I have designed this course as a college preparatory class. We will learn about the physical, political, and cultural geography of multiple continents worldwide. I have dedicated many hours and designed the curriculum to meet the Massachusetts Department of Education High School Standards for College Readiness and Career Success. Massachusetts is the #1 ranked state in the country for educational success in high school and higher education. 
    I love to make classes fun and engaging while teaching subjects vital to a student's success. Whether a student wants to be an engineer, doctor, lawyer, architect, nurse practitioner, astronaut, aviator, teacher, psychologist, scientist, writer, artist, travel agent, or anything else, geography plays a significant role in their field. The Geography study helps students develop skills in critical thinking, spatial recognition, cartography, understanding scientific and statistical data, cultural education and sensitivity, people skills, and writing. Below are things that we will cover in each continent. 
 
     -Physical Geography:

- Landmarks and physical characteristics on a map.
- Evaluation of the evidence of the past and current movements of continental and oceanic crust, the theory of plate tectonics, and the relative densities of continental rocks to explain why continental rocks are generally much older than rocks on the ocean floor.  
- Analyzation of geoscience data to back up the claim that one change in the Earth's hydrosphere can create feedbacks that cause changes to other Earth systems. 
-  Large volcanic eruptions and ocean circulation over 1-10 years.
- Changes in climate: temperature, precipitation patterns, glacial ice volumes, sea levels, and biosphere distribution. 
- How the physical properties of water are essential in mechanical and chemical mechanisms that affect Earth materials and surface processes. 
- Cycling of carbon throughout the ocean, atmosphere, soil, and biosphere and how carbon dioxide concentrations due to human activity have resulted in atmospheric and climate changes. 
- How the availability of key natural resources and changes due to variations in climate have influenced human activity. 
- How forecasts are made of the current global or regional climate change rate and associated future impacts on Earth systems. 

     -Political Geography:

- How boundaries between countries, states, and counties are made. 
- Whether the size of the country affects how powerful it is. 
- The part that area plays in the world economy. 
- How the area's natural resources are distributed worldwide and how that impacts trade and war. 
- The management of natural resources, including costs of extraction and waste management, per capita consumption, and the development of new technologies. 
- Levels of conservation, agricultural efficiency, urban development, and matters of health that governments oversee. 


     -Cultural Geography: 

- How the landscape of civilization impacts its culture and how a civilization impacts the landscape. 
- The relationships between natural resources, the sustainability of human populations, and culture. 
- Language.
- Religion. 
- Art. 
- Music.
- How a population's culture impacts their daily function in their environment. 
- Human impacts on nature and how cultures view nature and environmental conservation. 


     Below are the things that we will be covering in the first semester of World Geography.


---Week 1---


- Introductory week: Discussion of semester schedule, explanation of the course project that will be presented in the last few class sessions, the different parts of a map, various careers that are influenced by geography, the Techtonic Plate Theory, explanation of basic terms used in geography, and why geography is important science. 

---Week 2---


- Northern Africa- Physical Geography: The physical landmarks that make up the boundaries of Northern Africa, the Sinai Peninsula, the countries that comprise Northern Africa, climate and weather patterns, the farming techniques and well-produced goods, bodies of water, mountain ranges, deserts, and urban areas.  

- Northern Africa- Political Geography: The difference between "Northern Africa" and "North Africa,"  The Nile Water in Egypt, the goods that North Africa produces, the role that has played in politics, the effects that the African slave trade and colonization have had on the modern-day country, women in North Africa who are getting jobs in STEM fields, the HIV/Aids and Malaria epidemics. 

- Northern Africa- Cultural Geography: Who the earliest inhabitants of Africa were. The similarities and differences between the Arabic, Maghreb, and Nile Valley cultures. The musical culture of the coastal region and interior region of Northern Africa. The common religions: Islam, Judaism, Christianity, followers of the Baha'i faith, Zoroastrianism, and the Druze. How the economy impacts the different cultures in Northern Africa. Some of the forms of self-expression that cultures in Northern Africa choose to dress in and the meaning behind them. Tunisian architecture, cuisine, and the threats to the Tunisian culture. 

---Week 3---


- West Africa- Physical Geography: The physical landmarks that make up the boundaries of West Africa, the countries that comprise West Africa, climate and weather patterns, farming techniques and well-produced goods, bodies of water, urban areas, and physical landmarks of the region. 

- West Africa- Political Geography: The civil wars that have plagued West Africa, the effects that the African slave trade and colonization have had on the modern-day country, economic challenges that impact the well-being of every citizen, the increase in population, the importance of education to citizens of this region, the vital role that Timbuktu has played in this region, the abuse of power in areas of West Africa and what the governments are trying to do to control it, the Kingdom of Benin, the goods produced in West Africa and who owns them, the potential for West Africa to experience substantial economic growth through tourism. 

- Western Africa- Cultural Geography: The fantastic city of Timbuktu and the role that it has played in how important education is to the people in West Africa, the language that is quickly taking over the region, the musical unity throughout the area, the formal clothing of West Africa, the sports that are popular throughout the region, the history of the drum and its historical and modern-day significance, Sudano-Sahelian architectural style, and prevalent religions in the area. 

---Week 4---


- Central  Africa- Physical Geography: The physical landmarks that make up the boundaries of Central Africa, the countries that comprise Central Africa, climate and weather patterns, farming techniques and well-produced goods, bodies of water, urban areas, and physical landmarks of the region. 

- Central Africa- Political Geography: The economic challenges and the effects that they have on the cultural and political growth in Central Africa, The conflicts between Chad, the Central African Republic, and the surrounding countries, the effects that the African slave trade and colonization have had on the modern-day country, the refugee camps in the region, the limited opportunities available to women and the crimes committed against women in the Eastern Region of the Congo.

- Central Africa- Cultural Geography: A sport that unifies all economic classes in Central Africa, Other traditional sports enjoyed by the region, the importance of celebrating life in Central Africa, a typical drink that the region enjoys, the role that women fill in the region's society, the marriage practices of different regional cultures, the religions common among Central Africa, the food that Central Africa consumes more than any other region in the world. The Mbuti people's culture, including their architecture, food, and cultural government. The culture of Gabon: languages, religions, Gabon literature and arts, Performance arts, and the family structures that are most common in society. 


---Week 5---


- South Africa- Physical Geography: The physical landmarks that make up the boundaries of South Africa, the countries that comprise South Africa, climate and weather patterns, farming techniques and well-produced goods, bodies of water, urban areas, and physical landmarks of the region. 

- South Africa- Political Geography: The rapid population growth, the future hope of using natural resources to stabilize the economy and build more infrastructure, Foreign aid, the uninterrupted and stable political system of Botswana, the effects that the African slave trade and colonization have had on the modern-day country, the apartheid system the government put into practice and was made to dismantle in the 1990s, the HIV/AIDS epidemic.

- South Africa- Cultural Geography: The two largest African groups, the Xhosa and the Zulu people, the major metropolitan areas, the class divisions that affect all citizens, the soft spot that the people of South Africa have for soccer, and the Swazi People. The differences between Madagascar and the mainland. 


---Week 6---


- East Africa- Physical Geography: The physical landmarks that make up the boundaries of East Africa, the countries that comprise East Africa, climate and weather patterns, farming techniques and well-produced goods, bodies of water, urban areas, and physical landmarks of the region. 

- East Africa- Political Geography: The "Big Five" and the government's efforts to protect and preserve them, Kenya's capital and the role that it plays in East Africa's economy, the border war between Ethiopia and Eritrea, how the Somalian government kept colonialism out of its country until well after WWI, why the Somalian government has collapsed and who it is run by now. 

- East Africa- Cultural Geography: Where the English language is used, where the Swahili language is used, the importance of wildlife conservation to East Africa's citizens, how the majority of citizens make their living, the Ethiopian Orthodox Church and the calendar that Ethiopia uses, the shift from rural culture to urban culture in East Africa. The Kenyan Culture, Kenyan Architecture, food, a skill that Kenyan people are known for being the best at from others around the world, and threats to the culture. The culture of the Uganda people, cuisine, and architecture. The culture of Burundi, language, religion, literature, arts, cooking, sports, and the family structure in society. 


---Week 7---


- Australia- Physical Geography: The physical borders of Australia, the bodies of water, the multicultural cities, deserts, mountain ranges, physical landmarks of its geography, weather patterns, and the Outback. 

- Australia- Political Geography: The issues of control over Australian land and how that affects the Aboriginal people, the number one means of economic prosperity, the products that Australia has to have imported and what that means for the future of their economy, the issue of immigration, the international relationships that Australia has with other countries and lands. 

- Australia- Cultural Geography: the indigenous populations of Australia, where the other Australian people came from, their food and drink preferences, Arts and literature, music and one of their most famous instruments, traditional clothing, the culture of Port Douglas, the Australian version of football. 


---Week 8---


- New Zealand- Physical Geography: The North Island and the South Island, mountain ranges, different terrain, how the tectonic plates and tectonic plate action have affected the islands, the bodies of water,  weather patterns, and the agriculture that grows there. 

- New Zealand- Political Geography: How the government has made it possible for the Maori people to not conform to the modern-day Western culture of the rest of the islands, the crucial exports that help support New Zealand's economy, and how New Zealand's economy differs from others. 

- New Zealand- Cultural Geography: culture of the Maori people, their music, dance, and art forms, the different religions in the area, the Western culture that made its way to the islands in the 1800s, art, and culture of the New Zealand western culture, the importance of multiple sports to almost all people in the New Zealand area. 

---Week 9---

 Project Presentations.
 Last Day of Class- Cultural Celebration! Dress up respectfully as a member of a culture that we have studied. 


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