If you think that geography means memorizing a list of states and their
capitals, think again. Geography is a broad and ever-changing subject. It
includes the study of Earth’s physical features, as well as the countless
and fascinating ways that humans, animals, and plants interact with the
world around them.
To understand how our world is connected, some geographers have
broken down the study of geography into five themes. The Five Themes
of Geography are (1) location, (2) place, (3) human-environment interaction, (4) movement, and (5) regions.
Most recently, geographers have begun to look at geography in a different way. Geography educators have created a set of eighteen learning
standards called Geography for Life. Each of these eighteen standards is
organized into six essential elements, which are explained for you below.
Being aware of these elements will help you sort out what you are learning about geography.
The World in Spatial Terms
Each time you tell a classmate how to get to your
home or give directions to a school visitor, you use geography.
You are thinking about places in terms of their location in space.
Knowing how to read maps, give directions, and create your own
mental maps of spaces around you will help you throughout life
as you travel down new paths and into unfamiliar locations.
Woman weaving decorative
cloth, Antigua, Guatemala
Places and Regions
Are you a Texan? How about a city
dweller, a beachcomber, or a Midwesterner?
Places and regions exert such a powerful force
in our lives that many people define themselves
in terms of a specific place or region. Places
and regions impact how people live, their career
choices, culture, language, and even their view
Street signs
of the world. Learning more about places and
on Monhegan
Island, Maine, U.S. regions will build your understanding and respect for
the similarities and differences between the world’s people.
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Physical Systems
When a skateboarder checks the weather forecast
before heading outside for the nearest hill, she uses geographic
information. Earth’s physical processes, including climate, erosion, and earthquakes, shape the pattern of Earth’s surface.
Understanding the past and future effects of Earth’s forces may
someday guide your choice of where and how to live.
Satellite photo of tropical storm
Irene, south of Cuba
Curbside recycling in Palm
Springs, California, U.S.
Human Systems
Do you use a cell phone or a pager?
Communications systems like these rely on geographic
information to send and receive signals. How humans
settle Earth, use resources, and build the transportation,
communications, and economic systems that keep life
going are part of the geography of modern society. As
you become a contributing member of
the workforce, you will help to
shape this network of economic
interdependence on Earth’s
surface.
Environment
and Society
Separating recyclables from the rest of
your trash requires that you apply geographic perspectives in everyday life.
As a responsible citizen of Earth, you
will continually be called upon to
weigh human needs against the limitations of the physical world. You will
use geographic perspectives to make
informed decisions about how best to
protect Earth’s physical environment.
Passenger train in Leipzig, Germany
The Uses of Geography
In school you practice core geography skills as
you study the history of Earth, read maps, and interpret
historical events with respect to location. Your future use
of geography may be less direct, but far more important.
Applying geographic principles and perspectives will help
you build a better future for the world’s people and safeguard the best interests of our planet.
Tourists in Tiananmen Square,
Beijing, China
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Think about your textbook as a tool that helps you learn
more about the world around you. It is an example of
nonfiction writing—it describes real-life events, people,
ideas, and places. Here is a menu of reading strategies
that will help you become a better textbook reader. As
you come to passages in your textbook that you don’t
understand, refer to these reading strategies for help.
Before You Read
Set a Purpose
■
Why are you reading the textbook?
How does the subject relate to your life?
■ How might you be able to use what you learn in your own life?
■
Preview
Read the chapter title to find what the topic will be.
Read the subtitles to see what you will learn about the topic.
■ Skim the photos, charts, graphs, or maps. How do they support the topic?
■ Look for vocabulary words that are boldfaced. How are they defined?
■
■
Draw From Your Own Background
What have you read or heard about concerning new information on the topic?
How is the new information different from what you already know?
■ How will the information that you already know help you understand the new
information?
■
■
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As You Read
Question
■
■
What is the main idea?
How do the photos, charts, graphs, and maps support the main idea?
Connect
■
Think about people, places, and events in your
own life. Are there any similarities with those in
your textbook?
■
Can you relate the textbook information to other
areas of your life?
Predict
Predict events or outcomes by using clues and
information that you already know.
■ Change your predictions as you read and gather
new information.
■
Look for Clues
As You Read
■
Look for clue words and phrases that signal
comparison, such as similarly, just as, both,
in common, also, and too.
Look for clue words and phrases that signal
contrast, such as on the other hand, in contrast to, however, different, instead of,
rather than, but, and unlike.
Visualize
■
■
Pay careful attention to details and descriptions.
Create graphic organizers to show relationships
that you find in the information.
After You Read
■
■
Assess
Cause-and-Effect Sentences:
Look for clue words and phrases such as
because, as a result, therefore, that is why,
since, so, for this reason, and consequently.
Summarize
Describe the main idea and how the details support it.
■ Use your own words to explain what you have
read.
Comparison-and-Contrast
Sentences:
■
Chronological Sentences:
Look for clue words and phrases such as
after, before, first, next, last, during, finally,
earlier, later, since, and then.
What was the main idea?
Did the text clearly support the main idea?
■ Did you learn anything new from the material?
■ Can you use this new information in other school
subjects or at home?
■ What other sources could you use to find more
information about the topic?
■
■
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