What Is Geography?


What Is Geography?
Students are introduced to the study of geography—what it is and what it isn’t. They explore and describe the six elements of geography. Next, they learn about the tools geographers use and some of the real-life jobs that geographers do. Finally, they write their own article about how geography affects their everyday lives.

This learning experience is designed for device-enabled classrooms. The teacher guides the lesson, and students use embedded resources, social media skills, and critical thinking skills to actively participate. To get access to a free version of the complete lesson, sign up for an exploros account.

1:1 Devices
Teacher Pack

The Pack contains associated resources for the learning experience, typically in the form of articles and videos. There is a teacher Pack (with only teacher information) and a student Pack (which contains only student information). As a teacher, you can toggle between both to see everything.

Here are the teacher pack items for What Is Geography?:

Preview - Scene 1
Exploros Learnign Experience Scene Navigation


Engage


Overview
In this experience, students are introduced to the study of geography—what it is and what it isn’t. They explore and describe the six elements of geography. Next, they learn about the tools geographers use and some of the real-life jobs that geographers do. Finally, they write their own article about how geography affects their everyday lives.
 
Objectives:
  • Define geography.
  • Describe key elements of geography.
  • Identify geographers’ tools.


girl examining a globe

You’ve heard the term geography before and you may have studied geography in an elementary grade. But what IS it really? Is it a branch of history? Is it a science? Is it only about finding locations? (No!) In this experience, you’ll learn how big a topic geography really is.
 
Objectives:
  • Define geography.
  • Describe key elements of geography.
  • Identify geographers’ tools.

 

Take a look at the first screen of this cartoon.

 


In your own words, write a definition of geography.

Post your answer

Invite students to share some of their definitions. It is likely that students will name various aspects of geography. Point out that most of their definitions are part of what the study of geography is all about. 


When everyone is ready to continue, unlock the next part.

Now read through the rest of the cartoon.
 


What systems does geography explore?

A) human systems
B) physical systems
C) biological systems
D) moral systems

Which are examples of parts of human systems?

A) climate
B) migration
C) economics
D) landforms

There may be terminology that is challenging for students in this cartoon. Clarify terms as needed. For example, help them to understand that spatial is a word the means “related to space.” Guide students to focus on the big idea of the cartoon, which is that geography is a much broader area of study than facts about world locations. 


See the teacher pack for additional resources on introducing geography.
 
The following Explore section presents the six elements of geography. Each element is presented in a separate scene. You can add hands-on examples for the elements: have students handle geography tools, such as a compass and maps; share postcards and travel brochures; compare today’s weather forecasts for different locations; distribute recipes from different regions; encourage students to share personal anecdotes; have bilingual students speak in a second language; and more.


When everyone is ready to continue, unlock the next scene.

End of Preview
The Complete List of Learning Experiences in Introduction to Physical and Human Geography Unit.
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