Explore Regions Through Postcards

1. Think about a time in which you sent a postcard or received a postcard.1. Where was the postcard from?2. Who sent it to you?3. What was in the picture on the postcard?4. What was written on the back of the postcard?

2. Divide the following terms into 3 different groups • Australia • Deep South • Austin Bergstrom Airport • Israel • New York Subway • Longhorn Country • China • Dixie • Magnolia Water District • Downtown Houston • Texas • KHOU viewing area • Breadbasket • Austin Metro Railway • Southwest • Iran • Big Apple • Southern California • United States • Algeria • Magnolia ISD

3. WARMUP • Get 3 different colored pencils or markers! • Categorize the terms into 3 different groups as YOU see best!! • Ex: you might circle the United States and China in the same color because they are both countries

4. Types of regions Describe different types of regions including formal, functional and perceptual regions

6. Formal Region • Common human or physical characteristic • Clear boundaries • Examples: Louisiana, Mexico, Saudi Arabia

7. EXAMPLES OF FORMAL REGIONS • States- Texas, Florida, South Carolina, etc • Countries- US, Mexico, Canada, etc! • Cities- Austin, Dallas, Houston, etc! • The area of town where the wealthiest people live. ! • The Sahara Desert of Africa. ! • U.S. city where more than 50% of residents speak Spanish. • ** All Formal Regions are based on MEASURABLE data!!

8. Functional Region • Based on a function they serve such as a city-region or an area of connected rivers that serves as a drainage basin. • They have a focal point with surrounding areas. • Examples: New York Metropolitan area, DFW Airport.

9. EXAMPLES OF FUNCTIONAL REGIONS ! • The Dallas/Fort Worth metropolitan area is a functional region in that Dallas and Fort Worth share a common airport located between the two cities. AIRPORT

10. Airlines use “hub and spoke” system to organize their business and save money.

12. Texas Regional Education Service Centers

13. Perceptual Region • Based on people’s feelings about an area or how people perceive an area. • More likely to change over time and subject to stereotypes. • Examples: Aggieland, The South, The Middle East

14. For Example…what is the South? Traditionally, the South was known as the Confederate states or states that had slaves before the Civil War

15. For Example…what is the South? Or maybe the South refers to a particular region where people speak a certain way. Ya’ll All Ya’ll Ya’ll I’m fixin’ to

18. Region Activity • Choose an example of a formal, functional and perceptual region. • Create a postcard for each example. (2 postcards) • On the front of the postcard, draw a picture of the region and label it. Also label whether it is a formal, functional or perceptual region and provide a definition of the type of region. • On the back pretend you are visiting that region…write a short letter to a friend or family member at home describing what it is like to be visiting that region.

19. Front Example • Formal Region – a formal region is a region that has common characteristics and clear boundaries

20. Back of the postcard You must also include something in your letter that describes that region.

21. How will I be graded? Total: 100 pts Formal Region Post Card Picture on Front: 5 pts Name of the Region on Front: 5 pts Type of Region labeled “Formal” and definition on Front: 10 pts Letter to a friend or family describing region on Back: 10 pts Functional Region Post Card Picture on Front: 5 pts Name of the Region on Front: 5 pts Type of Region labeled “Functional” and definition on Front: 10 pts Letter to a friend or family describing region on Back: 10 pts Perceptual Region Post Card Picture on Front: 5 pts Name of the Region on Front: 5 pts Type of Region labeled “Perceptual” and definition on Front: 10 pts Letter to a friend or family describing region on Back: 10 pts Overall Neatness: 10 pts