5 Themes of Geography

5 Themes of Geography 
1. Location
2. Place
3. Region
4. Movement
5. Human Environment Interaction

Location
Absolute-specific using longitude and latitude 
Relative- general area such as next to the school or down the road
To teach: give students a coordinate on the map of NY and have them find the absolute location of the place. For relative location give the students a place that they are all familiar with such as the school or supermarket and ask them to name things around there that would help someone locate it. 

Place
An area defined by its features that make it unique from other places.
To teach: give students a list a familiar places such as the school, park, baseball field or their house and ask them to describe its features that make it unique from other places. They can discuss the windows, doors, color, nature around it, and its size. 

Region
An area that is defined by certain similar characteristics. Characteristics can be physical, natural, human, or cultural.
To teach: Tell students that where the live in upstate NY is a region which is defined by its similar characteristics. For example if students know where Goshen and Albany are they can say that these have similar characteristics such as the leaves changing at the same time, both areas get a lot of snow, and people tend to have a New York accent. 

Movement
This is the way people, products, information, and ideas move from one place to another. It can be global or local.
To teach: Ask students questions such as how they got to school, or how their parents get them from point A to point B. You can also ask them how did Christopher Columbus reach the new world. A question about products could be how does food get from China to the United States? 

Human-Envorinment Interaction

The relationship between people and their environment; how people adapt to the environment and how they change it.
To teach: ask students questions about how people depend on the environment such as what did farmers need to plant in order to eat and survive? Ask students how people adapt to the environment such as moving from an area where the weather is cold to where the weather is warmer. And how do people modify the environment such as building new houses or places by cutting down trees to make room.