This year you will be studying the geography of the world in which we live.  Right off the bat, think about what you already know about geography - it could be things you have learned in other classes at other grade levels, things you’ve heard from your parents, or things you’ve heard from teachers.  What comes to mind?  Is it maps?  Latitude and longitude?  What else?

 

Quite simply, “Geography” broken down means “to study the earth” and throughout your studies in the book, we are going to expand on this definition.

 

If you were to go home and ask your parents about geography they may have studied in school, they might say when they were students they memorized the states and capitals, or major countries in the world.  This is only one part of what geography really is however.  To study geography is to study where we are in the world; what the world around us is like.  It is the study of who lives there and why.  It can be the study of foods people eat, clothes they wear, cars they drive, and homes they live in.  It is the study of climate, land, economies, politics and culture.  Like many of the disciplines in the social sciences, it is a discipline that weaves the threads of the others.

 

When studying geography we are going to focus on two aspects - physical geography and human geography.  When we look at landforms, vegetation, climate, bodies of water such as rivers, lakes, and seas, we will be studying physical geography, the study of natural and physical characteristics.  Human geography is different but related.  It is the study of how people interact with the earth.  It also includes culture, migration patterns, and patterns of population.

 

The study of something often begins with a question.  This book itself is set around a series of questions, some smaller, some larger.  Over the course of this entire world geography book, you will explore one major question:  “How are we, as members of a global society, connected?”  In each section of this book, we will bring you back to this idea and have you record any new thoughts and ideas that occur to you based on what you have explored in this book and through class instruction and discussion.  You will be doing this as part of an interactive digital journal which you can view here.

 

While the teachers who have put this book together have provided some questions to focus your study, you will be asked and encouraged to come up with your own questions as well.  The process you will be guided through is known as inquiry - the act of seeking out information.

 

How are the people in the picture above dressed?  Why might people in this place wear clothing like this?  If you notice the fur hoods surrounding their faces you might think it is cold where they live.  If you investigated further,  you would learn that this is a historical photo of an Inupiat family from Alaska. It might lead you to ask more questions - are there times of the year when they would wear lighter clothing?  What is the average temperature during winter?  What is the average temperature during the summer months?  One question about why people dress the way they do could lead to a series of new inquiries in the desire to learn more.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

View the image gallery above - practice asking geographic questions based on the images shown.

 

 As you continue to study “the basics,” this chapter serves not just as an introduction to your studies this year, but also as a “how to use this book” in case this is your first time using a digital textbook to explore Social Studies.  You will have an opportunity to practice most of the things you will be asked to do in this book during this introductory chapter.  The last thing you will be asked to do is to once again revisit the question we posed at the start of this section.  This time, you are going to write a brief response.