Topic: Contemporary sources of geographic knowledge

Addressee

Secondary school student of the first grade

Core curriculum

I. Geographical knowledge.

2. Familiarizing with various sources and methods of acquiring geographical information

General aim of education

The student will learn where to get geographic knowledge

Key competences

• communication in foreign languages;

• digital competence;

• learning to learn.

Criteria for success
The student will learn:

• tell basic sources of geographic information;

• give examples of the application of geographical knowledge in life.

Methods/techniques

• expository

  • talk.

• activating

  • discussion.

• programmed

  • with computer;

  • with e‑textbook.

• practical

  • exercices concerned.

Forms of work

• individual activity;

• activity in pairs;

• activity in groups;

• collective activity.

Teaching aids

• e‑textbook;

• interactive whiteboard, tablets/computers.

Lesson plan overview

Before classes

• Students get acquainted with the content of the abstract. They prepare to work on the lesson in such a way to be able to summarize the material read in their own words and solve the tasks themselves.

Introduction

• The teacher informs students about the goals of the lesson.

• Begins classes from the brainstorming method. He asks students the question: Where can we derive geographic knowledge? He asks that they put their suggestions on the interactive board by command 1. Eager learners write their proposals. After the creative phase, information verification and discussion take place.

Realization

• The teacher explains that geographic knowledge has been collected and processed for thousands of years. He asks students to give examples from the distant past. Talk.

• The teacher refers students to the contents of the manual. It asks for the division and characterization of sources of knowledge into direct and indirect sources. Indicates people to discuss these issues in the class forum. Other students can complement their colleagues' statements.

• The teacher asks students to solve exercise 1 together on an interactive whiteboard. Their task is to match geographic information sources with appropriate resources. The interactive board is approached by willing pupils, the others verify the correctness of the answer.

• The teacher emphasizes that the use of the geographic information system GIS is a special way of acquiring knowledge. This system is used to collect, present and analyze any information about the Earth or its fragment in an extremely attractive way.

• Using the internet, encyclopedia and maps included in the geographical atlas, find some information:
  - Find the name of the capital of Tanzania in three sources and provide information on which sources you have used / used.
  - Find the name and height of Kenya's highest peak.
  - Search for the names of all countries bordering Ethiopia.
  Measure how much time it takes to search for specific messages in each of these sources. Compare the answers you've received and the time spent to get them.

Summary

• The teacher asks: If there was going to be a test on the material we have covered today, what questions do you think would you have to answer? If the students do not manage to name all the most important questions, the teacher may complement their suggestions.

Homework

• Listen to the abstract recording at home. Pay attention to pronunciation, accent and intonation. Learn to pronounce the words learned during the lesson.

The following terms and recordings will be used during this lesson

Terms

Texts and recordings

Contemporary sources of geographic knowledge

People have been acquiring, accumulating and processing knowledge about our planet for thousands of years. The sources of geographic knowledge can be divided into direct and indirect.

Direct sources are:

• observation (e.g. changes in the type of vegetation with altitude in the mountains);

• measurements (e.g. weather elements: air temperature and humidity, precipitation, atmospheric pressure);

• photographs (e.g. taken during observations, documenting a phenomenon, aerial photography, satellite images);

• mapping: putting new information acquired during field observations and measurements on to maps.

Indirect sources are:

• Internet: the largest and most easily available source of knowledge; however, it requires to be used with prudence;

• maps: a very important source of knowledge that you will learn about and analyse and use in many geography lessons;

• printed materials: conveying information through words, illustrations and numbers; the most important include textbooks, dictionaries, encyclopaedias, travel books, tourist guides and statistical yearbooks or other statistical data collections;

• digital files: nowadays, publishing houses, offices and other institutions often publish their content digitally (just like our e‑reader);

• videos and photos: valuable sources of knowledge that may show e.g. geographical phenomena occurring in distant regions of the globe.

At the end of the class, do the following exercise.