5 THEMES OF GEOGRAPHY

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5 THEMES OF GEOGRAPHY

• AN INTERACTIVE LEARNING MODULE
• BY KRISTIN STILES

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DEFINITION OF GEOGRAPHY

• geography1 a science that deals with the
  description, distribution, and interaction of the
  diverse physical, biological, and cultural
  features of the earth's surfaceSource-Merriam
  Webster Collegiate Dictionary

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IN PLAIN ENGLISH

• Geography is the study of the earth and
  everything on it.

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5 THEMES OF GEOGRAPHYVisit each of the following
sites. Follow all buttons on each page. Save
the BACK ARROW button until you are done with
each page. The BACK ARROW button will bring you
back to this page. When you have visited all 5
Themes, click on the RIGHT arrow button below.
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NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC SOCIETY

• By clicking on this site, you will visit the
  National Geographic Society 5 Themes of Geography
  web page. After reviewing the web page, click
  the back arrow on your browser to come back
  here.
• NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC SOCIETY http//www.nationalgeo
  graphic.com/resources/ngo/education/themes.html

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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 PRILM.

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WHAT IS PRILM?

• PRILM 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 PRILM. They are
• Place
• Region
• Interaction (Human-Environment)
• Location
• Movement

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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.

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PLACEThings 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.

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PLACEmore

• 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?

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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
  characteristicsDefined by a functionLoosely
  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.

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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).

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REGIONmore

• THE STUDY OF REGIONSWhat 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.)

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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?
• It can be divided into 3 parts How people have
  been changed by the environment.How the
  environment has been changed by people.How
  people depend on the environment.
• 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 or
  modification is 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 questionsHow 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.
  

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Human-Environmental InteractionThings 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?

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HUMAN ENVIRONMENTAL INTERACTIONmore

• HOW PEOPLE RELATE TO THEIR ENVIRONMENTWhat
  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)

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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
  locationHere are some examplesA Street
  Address1, Silly Street, Anywhere Town, Nowhere
  PlaceA Map Address15o20' 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.

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LOCATIONThings 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).

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LOCATIONmore

• LOCATIONWhat is Eastmans exact latitude and
  longitude?What is the citys location in
  relation to other major cities?What geographic
  factors caused Philadelphia to be located where
  it is? (e.g. land, water)

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MOVEMENT
Movement includes the movement of people, things,
such as goods, as well as communications (the
movement of ideas). We can describe the type of c
ommunications 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.
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MOVEMENTThings 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).

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MOVEMENTmore

• THE MOVEMENT OF PEOPLE, GOODS, AND IDEASHow
  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)

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Quiz AboutThe 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.
• A key to the quiz follows the last slide.
• You may continue answering each question until
  the correct answer is found.
  
• Click on the orange arrow key to progress through
  the quiz.

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Question 1Which of the following is NOT a
geography theme?

• B. human-environmental interaction
• D. people

• A. movement
• C. region

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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

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Question 3Which 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

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Question 4 Which of the following is an example
of PLACE?

• A. Deep South
• C. Dodge County Middle School

• B. McDonalds
• D. Skating rink

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Question 5 Which of the following is NOT an
example of Location?

• B. Dodge County Middle School
• 1103 Herman Ave
• Eastman, GA 31023
• D. the hills

• A. Springfield, Missouri
• C. Georgia

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Question 6Which of the following is an example
of region?

• A. Georgia
• C. United States

• B. South America
• D. The Midwest

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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

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Key

• 1) D
• 2) D
• 3) B
• 4) A
• 5) B
• 6) D
• 7) C

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SUMMARY

• Making Sense of it All
• Now that you have found out a little about the
  five themes, how can you use them?
  
• Imagine for a minute that you are a newspaper
  reporter. An important discovery of a lost land
  has been made, and you have the chance to be the
  first person to interview the returning
  explorers. Make a list of the questions that you
  might ask. Remember, the five themes and ask the
  most important questions from each.
• Here are some questions to get you started
• Where is it?
• Where exactly is that?
• What does it look like?
• How many people live there and where?
• What settlements (cities, villages) does it have?
  
  
• What sort of climate does it have?
• Does it have any extremes of weather?
• Is it prone to any type of natural disaster?
• What are the natural resources and how are they
  used?
  
• What type of agriculture is there?
• What are the main types of transportation and
  communication?
  
• What makes the people there different to people
  in other places?
  
• What sort of government does it have?
• Is it associated with any other place?

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INTERNET REFERENCESClick on the links below to
view additional information.

• http//www.nationalgeographic.com/resources/ngo/ed
  ucation/themes.html
  
• http//sd71.bc.ca/Sd71/Edulinks/ICT6_9/lessons/geo
  1/5themes2.htm
  

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REFERENCES

• http//www.funsocialstudies.learninghaven.com/arti
  cles/fivethemes.htm
  
• http//www.education-world.com/a_lesson/lesson071.
  shtml
  
• http//www.classbrain.com/artaskcb/publish/article
  _34.shtml