1. The Five Themes of Geography
How Do We View the World Around Us?

2. What is Geography?
Geography is the “study of the earth''s surface; includes people''s responses to topography and climate and soil and vegetation”.
What the Earth looks like.
How people interact with the environment
Insert a picture of one of the geographic features of your country.

3. What are the Five Themes of Geography?
The Five Themes of Geography are categories that scientists use to study Earth’s features:
Movement
Region
Human-Environmental Interaction
Location
Place
Insert a map of your country.
ClipArt from Microsoft ClipArt Collection. 2007

4. Movement
Humans interact with each other as well as many places and things almost every day. We travel from place to place; we communicate with each other in many different ways; and we depend on products, information, and ideas that come from outside our own environments.
MOVEMENT explores where different resources are located, the people that use them, and how they are transported to locations all over the earth’s surface. 
The theme of MOVEMENT helps us understand how we connect with, and depend on, other regions, cultures, and people in the world.
Insert a map of your country.

5. Movement cont…
How are people, goods, information and ideas moved from place to place??
People/Goods
Trucks/Cars
Planes
Trains/Buses
Boats
Information
Telephones
Computers ( , internet)
Mail
Ideas (How trends and fads move from place to place.)
Magazines/Books
Radio
Television
Insert a picture illustrating a season in your country.

6. Regions
Scientists divide the Earth’s land into sections, called Regions, based on certain traits those sections share.
Regions may be created based on:
Same Climate (weather trends)
Location (where it is on a map)
Languages & Cultures of the people
Landforms (mountains or plains, wetlands or desert)
Examples:
North America/South America (based on location on the map)
Latin America (primarily Spanish speaking countries)
Insert a picture of an animal and or plant found in your country.

7. Regional Map of the United States
Regions cont.
Col, Jeananda. Enchanted Learning
Insert a picture illustrating a custom or tradition here.
Regional Map of the United States

8. Human-Environmental Interactions
How people interact with their surroundings.
People depend on their environment.
We depend on the land (soil) to grow food.
We depend on rivers and streams for drinking water & or transporting goods.
People modify (change) the environment.
We pave roads to travel on.
We clear land to build houses & buildings on.
People adapt to their environment.
We wear lighter clothing in the summer (warm/hot) and wear heavier clothing in the winter (cold).
Insert a picture of the head leader of your country.

9. Human-Environmental Interaction cont…
There are consequences as well as benefits to the actions we take in interacting with our environment:
Positive:
More interaction between people of different cultures
Negative:
Faster use of the Earth’s natural resources.
Air pollution
Global warming
Insert a picture that illustrates some part of your country’s economy.

10. The theme of Location answers the question: “Where is it?”
It describes where a place is on Earth. There are two kinds of location:
Absolute location:
The exact location of a place on Earth.
Relative location:
Location of a place when compared to other places.
Insert a picture that illustrates some part of your country’s economy.

11. Location cont. Absolute location:
The exact location of a place on Earth.
Examples:
Degrees of LATITUDE and LONGITUDE on a globe or map.
Address of a house or building.
The Latitude & Longitude of Michigan is: N , W - this is Michigan’s absolute location on a map of the Earth.
Insert a picture that illustrates some part of your country’s economy.

12. Location cont. Relative location:
The location of a place in relation to other places.
Usually described by:
Direction (North, South, East, West)
Landmarks that are nearby
Distance to or from another place
Examples:
Our school South of Highway 54
His house is across from the fire station
Insert a picture that illustrates some part of your country’s economy.

13. The theme Place answers the question:
“What is it like there?”
A place is often known by its own special characteristics.
Characteristics are special traits or qualities that a place can have.
Types of characteristics for Place:
Human
Physical
Insert a picture that illustrates some part of your country’s economy.

14. Human Characteristics:
Place cont.
Human Characteristics:
The main customs, languages, and beliefs of the people in a certain place.
Special traditions or holidays
Clothing styles
Political ideals
Architecture (how buildings are made)
Insert a picture that illustrates some part of your country’s economy.

15. Place cont. Physical Characteristics:
Mountains, plains
Oceans, rivers, lakes
Climate (hot, cold, humid, dry)
Types of animals that live there
What types of plants grow there.
Insert a picture that illustrates some part of your country’s economy.

16. Conclusion
Scientists use the Five Themes of Geography so that they can understand how the world works, and what people can do to make it better for all of us.
Insert a picture that illustrates some part of your country’s economy.

17. 5 Themes of Geography
On a half sheet of paper you need to write down two examples for each one of the Geography Themes.
2 Examples Per Theme

18. References
World Atlas Online. Retrieved from Web 5 May
Sutcliffe, Andrea, The New York Public Library Amazing US Geography: A Book of Answers for Kids, John Wiley and Sons Inc., 2001.
Education World: Five Times Five: Five Activities for Teaching Geography's Five Themes Retrieved from Web on 5 May
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