R E SO URCE L I BR A RY
L ESSO N
Political Borders
Students think about regions and borders by determining where they would place borders in
an artificial continent, based on a set of physical and cultural features of the area.
GR ADE S
6-8
SUBJE CTS
English Language Arts, Geography, Human Geography, Physical Geography
CO NTE NTS
2 Activities
A C T I V I T Y 1 : DR AW I N G P O L I T I C A L B O R DE R S |
5 0 MI N S
DI R E C T I O N S
1. Activate students' prior knowledge and introduce vocabulary.
Conduct a short discussion with the class about the vocabulary terms border and region. Ask:
What is a border? What is a region? What do those words mean to you? Then ask: Why do
people define regions or countries in any given area? How are borders defined? Have students
brainstorm examples of different types of borders and what defines them. Encourage
students to think about what forms a border, who determines borders, and where borders
can be found. List students’ ideas on the board and add to the list throughout this activity. If
time allows, extend the discussion to include some of the benefits and challenges of borders.
2. Introduce the activity and its purpose.
Write the guiding questions for the activity on the board: How are regions defined? How are
land and resources divided among countries? Have students build on their ideas from Step 1
to explore the question of how land and resources are divided among countries. Explain to
students that in this activity they will work, first independently and then in small groups, to
set borders and define regions in an area of land. This activity is intended as a discussion
starter. Make sure students understand that there are no right or wrong answers.
3. Have students work independently to draw political borders.
Distribute a copy of the worksheet Draw Political Borders to each student. Instruct students to
use the information in three of the maps—Religions, Mountains and Rivers, and Languages—to
determine where they would place borders in the Outline map and draw them. Remind
students there are no right or wrong answers and they should draw borders as they see fit.
Give students about 5 minutes to draw their borders.
4. Have students work in small groups to revise political borders.
Divide students into small groups of approximately four students each. Distribute one copy of
the worksheet Draw Political Borders to each group. Have students compare their individual
maps to spark discussion and debate as to whose borders are most valid and why. Write the
following questions on the board for students to consider while working in groups:
Do you think physical features, such as rivers, are more important than cultural ones, such as
language, in setting borders? Why or why not?
What would happen if you split a physical feature between two countries? Would people in
the countries be able to share the land and/or resources? Or would they constantly fight
over its use?
What would happen if a country had a mix of different cultural features, such as language
and religion? Would this impact how the people live and work together in that country?
How?
Ask each group to come to a decision together, draw new borders, and take notes about why
they drew borders where they did. Give groups about 15 minutes to discuss and draw their
borders. Ask students to include a map legend and a compass rose. Rotate around the room,
observing small groups as they work.
5. Have a whole-class discussion about political borders.
Regroup as a class and discuss the questions on the board. Then revisit the guiding questions
for the activity to see how students’ answers have changed. Tell students that they will have
an opportunity to present and discuss their maps in Lesson 1, Activity 2 of this unit.
Modification
Print the worksheet Draw Political Borders on transparency paper. Cut the transparency into
quarters and place the maps on top of one another to show students the interplay of physical
and cultural features.
Modification
You may want to start the activity by first making a connection to your own country’s
borders. For example, show a map of the United States and discuss why borders in the United
States are located where they are, including both physical and cultural reasons.
Informal Assessment
During the small group discussions, ask students to explain their understanding of borders
and regions, and their reasons for creating borders where they did on their maps. Encourage
students to use the information in the Religions, Mountains and Rivers, and Languages maps
in their explanations.
Extending the Learning
Have each group create a name for their country and label landforms and features of the
country. On a separate piece of paper, have each student write three reasons why their
group chose those borders.
Display each group’s map in the classroom and provide sticky notes and pencils. Give
students enough time to write comments and questions and post them next to other
groups’ maps. These can be used as discussion points for Lesson 1, Activity 2 of this unit.
They can also remain on display for students to refer to throughout the year as you move
into other units.
O B JE C T I V E S
Subjects & Disciplines
Geography
Human Geography
Physical Geography
Learning Objectives
Students will:
demonstrate how physical and cultural features could be used to define country borders
discuss their ideas about which features are most important in establishing good borders
Teaching Approach
Learning-for-use
Teaching Methods
Brainstorming
Cooperative learning
Discovery learning
Discussions
Hands-on learning
Skills Summary
This activity targets the following skills:
21st Century Student Outcomes
Learning and Innovation Skills
Communication and Collaboration
Creativity and Innovation
Life and Career Skills
Social and Cross-Cultural Skills
Critical Thinking Skills
Analyzing
Applying
Creating
Understanding
Geographic Skills
Analyzing Geographic Information
Answering Geographic Questions
Asking Geographic Questions
Organizing Geographic Information
National Standards, Principles, and Practices
NAT I O NAL C O U NC I L F O R S O C I AL S T U D I ES C U R R I C U LUM
S TANDAR D S
• Theme 3:
People, Places, and Environments
NAT I O NAL G EO G R APH Y S TANDAR D S
• Standard 1:
How to use maps and other geographic representations, geospatial technologies, and spatial
thinking to understand and communicate information
• Standard 13:
How the forces of cooperation and conflict among people influence the division and control
of Earth's surface
• Standard 5:
That people create regions to interpret Earth's complexity
I S T E S TANDAR D S F O R S T U D ENT S ( I S T E S TANDAR D S * S )
• Standard 1:
Creativity and Innovation
• Standard 2:
Communication and Collaboration
Preparation
B AC KG RO U N D & VO C A B U L A RY
Background Information
Maps can be used as tools to help us understand our world. Specifically, maps can help
demonstrate how borders intersect physical and human geographical features, and how those
intersections can lead to cooperation and/or conflict. Borders of regions or of countries define
an area, which has a particular shape and size. Sometimes physical features define the border
of a region or a country. For example, coastlines are borders between the regions of land and
water, and mountains may serve as borders between different countries or different cultural
groups. Country borders, however determined, define a physical space over which a country
exercises control. When a political border is imposed on the physical landscape, it defines the
area, shape, and size of the country, as well as the physical features and natural resources
available. These factors of shape and size can influence the ways in which human activity is
structured; for example, land use, transportation, and settlement patterns. Sometimes the
shape and size suggest that a country may want to expand its borders in order to increase its
size, change its shape, and/or control more resources.
Prior Knowledge
[]
Recommended Prior Activities
None
Vocabulary
Part of
Term Definition
Speech
border noun natural or artificial line separating two pieces of land.
compass
noun symbol indicating the cardinal directions (N, S, E, W).
rose
continent noun one of the seven main land masses on Earth.
geographic territory with a distinct name, flag, population, boundaries,
country noun
and government.
landmass noun large area of land.
language noun set of sounds, gestures, or symbols that allows people to communicate.
Part of
Term Definition
Speech
explanation of symbols and abbreviations used on a map, also known as
legend noun
a key.
symbolic representation of selected characteristics of a place, usually
map noun
drawn on a flat surface.
mountain noun landmass that forms as tectonic plates interact with each other.
natural a material that humans take from the natural environment to survive, to
noun
resource satisfy their needs, or to trade with others.
physical
noun naturally occurring geographic characteristics.
features
political imaginary line separating one political unit, such as a country or state,
noun
boundary from another.
any area on Earth with one or more common characteristics. Regions are
region noun
the basic units of geography.
religion noun a system of spiritual or supernatural belief.
available supply of materials, goods, or services. Resources can be natural
resource noun
or human.
river noun large stream of flowing fresh water.
Before Moving on to the Next Activity
Make sure you have groups' completed maps from Lesson 1, Activity 1 in the Beyond Borders
unit.
A C T I V I T Y 2: C OMPA R I N G P O L I T I C A L B O R DE R S
| 5 0 MI N S
DI R E C T I O N S
1. Have small groups present and compare borders.
Remind students that, for the maps they created in Lesson 1, Activity 1, they were asked to
draw borders as they saw fit. There are no right or wrong answers. Have students separate
into the same small groups from Lesson 1, Activity 1 of this unit and select a spokesperson.
Have each spokesperson present their group’s map, along with the reasons for creating
borders where they did, including why each group, religion, or physical region was placed
there, to the class. List the reasons on the board as students share them. If needed, use the
following prompts:
How many countries do you have? Why?
What did you mostly base your borders on? How did you decide to create your borders?
What made drawing the borders challenging?
How did the physical features factor into your decision? How might the physical features
affect the development of your countries? (Possible response: Mountains and rivers are a
key factor because if countries had to split a physical feature between them, each country
would try to gain the part that is most valuable, such as freshwater.)
How did the cultural features factor into your decision? How might the cultural features
affect the development of your countries? (Possible response: Language is a key factor
because citizens that speak a certain language within a country will be better able to
communicate. If a country has a mix of different cultural characteristics, those characteristics
could spread from one culture to another, creating a new culture.)
2. Discuss factors that impact borders.
As a class, discuss the reasons listed on the board for why borders were placed in different
areas. Ask: What factors were most important? What factors were least important? What
information did you think was missing, or would have been helpful to know in order to avoid
conflict when creating borders? Ask students to comment about whether they agree or
disagree with reasons other students gave. Remind students that there are no right or wrong
answers; students should discuss their ideas and impressions.
3. Brainstorm other factors that shape country borders.
Ask students to brainstorm what else might shape country borders, in addition to the
physical and cultural features they examined during this activity. Add students' ideas to the
list on the board as they volunteer them. Elicit ideas such as wars between countries, natural
resources, or dividing land evenly between different groups.
4. Have students record ideas to refer to later in this unit.
Tell students that they will complete a unit of lessons about borders in Europe, and that their
ideas about where borders should be placed will be important for their study of Europe. Have
each student record the list of factors that shape country borders on a piece of paper to refer
to in later lessons, to see if their ideas have changed.
Informal Assessment
Evaluate students based on their participation in the whole-class discussion.
Extending the Learning
Ask students to think about borders in their state, community, or school. Ask: How were the
borders defined? Do they follow a physical feature in the landscape? Do they follow cultural
differences between people on either side of the border?
Pose questions related to the size and shape of countries. Ask: Are large countries at an
advantage or a disadvantage? Have students use a globe or wall map of the world to
locate really large countries. Ask: How many really large countries are there? What might be
some reasons for this?
O B JE C T I V E S
Subjects & Disciplines
English Language Arts
Geography
Human Geography
Physical Geography
Learning Objectives
Students will:
explain and compare their border selections based on physical and cultural features
discuss other factors that could impact where borders are established
Teaching Approach
Learning-for-use
Teaching Methods
Brainstorming
Discussions
Reflection
Skills Summary
This activity targets the following skills:
Critical Thinking Skills
Analyzing
Evaluating
Understanding
Geographic Skills
Analyzing Geographic Information
Answering Geographic Questions
Asking Geographic Questions
National Standards, Principles, and Practices
I R A/ NC T E S TANDAR D S F O R T H E ENG L I S H L ANG UAG E ART S
• Standard 4:
Students adjust their use of spoken, written, and visual language (e.g., conventions, style,
vocabulary) to communicate effectively with a variety of audiences and for different purposes.
NAT I O NAL C O U NC I L F O R S O C I AL S T U D I ES C U R R I C U LUM
S TANDAR D S
• Theme 3:
People, Places, and Environments
NAT I O NAL G EO G R APH Y S TANDAR D S
• Standard 1:
How to use maps and other geographic representations, geospatial technologies, and spatial
thinking to understand and communicate information
• Standard 13:
How the forces of cooperation and conflict among people influence the division and control
of Earth's surface
• Standard 5:
That people create regions to interpret Earth's complexity
Preparation
B AC KG RO U N D & VO C A B U L A RY
Background Information
Maps can be used as tools to help us understand our world. Specifically, maps can help
demonstrate how borders intersect physical and human geographical features, and how those
intersections can lead to cooperation and/or conflict. Borders of regions or of countries define
an area, which has a particular shape and size. Sometimes physical features define the border
of a region or a country. For example, coastlines are borders between the regions of land and
water, and mountains may serve as borders between different countries or different cultural
groups. Country borders, however determined, define a physical space over which a country
exercises control. When a political border is imposed on the physical landscape, it defines the
area, shape, and size of the country, as well as the physical features and natural resources
available. These factors of shape and size can influence the ways in which human activity is
structured; for example, land use, transportation, and settlement patterns. Sometimes the
shape and size suggest that a country may want to expand its borders in order to increase its
size, change its shape, and/or control more resources.
Prior Knowledge
[]
Recommended Prior Activities
None
Vocabulary
Part of
Term Definition
Speech
border noun natural or artificial line separating two pieces of land.
continent noun one of the seven main land masses on Earth.
geographic territory with a distinct name, flag, population, boundaries,
country noun
and government.
language noun set of sounds, gestures, or symbols that allows people to communicate.
symbolic representation of selected characteristics of a place, usually
map noun
drawn on a flat surface.
mountain noun landmass that forms as tectonic plates interact with each other.
natural a material that humans take from the natural environment to survive, to
noun
resource satisfy their needs, or to trade with others.
physical
noun naturally occurring geographic characteristics.
features
political imaginary line separating one political unit, such as a country or state,
noun
boundary from another.
any area on Earth with one or more common characteristics. Regions are
region noun
the basic units of geography.
religion noun a system of spiritual or supernatural belief.
available supply of materials, goods, or services. Resources can be natural
resource noun
or human.
river noun large stream of flowing fresh water.
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