Writer’s note: This week, I’m kickin’ it old school and honoring #tbt (throwback Thursday) by dusting off a Fall 2010 blog post I wrote while interning at National Geographic. This post reveals its age. It was written a few months after the BP oil spill when scars from Katrina were still relatively fresh and when the world was recently pronounced flat. Like most good things … Continue reading #tbt: Geography—What do you do with that?
The natural world astonishes and inspires us. It’s the subject
of poetry, the cause of war, and is likely captured and framed on at least one
wall in your home.
Because nature is so important to all of us, today’s
Geography Awareness Week theme is “Physical Geography and the Environment,” and
we’re taking time to highlight the awesome forces of nature. Physical geography is the study of how the
Earth’s natural features (climate, soils, biodiversity, etc.) change over space
and time. However, these natural
processes aren’t purely natural, as humans are often the key instigators of
change. Thus, the second part of
physical geography looks at how humans redefine space and time through
technology, and the environmental impacts (and often degradation) that result.
To help you learn more about this fascinating and pertinent
topic of study, My Wonderful World’s offering some great online resources.
Begin by searching National
Geographic’s Earth Science page where you’ll find links to the latest earth
science topics (and some stellar photos, too).
See satellite images of environmental change on land through USGS’s Earthshots (but make sure to monitor changes
on the remaining 70% of the Earth’s surface with NOAA’s Integrated Ocean Observing System)! Next, make physical geography and oceanography
fun by piloting your own ROV underwater with the JASON
Project’s Resilient
Planet Game, and
Subscribe to this blog’s feed As you start to brainstorm activities for November’s Geography Awareness Week, think broadly! You may find it helpful to consider the full range of geographic sub-disciplines and related ‘areas of inquiry’ in your planning. Our friend Matt Rosenberg over at About.com: Geography has compiled a concise, easily accessible list of many of these in his recent post “Branches of Geography” … Continue reading “Branches of Geography”
Here’s a new spin on “physical geography.” At Sequoia Middle School in Fontana, California, a teacher’s unique program links phys ed, geography, math, and world history. From the Fontana Herald News: Several students at Sequoia Middle School are “running around the world,” and along the way, they’re learning about the cities, states and countries they’re passing through. Read more, then tell us what you think. … Continue reading Have Your Students Run Around the Globe
Physical geography is the study of processes that shape the Earth’s surface. All of the rivers, mountains, fields, and valleys that make up our neighborhoods (and cities and states and countries) add up to create the physical geography of our planet. And the African continent has one of the most unique physical geographies in the world: the world’s largest desert and longest river, plus mountains, … Continue reading Africa’s Physical Landscapes
