.

RegionVernacular regions are perceived regions, such as "The South," "The Midwest," or the "Middle East;" they have no formal boundaries but are understood in our mental maps of the world.

MovementHumans move, a lot! In addition, ideas, fads, goods, resources, and communication all travel distances. This theme studies movement and migration across the planet.

Human-Environment Interaction

This theme considers how humans adapt to and modify the environment. Humans shape the landscape through their interaction with the land; this has both positive and negative effects on the environment.

Human-Environment Interaction

There are three key concepts to human/environmental interaction:

Humans adapt to the environment.

Humans modify the environment.

Humans depend on the environment.

Human-Environment Interaction

People adapt to the environment by wearing clothing

that is suitable for summer and winter; rain and shine.

Human-Environment Interaction

People modify our environment by heating and cooling buildings for comfort.  

Human-Environment Interaction

People depend on rivers for water and transportation. 

The End