1. Mental Maps
Mental maps are our mind’s representation of how something looks.
It may be the earth, it may be our house, the mall, the school, or most any place we go.
How a child may see the world in their mind.
Some uses for Mental Maps
Carry out daily activities (e.g., route to school, shopping)
• Give directions to others
• Understand world events Ways mental maps can be developed and refined
• Comparing sketch maps to maps in atlases or other resources
• Describing the location of places in terms of reference points (the equator, prime meridian)
• Describing the location of places in terms of geographic features and land forms (e.g., west of the Mississippi River, north of the Gulf of Mexico)
• Describing the location of places in terms of the human characteristics of a place (e.g., languages, types of housing, dress, recreation, customs and traditions)
How an adult may see the world in their mind.
Much more complex

2. THE 5 THEMES OF GEOGRAPHY

3. THE FIVE THEMES OF GEOGRAPHY
Location
Place
Human-Environment Interaction
Movement
Regions

4. LOCATION Where we are. Absolute Location Relative Location
A latitude and longitude (global location) or a street address (local location).
Washington D.C
39 Degrees N
77 Degrees W
The White House is located at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave.
Relative Location
Described by landmarks, time, direction or distance. From one place to another.
Washington D.C. is located on the east coast of the US.

5. PLACE Human Characteristics Physical Characteristics
What is it like there, what kind of place is it? Describes place in terms of both physical and human characteristics.
Human Characteristics
What are the main languages, customs, and beliefs.
How many people live, work, and visit a place.
Physical Characteristics
Landforms (mountains, rivers, etc.), climate, vegitation, wildlife, soil, etc.

6. HUMAN-ENVIRONMENT INTERACTION
How humans and the environment have affected each other.
We depend on it.
People depend on the Tennessee River for water and transportation.
We modify it.
People modify our environment by
heating and cooling buildings for comfort.
We adapt to it.
We adapt to the environment by wearing
clothing suitable for summer (shorts) and
winter (coats), rain and shine.

7. MOVEMENT
Movement is how people, goods, and ideas are moved from place to place.
Human Movement
Trucks, Trains, Planes
Migration/Immigration
Information Movement
Phones, computer ( ), mail
Idea Movement
How do fads move from place to place?
TV, Radio, Magazines

8. REGIONS Regions are areas that share some common characteristics.
Formal Regions
Regions defined by governmental or administrative boundaries (States, Countries, Cities)
Regions defined by similar characteristics (Corn Belt, Rocky Mountain region, Chinatown).
Functional Regions
Regions defined by a function (newspaper service area, cell phone coverage area).

9. Remembering the 5 themes
If you can’t remembering what they are just ask MR. HELP!!!
M – Movement
R – Regions
HE – Human Environment interaction
L – Location
P - Place