Northwestern Europe Lesson 1

Essential Question: Compare the physical geography of the Rhine River Valley
region and compare itto your own local area.

Lesson 1: Physical Geography of Northwestern Europe

Standards

WG-1.1: Analyze physical characteristics of the environment that result in

opportunities and
obstacles for people (e.g., the role of climate in agriculture, site characteristics that
limit development).

Objectives

Students should be able to:

1. Identify important geographic features (e.g., mountains, rivers, volcanoes,
oceans, and seas)

2. Understand how the last ice age shaped the region

This lesson is designed to describe and help students to better understand the
physical features of Northwestern Europe. It is an area that sits at a latitude that
should keep their region much colder than it actually is, thanks to the North Atlantic
Drift. Additionally, most human settlement is located around 300 miles from the
coast or near a deep river that would allow for easy ocean fairing traditions, thus
helping to shape what would happen in the region. Students need to understand
these principles in order to better understand just how much they will affect the
people living in the region.

Activities

1. Video to go along with the section about landforms when talking about the Alps
about avalanches from BASICS (entitled BASICS TWO Avalanche Awareness, on
YouTube, maybe not the whole 17 minute video but perhaps up to the first 8-10
minutes.)

2. Two short videos on mistral winds when we reach them, one a silent introduction
to what they are and do and another that is personal footage of a mistral in action
in Southern France.

3. Research what the countries in Northwestern Europe do economically and

describe how and why the geography plays an important role in these activities.

4. Compare the physical geography of the Rhine River Valley region and compare it
to your own local area. (EQ)
5. Write a letter to the local government discussing why more wind turbines may or
may not be beneficial to have here locally.