5.1 - Introduction to Agriculture

Introduction - You might be wondering why I didn’t start this at the beginning of the school year. Well, I came up with the idea yesterday! This will be a process, and it will improve over time, but I hope you can use, adapt, and modify any and all the resources. With any of the links, please feel free to use or make a copy and edit them yourself. The vast majority of my lessons have come from other people and resources, so I am all for sharing. That is why I decided to create this! All I am doing is sharing them with you in a clear and concise way. If you have any suggestions for making this better, please let me know. Thanks!

Quote - “Never be heard complaining, not even to yourself.” This is a quote from the book *Meditations* by Marcus Aurelius. I am a big fan of Stoic philosophy! As we come back from winter break, it is not uncommon to hear complaints, which I understand because I also enjoy some time off. However, I never want to be the person who is heard complaining, so that quote is a good reminder.

Where in the World #1? - I use these as warm-up activities. I display them on the projector when my students come in, and it gives us a few minutes to talk. This way, students learn a bit about other countries. The country facts also allow me to discuss past, current, and future content.

Geography Fun Fact - The Dead Sea is currently 429 meters below sea level and is sinking at a rate of about 1 meter per year.

Current Event - What I enjoy most about teaching AP Human Geography is that it's up-to-date! So, why not include some current events in your lessons? I don't set aside class time specifically for current events assignments, but I do talk about them with my students when they connect to what we're learning.

Bell Ringers -I like to use "think, pair, share" activities at the start of class. I do this after my "Where in the World" activity.

Essential Knowledge

• Agricultural practices are influenced by the physical environment and climatic conditions, such as the Mediterranean climate and tropical climates.

• Intensive farming practices include market gardening, plantation agriculture, and mixed crop/livestock systems.

• Extensive farming practices include shifting cultivation, nomadic herding and ranching.

Learning Objective - Explain the connection between physical geography and agricultural practices.

Notes - I only use my note guides to go over the reading guides we assign. We use the National Geographic book, which is great! Right now, I don't have any note guides, but if people are interested, I could make some.

Lesson of the Day - I really enjoy GeoInquiries! They also come with a teacher guide and a student worksheet, which makes things simple. This matches topic 5.1 in the CED.

Additional Resource - I have my students write responses to the prompts as if they are writing an actual FRQ. I use the discussion feature in Schoology.

• Describe climate.

• Identify the ideal climate for potatoes.

• Explain the relationship between climate and agriculture.

Teacher Tip - Welcome your students back from winter break with a positive attitude. Get to know them again, ask about their break, and don't feel the need to dive directly into content.