Social Studies - World Geography
Lesson Plans

WG Strand 1: HUMANS AND THEIR PHYSICAL ENVIRONMENT

The earth's physical environment varies greatly from place to place. The interactions between physical systems and human systems create opportunities and challenges for people and places. The implications of these interactions affect both physical systems and human systems.

Possible Guiding Questions to Consider:

• How does the physical geography of a place influence the lives of the people in that place?
• What are the most significant consequences of human interactions with their environment?
• How do physical and human characteristics help geographers define a region?
• How are places and regions connected? How are they similar? How are they different?
• How does the environment influence which agricultural methods are used in various places?
• What are the intended and unintended effects of altering our physical landscape?
• How do geographers use geospatial data to help make informed decisions?

WG Standard 1.1:

Students will describe the significant forces that influence the physical environment, such as plate tectonics, erosion, climate, and natural disasters, and explain how the effects of physical processes vary across regions of the world.

• A Vanishing Island
  Coastal areas are drastically impacted by the effects of climate change. Communities are witnessing rising sea levels, stronger storms, and coastal erosion, forcing residents to leave their homes. Lesson plan with a short documentary film. (English and Spanish)
• Creating DOK Pamphlets Using iPad
  This lesson plan aims at incorporating technology, in this case the Pages app on iPad, to create pamphlets that demonstrate depth of knowledge of social studies content. 

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http://www.uen.org - in partnership with Utah State Board of Education (USBE) and Utah System of Higher Education (USHE).  Send questions or comments to USBE Specialist - Robert  Austin and see the Social Studies website. For general questions about Utah's Core Standards contact the Director - Jennifer  Throndsen.

These materials have been produced by and for the teachers of the State of Utah. Copies of these materials may be freely reproduced for teacher and classroom use. When distributing these materials, credit should be given to Utah State Board of Education. These materials may not be published, in whole or part, or in any other format, without the written permission of the Utah State Board of Education, 250 East 500 South, PO Box 144200, Salt Lake City, Utah 84114-4200.