Stages 1 · 2 · 3 · 4
Geography
Read the map, then ask why this place is the way it is.
Seeds
GEO-1
A map is the world made small
GEO-2
Places differ, and there are reasons
GEO-3
The Earth is moving
GEO-4
People change places, and places change people
Stages
1
Observe and Say
Where am I?
2
Models and Patterns
Why is it hot here and cold there?
- Why is summer hot? Seasons come from Earth's tilted axis (about 23.44°): it changes how high the noon Sun climbs and how long the day lasts. Distance barely matters — Earth is closest to the Sun in early January. Try it
- Why is it night in New York when it's day in Beijing? Earth turns 15° every hour, so every 15° of longitude is one hour of sun time; time zones round this to whole hours and follow borders. Try it
- Why is it cold on a mountain top? Air is warmed mostly by the ground below, and it cools by about 6.5 °C for every kilometre you climb. Try it
- Read a hill from its contour lines Each contour line joins points of the same height, so lines packed close together mean a steep slope and lines far apart mean gentle ground. Try it
- Why one side of the mountain is dry Wind pushes moist air up the windward side, where it cools and rains; the air that comes down the other side is dry and warming, so the leeward side lies in a rain shadow. Try it
3
Structure and Evidence
Why do people here live the way they do?
- Read a place from its climate graph Twelve bars of rain and a line of temperature tell you the climate type, and the climate tells you what grows there. Try it
- What a population pyramid tells you The shape of the pyramid shows today's births and deaths and predicts the population of the next 30 years. Try it
- How a river bends itself In a bend the water runs fastest on the outside, which wears the bank away, and slowest on the inside, which drops sand — so bends grow and wander. Try it
- Is Greenland as big as Africa? A round Earth cannot be flattened without stretching; the Mercator map keeps directions true but blows up areas near the poles, so Greenland looks like Africa although Africa is about 14 times larger. Try it
4
Systems and Argument
How does this system work?
Ideas we expect to meet
- Summer is when Earth is closer to the Sun.
- North always means 'up', on a map and on the ground.
- A mountain top should be warmer, because it is closer to the Sun.
- When it is daytime for me, it is daytime everywhere.
- A country with more young people simply has more people.