Have you landed a junior humanities class, but have no training in geography? We’ve all been there, right? Or at least, if you’re an Aussie high school teacher, you’ve likely been there.
Have no fear, we have a great way to help you teach basic geographical concepts in a fast, fun, and easy way.
We love using the Crash Course Geography videos to teach basic geographical concepts.
And we love to use our own visual note-taking worksheets to accompany the videos. This is because they help students stay on-task, take pertinent notes, but also maintain control, retain ownership, and show creativity in their work.
1. What is geography?
The first episode in the Crash Course Geography series is this one, where the presenter explains what geography is.
The video investigates the geographical ideas of place, space, and human-environment interactions.
To do so, it investigates why the USA imports over 3 billion pounds of bananas from Guatemala each year.
2. What is a map?
This video is the second in the Crash Course Geography series and it covers maps. Ideas covered include
- what a map is
- how geographers use maps
- different types of maps,
- why people need to view maps critically.
To do so the video looks at different types of maps used to show populations in different regions of the world. It then discusses the limitations of these different types of maps.
3. What is space and how do we study it?
The third video in the series explores the geographical concept of space. The video looks at the way geography categorizes space, such as
- space as a container
- topological space
- socially constructed spaces
- and how individuals perceive space.
In the video, each of these geographical ideas is explained using real-world images, examples, and information.
4. What is physical geography?
This video is the fourth in the Crash Course Geography series. It explores the four systems of the Earth: atmosphere, lithosphere, hydrosphere, and biosphere.
It also shows how these spheres interact using The Great Barrier Reef and Iceland as examples.
Finally, it defines different sub-fields in geography including
- topography
- geomorphology
- pedology
- hydrology
- climatology
- oceanography
- meteorology
- and biogeography.
5. How does the Earth move?
The fifth video explains how the Earth is situated and moves in space. The video explains how the Earth revolves around the sun, but also how it spins on its axis.
In doing so, the video shows how seasons are created by how the Earth moves.
It explains important geographical terminology including
- insolation
- precession
- revolution
- orbit
- equator
- Tropic of Cancer
- Tropic of Capricorn
- solstice
- equinox
- seasons
- perihelion
- aphelion
- the plane of the ecliptic
- and the circle of illumination
6. What does the atmosphere do?
The sixth video in the Crash Course Geography series explains the purpose, composition, and layers of the atmosphere.
Important geographical terminology and concepts covered include
- troposphere
- stratosphere
- mesosphere
- thermosphere
- atmospheric energy budget
- terrestrial radiation
- conduction
- convection
- solar radiation
- and the natural greenhouse effect.
7. How does air temperature shape a place?
This video is the seventh in the series and explains how and why air temperature changes over time and in different places.
It explains terminology such as
- isotherms
- the continental effect
- continentality
- altitude
- elevation
- and urban heat island
It also discusses the effects of temperature changes in different communities such as Phoenix, Arizona, and the indigenous reindeer herders in Siberia.
8. Where does wind come from?
The eighth video in the series explains how and why wind moves around the globe.
It defines geographical terminology
- wind
- standard sea level pressure
- meteorologists
- pressure gradient
- the Coriolis effect
- the intertropical convergence zone
- Hadley cells
- doldrums
- and trade winds
9. How do oceans circulate?
This video is the ninth in the series and explains ocean circulation. To do so, it explores how global surface currents and deep currents move due to changes in temperature and density.
It also shows how the Coriolis Effect impacts surface currents and gives examples of how plastic might travel around the world.
It also defines terms such as
- the North Pacific Garbage Patch
- ocean current
- salinity
- sea surface height anomalies
- gyres
- the Coriolis Effect
- eddies
- the Antarctic Circumpolar Current (West Wind drift)
- deep currents
- thermohaline circulation
- and upwelling
10. What is a cloud?
The tenth video in the series explores clouds. It covers
- how clouds form
- different types of clouds
- how clouds are named
- and the atmospheric conditions that affect clouds such as humidity and temperature
The video also explains words such as
- smog
- cirrus
- stratus
- cumulus
- atmospheric data
- nimbus
- humidity
- relative humidity
- latent heat of evaporation
- hydrological cycle
- dew point
- and condensation nuclei
11. How can rain create conflict? Precipitation and water use
This video explains how access to water can create geopolitical conflict. It does this by looking at the historical example of drought on the Great Plains, The Dust Bowl of 1930-1939.
The episode also investigates how water miscalculation and mismanagement along the Colorado River has led to unequal use of water.
Finally, it discusses geographical terms such as orographic precipitation and the prior appropriation doctrine.
12. What are the different types of cyclones?
The twelfth video in the series explains the differences between mid-latitude cyclones and tropical cyclones. To do so, it explains how they form, why they form, and the impact that they can have on human lives and livelihoods.
The episode also defines important terms such as
- mid-latitude cyclones
- wave cyclones
- extratropical cyclones
- polar front
- air masses
- warm front
- cold front
- polar front jet stream
- hurricanes
- typhoons
- and cyclones.
13. How do we classify climates?
This video is the thirteenth in the series and explains what climate is, how it differs from weather, and how the Andean farmers used their geographical observations to domesticate potatoes.
The episode describes the Koppen system used to classify climate zones. It also defines important geographical terms such as
- climate
- weather
- insolation
- elevation
- normal lapse rate
- climate patterns
- geoliteracy
- and geoliterate
14. What is climate change?
The fourteenth video in the series explains why the global climate is warming and why scientists believe the warming is human-induced.
It shows the types of evidence and data scientists use to learn about climate change. The video also discusses the importance of both individual and corporate action to reduce the effects of climate change.
The episode also defines important terms such as
- climate change
- global warming
- paleoclimatologists
- proxy data
- glaciation
- and interglacial period
Want more Crash Course content?
- Click here if you want to save 15% and buy the Crash Course Geography worksheet bundle for episodes 1-12.
- Click here if you want the full Crash Course Geography playlist.
- Crash Course also has great series about literature (series 1, series 2, series 3, and series 4), history, study skills, and navigating digital information. My TPT store has worksheets for many of these videos.
- If you need a bit more of a push to use Crash Course videos, check out this blog post.
