AMERICAN GEOGRAPHYReading British & American CultureWeek 10Professor Hayashi

TODAY’S CLASS

• attendance• article presentations – CHAT CHAT!• review: the american people• KWL chart• American Geography

Review

• American families • Rise in one parent families

• More single mothers

• Household Expenditures• More on health• Less on

travel/food

#1

Leisure & Sport • Most popular participation sports:MEN- swimmingWOMEN- walking• Both enjoy cycling• Aerobics are more popular for

women• Fishing & basketball for men

American College students:• Top concern- environment• New concern- government hand-gun control efforts• More conservative about- drugs & crime• More liberal about- abortion

Pop Music/Economy• Rap and heavy metal were under attack

Positive Changes Negative Changes

- GNP doubled during the 1980’s - GNP doubled through borrowing

- lots of people prospered - national debt tripled

- 20 million new jobs were created - corporate & personal debt soared

- booming international trade is spreading wealth around the world

- widening gap between rich and poor

- poverty increased

-new jobs were low paid service positions

- USA was the world’s biggest creditor then largest debtor

K-W-L Table• Know – Want to know – Learn

K W L

KWL Chart

• In partners, write down what you know about American geography

• Next, write down what you want to know, what you’re curious about

• Go through the chapter together and write down what you’ve learned

Important Facts• the 50 states – 48

continental/conterminous• http://www.youtube.com/watch?

v=WhDrGnjacvA• Surrounded by the Atlantic & Pacific

Oceans• Coastal Plains – East, long, gently rolling

lowland• Rockies – high, discontinuous chain of

mountains containing metals• Appalachians – West of Atlantic coastal

plain, low, unbroken, contain iron, coal

Important Facts

• Mount McKinley in Alaska is the highest point; Death Valley in California the lowest

• Longest river: Missouri• Population 245,000,000 (317 M now)• flow chart – pg. 59• most of country has humid continental climate

– hot summers/cold winters• US has ¼ of world’s coal, 1/7 of petroleum

Important Facts• People go by cars, trucks, planes• Commercial goods go by trucks• Freight goes by rail

Important Facts• Main industrial area: midwest• Banking & Insurance: New York• almost half of the land (47%) is farmland• Midwest: agriculture• South: traditional crops• West: cattle, wheat farming• Texas: cattle, sheep, cotton and rice