What I Need to Know to Successfully Teach

– Sample Pages are from the What I Need to Know to Successfully Teach
World Geography to ALL Students book (teacher book).
– This book contains the content in the student book, the reformatted
Standards for Students, plus strategies and tips for teaching the content
and answers to all the worksheets and activities.
– There are 155 pages in the WINK teacher book and sixty in the student
book.
– Included samples are:
1) Reformatted Standards for Students (as in teacher book). This
document will need to be copied for students since the student book
did not have room for this critical section of the book.
2) Student Worksheet with Answers (worksheets without answers are in
the student book
3) Student Worksheet with maps (as in teacher—and student—book)
4) Strategy from the Strategies section of the teacher book (twentyfour strategies total)
Please note: Sample pages have been put into PDF so that fonts and graphics will transfer
electronically—and are thus a bit smaller than the actual print. All samples are copyrighted materials.
Contact Information:
Bobbie J. Cutlip
Gary L. Cutlip
PO Box 2463
Abingdon, VA 24212
bobbiecutlip@comcast.net
gary.dreaming@comcast.net
276 623-1617 or 276 356-3204 (phone)
703 997-4331 (fax)
Bobbie J. Cutlip
What I Need to Know…WG
BASIC GEOGRAPHIC SKILLS
What are some uses of latitude
and longitude?


How is relative location used to
describe places?
Ways mental maps can be
developed and refined
 Comparing sketch maps to
maps in atlases or other
resources
 Describing the location of
places in terms of reference
points (e.g., the equator, prime
meridian)
 Describing the location of
places in terms of geographic
features and land forms (e.g.,
west of the Mississippi River,
north of the Gulf of Mexico)
 Describing the location of
places in terms of the human
characteristics of a place (e.g.,
languages, types of housing,
dress, recreation, customs and
traditions)
WG-1a
Geographic information may be
acquired from a variety of sources.
Geographic information supports
the process of inquiry into the
nature of countries, cities, and
environments.
Using a variety of sources
supports the process of geographic
inquiry.
How does using a variety of
sources support the process of
geographic inquiry?
Variety of sources
 GIS (Geographic Information
Systems)
 Field work
 Satellite images
 Photographs
 Maps, globes
 Data bases
 Primary sources
 Diagrams
WG-1b
Latitude and longitude define
absolute location.
Relative location describes the
spatial relationships between and
among places.
Areas can be represented using a
variety of scales.
The amount of detail shown on a
map is dependent on the scale
used.
Why are different scales
necessary for developing map
representations?
Why is a directional indicator
(e.g., compass rose) necessary
on a map?
How do maps distort spatial
relationships when compared
with the globe?
Concepts
 Scale
 Absolute location
 Latitude
 Longitude
 Relative location
 Orientation
 Map distortion
 Map projections
 Mercator
 Robinson
 Polar
WG-1c
Mental maps are based on
objective knowledge and
subjective perceptions.
People develop and refine their
mental maps through both
personal experience and learning.
Mental maps serve as indicators of
how well people know the spatial
characteristics of certain places.
How do people use mental maps
to organize information?
How are perceptions reflected in
mental maps?
A directional indicator (e.g.,
compass rose) identifies map
orientation.
How can mental maps be
developed and refined?
Maps distort spatial relationships
when compared with the globe.
Uses of mental maps
 Carry out daily activities (e.g.,
route to school, shopping)
58
Give directions to others
Understand world events
WG-1d
A map is a visual representation of
geographic information.
What are ways that maps show
information?
What are the major types of
thematic maps?
Standard ways that maps show
information
 Symbols
 Color
 Lines
 Boundaries
 Contours
Types of thematic maps
Population (e.g., distribution
and density)
 Economic activity
 Resource
 Language
 Ethnicity
 Climate
 Precipitation
 Vegetation
 Physical
 Political

Virginia Department of Education 2008 Curriculum Framework for World Geography, as arranged by Bobbie J. Cutlip
REGIONAL CONCEPTS (WG-3)
The geographical theme, region, is used to simplify the study of the earth’s geography.
What are Physical Regions?
(Regions simplify the world for study and
understanding.)
Sahara Desert region – area with

arid (desert) climate; located in
northern Africa; it is getting larger
(desertification).
Taiga region – the areas with large

coniferous* forests; located in the
subarctic climate areas of Canada
(North America) and Siberian Russia
(Asia).
*meaning cone bearing
Rainforests – areas of lush

vegetation located in the tropical
rainforest climate zones (low latitude);
found on or near the equator latitude
line; most are suffering from
deforestation.
Great Plains – an area of

grasslands found in the central area
of North America; it is an area of great
agricultural activity (wheat belt, dairy
belt); it is also where tornado alley is
found.
Low Countries – regions of the

world that are either at sea level
(0 feet) or below sea level in
elevation. Examples: Bangladesh
(South Asia) and Netherlands
(Europe).
What are Cultural Regions?
 Language:
 Latin America – Spanish speaking; an exception is Brazil
which is Portuguese speaking.
 Francophone world – is comprised of more than 40 French
speaking countries or regions in the world.
 Ethnic:
 Chinatowns – many major cities have sections where a
large percentage of the residents are of Asian ethnic
background. Ex: New York City
 Kurdistan – an area in the Middle East that includes a
portion of Turkey, Syria, Jordan, Iraq, and the former Soviet
Union; home of the Kurds, who would like their own nation—
and have declared a capital and even has its own flag.
 Religion:
 Islam – religion that is dominant in the Middle East; also
dominant in the country Indonesia.
 Buddhism – religion that is dominant in Asia.
 Economic:
 Wheat Belt – areas where large quantities of wheat are
grown easily; found in the Great Plains area of the United
States and also in the North European Plain of Europe.
 European Union (EU) – an economic organization of
European countries to eliminate trade barriers.
 Political:
 North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) –an
organization of countries the members of which agree to help
provide security for one another.
 African Union (AU) – an organization of African countries
that eliminates African trade barriers and tries to promote
democracy in Africa.
Regional names and identities may change over time. People have changed their perceptions of the following:

Middle East – the region may also be called Southwest Asia; many in the world identify it as the Arab
world because of the large numbers of people living in the region that are of the Arab ethnic group.
Sun Belt – the southern section of the United States.

It stretches from southern California to southern
Florida. Because of the mild climate, it has become the fastest growing region of the United States.

Rust Belt – the area in the United States just to the south of the Great Lakes.
The area was once an
industrial center, but has become less populated and industrialized because of the great migration to the
Sun Belt. It is named for the many abandoned, rusting buildings that are found in the region.
© Cross /Cutlip
11
What I Need to Know… WG-3
SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA (WG-4)
Identify the following:
(Use map resource)
Sahara Desert
22
8
3
B
6.
1
7.
8. Democratic Republic
of Congo
17
23
4
16
5
15.
16.
17.
18.
Niger River
Zambezi River
Indian Ocean
Red Sea
19.
20.
21.
22.
23.
Tanzania
10. Botswana
11. Madagascar
12. Ethiopia
9.
Deserts:
13.
14
Bodies of Water:
20
11
10
13
5.
12
9
21
Mozambique
South Africa
Nigeria
Sudan
4.
7
6
15
1. Kenya
2. Chad
3. Gabon
18
2
A
Countries:
19
14.
Namib
Kalahari
C
Nile River
Lake Tanganyika
Atlantic Ocean
Lake Victoria
Congo River
Cities:
A.
Dakar
B. Lagos
C.
Johannesburg
COUNTRIES
The most important countries in Africa are South Africa, Gabon, Botswana, Democratic Republic of Congo,
Sudan, Chad, Mozambique, Madagascar, Nigeria, Ethiopia, Tanzania, and Kenya. The level of importance of
each is determined by GDP, land size, and population.
GDP
Gross domestic product refers
to the total value of goods and
services produced in a country
in one year.
 South Africa
 Gabon
 Botswana
© Cross/Cutlip
Land Size
Land size refers to the total square
miles or kilometers of a country.
 Democratic Republic of Congo
 Sudan
 Chad
 Mozambique
 Madagascar
48
Population
Population refers to the total
number of people living in a country.
 Nigeria
 Ethiopia
 Democratic Republic of Congo
 South Africa
 Tanzania
 Kenya
WG-4 (Sub-Saharan Africa)
Strategy #14: Summarize It!
(All content)
Many of the standards for World Geography are basic with the content presented as listings and
not necessarily in-depth. We have found that students have difficulty grasping these basic
concepts if not instructed with background information. For example, students might remember
that Hinduism is practiced primarily in India if they learn background information on the major
components of Hinduism. We have found it advantageous to take classroom time to summarize the
major conflicts, types of government systems, types of economic systems, and the religions of the
world. This strategy is effective as a summary following instruction on each of the topics. Our
students love summary pages and often refer to them as study guides.
This type of summary sheet also makes learning this type of information easier to learn by using
the summary sheet for an overview or pre-teaching activity. For some students this may be just
the tool to make some of the world issues click. Once given the larger picture of the subject, the
details become manageable. Once students see a visual of major world conflicts or see the major
types of governments or world religions, they can refer to them as they try to build the neural
networks for constructing their own knowledge banks.
One additional advantage of developing and using summary sheets such as these is for students
who need to go beyond the basics of the standards. These sheets work well for students with
expanded interests, as well as for group projects. Some students may even “serve as your teaching
assistants” by developing summary sheets such as these on other topics. It’s an excellent
challenge for the students—and might even provide you with a usable sheet for other classes.
(This type activity might make an optional choice in the Tic Tac Toe strategy.)
© Cross/Cutlip
113
What I Need to Know…WG