This document introduces geography tools and their uses. It contains 24 pages that describe different types of maps, charts, and diagrams such as bar graphs, pie charts, and thematic maps. It explains how to interpret these tools and provides examples of tourism data, phone usage over time, and weather maps. Students are asked to complete activities like labeling maps, converting units, and discussing metric systems. The goal is to help students learn how to understand and create various geography tools to display information.
3. Geography tools
What do you know about geography tools?
In five minutes write a list of tools that you know and
then the teacher will tell you to add some of your
ideas on the class Interactive Whiteboard (IWB).
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4. Geography tools
Now you will be shown different types of maps, charts
and geographic data.
Discuss what each of them is useful for.
You can check new words in an online dictionary or
download the unit glossary.
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14. Geography tools
In pairs decide which of the former maps best shows
the information suggested below:
World language families
●How a delta is growing
●How much of the Amazon has been destroyed
●Population density
●The distance between two cities
●A railway line
●Climatic areas in the USA
●Administrative boundaries
●Economic production
●
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15. Geography tools
Find information about the weather in Spain, Argentina,
the United Kingdom, India or Australia.
Choose a blank map from geography.about.com and use
an image edition programme (Paint, Gimp, Photoshop...)
and made a thematic map that represents the information
obtained. Remember to include the scale, legend,
orientation symbols and even coordinates.
Alternatively, you can print the blank map and make it by
hand.
Hand or send the resulting map to your teacher.
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16. Geography tools
Now choose an example of how maps help us understand
information: comparing features, showing historical events,
human activity, the weather, economy, etc.
You'll have to show and explain it to your classmates and
teacher.
Look at this example:
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17. Geography tools
In pairs you'll have to choose some type of information and
show it on a blank map of Europe. No other pair in your class
should show the same type of information:
You may show: the weather, climatic areas, historical events
(wars, population...), ancient civilisations, languages, crops,
economy, altitude, economic sectors, human activity, etc. You
may go to Wikipedia to get the information chosen but you
should mention where you got it from.
Download your map of Europe from Wikimedia Commons.
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18. Geography tools
The metric system is not used in the UK or the USA. Imperial
units are used in the UK so it's useful to be familiar with the
equivalences. Find the metric units that are used for the same
purpose:
●Yard ↔
●Inch ↔
●Ounce ↔
●Mile ↔
●Pound ↔
●Gallon ↔
●Pint ↔
●º Farenheit ↔
●Foot ↔
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19. Geography tools
Now use a unit conversion website to calculate common
measurements:
Your height
●The area / length of your classroom
●The area / length of your bedroom
●The distance between your house and the school
●The temperature in your classroom
●The temperature outside
●Your weight
●The length of your notebook
●The speed of a fast car
●
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20. Geography tools
In this part of the unit we are going to learn about charts. Can
these charts be used for the same type of information? Why?
Tourists in Spain
Tourists in Spain
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25
Italy
France
Germany
UK
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Italy
France
Germany
UK
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10
5
0
2008
Mobile phone lines in Spain
60000000
50000000
40000000
30000000
20000000
10000000
0
1999
2001
2003
2005
2007
2009
2011
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21. Geography tools
Using a word processor, try
to make a chart to depict
some data about
population, the weather or
history.
Remember to include the
legend, the data, several
types of data and a title.
Send it to your teacher in a
.odt or .doc document.
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22. Geography tools
For your final task you will have to take part in a discussion
about the metric system.
Before starting the debate, write down five positive and five
negative aspects of the metric system in your notebook. Be
creative and think of other measurement systems.
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23. Geography tools
Final revision and reinforcement:
● Glossary
● Hot Potatoes revision test
● Crosswords
● Basic definitions
●Text about climate change
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