Introduction

Have you ever been working on a project and realized you did not have everything you needed to finish the job? Maybe you were making a cake and discovered that the eggs were gone because your brother ate six for breakfast. Or, maybe you tried to hang a picture and you could not find the hammer. I have had both of these things happen to me and they were both frustrating. Sometimes I have tried to do things without the right tool. Once I used the handle of a screwdriver for a hammer; it was not very effective. It is much easier to use the correct tool! As you begin this geography course it is important that you have the right tools to make the job as easy and efficient as possible.

During the next two lessons you will be adding some basic tools to your geography toolbox. Some of the tools are vocabulary words, so that you won't have to refer to anything as a whatdoyoucallit or a thingamajig. By learning the correct terms, you will be able to effectively understand and communicate information. Also, these terms are discussed in future lessons and it will be helpful when you already have a basic understanding of them. In addition to vocabulary words, you will add some basic mapping tools to your geography toolbox, and these will also be used throughout the rest of the course.

• Objective 1:  Define the six elements of geography and become familiar with common geographical terms.
• Objective 2:  Locate coordinates using longitude and latitude.
• Objective 3:  Create and interpret maps and graphs.
• Objective 4:  Identify Arizona, California, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, Utah, and Washington on a map.

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