Impact of Climates

a WebQuest for High School Social Studies

by Barbara Robinson and Jane Luther

Introduction | Task | Process | Resources | Evaluation | Conclusion

Your group is an investigative news team for the local paper. You have been assigned to investigate the impact of climate on a specific region of the world. Each individual will assume a specific role and research the region's climate from that point of view. The group will create a one page newspaper on the impact climate has had on their region.

By the end of the WebQuest you should

• analyze the information gathered and summarize the impact climate has on the human geography of a specific world region;
• compile a portfolio of your findings: List of the characteristics of your climate zone, write a paragraph explaining the reasons your climate exists in this specified location, create a graph showing temperature and rainfall for a city in your specified region, complete a chart showing the cause and effect of climate in presented regions
• create a newspaper page explaining the characteristics and impact of your selected climate on a region of the world

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The Process

1. You will be assigned to a climate research team.
2. Your team will be assigned a climate type to study and each member will write a paragraph describing the climate and the geographic reasons for its existence in this area.
3. Each member will highlight the assigned climate on a blank world map.
4. Your team will select two regions in the world where your climate is dominant, they must be in different hemispheres, preferably in the northern and southern hemispheres.
5. Each member of the team will select a major city within the region and create a climate graph, showing the monthly temperature and rainfall for an entire year.
6. Each member will assume a role and research the impact of climate on the region. The three roles are: environmentalist, economist, and sociologist.
7. The team will create a one page newspaper, with articles highlighting their findings. The newspaper should include at least one article from each member and appropriate art, i.e. photographs, graphs, cartoons, etc.
8. You will read the newspapers created by all groups and complete a chart of climate region information. The teacher will supply the chart.

The Environmentalist will study how humans have changed the environment of a region based on the climate. You will be able to explain the natural vegetation of the region and how the environment is currently being used and/or abused.

The Economist will study the economic impact climate has on the specified region. You will need to explain the types of agriculture and industry that dominates your selected region and explain any climatic influences.

The Sociologist will study the cultural impact climate has on the specified region. You will need to be able to describe how the clothing, food, architecture of a selected country has been influenced by the climate. You will need to recommend a best time to travel to this region based on the climate.

Your grade will be composite score of the four components of the rubric.

Conclusion

 

Through your WebQuest, you should understand the significance of climate as a major influence on the physical and human geography of the world.

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