The World at Your Fingertips Chapter 1 Section 1 Pages Western HemisphereMr. Bradfield

Section Objectives Define social studies and identify the five fields of learning. Identify the impact of geography and government on people. Explain economics and related terms. Define culture and cultural traits.

Vocabulary History:Geography:Government:Citizen:Economics:Scarcity:Culture: Culture Trait:

Instruction Conflict and problems have plagued different groups of people for centuries. Many times these confrontations result from a lack of communication and understanding from each culture. As advances in communications and transportation have come about, people have been able to become more dependent on each other and minimize these issues. Knowledge is the key to understanding different societies. Social Studies is a way to learn about the world around you. It can be categorized through five different fields of study – history, geography, economics, government, and culture.

Instruction Continued History and Geography History is the written interpretation of past events. It is important that it is written so that it is accurate and long-lasting. People and events of the past have helped to shape our present times. Historians use primary sources like newspapers, letters, journals, and other documents to find out about past events. Geography is the study of people, places, and the environment and focuses on five main ideas called themes. The five themes include location, region, place, movement, and human environment interaction.

The Five Themes of Geography  Location: Tells where a place is.  Region: Consists of several areas with features they share in common.  Place: Describes an area’s distinct features. Can be physical or human-made features.  Movement: Deals with the migrations of people, animals, plants, and even ideas.  Human-environment Interaction: Considers how people have changed the Earth and how nature has changed people.

Instruction Continued Government All countries have laws and ways to govern themselves. Government is how people and groups within a society have the authority to make laws, enforce them, and settle disputes. Limited and Unlimited Governments Simply, in a limited government, all people including the leaders must follow the rules and laws of the land. In an unlimited government, the leaders may do as they please. Example: dictator, kings and queens, etc. Citizenship A citizen is a legal member of a country. They have duties and responsibilities to their country.

Instruction Continued Economics Economics is the study of how people manage their resources by producing, exchanging, and using goods and services. People have choices when it comes to economics. People want and need items to buy. However, there are limited resources available. The conflict between people’s desires and their limited resources result in a word known as scarcity. Resources: Economists look at three different types of resources. They are natural, human, and capital resources. Natural resources include trees, minerals, soil, and water. Human resources are people with the skills to produce goods and services. Capital resources include machines and tools used to make other products.

Instruction Continued Culture People in diverse parts of the world express themselves in music, language, and education, among other things, differently than others do. We call this expression “culture.” Culture consists of the ways of life, beliefs, customs, laws, arts, literature and other items that influence their lives. Within that idea, each kind of food, clothing, or technology used becomes a culture trait.