Unit 1: Louisiana's Physical and Cultural Geography Activity 7: Physical and Human Phenomena of Louisiana (GLEs: 5, 6, 10)
CC: Have class members examine a physical map of Louisiana and discuss its physical features. Have students identify where the largest percentage of people might live and offer ideas about why they think people settled there. Project a population distribution map of Louisiana. Have students analyze the accuracy of their predictions.
Have students identify the population demographics of Louisiana by creating a pictograph that represents distinguishing characteristics of five to seven specific areas of Louisiana. Each area should have a distinct picture or icon to represent it (e.g., Provide students with the 2000 Census as a resource and establish a "one symbol = 50,000 people" guideline.). Students should be thoughtful in their design of pictographs, as these are representative of larger ideas. To complete their pictographs, they should include a brief narrative that explains the relevance of each selected symbol. These should be presented to the class as the basis for a class discussion on the ways in which location and physical features have influenced historical events in Louisiana and the development of the state (e.g., Mississippi River/swamp in the Battle of New Orleans).
Use the Microsoft Publisher table to create the pictograph. Louisiana Demographics Pictograph
Louisiana state map sites: http://www.netstate.com/states/maps/la_maps.htm http://wwwlamap.doa.state.la.us/
2000 Census information http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/22000.html
Web Resources: Log in to World Book Online and search "Louisiana", select the "Louisiana" article, then select the "Louisiana Map". http://www.worldbookonline.com/wb/Home This article and its subsections will be used in multiple Units and Activities. |