Activities to Foster Geography Awareness in the Classroom

 

Geographic Activities to Foster Geographic Awareness.

Click here for free download: https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Geography-Awareness-WeekNovember-10-192019-4177062

1. A fun way to show our  Globally Interdependent World: Assign a partner and have the students check the labels on their tops to see where they are made.  Do the same for their shoes. Have the students do a safari search with their partner looking for where things in the room were made(ex: crayons, textbook, colored pencils, ruler, etc.). Explain that in a globally interdependent world, we have goods from many parts of the world.  Identify the countries mentioned on a world map. Continue by having students find things in their home and where they are made. For example- their television, computer, dinner dishes, favorite jeans, favorite game or sporting equipment.  Discuss the countries using a world map for reference and tally up the 4 most popular countries mentioned for products in their homes.  

2. Atlas Letter Game:  Give groups of students a list of letters from A-Z and an atlas.  Have the students find a country, a capital city, river or a mountain range which starts with each letter of the alphabet. Return as a class and tell the students to raise their hand if the same response is given for a letter. Start with A. If more than one group has “Austria” for example, cross out the response and no points are given. If groups have different responses, the teams each earn 2 points. If only one team has a response and no other group has any country, capital city, river or mountain range for the same letter, the team earns 3 points. Continue down the alphabet list reviewing what the groups wrote down on their list of letters. The group with the most points wins!

3. Teaching Latitude and Longitude: Copy the map at this site: https://www.mapsofindia.com/worldmap/latitude-longitude.html or this link: http://www.enchantedlearning.com/geography/world/cylatlongoutlinemap/  After explaining coordinates of latitude and Longitude, have students use a crayon to mark N(north) and S(south) above and below the equator and E(east) and W(west) on opposite sides of the Prime Meridian.  Explain that Latitude is stated first.  Have students place their one hand on the latitude line and the other hand on the longitude line for the coordinates you state.  For example, Which continent is 40 degrees N of the Equator and 140 degrees W of the Prime Meridian?(Asia). For younger children. Use colored masking tape and make a grid on the playground.  Place  0, 20, 30, 40,50 north and same for south on the latitude lines. Place 0, 15, 30, 45, 60 east and west on the Longitude lines.  Have a student stand on the 20 N and another student stand on 15 W. Have them walk together until they meet.  Another latitude and longitude activity is to make a grid using the coordinates  and having  LETTER where they meet. In groups have students figure out a short message from given coordinates using the letter grid.

4. Geographic IQ Game: Prior to this activity, make a number of pictures of a world map , globe and  red Xs. Divide the students into 4 groups..  Take turns asking a group a geographic question(ex: which is the largest ocean? Name a country on the continent of Europe. What is a peninsula?)  If the group give the correct answer, they get a picture of a world map or globe.  If wrong, they get a picture of an X.  Groups with correct responses can opt to get another world map or globe, or pass an X they may have earned to another team. The team with the most world maps and globes are the geographic IQ game winners! 

5. Create geography puzzlers: Have partners of students  make a geography puzzler with three facts from hardest to easiest about a mystery place in the world. Once done, have the students share their geographic puzzler with the class.  Taking turns, have the other partners try and be the first to raise their hand identifying the mystery location. For example: Clue 1. I am thinking of a place which touches the Pacific Ocean.  Clue 2: This country is an island. Clue 3:  It’s capital city is Manila. (Answer-Philippines)

6. Humpty Dumpty World Mappers: Go to the following website: http://www.jigzone.com/gallery/Mountains Assign groups of students a puzzle on a mountain of the world(such as the Matterhorn). After completing the puzzle, go to a site such as https://www.skyhookadventure.com/blog/famous-mountains-of-the-world

and type in the name of the mountain. On an index card, write three facts about the mountain to share with the rest of the class on completion of the activity. Have the students go up to a world map and show the mountain’s location. Another activity would be to copy some world maps(see this link:http://www.worldatlas.com. Have 2 students cut up the map. Pass the pieces to another group. Allow time for the students to try and piece their puzzle together. Time their first attempt.  Jumble the pieces and solve the puzzle two more times and record the fastest time.

7. Geography Concentration. Have groups make up cards with geographic questions and answers on index cards(ex: Peninsula/ land surrounded by water on three sides  France / capital is Paris ) Have groups share their cards with another group. Students take turns turning over pairs of index cards to find their match.  If they find a pair, they continue their turn as long as they find pairs.

8. Country Cards: Give students a card with the following headings:  Mountain , River, Resource, Continent and Cool geography fact(such as Iran is the world’s leading exporter of pistachio nuts). Have students select a country of the world and find information to fill in the grid card.

9. How did they get that name? Just why is the NBA basketball team, the LA Lakers, called that name?  There aren’t lots of lakes in Los Angeles! Make a list of some of the major league basketball, football and baseball teams.  This site is really great to give the origin of the team’s names.  http://www.factmonster.com/spot/nameorigins1.html  Seems that the LA Lakers originally came from Minnesota where there are LOTS of lakes. In fact, the state motto of Minnesota is “Land of 10,000 Lakes.” When the team moved, the part about lakes stayed. See if the students can brainstorm the geographic origin of some of the following teams’ names.   NY Knickerbockers(Knicks for short)(Give a hint... who first settled New York?)  Utah Jazz(Give a hint... the team originated in New Orleans) Seattle Supersonics(hint... Boeing airplane manufactures are headquartered in this state) Houston Astros(Hint ...NASA Space Center is in Houston) Indiana Pacers(hint...Indianapolis 500 is here) Denver Nuggets(Hint...What caused people to go west in 1849?)  Baltimore Ravens(Hint... Famous writer, Edgar Allan Poe lived in this city)

Fun sites to help with geography:

1. Make a compass-see this site: https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/steering-science-make-a-homemade-compass/

2. http://www.earthcam.com Have students check out a world webcam site such as the Eiffel Tower, Mt. Rushmore, Niagara Falls and more.

3. http://www.educationworld.com/a_lesson/archives/waffenschmidt.shtml  Where in the World is Mrs. Waffenschmidt? 

4. http://www.educationworld.com/a_lesson/archives/geography_az.shtml Geography A-Z activities.

5. http://www.worldtimezone.com/  What time is it around the world.

6. Free geographic activities: http://gailhennessey.com/index.shtml?geography.html

More Geographic Resources:

1. https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Geography-Geographic-Secret-Messages-709102
2. https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Maps-and-Geography-Lets-Map-It-433017
3. https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Maps-and-Geography-Test-Your-Knowledge-Challenge-ActivityBack-to-School-9239435 Test your Geography Knowledge Challenge
4. https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/World-Capitals-Test-Your-Knowledge-Challenge-Activity-9253008 World Capitals. Test Your Knowledge Challenge
5. https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/US-Landmarks-Test-Your-Knowledge-Challenge-Activity-9270184 Test Your Knowledge Challenge Activity-US Landmarks
6. https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/World-Landmarks-Webquest-1516428 World Landmarks, A Webquest

 See Purple Annie’s Travels to China: FREE! http://www.gailhennessey.com/index.shtml?purpleanniestravels.html

Illustrations from Wpclipart.com and Pixabay.com

Back to School Activity: Why Study History?

 Perhaps, teachers may find this activity of interest:

A Back to School Activity.

Why Study History:

Show students that everything has a history, even them!

I started the activity by bringing in my childhood toy. It is rather sad looking after all these years. I shared memories about the stuffed animal, a dog, and how I remember dropping it in a street, when I was a little girl. My dad had to go back and retrieve it. It had gotten run over a few times! Pinky is no longer pink and my mom had to place new eyes on it several times.

1. What was your favorite toy as a younger child?
2. Why was it important to you?
3. Describe what it looked like?
4. What happened to your favorite childhood toy?

Write a paragraph with an opening sentence. Expand on your responses in your paragraph. Make sure to have a closing or wrap up sentence.

Ask the students to share their favorite childhood toys with the rest of the class.

Share this reading on Why Study History and how what we have in our lives today came to us from many different cultures when people came and exchanged their culture with others.  https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Why-Study-HistoryBack-to-SchoolSharing-CulturesReading-Passage-3164074

Time Recording- Great for the Beginning of the School Year!

 

                                            Do you have the Time?

People have long wanted to “remember” important events...that’s why time recording developed. Time was recorded based on ruler’s reigns, the Olympic Games and the movement of the earth, sun and moon.

FREE DOWNLOAD: https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Time-Recording-Do-You-Have-the-Time-FREEBCADBCECE-433111#show-price-update

Fun TIME Facts:

1. Did you know that there are at least 40 calendars used today?

2. Most people use the Gregorian calendar(based on the earth’s movement around the sun). There is also the Islamic calendar which is based on the movements of the moon and the Jewish calendar which uses both the movements of the earth around the sun and the movements of the moon. What year is it? On the Islamic calendar, 2025 is the year 1447.The Muslims started counting again(622AD) when Muhammad left Mecca for Medina. This was a period of time called the Hijra. On the Jewish calendar, 2025 is the year 5785  On the Chinese calendar, 2025 is the year 4723.

3. AD doesn’t stand for After death of Christ, instead it stands for Anno domini (in the year of our Lord)

4. The word calendar comes from the Latin word, Kalends, the first day of each new month.

5. Dionysius Exiguus is created with inventing the AD/BC time recording concept back in 525 AD. He based events prior to the birth of Christ as BC and anything since his birth, as AD.

6. CE and BCE are used by many historians instead of AD and BC as they are not religious based. CE stands for Common Era and BCE stands for Before Common Era.

7. Circa (ca or C.)means we don’t know the exact date...it’s an approximate date.

8. Thank the ancient Egyptians for the 24 hour day...they were the first to use this idea! They also started the 365 days in a year.

9. The ancient Mayans of Central America used the sun and moon and the planet VENUS to create their calendar.

Activities:

1. Using the website on the Food timeline, make a time line of 5 foods before you were born and 5 foods since you were born.Research one food and write a paragraph using 4 facts learned about the history of that food. http://www.foodtimeline.org/ timeline on the history of food- lots of fun!

2. Make a self time line with 4 events before your birth and 4 events since your birth. The events must be things in history, science, literature and not “family” events.

3. Use a time line and make 5 questions for another group to find the answers. https://www.factmonster.com/comics-timeline Timeline on the history of comics might be a great one to use for this activity!

4. Discuss BC and AD and BCE and CE : https://science.howstuffworks.com/science-vs-myth/everyday-myths/time7.htm

5. Timeline on the history of transportation from 3500BC to 1981 AD:  https://localhistories.org/a-timeline-of-transportation/ Have students draw/color 4 events.

Additional Resources:

https://www.teach-nology.com/web_tools/materials/bigtimeline/ Great- map your own timelines!

https://www.nist.gov/pml/time-and-frequency-division/popular-links/walk-through-time/walk-through-time-ancient-calendars  A Walk Through Time

Illustrations: classroom clipart and pixabay

Are You Ready for Constitution Day?

  

      

Constitution Day

by

Gail Skroback Hennessey

Click here for a free downloadable version: https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/CONSTITUTION-DAY-FREEBIE-FUN-FACTS-3338019

Each year, Constitution Day is celebrated on September 17th. This is the date, in 1787, when delegates to the Constitutional Convention, signed the Constitution. They had met for 116 days, at the State House(now called Independence Hall), in Philadelphia, PA. If Constitutional Day falls on a Sunday, as it did in 2017, the official observation is the following day. Constitution Day is also called Citizenship Day.  It’s a day to celebrate this important document of our nation!

   

Did You Know?

1. Did you know that Ben Franklin arrived at the Grand Convention in Philadelphia on a sedan chair? Four prisoners from the local Philadelphia jail carried Franklin on the chair.

2. Before deciding on Mr. President, names for George Washington, the first leader of the United States, included “His Most Benign Highness” and “His Highness, the President of the United States of America and Protector of their Liberties.”

3. Philadelphia, the largest and most modern of cities at the time of the Convention, had a population of 40,000.  Gravel was used to cover the cobblestone streets to make it less noisy for the meetings.

4. It took 116 days to complete the draft of the document called the Constitution.

5. To date, only ONE amendment to the constitution has been removed(repealed). The 18th Amendment(1918) which abolished the making, sale and transportation of alcohol, was repealed in 1933.

6. Each night, the Constitution is lowered into a specially made vault for its protection.

7. George Washington announced the first national “Thanksgiving Day”, November 26, 1789, to “give thanks” for the creating of the Constitution.

8. The words “democracy” and “God” do not appear in the document of the Constitution.

9. Eighty-one year old Ben Franklin cried as he signed the Constitution.

10. James Madison, who would become the 4th President of the United States, was called the “Father of the Constitution”. 

Teacher Page:

Things to do:

1. Have students pretend they are the Constitution on display at the National Archives. Tell a day in your life as people come to see you. What do you hear? See? feel? https://www.archives.gov/publications/general-info-leaflets/1-about-archives.html

2.  This link explains the Bill of Rights  for kids: http://kids.laws.com/bill-of-rights  Groups of students could be assigned one of the rights and make a poster.  Have students write a paragraph explaining which right they feel is most important and why.

3. Have students create posters or greeting cards for Constitution Day.

Website of Interest:

http://www.constitutionday.com

*Check out my Ms. Bie Ografee Play on James Madison, Father of the Constitution: https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/ConstitutionReaders-Theater-Script-James-MadisonFather-of-the-Constitution-3337971