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Browse the examples below that were generated by Texas teachers during professional development workshops.
Examples
What geography subject matter am I required to teach or develop? (TEKS)
How does that subject matter relate to my students’ aspirations for their careers and civic life?
How can it be transferable to jobs and careers in my area (i.e. city, state)?
How can it be incorporated into an existing lesson or future curriculum product?
Big Idea:
Sustainability – Galapagos Islands
TEKS:
WG.8(C) - Evaluate the economic and political relationships between settlements and the environment, including sustainable development and renewable/non‐renewable resources.
Students could examine the role played by environmental consultants, park naturalists, and ecotourism guides in the conservation process of biodiverse hotspots, such as the Galapagos Islands.
Students could take on the “role” of these groups to determine how they would approach protecting the islands or working with the ecotourism industry to ensure they are not destroyed through human interaction.
Texas also has environmental areas that are coming under attack through human interference (i.e. coastal regions, hill country, Big Bend country, etc.). Students could become interested in the environmental sustainability of the Texas landscape.
When discussing issues surrounding environmental issues, continue to ask students what groups could be involved in the management of those environments. Constant discussion of jobs in geography can be tied with most lessons.
Big Idea:
Human Geography
TEKS:
WG.7A - Construct and analyze population pyramids and use other data, graphics, and maps to describe the population characteristics of different societies and to predict future population trends
Students who are interested in personal care and services, business, or the medical field. They can examine the information to determine which areas are in need of facilities or businesses for babies/toddlers or for the elderly.
There are many jobs available for students to work with babies, like daycare centers or pediatric nurses or doctors. Location analysis and using geospatial technology is important in knowing where to place businesses based upon population trends.
Start with lesson plan on Texas Counties and Population Composition
Big Idea:
Push-Pull Factors
TEKS:
WG.7B - Explain how physical geography and push and pull forces, including political, economic, social, and environmental conditions, affect the routes and flows of human migration.
Students who are interested in community and social service, construction, urban development, government and politics, legal, production, environmental sciences, psychology and sociology, military, and protective services.
Students can study why people decide to move away from their homes and why they choose to live in a new area.
Students can pursue a career in immigration services, work in government as a politician or as a legal aid to help humanitarian causes related to migration and immigration. There are jobs as border control and security. There are also jobs as contractors and urban developers who need to consider migration patterns for cities.