NIE ACTIVITY
GEOGRAPHY Connections
This year-long series is presented in collaboration with the Connecticut Geographic Alliance.
London,
England
by Kailee Donovan
TAKE 5
Using the News
LOCATION: London is located at 51’30”N,
0’5”W, very close to the Prime Meridian.
London is unique because it is one of the
most popular cities in Europe but it is not on
the mainland of Europe.
The world watched as the British Royal Family has grown over the past few years. First,
the marriage of Prince William to Catherine Middleton made world news. Then, on July
22nd, 2013, George Alexander Louis, the first-born child to Prince William and Princess
Catherine, was born at St. Mary’s hospital in London. The new heir will be known as
His Royal Highness Prince George of Cambridge. The baby is third in line to the throne
behind his Grandfather, Charles, and his father, William.
PLACE: The city of London arose around the
popular port of the Thames River.
Kailee Donovan
London, England has a rich and
influential history. The city was founded
during the Roman Empire in the 1st
century CE on the famous River Thames.
It flourished through the Middle Ages
and is considered the place where the
industrial revolution and the birth of the
modern world began.
HUMAN-ENVIRONMENT INTERACTION:
The Thames River runs right through the
city of London and is used to transport
goods and people. The English tried to
expand the reach of the River Thames by
building canals, man-made rivers, that ran
off of the River Thames.
MOVEMENT: The British Empire was one of
the largest empires in the world. England
had many colonies all over the world and
many people from those colonies moved
to England. As a result, London today is a
culturally diverse city.
REGION: London has one of the oldest
subway systems in the world and up to
five million people travel “the tube,” or the
underground, on an average day.
Curricular Connections
CCSS.ELA-Literacy. RST.6-8.8
Distinguish
among
facts, reasoned
Curricular
Connections:
judgment based on research findings,
and speculation in aDistinguish
text.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RST.6-8.8
amongCCSS.ELA-Literacy.
facts, reasoned judgment
based on
RH.6-8.4
research
findings,
and
speculation
in a and
text.
Determine the meaning of words
London was also an influential city
when Great Britain became an empire
and controlled many other nations
through colonies. “The sun never sets on
the British Empire” was an expression
phrases as they are used in a text,
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RH.6-8.4 Determine the
used to emphasize the number of British including
vocabulary specific to domains
of words and phrases as they are
colonies world-wide. America was once meaning
related
toincluding
history/social
studies.
used in a text,
vocabulary
specific
one of these colonies and today American to domains related to history/social studies.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy. RH.6-8.5
and English culture are similar because Describe how a text presents information
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RH.6-8.5
Describe
how
of our common ancestry.
(e.g.,
sequentially, comparatively,
causally).
Today, London plays a prominent role
in international politics and is home to
one of the most famous Royal Families
in the world, the House of Windsor.
a text presents information (e.g.,
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.
RH.6-8.6
sequentially,
comparatively, causally).
Identify aspects of a text that reveal an
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RH.6-8.6
Identify aspects
author’s point of view or purpose
(e.g.,
of a textlanguage,
that reveal inclusion
an author’sorpoint
of view
loaded
avoidance
or purpose (e.g.,
loaded language,
of particular
facts). inclusion
or avoidance of particular facts).
Online Resources:
Historic Royal Palaces:
http://www.hrp.org.uk/
Kailee Donovan
Map of London:
http://www.mapsofworld.com/cities/uk/london/
London, article for English Language Learners:
http://www.english-online.at/geography/london/geography-of-london.htm
The Channel Tunnel:
http://www.railway-technology.com/projects/channel-tunnel/
DID YOU KNOW?
• London is one of cleanest and most beautiful cities in the world. The city was largely rebuilt
in the 1940s and 1950s, partly because in World War II, the Germans heavily bombed
London in the Battle of Britain and much of the city was destroyed. Now, the mixture of
building styles makes London’s architecture unique.
• The Channel Tunnel is an underground railroad tunnel that runs under the English Channel.
The Tunnel is 23.5 miles long and connects England and the mainland of Europe by rail.
The Tunnel opened in 1994 and is a very popular method of traveling from England to the
mainland of Europe.
Mapping Activity
England has historically had one of the largest and strongest navies, or fleet of
ships, in the world. Look at a map of the world and locate England in the United
Kingdom. Why do you think England was the first country in Europe to develop
such a strong navy?
Why do you think they were able to build the largest and strongest empire, or
group of nations under their control, in the 1800s? What kinds of problems would
these early explorers have to consider when taking over other nations?
For students who are blind, learning disabled or print challenged, visit CRIS Radio at
http://www.chrisradio.org and click Kids On-Demand for a free audio version of Geography Connections.