Europes Geography 2014 Brain Wrinkles Standards SS 6

Standards SS 6 G 8 The student will locate selected features of Europe. a. Locate on a world and regional political- physical map: the Danube River, Rhine River, English Channel, Mediterranean Sea, European Plain, the Alps, Pyrenees, Ural Mountains, Iberian Peninsula, and Scandinavian Peninsula. b. Locate on a world and regional political-physical map the countries of Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Poland, Russia, Spain, Ukraine, and United Kingdom. © 2014 Brain Wrinkles

Teacher Info • Print off the following pages for each student. (Print the chart pages front-to-back so that it’s only one page. ) • Students should use an atlas to label the map before the presentation. • The students should complete the chart while discussing the presentation. © 2014 Brain Wrinkles

Europe I. Political Features: Label the following countries on the map: II. Physical Features: Create a map key that includes symbols for: • Mountains • Rivers • Seas • Channels • Peninsulas • Plains • Portugal • Spain • France • Italy • United Kingdom • Belgium Label the following physical features: • Ukraine • Rhine River • Russia • Danube River • Poland • Alps • Germany • Pyrenees Mountains • Ural Mountains Map Key • English Channel • Scandinavian Peninsula • Mediterranean Sea • European Plain Draw the symbol for each feature next to the correct label on the map. Color all symbols! © 2014 Brain Wrinkles

Rhine River • The Rhine River starts in Switzerland flows through Germany, France, Luxembourg, and the Netherlands. • It’s the longest river in Germany. • The Rhine is an important waterway for trade for the European continent. © 2014 Brain Wrinkles

Danube River • The Danube River flows through 12 countries (Germany, Austria, Slovakia, Hungary, Serbia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Slovenia, Bulgaria, Romania, and Ukraine) for a total of 1, 770 miles! • It is the 2 nd largest river in Europe. (The Volga River is first. ) • It has played a vital role in the development of central Europe in terms of trade and cultural diffusion. © 2014 Brain Wrinkles

The Alps • The Alps are a mountain range located in Austria, France, Germany, Switzerland, Italy, Slovenia, and Liechtenstein. • They extend for almost 700 miles! • The Alps are a major tourist destination. © 2014 Brain Wrinkles

Pyrenees Mountains • The Pyrenees are a mountain range that form the natural border

Ural Mountains • The Ural Mountains are considered to be the natural boundary between Europe and Asia. • They actually divide Russia between the continents -- ¼ of Russia is in Europe and ¾ of the country is in Asia. • They extend for almost 1, 500 miles! • The Ural Mountains are among the world’s oldest mountain ranges. • They have huge deposits of gold, nickel, silver, platinum, coal, iron, and other minerals. © 2014 Brain Wrinkles

English Channel • The English Channel is a small body of water that separates the United Kingdom from the European mainland (specifically, from France). • It is 350 miles long. • In the past, it was used as a good system of defense for England. • The English Channel was and still is an important waterway for trade. © 2014 Brain Wrinkles

Iberian Peninsula • The Iberian Peninsula includes the countries of Spain and Portugal. • The Pyrenees Mountains form the northern border. • It is the second largest peninsula in Europe. © 2014 Brain Wrinkles

Scandinavian Peninsula • The Scandinavian Peninsula consists of Norway, Sweden, and the northern region of Finland. • It is the largest peninsula in Europe. • It’s 1, 150 miles long. • The region is rich in timber, iron, and copper. © 2014 Brain Wrinkles

Mediterranean Sea • The Mediterranean Sea is the crossroads for 3 continents: Europe, Africa, and Asia. • The name means “in the middle of the earth” (it’s surrounded by land). • It surrounds Italy. • This sea cover an area of 965, 000 square miles. • It has always been an important route for trade and cultural exchange. © 2014 Brain Wrinkles

European Plain • The European Plain stretches from the Pyrenees in the west to the Ural Mountains in the east. • It extends for 2, 000 miles. • It is the largest mountain-free landform in Europe. • The European Plain is a successful agricultural area. © 2014 Brain Wrinkles

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Teacher Info – Trading Cards • Print off the blank trading card page. You can have students create just one trading card, or they can create a card for each feature (10). • When finished, the students can use the cards to play Memory or to quiz themselves about the features. • Project the directions slide onto the board while students are working so that they know what goes in each section. © 2014 Brain Wrinkles

Trading Cards Your Task: Create trading cards for the 10 important physical features of Europe. Use the cards to play “Memory” or to quiz yourself. Instructions: 1. Fill out each box in the cards below according to the template. 2. Color your pictures and anything else that will make your cards look more realistic. 3. Cut out your trading card. 4. Fold along the middle. 5. Tape the sides together. © 2014 Brain Wrinkles

Teacher Info – Pass the Paper • • • Put the students into small groups (you will need 10 groups total). Print off the following 10 slides and give one paper to each group. Give each group about 30 seconds to write down everything the know about the feature—but they can’t write something that is already written. (They can also draw pictures or symbols. ) When time is up, they must pass the paper to the next group. This continues until every group has worked with each of the 10 papers. Have each group share the paper & discuss the information. © 2014 Brain Wrinkles

Pass the Paper • With your group, you will have 30 seconds to write or draw everything that you know about the feature on your paper. • Every group member must participate – angle yourselves so that you can all write at the same time. • The catch is that you cannot write or draw something that is already written! • When I say that time is up, you must pass the paper on to the next group. • We will continue to “Pass the Paper” until each group has seen all 10 papers. © 2014 Brain Wrinkles

European Plain

Rhine River

Danube River

English Channel

Pyrenees Mountains

Ural Mountains

Iberian Peninsula

Scandinavian Peninsula

Mediterranean Sea

The Alps

Teacher Info – Postcard • Print off the postcard page for each student. • On the front, the students will draw one of the physical features of Europe. They should also include a short greeting/title. (Example: Cheers from the English Channel!) • On the back, they will write a note to someone as if they have visited some of the features. • When finished, they should cut out the postcard, fold along the dotted line, & tape the sides together. © 2014 Brain Wrinkles

Postcard Directions Front: Draw a colorful illustration of one of the physical features that we have studied. Include a short greeting (title). Back: Write a note to your family as if you have visited some of the features that we have studied in Europe. (Include descriptions for at least 3 of the features. ) Don’t forget to draw & color the stamp! *Cut out your postcard, fold along the dotted line, & tape the sides together. © 2014 Brain Wrinkles

Teacher Info – Flyswatter Review • Project a blank map of Europe on the whiteboard. • Put the students into groups and have one member from each group come to the board. • Call out different places/features in Europe and have the students use flyswatters to hit the location. • The first person to hit it correctly wins! © 2014 Brain Wrinkles

Flyswatter Review • One member from each team will come to the board. • I will call out different political and physical features of Europe. • If you know where the feature or country is located, you should hit the location on the map. • The first person to correctly hit the location wins a point! © 2014 Brain Wrinkles

Teacher Info – Roll A Six! • • Print off the blank map of Europe for each student. The students will need to work in partners, with only 1 pencil to share. Each group needs a dice. Project the features/countries that you want the students to label on the board. One student begins labeling his map as fast as he can while the other is constantly rolling the dice. As soon as the student rolls a 6, the other student gives him the pencil and he begins labeling. This is a race to see who can complete the map first, but the catch is they can only label if they roll a 6. © 2014 Brain Wrinkles

Roll A Six! • You will work with a partner, with only 1 pencil to share. • When I say “Go”, one person will begin labeling the map as fast as you can. • The other person should start rolling the dice. As soon as you roll a 6, you take the pencil and begin labeling your map. Your partner should start rolling the dice now. • This is a race to see who can complete the map first, but the catch is you can only label your map if you roll a 6! © 2014 Brain Wrinkles