a discussion of SITE

the Rocky Mountains of Colorado

After learning about place and region, today our regular HG section was presented with two other ways geographers describe the location of a place: site (the physical character of a place) and situation (the location of a place relative to other places). Class discussion centered around site.

Important site characteristics include:

• climate
• water sources
• topography
• soil 
• vegetation
• latitude
• elevation
  

  

  a corn field in Nebraska

in-class assignment for the Honors section

While I am away on a TV Production Field Trip, here is the Honors section's in-class assignment.

Read the following material on Site and Situation, and take thorough notes in your blog. Think about what characteristics make your own home a unique site, and include your thoughts in your blog. What you don't complete in class is tonight's homework. Thank you, and be nice to your sub!


Site 
The second way that geographers describe the location of a place is by site, which is the physical character of a place. Important site characteristics include climate, water sources, topography, soil, vegetation, latitude, and elevation. The combination of physical features gives each place a distinctive character. Site factors have always been essential in selecting locations for settlements, although people have disagreed on the attributes of a good site, depending on cultural values. Some have preferred a hilltop site for easy defense from attack. Others located settlements near convenient river-crossing points to facilitate communication with people in other places. Humans have the ability to modify the characteristics of a site. The southern portion of New York City’s Manhattan Island is twice as large today as it was in 1626, when Peter Minuit bought the island from its native inhabitants for the equivalent of $23.75 worth of Dutch gold and silver coins. Manhattan’s additional land area was created by filling in portions of the East River and the Hudson River. In the eighteenth century, landfills were created by sinking old ships and dumping refuse on top of them. More recently, New York City permitted construction of Battery Park City, a 57-hectare (142-acre) site designed to house more than 20,000 residents and 30,000 office workers. The central areas of Boston and Tokyo have also been expanded through centuries of land filling in nearby bays, substantially changing these sites. 

Situation

Situation is the location of a place relative to other places. Situation is a valuable way to indicate location, for two reasons— finding an unfamiliar place and understanding its importance. First, situation helps us find an unfamiliar place by comparing its location with a familiar one. We give directions to people by referring to the situation of a place: “It’s down past the courthouse, on Locust Street, after the third traffic light, beside the yellow-brick bank.” We identify important buildings, streets, and other landmarks to direct people to the desired location. Second, situation helps us understand the importance of a location. Many locations are important because they are accessible to other places. For example, because of its situation, Singapore has become a center for the trading and distribution of goods for much of Southeast Asia. Singapore is situated near the Strait of Malacca, which is the major passageway for ships traveling between the South China Sea and the Indian Ocean. Some 50,000 vessels, one fourth of the world’s maritime trade, pass through the strait each year.

More Mental Mapping

Now the Human Geo 101 class gets to do the same awesome activity that the HNRZ group did yesterday. Since you barely got underway, completing these two maps becomes your homework. Same goes for HNRZ - if you didn't finish your maps in class, do them for homework. All the pertinent details are on yesterday's blog.

mental mapping

Fun class today for the Hnrz group! First some note taking on the concepts of Mental Maps and Activity Spaces, followed by a little mapping activity, which is detailed below.

Mental Maps and Activity Spaces

How do you describe where things are? How do you describe your daily routine? All of us have images of the world that we have developed through a variety of processes. These processes are usually a mix of factual data, incomplete information, and personal bias or subconscious prejudices. A mental map is a person's point-of-view perception of their area of interaction, most commonly called your activity space. This can also include areas that we have never been to but have seen on television or read about. No one has a totally accurate image of the world, so there is no completely accurate mental map. People’s mental maps of their own immediate environments tend to be more realistic than those of places they’ve never visited. Understanding the way people view different regions can help experts understand and predict how the land may be used and can give other information, such as what patterns of migration, tourism, and other engagement with places may be expected. Thinking Geographically: Mental Mapping Activity Part I 1.Draw a mental map of the world on a sheet of paper. Your map should take up the whole page. Part II 2. On your map of the world, label as many continents, countries, and physical features as you know on your world map. Part III 3. On a different sheet of paper, draw a mental map of your route in your daily activity space. Your map should take up the entire page. 4. Include your house, important landmarks around your house (grocery stores, schools, hospitals, churches, restaurants, etc). Include your school. Draw the route you take to get to school (think about how you would describe getting from your house to school). Include any part of your activity space that happens after you leave school; for example, do you have an after school activity that takes you somewhere else, or do you have a place that you stop before you go home?

on to the next unit!

Tuesday's test on Excellence seems to have gone well. I will try to get them graded for you quickly, but I do want to take enough time to read your essays pretty thoroughly. (And if you are one of the people who was not in school and did not take the test today, you will need to make it up as soon as possible.)

Wednesday we move on to the next unit: "Thinking Geographically." Get ready!

test tomorrow: be ready!

Today's class was spent reviewing for tomorrow's test on Excellence. Tonight, your time would be well-spent re-reading "A Message to Garcia," reviewing the Google Slide presentation, and, of course, checking the terrific notes you have posted in your blog over the last several classes. The test is worth 100 points, so it is definitely worth devoting some time to focused studying.

the examined life

I feel we have accomplished a lot in Human Geography so far this week.  We have studied what might be called the history of excellence, asking these questions: How did the ancient Greeks (especially Socrates) demonstrate excellence? How did Elbert Hubbard define excellence? How do we incorporate excellence into our John Carroll lives?

Next class, we will explore one of Socrates' most famous and evocative quotes - words he lived (and died) by. We will also review this unit's material in advance of a 100-point test on Tuesday for both the regular section and the honors section. I recommend you look over your notes, the Hubbard essay, and the Excellence slide show over the weekend to keep the material fresh in your minds in preparation for our first test of the quarter.