SHIRLEY TODD

MAPPING OAHU

GRADE 7 - 12

LOCATION; PLACE; HUMAN-ENVIRONMENT INTERACTION;

ACQUIRING & PRESENTING GEOGRAPHIC INFORMATION

INTRODUCTION:

In this activity, each group enters a competition sponsored by the Hawaii Visitors Bureau. Their task is to produce a map listing five places of interest on the island of Oahu. The map must be neat, colorful and creative. HVB will award the first prize winner extra credit points. Students apply the themes of place and human-environment interaction in this activity.

OBJECTIVE:

The student will be able to:

1. Show five places of interest on a map of Oahu;

2. Write brief captions for each place that relates to physical and human characteristics;

3. Define the theme of place;

4. Define what is meant by human-environment interactions.

TIME REQUIRED: 90 minutes (2 days).

MATERIALS:

Map of Oahu

Books, tourist brochures, magazines with background on

likely paces.

Scissors

Color pencils

Rubber cement

Handout sheet describing the themes of Place and

Human-Environment Interaction..

PROCEDURE:

1. A day or two before starting this activity, tell students to bring to class books, magazine and newspaper articles, and tourist brochures that show various places of interest on the island of Oahu.

2. Distribute the map of Oahu to each group of 3-5 students.

3. Review the description of the theme of Place. Explain that each place has different physical and human characteristics that set it apart from other places. Give at two or more examples of places, until students feel confident about the theme.

4. In turn, have students gives examples that illustrate the theme of Place to check for understanding.

5. Review the description of the theme of Human-Environment Interaction. Explain that people have altered the environment to suit their needs. In some cases where there were natural formations, the areas surrounding the formations have been altered in some way. In that regard, the themes of Place and Human-Environment Interaction almost always go hand-in-hand. Again, give two or more examples of Human-Environment Interaction until students feel confident about the theme.

6. Have students brainstorm places they think tourists should visit on Oahu. This should help those students who may not have visited many places of interest on Oahu.

7. Have students start looking through their resource materials and together select the five places they think tourists should visit.

8. Tell students they have a choice of either cutting out pictures of those places from magazines, using xeroxed copies, or they may draw them. Remind groups to make sure their pictures are at their right absolute location on the map.

9. Tell students to write captions describing each place.

10. Have each group share their map and as they name the five places they selected, tell them to also explain the reasons for their choices.

EXTENSION:

Students can develop a map showing various places of interest for the other Hawaiian Islands. This idea can be extended to students doing research on places of interest in other countries throughout the world. Students can look forward to to one day being able to travel to some of the countries they study in this lesson.