5 Themes of Geography

Ms. Whitworth6th Grade Western Hemisphere Studies

I can…. I can use the 5 Themes of

Geography to study the Earth. Location, Place, Human-Environment

Interaction, Movement, Region I can use the five themes of

geography to describe regions or places on Earth.

Michigan GLCEs

How do geographers study the Earth?

They ask two MAJOR questions

1. Where are things located?

2. Why are they there?

Spinning earth

FIVE THEMES OF GEOGRAPHY

LOCATIONPLACEREGIONMOVEMENTHUMAN-ENVIRONMENT INTERACTION

LOCATION: Where something is Where is it?

Relative location is where it is compared to places or things.

Absolute location is exactly where it is in the world based on latitude and longitude coordinates.

Copy of map from local phone book

Latitude/Longitude map of Michigan

Examples

Toledo, OH is just south of Michigan. Am I using RELATIVE or ABSOLUTE

location? There is a spot in Gaylord that is

45 N 85 W ⁰ ⁰ Am I using RELATIVE OR

ABSOLUTE location?

Sign in Gaylord, MI

PLACE: The physical & human characteristics of a place

What is this area like?

Physical: Describe the landforms, bodies of water, climate, soil, plant and animal life, etc.

Human: Describe the people, settlement patterns, beliefs, languages, government, transportation, communication, etc.

Geographers use special purpose MAPS to show the human and physical characteristics of a PLACE

Physical Characteristics

Human Characteristics

Google Images Results Texas Maps

Rivers

Population

REGIONS: Areas that share common characteristics

What region is it a part of?

Geographic areas may be considered regions if they share characteristics such as: landforms, government, language, religion, industry, climate, vegetation, industry….

Why are we not in the same REGION as China? We don’t have

the same:1. Population

2. Physical features

3. Government

4. Language

5. Religion

6. Climate

China Statistics on Culture Grams

United States Statistics on Culture Grams

MOVEMENT: How and why people, things, and ideas move.

How did they/it get here?Trade: imports/exports, trade partners

Migration: People often are pushed from one location by negative circumstances like war or famine. They are pulled to other locations hoping for better living circumstances.

Watch and Respond:• Why is it impossible for people to live

in the Sahara Desert?• How does this connect to the theme of

MOVEMENT?

YouTube video: Flight over the Sahara

HUMAN-ENVIRONMENT INTERACTION: How people interact with their environment

How do we change our environment & how do we adapt to it? Some interactions are

positive: Animal sanctuaries, parks, farming….

Some interactions are negative: Pollution, deforestation….

People may disagree about some interactions: highways, dams, cities, malls….

Hoover Dam

Review 5 Themes of Geography

1. LOCATION – relative and absolute2. PLACE – human and physical

characteristics3. REGIONS – share characteristics4. MOVEMENT – how and why people

move5. HEI – how do we positively and

negatively impact the environment

References

Prentice Hall. World Studies. Foundations of Geography. New Jersey: Pearson, 2005. Print.