ALEX Resources

   View Standards     Standard(s): [SS2010] GEOG (7) 2 :

2 ) Determine how regions are used to describe the organization of Earth's surface.

•  Identifying physical and human features used as criteria for mapping formal, functional, and perceptual regions

Examples: physical—landforms, climates, bodies of water, resources

human—language, religion, culture, economy, government

•  Interpreting processes and reasons for regional change, including land use, urban growth, population, natural disasters, and trade

•  Analyzing interactions among regions to show transnational relationships, including the flow of commodities and Internet connectivity

Examples: winter produce to Alabama from Chile and California, poultry from Alabama to other countries (Alabama)

•  Comparing how culture and experience influence individual perceptions of places and regions

Examples: cultural influences—language, religion, ethnicity, iconography, symbology, stereotypes

•  Explaining globalization and its impact on people in all regions of the world

Examples: quality and sustainability of life, international cooperation

Traditionally, geography is studied as two interconnected parts: physical geography and human geography. For the first half of this series, we will be focusing on physical geography, which is all about recognizing the characteristics of the environment and the processes that create, modify, and destroy those environments. But remember, human-environment interactions are fundamental to studying geography so we won't be ignoring human impact, it just won't be the primary lens we're using to view the world. Today, we'll explore erosional gullies in Madagascar as we discuss the world's dynamic landscape, the Great Barrier Reef as we introduce the four major earth system (the atmosphere, hydrosphere, lithosphere, and biosphere), and we'll finish with a deep dive into Iceland as we introduce the major realms of physical geography. (These are geographer specializations that you may have heard about like topography, geomorphology, pedology, hydrology, climatology, oceanography, meteorology, and biogeography.)