FREE Geography Unit Study
OUR WORLD - FINDING OUR WAY

Geography is a way of seeing the world. It is fundamentally about the connections that exist between people, places, and the environment, and the ways in which these factors influence each other. 
This unit study is suppose to refresh the memory for students who have already studied these concepts in the past. It also serves as an introduction for younger siblings who will study these topics in details in coming years. As always we include a rich diversity of learning tools, free printables, audios, videos, note booking and scrap booking page ideas, art lessons and suggested links to paid programs that you may or may not have access. Hopefully our children can learn that our great big world gets smaller each day via technology. May they realize that the war and famine in one country isn't just a headline but something that should touch their heart. 

THEME:  Exploring Our Earth with a compass,
maps and GPS

Concepts:
This focuses on the introduction of maps and globes and how we find our way around. The children will learn about directional terminology including north, south, east, west. We will distinguish between the different imaginary lines dividing the earth, longitude, latitude, Prime Meridian and Equator. They will learn about GPS and its connection to Albert Einstein. 
** We have a subscription to brainpop and brainpop junior and we used these videos in addition to those from youtube. 
Latitude and Longitude  | GPS | Map Skills brainpop jr

***PLEASE NOTE there is more than 1 days worth of activities listed here. We had so much fun collecting resources that we decided to put them all! Pick and choose. Our rule is to explore until its no longer fun and then do it again tomorrow!***

* Warm up: play Throw the Globe. Its an easy game of catch. Toss a beach ball sized inflatable globe. When you catch it and tell us what continent/ocean is your right hand on. 
Do you know anything about the location? Tell us! If not - see if you can find something on the globe (ocean or continent that you DO know something about! and tell us before you throw it to another player)

* Think about: What is geography? geo = earth, graphy = write. Why is it important? Watch the introduction to Geography video. 
 watch the video and tell someone ONE reason geography is important


Activity: 
Create a travel journal/binder. This will be our binder for the neat projects, printable and foldables that we will be collecting throughout our study. 
Your binder is YOUR book created to record the things you find fascinating about our great big world. {We are using 2 inch binders with covers you personalize by sliding pages in and out. A report cover would work too!}

Here's some great ideas to cover your binder. 

• Printable world map labeled for easy reference. Print and put in your binder or maybe ON your binder. 
  
• Use magazines, colored paper and the like to create a scrapbook, collage cover for your travel journal. 
• Add some interesting facts to your cover using information from THIS website.
  
• Here's a neat idea. Using an atlas purchased at the dollar store - cut out shapes, letters or symbols to create a cover that is made with maps!
  

Lesson Content: finding our way with maps, globes and GPS

Maps and Globes 
Free Brainpop Lesson plan for teaching Map Skills

• Map Skills with National Geographic - an interactive multimedia presentation of map concepts legend and symbols
  
• Interactive Game Family Adventure has kids using their map skills
  
• Exploring different types of maps:  National Geographic
  

GPS
Today we have Google Maps! We have pictures, and GPS...but how do these things work? How can we find our way around the great big world? 
WATCH the video GPS a quicktime video from NASA. We also have another video that's a little more in depth and talks about relativity, time and Einstein!

After watching the video can you answer HOW a GPS Works? 
(hint: satellites are involved...) 

Add this note taking sheet to your journal write and illustrate. 
Just for fun watch 2 year old Lilly as she shows you around the map! Cute kiddo knows her map!


Key Vocabulary

• atlas- book of maps 
  
• globe- a spherical model of the earth showing the continents and seas
  
•  Meridian: zero degree meridian (longitude) that passes through Greenwich, England. 
• International Date Line: an imaginary line that goes through the Pacific Ocean at 180 degrees longitude. 
  
• Equator: an imaginary line that divides the earth into northern and southern hemispheres. It is the zero degrees latitude. 
• Tropic of Cancer: 23° 27 north of the equator. The farthest point north at which the sun can shine directly overhead. 
• Tropic of Capricorn: 23° 27 south of the equator. The farthest point south at which the sun can shine directly overhead 
• Arctic Circle: the frigid zone located directly on the center of the north pole 
  
• Antarctic Circle: the frigid zone located directly on the center of the south pole.
  
• Longitude: (meridians) imaginary lines going from the north to the south, but dividing the globe east and west. These lines are measured in degrees. 
• Latitude: (parallels) imaginary lines going from the east to the west, but dividing the globe north to south. They are called parallels because they never touch. These lines are measured in degrees.
  

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Teachers: free printable lesson on teaching latitude is located at TeachersPayTeachers (registration required to download) 

SUPPLIES:
inflatable globe
magazines, clip art, old maps for cutting
binder
printables

Cartography MAP Art Lesson

Making Maps!
We created our own island.
Free Art Lesson
*coming FRIDAY*

The Origin of the Compass Rose

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Daily Lessons Plans

Finding our way: MAPS

Continents & Oceans

Continents & their animals

Continents & their Landforms

Continents & their Countries

More Research resources

• Geography4kids...lots of links for earth science too!
  
• Quality Kinder Lesson Plans to introduce Geography for the first time
  
• Free Printables for Countries, Famous People and Children Like Me (Homeschool creations)