Ninth-grade Social Studies-ELA-R Inquiry Unit - Topic: Human Geography (applied in the Denton Community)

Essential Question(s):

• How does where you live affect how you live?
• In what ways do humans interact with one another?

Resources for this Unit 

Lessons:

Open

Immerse

Explore

Identify

Gather

Create

Share

Evaluate

9th-grade World History – Human Geography – TEKS: http://ritter.tea.state.tx.us/rules/tac/chapter113/ch113c.html

§113.43. World Geography Studies (One Credit), Beginning with School Year 2011-2012.

(c) Knowledge and skills.

(1) History. The student understands how geography and processes of spatial exchange (diffusion) influenced events in the past and helped to shape the present. The student is expected to:

(A) analyze the effects of physical and human geographic patterns and processes on the past and describe their impact on the present, including significant physical features and environmental conditions that influenced migration patterns and shaped the distribution of culture groups today; and

(B) trace the spatial diffusion of phenomena such as the Columbian Exchange or the diffusion of American popular culture and describe the effects on regions of contact.

(5) Geography. The student understands how political, economic, and social processes shape cultural patterns and characteristics in various places and regions. The student is expected to:

(B) interpret political, economic, social, and demographic indicators (gross domestic product per capita, life expectancy, literacy, and infant mortality) to determine the level of development and standard of living in nations using the terms Human Development Index, less developed, newly industrialized, and more developed.

(9) Geography. The student understands the concept of region as an area of Earth's surface with related geographic characteristics. The student is expected to:

(A) identify physical and/or human factors such as climate, vegetation, language, trade networks, political units, river systems, and religion that constitute a region; and

(10) Economics. The student understands the distribution, characteristics, and interactions of the economic systems in the world. The student is expected to:

(A) describe the forces that determine the distribution of goods and services in free enterprise, socialist, and communist economic systems;

(C) compare the ways people satisfy their basic needs through the production of goods and services such as subsistence agriculture versus commercial agriculture or cottage industries versus commercial industries; and

(11) Economics. The student understands how geography influences economic activities. The student is expected to:

(A) understand the connections between levels of development and economic activities (primary, secondary, tertiary, and quaternary);

(B) identify the factors affecting the location of different types of economic activities, including subsistence and commercial agriculture, manufacturing, and service industries; and

(C) assess how changes in climate, resources, and infrastructure (technology, transportation, and communication) affect the location and patterns of economic activities.

(14) Government. The student understands the processes that influence political divisions, relationships, and policies. The student is expected to:

(A) analyze current events to infer the physical and human processes that lead to the formation of boundaries and other political divisions;

(16) Culture. The student understands how the components of culture affect the way people live and shape the characteristics of regions. The student is expected to:

(B) describe elements of culture, including language, religion, beliefs and customs, institutions, and technologies;

(D) compare life in a variety of urban and rural areas in the world to evaluate political, economic, social, and environmental changes.

(17) Culture. The student understands the distribution, patterns, and characteristics of different cultures. The student is expected to:

(B) describe major world religions, including animism, Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Islam, Judaism, and Sikhism, and their spatial distribution;

(20) Science, technology, and society. The student understands how current technology affects human interaction. The student is expected to:

(A) describe the impact of new information technologies such as the Internet, Global Positioning System (GPS), or Geographic Information Systems (GIS); and

(21) Social studies skills. The student applies critical-thinking skills to organize and use information acquired from a variety of valid sources, including electronic technology. The student is expected to:

(A) analyze and evaluate the validity and utility of multiple sources of geographic information such as primary and secondary sources, aerial photographs, and maps;

(C) create and interpret different types of maps to answer geographic questions, infer relationships, and analyze change.

(22) Social studies skills. The student communicates in written, oral, and visual forms. The student is expected to:

(A) design and draw appropriate graphics such as maps, diagrams, tables, and graphs to communicate geographic features, distributions, and relationships;

(C) use geographic terminology correctly;

(D) use standard grammar, spelling, sentence structure, and punctuation; and

(E) create original work using proper citations and understanding and avoiding plagiarism.

(23) Social studies skills. The student uses problem-solving and decision-making skills, working independently and with others, in a variety of settings. The student is expected to:

(B) use case studies and GIS to identify contemporary challenges and to answer real-world questions; and

(C) use problem-solving and decision-making processes to identify a problem, gather information, list and consider options, consider advantages and disadvantages, choose and implement a solution, and evaluate the effectiveness of the solution.

9th-Grade TEKS – ELA-R - http://ritter.tea.state.tx.us/rules/tac/chapter110/ch110c.html

§110.31. English Language Arts and Reading, English I (One Credit), Beginning with School Year 2009-2010.

(20) Research/Research Plan. Students ask open-ended research questions and develop a plan for answering them. Students are expected to:

(A) brainstorm, consult with others, decide upon a topic, and formulate a major research question to address the major research topic; and

(B) formulate a plan for engaging in research on a complex, multi-faceted topic.

(21) Research/Gathering Sources. Students determine, locate, and explore the full range of relevant sources addressing a research question and systematically record the information they gather. Students are expected to:

(A) follow the research plan to compile data from authoritative sources in a manner that identifies the major issues and debates within the field of inquiry;

(B) organize information gathered from multiple sources to create a variety of graphics and forms (e.g., notes, learning logs); and

(C) paraphrase, summarize, quote, and accurately cite all researched information according to a standard format (e.g., author, title, page number).

(22) Research/Synthesizing Information. Students clarify research questions and evaluate and synthesize collected information. Students are expected to:

(A) modify the major research question as necessary to refocus the research plan;

(B) evaluate the relevance of information to the topic and determine the reliability, validity, and accuracy of sources (including Internet sources) by examining their authority and objectivity; and

(C) critique the research process at each step to implement changes as the need occurs and is identified.

(23) Research/Organizing and Presenting Ideas. Students organize and present their ideas and information according to the purpose of the research and their audience. Students are expected to synthesize the research into a written or an oral presentation that:

(A) marshals evidence in support of a clear thesis statement and related claims;

(B) provides an analysis for the audience that reflects a logical progression of ideas and a clearly stated point of view;

(C) uses graphics and illustrations to help explain concepts where appropriate;

(D) uses a variety of evaluative tools (e.g., self-made rubrics, peer reviews, teacher and expert evaluations) to examine the quality of the research; and

(E) uses a style manual (e.g., Modern Language Association, Chicago Manual of Style) to document sources and format written materials.