Physical & Human Geographies of Europe

Lesson Objective: Students will analyze the physical and human

geography of Europe in order to evaluate whether or not Europe is a
region of geographic unity or diversity.
Lesson 1: Day 1 Coloring the Map
Drill 5 minutes: Recap: Characteristics of Physical and Human Geography. While
the students are completing this drill, the teachers will walk around the room with a
stamp. Students who complete their drill within the 5 minutes limit will receive a
stamp. Each stamp is worth 5 points of extra credit. The teacher will debrief this
activity by calling on random students to share their responses.
Activity 1 40-45 minutes: Students will use a handout that contains a list of
countries from specific regions of Europe to accurately color a map. This map of
should be color coded to specify which parts of Europe are Eastern Europe, Northern
Europe, Southern Europe, and Western Europe. If students are struggling, they can
use the blue atlases on the table for help. Students should be aware that they
should not use similar colors for different regions. In addition, dark colors may make
it difficult to find specific countries from a particular region in the next few activities.
This activity will take the whole period.
Assessment: The assessment for the day will be the completed map. This will be
graded at the end of the 3 day geography mini-unit.
Lesson 1: Day 2 Physical Geography of Europe
Drill 5 minutes: The drill will read Give 2 or 3 examples of physical geography.
While the students are completing this drill, the teachers will walk around the room
with a stamp. Students who complete their drill within the 5 minutes limit will
receive a stamp. Each stamp is worth 5 points of extra credit. The teacher will
debrief this activity by calling on random students to share their responses.
Activity 2 40-45 minutes: The class will use the map they completed in activity 1
to complete the handout, The Physical Geography of Europe. In this handout,
students will use the Atlas to research Western, Southern, Eastern, and Northern
Europe. In their guided research, they will have to name 4 countries, list at least 3
bodies of water, state 2 landforms, locate natural resources/land use, and finally,
describe the climate.. This activity should take nearly the whole class period. During
the remainder of class, we will debrief the handout and move onto the assessment.
Modifications: Students who get modified assignments specified in their IEPs will
receive a partially completed chart. This will serve two purposes: one, students who
require extra time will now be able to finish the assignment around the same time
as their peers, and two, this will show students with special needs the teachers
expectations for the assignment. In other words, this will give them a good model to
refer to.
Differentiation:

The GT group will receive a 4 way Venn diagram Assessment.

Standard classes will receive a 2 way Venn diagram and they will pick two regions to
compare and contrast.
Assessment: Standard classes will receive a 2 way Venn diagram. Each group
member will be required to pick a different color marker and contribute to the
diagram. They will compare and contrast two European regions of their choice.
Students will be asked to write their name in the color marker that they used to
contribute to the diagram. This is how I will assess individual knowledge.
GT classes will receive a 4 way Venn diagram. They will do the same thing as the
standard class except they need to compare and contrast every region.
Extensions: Students who finish the assignment early can begin their homework.
The homework is a handout titled, Reading a Political Map. This will be used to
reinforce map reading skills.
Lesson 2: Day 3
(Continued) Lesson Objective: Students will analyze the physical and
human geography of Europe in order to evaluate whether or not Europe is
a region of geographic unity or diversity.
Drill 5 minutes: The drill will read Give 2 or 3 examples of human geography.
While the students are completing this drill, the teachers will walk around the room
with a stamp. Students who complete their drill within the 5 minutes limit will
receive a stamp. Each stamp is worth 5 points of extra credit. The teacher will
debrief this activity by calling on random students to share their responses.
Activity 3 40-45 minutes: This activity will focus on student centered learning
with small groups and timed station work. This activity will be effective for student
learning because it allows for purposeful movement and involves engagement. As
students are researching with their group, they will be expected to complete a
handout to guide their learning. This handout more so focuses on the modern
human geography of Europe.
Modifications: Students who get modified assignments specified in their IEPs will
receive a partially completed chart. This will serve two purposes: one, students who
require extra time will now be able to finish the assignment around the same time
as their peers, and two, this will show students with special needs the teachers
expectations for the assignment. In other words, this will give them a good model to
refer to.
Assessment: Students will complete an assessment labeled, Diversity or Unity of
Europe. In this assessment students will respond to the following prompt in
complete sentences. The prompt will read, After analyzing Europes human and
physical geography, do you think that Europe can best be described as a region of
unity or diversity? The assessment will include two definitions of each word.

Alternative Assessment: If we are unable to complete every station, the last

three minutes of class will be used for an informal assessment. During this
assessment we will label one side of the room diversity and the other side unity. We
will then ask the students to move to the side of the room that the students believe
fits Europes physical and human geography.

Name:
Date:
Period:
Recap: Characteristics of Physical and Human Geography
Word Bank
Forest
Swiss Alps

French

The Nile River

Music
Christianity
The Rocky Mountains

Politics
Glaciers
Money

The
Highways

Directions: Determine whether each characteristic of geography in the word bank is

a physical or human characteristic and list them in the chart below.
Physical Characteristics

Human Characteristics

Name:
Date:
Period:

The Human Geography of

Europe

Human
Features
Station 1
Population
Density
(pg. 315 in
World Cultures
and
Geography)

Station 2
Transportation
(On the
computer)

Station 3
Land Use
(pg. 141 in
Atlas)

Station 4
Imports and
Exports
(pg. 319-323
in World
Cultures and
Geography)
Station 5
GDP
(On the
Computer)
*List at least
one country
from each
region, and
state its GDP*

Station 6
Languages
(pg. 282 in
Geography of

Western

European Regions
Southern
Eastern

Northern

Websites:
Transportation: http://www.simplextrans.com/directions-oftransportation/transports-from-europe-in-cis-countries
https://www.virtualtourist.com/travel/Europe/TransportationEurope-TG-C-1.html
GDP: Students will pick one country from each region, state the
country, then list its GDP. http://data.worldbank.org/region/EUU
http://databank.worldbank.org/data/download/GDP.pdf
Life Expectancy: Students will list 2 countries from each region
and state the life expectancy for each country.
http://www.worldlifeexpectancy.com/life-expectancy-europe
Literacy Rate:
http://www.mapsofworld.com/europe/thematic/countries-withliteracy-rate.html

Name:
Date:
Period:
Diversity or Unity of Europe
Question: After analyzing Europes human and physical geography, do you think
that Europe can best be described as a region of unity or diversity?
Vocabulary
Diversity (noun): 1.) The state of being diverse; or having variety 2.) A range of
different things
Unity (noun): 1.) The state of being united or joined as a whole, especially in a
political context. 2.) Harmony or agreement between people or groups.
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Rubric is on the back!

Rubric
4/4 A: You have clear and concise topic sentence. You
support your topic sentence with at least 3 examples from
your charts. You have few, if any, spelling and grammar
mistakes. Lastly, your paragraph is appropriately
organized and finished with a conclusive statement.
3/4 B: You have a slightly flawed topic sentence or you
only use two facts to support your topic sentence. You
have several spelling or grammar mistakes and the
paragraph is mostly organized.
2/4 D: Your topic sentence is flawed or nonexistent. You
use only one fact from the chart to defend your answer.
You have many spelling or grammar mistakes and the
paragraph is not well organized.
1/4 E: You have no topic sentence. You do not use facts
from the chart. You have many spelling or grammar
mistakes and the paragraph is very unorganized.

Name:
Date:
Period:
Diversity or Unity of Europe
Question: After analyzing Europes human and physical geography, do you think
that Europe can best be described as a region of unity or diversity?
Vocabulary
Diversity (noun): 1.) The state of being diverse; or having variety 2.) A range of
different things
Unity (noun): 1.) The state of being united or joined as a whole, especially in a
political context. 2.) Harmony or agreement between people or groups.
Europe is mostly a region of (Diversity or Unity Circle one) because

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In conclusion, Europe is mostly a region of (Diversity or Unity Circle one).

Rubric is on the back!

Rubric
4/4 A: You have clear and concise topic sentence. You
support your topic sentence with at least 3 examples from
your charts. You have few, if any, spelling and grammar
mistakes. Lastly, your paragraph is appropriately
organized and finished with a conclusive statement.
3/4 B: You have a slightly flawed topic sentence or you
only use two facts to support your topic sentence. You
have several spelling or grammar mistakes and the
paragraph is mostly organized.
2/4 D: Your topic sentence is flawed or nonexistent. You
use only one fact from the chart to defend your answer.
You have many spelling or grammar mistakes and the
paragraph is not well organized.
1/4 E: You have no topic sentence. You do not use facts
from the chart. You have many spelling or grammar
mistakes and the paragraph is very unorganized.