Chapter 6 Europe and Russia - Physical Geography

SECTION 1 - LAND AND WATER

NETHERLANDS - People created "polder", which are patches of new land reclaimed from the North Sea. Some of the richest farmland and largest cities in the Netherlands are located on polders.

Europe has a much higher population density than most of the world.

Russia - low population density...few people live in the Siberian region of Russia due to the harsh climate and poor soil.

Eurasia is he world's largest landmass.

Europe is the 2nd smallest continent(Australia is the smallest)

Russia is the largest country in the world.

MAJOR LANDFORMS OF EUROPE AND RUSSIA:

Plains and Upland regions: 4 major land regions - Northwestern Highlands, North European Plain, Central Uplands and the Alpine Mountain System.

Northwest Highlands - old mountains...steep slopes and little soil...few people live there.

North European Plain - covers half of Europe and European Russia...very fertile soil...largest cities in Europe.

Central Uplands - mountains and plateaus...rocky land - not good for farming.
Some people raise goats and sheep and others mine for minerals in this regions.

Alpine Mountains- The Alps are the highest mountains in this system...popular vacation place

Siberia - makes up 75% of Russia...only 20% of the population live there due to the harsh climate.

Rivers of Europe and Russia - Rhine River...major "highway" transportation.

Volga - longest river in Eurasia...however, a major portion of it freezes over in the winter...and it cannot be used for shipping, travel etc...trade routes are limited.

October 30 Reminder

REMINDER: YOUR PROJECTS ON "WORLD CULTURES" - DUE NOVEMBER 1ST (THURSDAY)

Chapter 4 Cultures of the World

Culture is a "Total Way of Life."

Culture includes:
1. the work people do
2. their behaviors
3. their beliefs
4. and the way people do things...

- A particular group's individual skills, customs and ways of doing things are called CULTURAL TRAITS.

ELEMENTS OF CULTURE:
material things such as houses and other structures, television sets, food or clothing...sports, entertainment and literature are also elements of culture.

Other parts of culture may not be visible(things that you cannot physically see)...they include: spiritual beliefs, ideals, government, and ideas about what is right and what is wrong. Language is also a very important part of culture.

PEOPLE AND THEIR LAND:
Human-Environment Interaction - Geographers want to know how landforms, climate, vegetation, and resources affect culture.
Example: Japan is very mountainous...therefore it's difficult to farm. So, Japan relies heavily on food from the sea...they eat a lot of fish and seaweed.

Cultural Technology - tools and skills people use...stone tools and the ability to make them, computers and the Internet are also ways in which people learn to create and use technology.

Cultural Landscape - includes any changes to its environment.
Example - many people live on the sides of mountains...farmers cut terraces into the sides of the mountains in order to farm on flat areas.(see page 78)

The Development of Culture...early cultures developed through the 4 following stages...they are: the invention of tools, the discovery of fire, the growth of agriculture and the use of writing.

Agricultural Revolution: Farming provided a steady food supply. Therefore, birthrates rose, death rates dropped and as a result, the population increased...cities developed...people produced food, others developed special skills such as pottery, metal workers, tailors etc...People developed laws and governments...writing developed...creating Civilizations.

OCTOBER 29 - NOVEMBER 2 (PLANS)

MONDAY - Ch. 4 section 2; read pages 82-86; complete section 2 worksheet/in class
--continue with "World Culture" project

TUESDAY - Discuss answers to sect. 2 worksheet.
--"World Culture projects"

WEDNESDAY - Work on World Culture projects...HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!

THURSDAY - Projects due/Presentations

FRIDAY - World Cultures - presentations - 1/2 day...dismissal 11:31

SOCIAL STUDIES - WEEK OF OCT.22-26

MONDAY - CHAPTER 3 TEST...EARTH'S HUMAN GEOGRAPHY
Read pages 74 and 75...My Side of the Mountain...do questions 1,2,3(p. 75)

TUESDAY - Correct p. 75: 1,2,3 - Intr. Ch. 4 Cultures of the World
Read pages 76 - 81 Assign p. 81 1-3.

WEDNESDAY - Correct p. 81 1-3; Read and discuss p. 82 - 86 Social Groups, Language and Religion

THURSDAY - Section 2 worksheet. Compare various religions of the world.

FRIDAY - United Streaming - "World Cultures/Religions"

CHAPTER 3 - EARTH'S HUMAN GEOGRAPHY

CHAPTER 3 ( SECTION 1)

WHERE DO PEOPLE LIVE?
This section focuses on Population and Population Distribution:

POPULATION - total number of people...spread unevenly over the Earth's surface.
POPULATION DISTRIBUTION - describes the way population is spread out over the Earth.
DEMOGRAPHERS- people who study world populations...examine rates of birth, death and marriage...they look at reasons why people choose to live in certain areas.

Population distribution is uneven, why?
Much of the Earth's landforms are rugged mountains, hot deserts and dry land with little vegetation...few people choose to live in these places.
BETTER PLACES TO LIVE:
1. Near bodies of water - rivers and lakes are natural "roads" for travel and trade.
-also they provide fresh water -drinking and farming...
2. Flat and Fertile soil - easier to grow food and build...(plains and valleys), coastal areas...make it easy to trade(shipping)
3. Climate - people like to live where it is not too hot or too cold...and in areas where this is plenty of rainfall...good for raising crops and animals.
Also, people choose to live in an area that has plenty of natural resources...
POPULATION DENSITY - average number of people living in a square mile or kilometer
population densities vary from one area to another...Japan high population density...Canada...very low..
How to figure out Pop. Density: divide number of people living in an area by the number of square miles of that place...

OCTOBER 8 - 12 (PLANS)

MONDAY - "A GROWING POPULATION" - Read and discuss pages 60 - 63(chapter 3, section 2)Assign worksheet page 37(graphic organizer)

TUESDAY - MEAP TESTING(4TH AND 5TH HOURS)

WEDNESDAY - MEAP TESTING ( 4TH AND 5TH HOURS)

THURSDAY - Correct wksht. page 37. Assign page 63 Writing Activity..."World Hunger"

FRIDAY - Read section 3, chapter 3...pages 64 - 69...Assign p. 69 discussion questions

PLANS - WEEK OF OCT. 1-5

MONDAY- WORK ON NATURAL DISASTER ASSIGNMENTS(LAPTOPS)
-Where it happened, why it happened...immediate and long term effects...write a news report explaining the disaster...pictures can be used...

TUESDAY - Collect Natural Disaster Assign...(students may share work with class)

read and discuss pages 54-59/ Assign p. 59 (1&3)

WEDNESDAY - Correct p. 59 (1-3)
Assign worksheet- "Where do People Live?"

THURSDAY - Quiz- "Where do People Live?" Chapter 3, section 1
Read section 2 of chapter 3...

FRIDAY - United Streaming video - "WORLD POPULATION"

Ch. 2 (Section 4) Climate/Vegetation

5 TYPES OF CLIMATES:

1. TROPICAL - Low latitudes -hot and wet.
-vegetation - tropical rainforest
- great growing conditions...lots of light, heat and rain...1000's of plants

2. DRY - Arid and Semiarid - very hot, but dry.
- not much vegetation(sparse vegetation)...plant grow far apart in sandy, gravelly soil...shallow root systems

3. MODERATE - Middle latitudes - 3 Types of Moderate Climates
a.) Mediterranean - moderate rain...most rain in winter; summers...hot and dry.
plants have leathery leaves...holds in moisture during the dry summers.
-wide variety of vegetation
b.) Marine West Coast - mountainous and are cooled by ocean currents
- vegetation - more forests than grasses.
c.) Humid Subtropical - of the 3 moderate climates, this one had the most precipitation, heat and humidity...many types of vegetation

4. CONTINENTAL - summers are moderate to hot...winters can be very cold.
- vegetation - grasslands and forests
We live in this climate zone...

5. POLAR - High latitudes - cold year round
- Tundra lies along the Arctic Circle...short, cold summers...long, cold winters...No trees...only low shrubs, moss(not Randy Moss), and lichens grow on rock surfaces

Vertical Climate - climate changes according to a mountains height...see page 47 in your textbook.

SEPT. 24 REMINDER...

CHAPTER 2 TEST ON THURSDAY (EARTH'S PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY)

Nice job on the desktop country displays...the food was fantastic!

Remember: When working on projects...I am not interested in having people running off factual information from the Internet and turning it in(anybody can do that)...I want to see what "you" create!

Week of September 24 - 28

SOCIAL STUDIES (TENTATIVE) PLAN FOR THE WEEK OF SEPTEMBER 24-28:


MONDAY - DISCUSS HOW CLIMATE AFFECTS VEGETATION(WKSHT 4, SECTION 4, CH. 2)
Skills Activity, p. 48 and 49 "Using Special Geo. Graphs.
Do - Apply the skill (1-3)P. 49

TUESDAY - Correct p. 49 (1-3)
Make up Rev. Question from Ch. 2 ...these questions will be used to review on Wednesday.

WEDNESDAY - Review for Chapter 2 Test(with student generated questions from the chapter)

THURSDAY - Chapter 2 Test

FRIDAY - Population Distribution Activity...

Desktop Countries

Desktop Country projects are due FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 21!!!

SEPTEMBER 20 - THURSDAY- CLIMATE AND WHAT INFLUENCES IT...

THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN WEATHER AND CLIMATE...

WEATHER - day to day changes in the air...people can check it "daily."
- measured by temperature (how hot and cold the air feels) and by precipitation(water that falls to the ground...rain, sleet, hail, or snow)

CLIMATE - average weather of a place over many years...

Climates are different in the low, middle and high latitude regions because latitude affects temperature. Landforms, such as mountains, affect climates in neighboring areas.

WIND/WATER:
Without wind and water, the Earth would overheat...wind and water help spread the sun's heat.

How many of you know the old Bob Dylan song....Blowin' in the Wind?
THE BLOWING WINDS...
EARTH'S ROTATION - creates wind...moves in an east-west direction...see page 35(wind patterns)
2 FACTORS make air move in a north/south direction:
a.)Hot air rises and circulates toward regions where the air is not as hot
b.) Cold air sinks and moves toward regions where the air is warmer
The movement of air keeps the Earth from overheating.

OCEAN CURRENTS:
Ocean currents- created by Earth's rotation...ocean currents are like fast-moving rivers in the oceans.
Gulf Stream/North Atlantic Current....carries warm water to the British Isles
Peru Current - cold water from Antarctica moves towards the equator

Large Bodies of Water:

Remember our discussion of how large bodies of water warm and cool the areas around it?
We compared Iron Mountain to Marquette...winter/summer...be able to explain the process...see page 40.

Hurricanes- storms(wind and rain) form over the tropics of the ATLANTIC...
Typhoons - similar storms which take place in the PACIFIC

September 17 ( Monday) Land, Air and Water

Chapter 2 - section 2 (pages 31- 36)







"I fell into a burning ring of fire....I went down, down, down and the flames went higher...



and it burns, burns, burns....that ring of fire, that ring of fire." That's an old Johnny Cash song...







The "Ring of Fire" is also a place on Earth that circles the Pacific Ocean...this region is where 90% of the world's earthquakes and active volcanoes occur.







Earthquakes and volcanoes reshape the earth and are reasons why the Earth's surface constantly changes.







Water covers 75% of the Earth's surface...25% of the Earth's surface is land.











Pangaea: (Supercontinent)...millions of years ago the Earth had only on landmass.







Earth's crust is broken into huge pieces called plates...the shifting of these plates caused the landmass to break up...plates may move approximately 2 inches a year.





Weathering: breaks rocks into tiny pieces...


3 things cause weathering...wind, rain and ice





Weathering and erosion create new landforms.





Air and Water- 2 Ingredients for Life:





Earth is surrounded by a thick layer of gases called atmosphere.





Atmosphere provides life giving oxygen to people and animals...and life giving carbon dioxide for plants.








Reminder: Make sure you can define all key terms from the section...be able to explain the process of the water cycle...(see page 36).

September 14 - Reminder:Desktop Display Proj.

Just a Reminder:

Your Desktop Country Project is due next Friday(September 21)...don't wait 'til the last minute!!

Ideas:

Choose any country from the Eastern Hemisphere...

choose facts and other interesting information about your country that you may share with your classmates.

Example: make a clay model of a popular landform from that country and list some brief factual information on a note card that relates to it.

Bring in souvenirs from your country and display them...again, write a brief description explaining the significance of the object.

You can choose items that relate to the following topics: foods, traditions, music, art, physical features, tourist attractions, climate, population, natural resources, jobs, holidays etc...

The idea is to have several items on display that relate to your country so that others may learn from your project.

Earth's Physical Geography - Chapter 2

Section 1 ( Chapter 2)



This week we talked about how the Earth moves in space and its relation to the sun.



- the Earth, sun, planets and stars are part of a galaxy- our galaxy is the Milky Way...(just a reminder...no Milky Ways in school!)



-The sun provides the Earth with heat and light....Earth travels in an oval-shaped path around the sun called an orbit...it takes 365 1/4 day, one year, to make this journey, or revolution.



- Not only does the Earth revolve around the sun...it also spins on its axis,an imaginary line running through the Earth between the North and South poles. Each complete turn takes about 24 hours...it's called a rotation...as the Earth rotates, it's daytime on the side of Earth facing the sun, but it is nighttimeon the side of the Earth away from the sun.



Seasonal Changes:

Earth's axis is at an angle. As a result, at certain times in the year, days are longer than nights and vice versa...the tilt causes a region to face toward the sun for more hours than it faces away from the sun...days are longer. Sometimes it's just the opposite...the region faces away from the sun for more hours...days are then shorter.

The Earth's tilt and orbit cause temperature changes during the seasons...warmth depends on how the direct sunlight falls upon your region.

LATITIDE LINES:

Equator - On March 21 and Sept. 23...the sun is directly over the equator...as a result, all over Earth, days are almost exactly the as long as nights...the days are called spring and fall equinoxes.

Two other imaginary latitude lines - 23 1/2 degrees north(also called the Tropic of Cancer). The sun shines directly above this line on June 20th or 21st...First Day of Summer!! Also called, the summer solstice in the Northern Hemisphere...summer in the Northern Hemisphere...just the opposite in the Southern Hemisphere(it would be winter)

On December 21st or 22nd...just the opposite occurs...sun's most direct rays fall on 23 1/2 degree south (called the Tropic of Capricorn)...summer in the Southern Hemisphere...(winter in the Northern Hemisphere

The area between the two Tropics( Cancer and Capricorn) are called low latitudes, or the tropics. It is almost always hot in this region.

- The 66 1/2 degree North latitude line is the Arctic Circle...66 1/2 degree South latitude line is the Antarctic Circle...the regions between these lines and the poles are called high latitudes, or polar zones. These places are always COLD...THEY DO NOT RECEIVE DIRECT SUNLIGHT!!

MIDDLE LATITUDES(TEMPERATE ZONES) - These areas receive fairly direct sunlight during certain times of the year...at other times the receive indirect sunlight...therefore, the middle latitudes have SEASONS...SPRING, SUMMER WINTER AND FALL.

REMINDER: PLEASE PAY SPECIAL ATTENTION TO THE ILLUSTRATION ON PAGE 30 IN YOUR TEXT!...SEASONS OF THE NORTHERN HEMISPHERE!!

HAVE A GREAT WEEKEND! GO MOUNTAINEERS, BEAT THE MINERS!!!!!

Earth's Physical g

Sept. 6 Thursday...reminder

Reminder: The worksheet from section 1 (chapter one) is due on Friday...Also, remember to complete Critical Thinking #5 from page 13 of your textbook.

The Hemispheres (Thursday, Sept. 6)

Today we discussed lines of latitude and longitude...here's a brief recap...

Lines of latitude are lines that run in an East/West direction...However, they measure distances North and South of the Equator.

Latitude lines are also called parallels. The equator is the 0 degree parallel or latitude line.

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i s
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Longitude lines measure distances East and West of the Prime Meridian. However, longitude lines, or meridians, circle the globe in a North to South direction.

The Prime Meridian is the 0 degree longitude line.

World Geography

Hello. Today we discussed the definition of geography...the study of the Earth and how the Earth and its people affect each other.

The 5 themes of Geography were discussed:

1. Location-
a.) absolute-uses latitude and longitude lines ( exact location)
b.) relative - describing place near a certain location...(Green Bay is 100 miles south of Iron Mtn.)

2. Place -
(climate is hot or cold...or the land is hilly) - physical features
(how many people live there and the kinds of work they do) - human features

3. Human-Environment Interaction -
How people affect their environment...how the environment affects people.

4. Movement- helps explain how people, goods and ideas get from one place to another.

5. Regions- used to make comparisons...regions may have similar characteristics such as climate, land, population or history.

Welcome to 7th grade Social Studies!

Welcome to 7th grade Social Studies! We are going to be learning about the Eastern hemisphere this year and I thought it might be fun to post some information and comments to help you learn the information on my blog spot. More to come... have a great school year!