Geography 2.0: A brand new experience

I decided to do a different take on Geography this year. Instead of going country by country through the list and giving students a very limited view of a few regions and countries, I opted to redesign the course as a whole. This year, after doing a quarter of 5 themes, earth's structure and landforms, water, climate, and vegetation, an increasing population, and resources and trade, next week we're digging into the different regions. 

Students will work at an individual pace on 5 projects for 6 different regions. Students will complete a Wii weather activity where we will get on the Wii each day to chart weather conditions in the region, a scrapbook (on Google sites linked to Google Maps), pack a suitcase, bring back souvenirs, and write blog posts (Blogger).  

I want the kids to be more involved with the material, study the areas they want to study, and address the standards from a unique perspective. As you will see outlined below, the kids will be doing a LOT of research and writing. A lot of writing.  We will also have a daily (usually) activity together based on a short reading, and a weekly mapping activity where kids will practice their map skills. 

For kids who need extra extension activities I have designed a "passport" program where they can earn stamps as they "travel" to extra countries - students receiving a certain number of stamps by the end of the year will receive a prize. I'm *hoping* to get a trip funded to go down to Veishea for the culture/food fair.

Below is a brief outline of what I've got planned. 

Wii: Ongoing Class activity

Chart weather

-What environmental factors exist that cause the weather to be that way?

-How does the physical environment affect life? Where people live?

-How do people adjust their surroundings to the weather conditions here?

-> Clothes, houses, transportation, water/heat/light?

-> What are the consequences of people changing the physical environment?

	4	3	2	1
Chart	Accurately charted weather 12 of 15 days	Accurately charted weather 10 of 15 days	Accurately charted weather 8 of 15 days	Accurately charted weather 5 of 15 days
Written Weather Response	Thoughtfully answered all three writing prompts, using details and research to provide an accurate description, includes pictures and/or graphs to complete the explanation	Thoughtfully answered all three writing prompts, using details and research to provide an accurate description	Thoughtfully answered two writing prompts, using details and research to provide an accurate pictures	Answers are mostly complete but show no research or depth

Blog: Pretend you are a travel agent/reporter/blogger (Do 4 posts)

-What is similar to or different from our customs? What is most different from how you live at home? What is the  same? Why aren’t things the same? What would happen if we lived like they did?

-What famous site did you visit while in the region? What is its significance? Why is it famous? How does it represent the area or the culture? Give some facts about the site you visited

-A natural disaster occurs while you are visiting. What type is it? How are people impacted? How do their lives change? How will the area handle this new stress?

-What type of religion is prevalent in this region? Is there one? Many? What sort of practices do the people observe as part of the religion(s)? What major holidays (religious or national) do the people celebrate? How do they celebrate them? When?

-What major industries exist in the region? How do the people make money? What are their major imports and exports? Is there a large portion of the population in poverty or are the people generally well off? How will these things impact your visit?

-Describe the historical background of one of the countries in the region. How was the country established? Was there a fight for independence? What happened? What are some of the major historical events in the country? How do the people celebrate their history?

Scrapbook (Google Site?):

-Major physical landforms (3)

-Cultural highlights (3)

-Tourist activities (3)

-Major cities (5)

-Food pics/recipes (2)

GoogleMaps - pin your scrapbook pages to the countries you visit in each region

Suitcase: Beginning of each regional unit

-What will you pack to live in this region?

-What clothes will you pack?

-How will you interact with the people?

Souvenirs: End of each regional unit

-What will you bring back for your friends and family to show them how the people live and what you experienced?

-Create an interesting and/or funny “travel story” behind one of the items you brought back. 

	4	3	2	1
Gifts	3 neat/creative replicas or pictures of items that you bring back for families or friends	3 replicas or pictures of items that you bring back for families or friends	2 creative replicas or pictures of items that you bring back for families or friends	1 replica or picture of item that you bring back for families or friends
Explanation	A detailed explanation of what each gift is, how it represents the region, and where you may have acquired it	An explanation of what each gift is, how it represents the region, or where you may have acquired it	A detailed explanation of two of the gifts, how it represents the region, and where you may have acquired it	A detailed explanation of what one gift is, how it represents the region, and where you may have acquired it
Story	An interesting 2-3 paragraph story about how/why you brought back one of the items that you did. It is realistic and representative of the region.	A 2-3 paragraph story about how/why you brought back one of the items that you did.	An interesting 1 paragraph story about how/why you brought back one of the items that you did. It is realistic and representative of the region.	A 1 paragraph story about how/why you brought back one of the items that you did.

GeoSpy - Map/Location Quizzes