World Geography
The way I teach history is to allow the students to construct their knowledge regarding the topic using available resources. As their teacher, I am more of a facilitator, using scaffolding, modeling, and creating rubrics to guide them. I like to integrate as much technology as possible into the projects that students are working on using as many options as available for students to obtain the necessary information. I would rather have students create their PowerPoint presentations than to sit in their seat and watch the one that I created. When students are motivated, the teacher has less discipline problems, and learning is accomplished.
Below are a few examples of projects that I have guided students with in the past.
Recognizing Root Words and Prefixes - help students understand words by identifying their roots. Students will guess the meaning of words by identifying their roots. Many of the terms used in describing the Earth uses the root word sphere. Write the words atmosphere, lithosphere, hydrosphere, and biosphere on the board. Have students guess the meaning of the following prefixes: atmo = vapor; litho = stone; hydro = water; bio = life. Then have them guess the words' meanings.
This activity will familiarize students with the movement of pollution through the hydrologic cycle. Have students research the Gulf of Mexico's "dead zone". The hydrologic cycle provides an excellent example of the interconnectedness of life on Earth. Interested students might investigate how pesticides and fertilizers used on farms and suburban lawns enter the hydrologic cycle and cause pollution problems far from their source. Have students conduct research on the "dead zone" in the Gulf of Mexico caused by chemicals used on farms in the Mississippi River drainage basin. They might present their findings in an oral or written report, a diagram, or an illustrated map.
Researching in Different Media - to explore different media in order to learn more about the Tunguska event. Students will use the Internet, books, magazines, and newspapers to learn about the Tunguska event. Divide students into different groups. Have each student carry out research on the Tunguska event in a different medium: Internet, magazines, newspapers, and books. After the completion of their research, have students compile their research and discuss positive and negative aspects of the different media.
External Forces Shaping the Earth - Erosion - Physical processes are constantly at work producing a variety of landforms. These physical processes are causes, and landforms are the effects. Geographers study these causes and effects to understand how the Earth's surface came to be the way it is today and to predict what it will be like in the future. Have students read about water erosion in the textbook and then answer the following questions:
Over a long period of time, such as millions of years, what effect would water erosion have on mountains and hills?
If muddy streams drain into a lake that has no outlet and no other source of water, what will happen to the lake over a long period of time?
Why would a river bank, even a high one, be a poor choice for the site of a home?
Internet Research - Global Warming
Tell students that from the 1600s to the late 1800s, glaciers actually advanced because world temperatures were cool enough. Assist students in researching websites to sources of information on how world temperatures have been changing in the past century and how this change has affected glaciers. Students should present their findings in an oral news report.
Internet Research - Formation of Hurricanes
Assign students to small groups. Tell them to use the Internet to do research on the formation of hurricanes. Have each group explore an aspect of hurricanes: formation, onshore damage, classification and naming conventions, predication and tracking. Students may also use reference books in the library for this activity.
Estimating Temperature and Altitude
Have students solve the following problems using this rate: air temperature drops 3.5 degrees Fahrenheit for every 1,000-feet increase in altitude. Ask them to show how they found the answers.
If the temperature in a city at 3,500 feet elevation is 60 degree Fahrenheit, what is the temperature at a nearby location with an elevation of 8,500 feet?
If the temperature in a town at 5,200 feet elevation is 55 degree Fahrenheit, what is the temperature at a nearby location with an elevation of 13,200 feet?