CI 402 Lesson Plan: Teaching Geography in Middle Schools Influence of Physical Geography on Population Patterns in the United States

Class/Subject: 7th Grade Geography Date: 02/21/2013 Student Objectives: 1. As a class, students will analyze a map of the United States and determine why cities form around certain physical features. 2. Students will work in small groups to deduce why Chicagos location enhanced its growth using maps of Illinois to discount other optional locations. 3. In small groups, students will imagine they live in the early 1900s and are responsible for bringing people to Chicago; they will create a brochure convincing people to settle there by showcasing the benefits and amenities the city has to offer. Content Standards: IL 17.A. 3a :Explain how people use geographic markers and boundaries to analyze and navigate the Earth (e.g., hemispheres, meridians, continents, bodies of water) IL 17.C.3a :Explain how human activity is affected by geographic factors. IL 17.C.3c :Analyze how human processes influence settlement patterns including migration and population growth. 17.D.3a :Explain how and why spatial patterns of settlement change over time. Materials/ Resources/ Technology: We will be using a computer, projector, and dry erase board. We will also be using the National Geographic Education website as a resource of information and maps on population density and migration (www.natgeoed.org). We will also use a map of Illinois taken from the National Geographic website. Google Earth will be used to show physical landscapes as well as pictures of certain areas. Teachers Goals: 1. The goal of the lesson is to provide students with the information to make connections between physical geography and population density. 2. Another goal is to recognize what physical features of land attract and promote the growth of cities, based on the Chicago example. Time: 20 minutes Start of Class: (5 minutes) We will start the class by showing a map of population density in the United States on the projector (taken from natgeoed.org). We will start by asking the class, Where are the most populous cities located? We are looking for answers that discuss the concentration of cities around bodies of water and in the Eastern United States.

We will then zoom in to focus on Chicago. We will then ask, Who has ever been to Chicago? All the students should be able to tell, either from the map or from personal experience, if Chicago also sits next to bodies of water. We will ask, In what ways is Chicagos location similar to the cities we just discussed? How so; what specific features is Chicago located near? (think water) We are looking for students to make connections between population density from the United States as a whole and apply that to one city, Chicago. Students should be able to recognize from the map that Chicago is situated along Lake Michigan and the Illinois River. Introduction of Lesson: (2 minutes) To introduce the lesson we will explain that we are going to talk about the importance of physical geography for cities in the United States by focusing on Chicago. We will illustrate the importance of bodies of water as a means of transportation and how that allowed Chicago to become one of the largest cities in the United States. We will also explore how migrations of people were influenced by Chicago and its geography. We will also pass out maps of Illinois to each group of students sitting at a table to be used throughout the lesson. Knowing that the population is focused around bodies of water, we are going to discuss the influence physical geography had on the formation of Chicago. We will also explore how Chicago grew to be one of the largest cities in the United States and why large groups of people migrated to this city. Lesson Instruction: One concept we want to clarify with students is the term physical geography. We want to ask the students what some examples of physical geography are so we can build on their prior knowledge of the term (2 minutes). What is physical geography? What are some examples of physical geography? Physical geography is defined as the study of the natural features of the earth's surface, especially in its current aspects, including land formation, climate, currents, and distribution of flora and fauna. We dont need a specific definition from the students we just want them to know that things such as mountains, rivers, lakes, and climate all make up physical geography. That will give them some context to what we will be discussing the rest of the lesson. We will use Google Earth to illustrate what physical geography looks like on a map. We will point out how mountains look on Google Earth as well as the rivers and lakes. After illustrating these points, we will focus on Illinois so that students can use it has a reference in the activity. The first activity we want to do with the students includes using the blank map of Illinois we handed out. This map has no cities on it, only the lakes and rivers in Illinois. We will ask students, Do you think Chicago could have become such a large city if it were located somewhere else in Illinois? (7 minutes)

We will have them work at their tables in groups to discuss what other locations in Illinois would have fostered the growth of Chicago. They will discuss and analyze the different locations within their groups and then we will come back as a class to discuss the findings of each group. They must try to locate Chicago in at least two other places on the map of Illinois and tell us why those locations would or would not work. And if they think that the current location of Chicago is the best, they must give reasons why they think that way. The purpose of this activity is to allow students to apply the knowledge of physical geography and try to infer the importance it has on the growth of cities. Students will have to think critically about why certain locations would be better for growth over others. Some of the answers should include the proximity to bodies of water were important to the growth of Chicago. As students realize the importance of bodies of water, we also want them to think about why bodies of water were important in the early days of Chicago (incorporated as a city in 1837). If the students hadnt already brought up the importance of water transportation to Chicago for trade with the Eastern United States, we will discuss that concept. (3 minutes) Bodies of water provided a way to transport goods from the Midwest to the Eastern United States more efficiently than through land travel. Chicagos position on Lake Michigan and its connection to the Illinois River allowed for Midwestern agricultural products to be shipped to Eastern ports for export and trade. This brought a lot more wealth to Illinois and Chicago and increased the demand for agricultural goods, which helped to make Illinois a leading agricultural exporter. Lastly, we want students to analyze the connection of physical geography to the reasons so many people moved to Chicago in the early 1900s. It was not only agriculture that benefitted from Chicagos access to ports in the east; many industries also made homes in Chicago because of this fact. Huge factories formed in Chicago and people migrated from within the United States to fill these jobs, but also many people immigrated from other countries for job opportunities. Do you think that all the people living in Chicago moved there for agriculture? What were some other reasons people may have moved to Chicago? What other types of jobs were available to people? Let students answer. Chicago became home to many large businesses and many of those opened factories in Chicago because of the ease of transporting goods across the country. People from across the United States and from other countries moved to Chicago to fill these new jobs in the factories.

Assessment/ Checks for Understanding: (5 minutes) As a final activity for the students, we will have them imagine they are in charge of bringing more people into Chicago to settle in the early 1900s. At their tables, they must create a list of reasons why people should move to Chicago. This could include the climate, opportunity for a

job, recreation activities along the lake, diversity from immigration, opportunity for economic advancement, etc. Students need to be creative and make moving to Chicago sound appealing to prospective inhabitants. This activity requires them to think on a deeper level why Chicago would be attractive to people looking to settle there. At the end of this activity we will have each group share one or two of their favorite points with the rest of the class and we will write them on the whiteboard. Now imagine that you are in charge of bringing in more people to settle Chicago in the early 1900s. As a group, create a mini-brochure with a list of reasons why these prospective inhabitants should move to Chicago. Use what we learned about in class and also what you may have learned outside of this class about Chicago to create this list. Be creative and remember you are trying to make Chicago sound appealing to these people. We will give you a few minutes to write them down and then you will share one or two statements you think are the best with the rest of the class. Closure/Wrap-Up/Review: (2 minutes) We have learned about how physical geography influenced the growth of Chicago. The concepts we applied to Chicago can also be true for other major cities in the United States. Most of the major cities lie along bodies of water which made trade and transportation much easier. This is not true for all cities though. Take some time to look at a map and find some large cities that do match the example of Chicago and try to figure out why those cities still grew. If you find anything interesting we can discuss them in class tomorrow and try to come up with some reasons for it. To wrap up the lesson, we want to bring it back out to the broad United States and make connections between this one example and other cities across the country. Students will be able to use the basic knowledge gained from looking in depth at Chicago and apply it to other cities, not only in the United States, but across the world. Self-Assessment: We will reflect on our practice of combining physical geography and human interaction. We will also think about student participation and engagement as it occurred throughout the lesson. We will gather information on how to improve this participation and apply it to future lessons. We will also assess the quality of the lesson based on the brochure activity and the responses students provide us with.