In this unit, student groups will use sensory data (scents and/or sounds) collected in the field to create maps of the sensory environment and relate their findings to larger environmental problems identified in their guiding questions and hypotheses. This unit is designed to build upon prior units in which students develop guiding questions and hypotheses, field data collection protocols, and field investigation plans. The field investigation will require a base map on which to record data and a final map on which to display data and characterize the study area and environmental impact of the mapped data. The base map will be derived from aerial imagery if the investigation site is outside. The base map will be derived from a building schematic or floor map if an interior location is mapped.
Class time will be devoted to developing maps on which students will display the data collected in the field. Students will use Google Earth or other online resources to obtain aerial (or other schematic) imagery of their study area. They may use an aerial image as a base map or they may draw their own maps based on the aerial imagery. If the site is indoors, a blueprint or floor plan can be the base map, or students can draw their own maps based on an existing image or schematic.
Sensory mapping allows students to identify scent plumes as they migrate away from source locations. Odor plumes and sounds are analogous to plumes of contaminants that migrate through groundwater, surface water, and air. In many instances, the presence of unusual odors is an indicator of migrating contaminants and can lead to sampling by environmental professionals (including geoscientists) to confirm and quantify contaminant migration through the environment. These maps serve as representations of the complex odor or sound systems in the students' chosen geographical areas.

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In this unit, students address the issue of groundwater demands and environmental justice in the arid Southwest, a region with some of the largest percentages of Hispanics and Latinos in the United States. Students discuss the Rule of Capture, the overuse of water resources, and the dwindling supply of groundwater in many parts of the Ogallala Aquifer. Students connect groundwater's role to the hydrological cycle and consider how issues of inequity can occur when groundwater is not properly regulated.

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Unit 6 provides an opportunity for students to present their action plans and exchange knowledge about what they have learned in their team case study work. This unit builds on food security and Earth system science covered in the first three units. It can be taught in any course discussing food security or it can be modified to fit a variety of courses of in the sciences and social sciences. The activities included in this unit are appropriate for introductory-level college students or as a basis for more in-depth class discussions on food security for upper-level students.

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This in-class exercise is an alternative to standard review sessions and models the systems thinking students need to do when working on complex, interdisciplinary issues. Students quiz each other on course material and then find authentic (and often creative) connections between seemingly disparate topics in the course. This approach challenges students to use holistic thinking when reviewing, and can be readily customized for any course.

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The unit has two parts. In each, students dive into inquiry to answer the compelling questions:

1. Who are some of our closest tribal neighbors, and what have they been their lifeways since time immemorial?
2. Why do people explore, and how does this lead to expansion?

Part 1 is focused on the examination of the northwest and some of the original inhabitants. Through these questions students will learn about the culture of some of their closest tribal neighbors, the Spokane Indians. The final project for Part 1 is a cultural investigation display, in which students will show what they know about the culture of the Spokane Tribe.

In Part 2, Students will also learn about forces that brought change to the northwest: fur trade era and exploration. Students will ultimately learn about the Corps of Discovery and the Oregon Trail and know the impact each had on the west. Students will finish Part 2 with a timeline activity that will reflect choice and build upon student strengths according to their skill set.

Finally, a lesson on a Tribe of the Columbia Plateau is offered as an extension, but it is strongly recommended that students get to experience this lesson.

Note that the emphasis here is on the Spokane Tribe as one of our closest tribal neighbors. In no way is this an exhaustive study nor should the tribal cultures be generalized to other tribes of the region. We understand that each tribe in our region and North America was and continues to be unique in its culture, practices, lifeways, and traditions.

Two youtube videos - songs focus on U.S. geography. One is about the United States and the other is about Portland, Oregon.

This resource is a video abstract of a research paper created by Research Square on behalf of its authors. It provides a synopsis that's easy to understand, and can be used to introduce the topics it covers to students, researchers, and the general public. The video's transcript is also provided in full, with a portion provided below for preview:

"Urbanization is rapidly transforming communities around the globe. It could be doing the same to the microbial communities that inhabit the human gut. A new study examines how, in China, urbanization and other health factors are affecting gut microbes from the third domain of life: archaea. Though smaller in number and distinct from the bacteria and fungi also found in the gut, archaea are revealing to be just as important to human health. In this study, researchers studied archaea in 792 healthy adult volunteers from 5 regions in China. In particular, how these archaea profiles were linked to 119 variables, including urban residence, ethnicity, lifestyle, and diet. Results showed that geographical region had the strongest effect on archaea composition—followed by ethnicity and urban residence. Urban residence, for example, was associated with lower archaea numbers and diversity..."

The rest of the transcript, along with a link to the research itself, is available on the resource itself.

This inquiry provides students with an opportunity to investigate the use of technology in Mesopotamia. They will construct an argument in response to the compelling question “Was technology central to the development of Mesopotamia?” This question guides students to investigate the meaning of “technology” in terms of ancient civilizations and how it was used similarly or differently than in their own lives.Resource created by Abbi Haynes, Hastings Public Schools, as part of the Nebraska ESUCC Social Studies Special Projects 2022 - Inquiry Design Model (IDM).

This user's manual describes the steps for using Google Earth tours. Topics include downloading and installing Google Earth software, selecting a tour file, and playing the tour. There are also instructions on how to use some of Google Earth's additional features. A downloadable, printable version is provided.

The purpose of the resource is to develop hypotheses about which environmental factors are most important to plants.

Assingment Overview: Students will use their prior knowledge of Federal, State, and Local governments to work through the current Utah controversial topic of Bears Ears National Monument. The following resources below are used to help the student understand the different perspectives attached to the struggle of this Utah monument. They will then complete the assignment provided below the resources. There are different version of the assingment to help differentiate depending on student needs. 

The Global Urban Sustainable Center's project team created a web-based, open-access, crowd-sourced resource to share Virtual Field Trips (VFTs) related to sustainability in India and beyond. The resource has duel purposes for college and university teachers: providing instructional material on urban issues and sustainability through the existing shared
VFTs offered on the site and providing an opportunity for students to create a VFT of a community they are familiar to share. This project was made possible through the generous support of the American Institute of Indian Studies and includes images from site visits from the 2019-20 CAORC Faculty Development Seminar: Exploring Urban Sustainability through India's Cities. This resource not only allows students to view and learn from the Virtual Field Trips (VFTs) that are currently available, but also gives the chance for students to make a VFT of a community that they know and want to share.
This resource can be used as a 'view only' resource for younger students or can be used more interactively with older students who you'd like for them to create their own VFT. For older students you might want them to fully create a VFT or use it as an example for them to think about their communities and how to share that with others.

In this ZOOM video segment, cast member Francesco follows the paper trail to find out what happens to his recyclables. He visits a material recovery center and learns how paper is recycled and the number of trees that are saved as a result.

Students are first assigned reading from the textbook (Strahler and Merali, Visualizing Physical Geography) to present the concepts of the global energy balance, including the role of greenhouse gases. In class, I go over the concepts and work with the class to figure out how to calculate solar elevation angle at a given latitude at different dates. Prior to class, I had visited the website of the University of Oregon Solar Radiation Monitoring Laboratory (http://solardat.uoregon.edu/SunChartProgram.html) to generate a Sun chart for my latitude. I have copies of this chart ready. Outside, the students use a compass to find the azimuth and elevation for the sun's arc for the solstice and the equinox. They are asked to trace these different arcs using their arms to get a sense of the difference. Students are then asked to take a compass bearing of the sun's azimuth and use the sun chart to determine the time. (Usually, it is one hour off - they need to figure out why - daylight saving)

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This list presents a basic set of vocabulary words that deal with nouns and verbs that describe natural habitats, geography, and weather conditions. The majority of words contained within the website are nouns, and some verbs are interspersed. The nouns and verbs are presented in both modern standard and colloquial Egypt, and feature Arabic text and transliteration.

This list presents a basic set of vocabulary words that deal with categories of geography and places, including the names of cities and countries, as well as directional indicators. The list also contains verbs and nouns relevant to finding specific regions or countries on a map.

The majority of words contained within the website are nouns, and some verbs are interspersed. The words and verbs are presented in both modern standard and colloquial Egypt, and feature Arabic text and transliteration.

This interactive resource adapted from the National Park Service illustrates the variety of landforms and features created by volcanoes. Featured are calderas, craters, fumaroles and other geothermal features, igneous rocks, lava flows, lava tubes, and maars.

Before completing this computer-based activity, students need to learn basic (Earth Science 101) information about volcanic rocks and hazards, and they also need to learn how to interpret a histogram. Students complete the activity individually outside class time in a computer lab equipped with Arcview3.3 geographic information system (GIS) software. They do not need any prior experience with GIS because the activity text includes step-by-step instructions accompanied by numerous screen shots. Students use the GIS to investigate geochemical data from the global Earthchem database and, for the Mount Hood, Oregon area, the NAVDAT database. Students also use maps and satellite images to learn about volcanic hazards at Mount Hood. Through all of these investigations, they learn about the connections between the silica content of a melt, volcanic hazards, and plate tectonics. Hundreds of students have successfully completed the activity at Middle Tennessee State University in Murfreesboro, TN, but the activity is still considered a "beta test copy" and the author welcomes feedback. Funding has been provided by small grants from the NASA Earth Observing System Higher Education Alliance ("GeoBrain"), Tennessee Space Grant, and NSF.

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Students learn about floods, discovering that different types of floods occur from different water sources, but primarily from heavy rainfall. While floods occur naturally and have benefits such as creating fertile farmland, students learn that with the increase in human population in flood-prone areas, floods are become increasingly problematic. Both natural and manmade factors contribute to floods. Students learn what makes floods dangerous and what engineers design to predict, control and survive floods.

Short Description:
In essay format, this textbook considers examples of various sub-categories of Geography in combination with five regions of the Western World. To utilize this compelling format, click on READ BOOK or simply scroll down.

Word Count: 174885

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