1. AN INTERACTIVE LEARNING MODULE 6th Grade Social Studies
5 THEMES OF GEOGRAPHY
AN INTERACTIVE LEARNING MODULE
6th Grade Social Studies

2. DEFINITION OF GEOGRAPHY
ge·og·ra·phy 1 : a science that deals with the description, distribution, and interaction of the diverse physical, biological, and cultural features of the earth's surface Source-Merriam Webster Collegiate Dictionary

3. Geography is the study of the earth and everything on it.
IN PLAIN ENGLISH
Geography is the study of the earth and everything on it.

4. Human-Environment Interaction
5 THEMES OF GEOGRAPHY Visit each of the following sites. Use the LEFT ARROW button to bring you back to this page. When you have visited all 5 Themes, click on the RIGHT arrow button below.
MOVEMENT
Human-Environment Interaction
PLACE
REGION
LOCATION

5. WHERE DID THE 5 THEMES COME FROM?
The 5 Themes of Geography originated by the National Geographic Society to fulfill a need for geographers (people who study the earth and everything on it) categorize everything they learn. These 5 places are easy to remember. Just say the word “MRLIP”.

6. WHAT IS “MRLIP”?
MRLIP is a mnemonic device that can be used to help remember what the 5 Themes of Geography are. Simply put, take the first letter of each theme to create the word MRLIP. They are:
Movement
Region
Location
Interaction (Human-Environment)
Place

7. PLACE
It is a description of what makes that place different to others. If I was trying to tell you about the bedrooms in a house, and I wanted to explain to you exactly which one I meant, I could say, "the one with two beds and one window". If the other rooms had only one bed each, or two windows, then you could easily tell which room I meant.
This is divided into 2 parts:
Physical Differences and Human Differences
Physical differences, or characteristics, include things that occur naturally, such as mountains, rivers, type of soil, wildlife, climate etc.
I might say that a place is flat with rich soil and many rivers. I'm still being vague, but already you can see a picture of it in your head, and maybe even begin to imagine what the land is used for.
Human differences, or characteristics, are things that have changed due to people, such as roads and buildings, how people live and their traditions.
This is where you can really go to town in your description. You can discuss the cities, lifestyle, culture and all sorts of other interesting facts that make the place you are talking about different and special.

8. PLACE Things to think about
Place -- What makes a place different from other places? Differences might be defined in terms of climate, physical features, or the people who live there and their traditions.

9. PLACE ~more~
What physical characteristics exist in this city such as plant and animal life? What cultural (human) characteristics are typical of this city? Which ethnic, religious, or political groups live here?

10. REGION
Regions are areas that can be grouped together by a set of things special to that region. We have countries, ruled by governments, areas speaking the same language, or having the same religion, and we have areas served by a particular service, such as a school district. The three types of area are:
Defined by a government or physical characteristics Defined by a function Loosely defined
Regions defined by a government or physical characteristics are regions that are strictly maintained, such as countries or continents.
Regions defined by a function are areas served by a particular service. Take the example of the school district for Geek's Rule School. If Geek's Rule School closes down, then the school district will no longer exist. Of course, it won't just disappear in a cloud of smoke, but it will have to be named or described some other way.
Loosely defined regions are regions that are grouped together in general terms. These are things such as the North, or the Midlands or the Buddhist World, or even the Far East and Middle East. They are the sort of definitions that people will argue about, and say that a certain place should or shouldn't be included in the definition of that region.

11. REGION-Things to think about.
Regions -- How can Earth be divided into regions for study? Regions can be defined by a number of characteristics including area, language, political divisions, religions, and vegetation (for example, grassland, marshland, desert, rain forest).

12. REGION ~more~
THE STUDY OF REGIONS What other regions are there in the United States besides this one? How are they different? How do these regions change over time? (Descriptions of regions can include information about the physical or cultural characteristics. Physical refers to mountains, deserts, climates, etc. Cultural refers to history, religion, and language.)

13. HUMAN-ENVIRONMENTAL INTERACTIONS
This is about the relationship between people and their environment, or how they work together. It answers a lot of important questions: What effects have the people had on their environment? How has the environment affected them, do they depend on it for anything? What changes have they made to their environment to make it easier to live in?
How people have been changed by the environment can be called adaptation. It is the way humans change to suit their environment.
An example of this is people who live in very cold climates wearing well-insulated clothes to keep warm. It can also include the way people transport things, in a desert the best way to transport some things is by camel.
How the environment has been changed is modification , or the way people change their environment to suit themselves. Artificially watering your lawn, if you live in a dry area is one example, or on a grander scale, creating fertile land in desert areas to grow food crops. Another good example is clearing forests to make room for growing crops.
Depending on the environment is when people depend on their environment for something. Examples of this are using trees for firewood, or coal to warm us in winter, rivers to transport goods and natural resources like oil and coal, to sell or exchange for other needed items that are not available.
Sometimes it is difficult to tell exactly where something belongs . For example, if people clear forests to get wood for fires and to grow crops, that may be considered changing the environment to suit themselves and depending on the environment for something. When you think about the environment and people, just remember the three important questions: How have the people changed? How have they changed the environment? Do they depend on the environment for anything?
If you have the same answer for two questions, then it must be important, but you don't need to say it twice.

14. Human-Environmental Interaction Things to think about
Human-environment interaction -- What are the relationships among people and places? How have people changed the environment to better suit their needs?

15. HUMAN ENVIRONMENTAL INTERACTION ~more~
HOW PEOPLE RELATE TO THEIR ENVIRONMENT What commodities do people depend on from, and in this area? How do people in Philadelphia adapt to their environment in terms of what they wear and how they build their homes? How do people in this city modify their environment to accommodate them? (e.g. building dams, changing landscapes)

16. LOCATION
This is divided into 2 parts: Specific location and General Location
Specific location is shown by an address. The address can be any type of address that gives an exact position. It is sometimes called absolute location Here are some examples: A Street Address: 1, Silly Street, Anywhere Town, Nowhere Place A Map Address: 15o20' North, 20o15' West
Both of these examples well tell you exactly where a place is.
General location is shown by saying where something is in relation to somewhere or something else. It is also known as relative location. Here are some examples:
ten minutes away by train
in front of the bank
With these two examples you can only find what you want if you know from where you are starting. It's useful, though, for describing things. If I just told you that New York was located at 40o North, 73o West, you probably couldn't picture that in your head. If I told you that it was in the North-Eastern United States, you could probably imagine it much better.

17. LOCATION Things to think about.
Location -- Where are things located? A location can be specific (for example, it can be stated as coordinates of longitude and latitude or as a distance from another place) or general (it's in the Northeast).

18. LOCATION ~more~
LOCATION What is Atlanta’s exact latitude and longitude? What is the city’s location in relation to other major cities? What geographic factors caused Atlanta to be located where it is? (e.g. land, water)

19. MOVEMENT
Movement includes the movement of people, things, and communications (the movement of ideas).
We can describe the type of communications a place has and the main forms of transportation, as well as what goods are exported and imported. These all come under the heading of movement.

20. MOVEMENT Things to think about.
Movement -- What are the patterns of movement of people, products, and information? A study of movement includes learning about major modes of transportation used by people, an area's major exports and imports, and ways in which people communicate (move ideas).

21. MOVEMENT ~more~
THE MOVEMENT OF PEOPLE, GOODS, AND IDEAS How are people transported in this city? How are goods transported in this city? What are they? Who depends on them? How are ideas transported in this city? (e.g. communication)

22. Quiz About The Five Themes of Geography
Click the bell to the left of the correct answer.
Applause will sound if the answer is correct.
A gong will sound if the answer is incorrect.
You may continue answering each question until the correct answer is found.
Click on the orange arrow key to progress through the quiz.

23. Question 1 Which of the following is NOT a geography theme?
B. human-environmental interaction
D. people
A. movement
C. region

24. Question 2 Which of the following is an example of Human-Environmental Interaction?
A. getting the mail
C. playing Gameboy
B. watching TV
D. Rainforest Clearing

25. Question 3 Which of the following helped create the 5 Themes of Geography?
A. Geographica Institute
C. National Council for Social Studies
B. National Geographic Society
D. Social Studies Teachers of America

26. Question 4 Which of the following is an example of PLACE?
A. Deep South
C. Lovinggood Middle School
B. McDonalds
D. Skating rink

27. Question 5 Which of the following is NOT an example of Location?
B. Lovinggood Middle School
3825 Luther Ward Rd.
Powder Springs, GA
D. the hills
A. Springfield, Missouri
C. Georgia

28. Question 6 Which of the following is an example of region?
A. Georgia
C. United States
B. South America
D. The Midwest

29. Question 7 What is the name of a person who studies the earth and everything on it?
A. Photographer
C. Geographer
B. Cartographer
D. Mapographer

30. Key
1) D
2) D
3) B
4) A
5) B
6) D
7) C