1. Review physical features and their importance.
Ask students to think back to Lesson 1 of this unit, in which they created borders based on the information given on several maps. The features on those maps included religions, mountains, rivers, and languages. Ask: Which of the features on those maps were physical features? (mountains, rivers) Students may understand this distinction, or they might need some clarification about the difference between physical and cultural features. Point out that in the next three lessons of this unit, students will focus on physical features, and that cultural, or human, features will be addressed later in the unit. Ask: How would physical features be important for defining countries? Do you think country borders should line up with physical features? Why or why not? If students have difficulty answering, prompt them with questions about travel, communication, growing food, and other things that people in every region would need to do.
2. Introduce key vocabulary in the reading passage.
Use the Background and Vocabulary tab in this activity to do some vocabulary pre-work. Read aloud terms and definitions that are critical to understanding the reading passage. Ask students to use them in complete sentences and/or to provide examples of them in order to demonstrate understanding.
3. Have pairs read a passage about mountains, rivers, and vegetation in Europe.
Divide the class into pairs and give each pair a copy of the reading passage Interactions of Land and Water in Europe. Have partners read the passage, underlining or highlighting each proper name of a physical feature of Europe as they read. If students need additional support, project the worksheet and model underlining physical features in the first paragraph.
4. Have small groups locate features from the reading on maps and label them.
Combine pairs to form small groups. Distribute copies of the worksheet Analyzing Interactions of Land and Water, and the maps Natural Vegetation of Europe and Physical Map of Europe, to each small group. Have groups complete Part 1 of the worksheet by locating and labeling features from the reading passage on the maps.
5. As a whole class, compare maps and answer questions about the reading.
Distribute copies of the map Country Borders in Europe to each group. Work together as a whole class to complete Part 2 of the worksheet. Compare the map Country Borders in Europe to the Physical Map of Europe and Natural Vegetation of Europe maps. Then discuss the questions and have students write their answers. Finally, use the map transparencies to show the class how borders and physical features do or do not line up.
6. Have small groups complete a writing assignment.
Have students return to their small groups to complete Part 3 of the worksheet. Ask each group to choose one of the three scenarios and work cooperatively to write a paragraph. Ask each group to present their writing, supporting their points with maps, as needed.
Informal Assessment
Check for student understanding by observing discussion and presentation contributions, and by evaluating completed worksheets and writing. Students should refer to factual information in the reading and to specific geographic locations, features, and borders in their discussions and writing.
Extending the Learning
Have students make connections to mountains, rivers, and vegetation in your local area.
Subjects & Disciplines
- English Language Arts
- Geography
Learning Objectives
Students will:
- learn the locations of major rivers, mountain ranges, and vegetation of Europe
- explore how these physical features line up with country borders in Europe
Teaching Approach
- Learning-for-use
Teaching Methods
- Cooperative learning
- Discussions
- Hands-on learning
- Reading
- Writing
Skills Summary
This activity targets the following skills:
-
21st Century Student Outcomes
- Learning and Innovation Skills
-
Critical Thinking Skills
- Analyzing
- Understanding
- Geographic Skills
Connections to National Standards, Principles, and Practices
IRA/NCTE Standards for the English Language Arts
- Standard 1: Students read a wide range of print and nonprint texts to build an understanding of texts, of themselves, and of the cultures of the United States and the world; to acquire new information; to respond to the needs and demands of society and the workplace; and for personal fulfillment. Among these texts are fiction and nonfiction, classic and contemporary works.
- Standard 5: Students employ a wide range of strategies as they write and use different writing process elements appropriately to communicate with different audiences for a variety of purposes.
National Geography Standards
- Standard 1: How to use maps and other geographic representations, geospatial technologies, and spatial thinking to understand and communicate information
- Standard 3: How to analyze the spatial organization of people, places, and environments on Earth's surface
- Standard 4: The physical and human characteristics of places
- Standard 7: The physical processes that shape the patterns of Earth's surface
ISTE Standards for Students (ISTE Standards*S)
- Standard 2: Communication and Collaboration
What You’ll Need
Materials You Provide
- Highlighters
- Map transparencies
- Pencils
- Pens
Required Technology
- Internet Access: Required
- Tech Setup: 1 computer per classroom, Projector
Physical Space
- Classroom
Grouping
- Large-group instruction
- Small-group instruction
Other Notes
Before starting the activity, make transparencies of key maps. Print the following maps on transparency paper: Physical Map of Europe, Natural Vegetation of Europe, and Country Borders in Europe.
Background Information
Climate is the most influential component of the physical environment at the global scale, as it dictates the supply of energy and water at Earth’s surface. Europe’s temperatures are generally milder than would be expected for its latitudinal location. Europe in general is a well-watered region, receiving adequate precipitation for humid climates; there are no deserts in Europe. Europe has a variety of major vegetation zones, including semidesert, grass steppe, shrub (wooded) steppe, tundra, boreal forest, mountain forest and Alpine meadow, Mediterranean scrubland, and Mediterranean forest, as well as mixed forest. The Alps mountain range forms part of France, Italy, Switzerland, Germany, Austria, Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Serbia, and Albania. The Alpine peaks separate European regions and are the source of many of Europe’s major rivers, such as the Rhône, Rhine, Po, and many tributaries of the Danube.
Humans have had a negative impact on the zone of mixed forest that once stretched across the continent from Great Britain and Ireland to central Europe. Approximately 80 percent of Europe’s land was once forested. But in the early 21st century, forests covered only about 30 percent of the continent. In southern Europe, Mediterranean vegetation is very distinctive. It includes evergreen trees, shrubs, and scrub, or stunted trees and shrubs. The wooded-steppe and grass-steppe vegetation zones are found primarily in southwestern Russia and Ukraine. Semidesert vegetation is found in the dry lowland near the northern and northwestern shores of the Caspian Sea.
Prior Knowledge
- None
Recommended Prior Activities
- None
Vocabulary
the art and science of cultivating land for growing crops (farming) or raising livestock (ranching).
land covered by evergreen trees in cool, northern latitudes. Also called taiga.
all weather conditions for a given location over a period of time.
geographic territory with a distinct name, flag, population, boundaries, and government.
area of land that receives no more than 25 centimeters (10 inches) of precipitation a year.
ecosystem filled with trees and underbrush.
usable energy generated by moving water converted to electricity.
slow-flowing river ecosystem usually found in lower altitudes.
symbolic representation of selected characteristics of a place, usually drawn on a flat surface.
landmass that forms as tectonic plates interact with each other.
series or chain of mountains that are close together.
naturally occurring geographic characteristics.
any area on Earth with one or more common characteristics. Regions are the basic units of geography.
base level for measuring elevations. Sea level is determined by measurements taken over a 19-year cycle.
buying, selling, or exchanging of goods and services.
cold, treeless region in Arctic and Antarctic climates.
all the plant life of a specific place.
Articles & Profiles
- National Geographic Education: Europe—Resources
- National Geographic Education: Europe—Physical Geography
Maps
- NG MapMaker Interactive: Europe
- National Geographic Education: Europe MapMaker Kit
- NG Education: MapMaker Interactive: Europe—Land Cover
- NG Education: MapMaker Interactive: Europe—Satellite Map
- NG MapMaker 1-Page Map: Europe
Websites
Tips & Modifications
Modification
Have students use the Cornell Note Taking method with the reading passage. Click here to find and download a blank Cornell Note Taking worksheet.
-
Physical Geography of Europe
Students are introduced to the physical geography of Europe and delineate major drainage basins in Europe.
-
More Physical Geography and Borders
Students research four additional examples of physical geography and borders. They explore how mountains, oceans, and islands create physical barriers that affect the country borders in Europe.
-
The Physical and Cultural Landscape of Europe
Students brainstorm what they already know about the land and peoples of Europe and what they want to learn. Then they draw as much as they can of Europe on a blank map, including its borders, physical and human geography, and anything else that they recall.
-
Physical Geography of Europe
Students are introduced to the physical geography of Europe and delineate major drainage basins in Europe.
-
More Physical Geography and Borders
Students research four additional examples of physical geography and borders. They explore how mountains, oceans, and islands create physical barriers that affect the country borders in Europe.
-
The Physical and Cultural Landscape of Europe
Students brainstorm what they already know about the land and peoples of Europe and what they want to learn. Then they draw as much as they can of Europe on a blank map, including its borders, physical and human geography, and anything else that they recall.