Lesson Plan: Basic Geography Vocabulary and Definitions

OVERVIEW OF LESSON:

This lesson gets students to brainstorm words and phrases that they think of about geography. These words are then sorted under “Human”, “Physical”, “Both”, “Concept”, “Tool”, or “Skill”.

 

RESOURCES/MATERIALS NEEDED:

For Students:	For Teachers:
“What is Geography” Page	Vocabulary and Definition Lists
Geography Graphic Organizer	“Geography in the World” Example Pages
“Geography in the World” Page Sticky notes for students to write on	Large sheet of paper with Geography Graphic Organizer, or electronically shown for the class.

 

PREREQUISTE KNOWLEDGE:

This is the first lesson that should be done within any geography course to gauge students’ understanding of geography. It is an informal assessment of what they already know and what misconceptions they may have or not have.

 

PEDAGOGICAL STRATEGIES:

This lesson starts by allowing students to brainstorm about what they know about geography, and then they share it out, and as a class discuss what branch of geography it would fall under. It combines student thought with class discussion for an immersive learning experience.

 

STARTING THE LESSON:

1. Ask the students to take 5-7 minutes to brainstorm the question – “What is Geography?” Using the handout, students will jot down words or phrases that come to mind when they think about geography.

* Alternatively, students can also draw pictures of what they think.

THE LESSON:

2. Going around the class, have each student pick one of the words/phrases they wrote down and share it with the class. Each student should pick a different term, no repeats!

3. As a class, decide whether that word/phrase goes under “Human”, “Physical”, “Both”, “Concept”, “Tool”, or “Skill”.

4. The student should write the word/phrase on a sticky note and put it up in the right place. Or if the teacher has a smart board, they can fill it in on the screen. This exercise will lead to class discussions about what is included in geography (and perhaps things that are not included). * The teacher can use the vocabulary and definition lists to help determine where words should go.

• Lists include: Human Geography Vocabulary; Physical Geography Vocabulary; Environmental Geography Vocabulary; Geography Concepts, Tools, and Skills; Geography Definitions; Human Geography Definitions; Cultural Geography Definitions; Physical Geography Definitions; Environment and Society Definitions; Geospatial Technology Definitions

5. After every student goes (each picking a different word/phrase), the teacher should add words to the lists to make sure a good basis is covered across all components. Note: these lists may include words that are not appropriate for all grade levels so you shouldn’t expect students to be able to name all of them or learn all of them.

ENDING THE LESSON AND CLOSING PRODUCT:

6. This list should stay on the classroom wall as a “word wall” or “vocabulary list”.

* An additional resource is the “Map Skills Word Wall” created by the Texas Alliance for Geographic Education.

 

DIFFERENTIATION STRATEGIES:

• Depending on the grade level, photo images can go along with each word.
• If students come from different language backgrounds, the word can be included in their native language.
• To decrease rigor: Allow students to work in pairs or a group for the original brainstorm.
• To increase rigor: Have a student select words from the list to draw a corresponding picture.

 

EVALUATION/ASSESSMENT:

• Participation is the main assessment for this lesson.
• This is to be used as an informal assessment of students’ knowledge. Students will use this vocabulary throughout the year; therefore, assessment will happen throughout the year as students have more exposure to the words.

 

EXTENSION AND ENRICHMENT:

• Students can be challenged to write a journal entry using these words.
• Have students create a Venn Diagram comparing and contrasting geography and history.  This can be an important part of the lesson since students come into 9^thgrade thinking they’re in a history class, but geography is so different, this can be a good way to highlight the difference.
• Words can be added to the word wall throughout the year as new vocabulary is introduced.
• “Geography in the World” provides examples of the major content domains of geography in real world examples. This can help in the understanding of geographic terms and definitions. As an extension, students can create their own examples throughout the year, using current news events.