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Touring the Regions of the US

The geography, climate, resources, and culture of the region

Learning Module

Abstract

Students tour the five United States regions as they learn through research via articles, videos, and web searches. Students examine a state in each region for its unique geography, climate, resources, and culture. They ponder how people are impacted by the area they live reside in. The unit ends with a culminating activity that uses student's research to create a scrapbook.

Keywords

geography, climate, resources, culture, Midwest, Southwest, Southeast, West, Northeast

Overview

The students will learn that the United States is made of five regions. They will be able to identify and locate the states and capitals within a given region. Students will also learn that each region is unique, having its own geography, climate, resources, and culture.

All linked resources can also be accessed via this link.

Unit Essential Questions Unit Enduring Understandings
  • How are people affected by the place they live?
  • Why are states divided up into regions?
  • What makes places unique?
  • There are five regions in the United States.
  • Each region is unique and has its own geography, climate, resources, and culture.
  • Identify what makes each region unique.
  • Identify and locate states within a given region and their capitals.

Prior knowledge

Students have received lessons on how to conduct a web search. Students know how to use keywords to search and evaluate the validity of a website. Students know how to provide a basic citation of sources. 

Students have learned to use the Claim-Evidence-Reasoning (CER) format to explain their thinking (Anderson, 2018).

Students have been trained in the RISE Meaningful Feedback Model (Teaching and Learning in Higher Education, n.d.).

Learning Design:

The learning module will take approximately two and a half weeks to complete. The teacher can adjust the timeline according to the needs of the students. The module will be delivered through synchronized sessions. The author of the module has taught elements of this module previously but has not delivered the whole unit because of a lack of time.

Pedagogy: The Learning by Design pedagogy is utilized in developing the activities and learning experiences for the students (Kalantzis & Cope, 2020). The first two Knowledge Processes of experiencing and conceptualizing are utilized in the first six updates as students gain frameworks and knowledge of the content. The Knowledge Processes of applying and analyzing are used in the last update when students, through posts and updates, learn from each other. Vygotsky's concept of the zone of proximal development (ZPD) is utilized in the design of the module through peer interactions and teacher-guided discussions (Vygotsky, 1978).

Structure: The structure below will be used for student lessons and the teacher's directions for each session.

Learner's structure on the left Teacher's structure on the right

Learning Target: Directs the student's attention to the goal of the lesson

Think About it: Activates the student's prior knowledge and focus their learning

Explore: Learning activities to build and apply knowledge and understanding

Communicate: Students reflect and share synthesized learning

Knowledge Process/Learning Objectives: What students will learn and how activities align to the knowledge process. 

Duration: The length of time given in class to deliver content and give time for students to work. 

Resources: Materials needed for the lesson.

Teacher Notes: Tips to help deliver content.

Learning Goals

Touring the Regions of the United States

 

Learner

You are about to embark on an adventure across America. You will learn about the five different regions of the United States. Through this inquiry, you will discover the geography, climate, resources, and culture of each region. With that knowledge, you will create a scrapbook detailing important information from an assigned state in each region. You will also be able to learn from your classmates' research and scrapbook about other states. Best of all, by the end of this unit, you will have memorized the location and names of all the states and capitals. Use Wakko's video below to get you started on the states and capitals.

Media embedded April 18, 2021

Bill Selak. (2009, November 28). Wakko’s 50 State Capitols with Lyrics/Subtitles [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MSvJ9SN8THE&t=1s

Learning Targets

  • I can define what a region is by building a common definition with my class.
  • I can discriminate between examples and non-examples of regions.
  • I will be able to identify the unique characteristics of each region.
  • I will be able to identify the geography, climate, resources, and culture of each region
  • I will be able to research a particular state in each region in the United States.
  • I will be able to locate and identify the states and capitals of all the states in each region.

Evidence of Learning

After studying each region, you will have an end of region summative assessment. This will include identifying states, capitals, and the location of them in the regions. Use all the various tools such as Quizizz digital flashcards or physical flashcards to help you study. You can also find many online games that are set up to help you learn the location of states and capitals. See below for some games you can use online. You will also be required to post how geography, climate, resources, and culture impact how people live in each of the regions. In addition to the readings and videos in the updates, you may want to use online resources to further explore the regions. See some examples of online interactive sites. Updates require you to research an assigned state in each region. Finally, you will use the research from the five Updates on states in each region to create a scrapbook that will be peer-reviewed.

Northeast  Quiz: Northeast States  Quiz: Northeast Capitals
Southeast Interactive Quiz: Southeast States Quiz: Southeast Capitals
Midwest Interactive Quiz: Midwest States Quiz: Midwest Capitals
Southwest Quiz: Southwest States Quiz: Southwest Capitals
West Interactive Quiz: West States Quiz: West Capitals

 

Educator

This unit is intended for a gifted multi-age fourth and fifth-grade class. The unit should take 18 to 20 days of 60-minute sessions to complete. Students are expected to complete work outside of class if they are unable to finish work in the time allocated in class. This may particularly apply to the updates that students create about their assigned state.

English Language Arts Standards » Reading: Informational Text » Grade 5

RI.5.1 Quotes accurately from a text when explaining what the text says explicitly and when drawing logical inferences from the text.

RI.5.9 Integrate information from several texts on the same topic in order to write or speak about the subject knowledgeably.

 

English Language Arts Standards » Writing » Grade 5 » 9

W.5.9 Draws evidence from literary or informational texts to support analysis, reflection and research.

 

English Language Arts Standards » Language » Language Progressive Skills» Grade 5 » 2

L.5.2 Demonstrates command of the conventions of Standard English, capitalization, punctuation, and spelling when writing.

 

Evidence of Learning

After studying each region, an end of region summative assessment is given. Included in the assessment is identifying the states, capitals, and the location in the regions. Students are also required to post how geography, climate, resources, and culture impact how people live in each of the regions. Updates require students to research a given state in each region. Students will use the research from the five Updates on a state in each region to create a scrapbook. Before posting their final project, students will peer review each other's work.

Update 1: What is a Region?

Learner

Learning Target:

  • I can define what a region is by building a common definition with my class.
  • I can discriminate between examples and non-examples of regions.

 

Complete the survey

You will take a Pre-test on the regions of the United States. You will take a post-test at the end of the unit.

 

Think About It!

What is a region? Using the examples and non-examples below write a definition of the region in your notebook.

Examples: Non-Example:
In the Arctic, polar bears play on the freezing tundra amid the Arctic Lupine.  My bedroom is a constant 70 degrees Fahrenheit, and it does not have any plants and animals.
In the Desert States, scorpions hide behind cactuses to avoid the hot, humid weather.  In outer space, it is very cold, and there is no known plant or animal life.
 In the Mountain States, Bighorn Sheep dodge Alpine plants as they climb higher and higher up the mountains into chiller weather. In my house, I am expected to set the table for dinner.

 

Explore

Group Work: After deciding on a group definition, read the descriptions below of different places. Remember to pay particular attention to characterized that are distinctive such as climate, animal, and plant life. Review the examples and non-examples of a region below.

In the African savannah, lions, and hyenas play in the tall grasses under the blazing sun.

In New England, people go apple picking as the leaves on the oak trees change color and fall. They often eat lobster in the summer.

In the zoo, many different animals live in cages. Many different types of plants can also be seen in the zoo. Zoos are located all around the world. 

Houses are located all over the world. Many people keep cats, dogs, and small plants in their houses. 

In the rainforest, it is very rainy. Tropical plants grow and monkeys swing in the tree branches.

In the Midwest, it snows a lot in the winter. Lots of corn is grown. Buffalo roam on the plains.

On your own: Open the document and make a copy. Highlight each example of a region and cross out the examples of places that aren't regions.

Regions

Communicate

Post

Your task is to post your own example and non-example with an explanation.

Update

Nine-year-old Karen was walking to school when she saw a poster hanging in a store window. When Karen stopped to read it, she noticed that it was for an essay contest. A local company was offering $100 for the best essay about a region of the United States. The contest was only open to children between the ages of 7 and 10, and Karen really wanted to enter. The problem was Karen was not sure what she wanted to write about. She thought houses, zoos, and the Midwest would all be interesting topics for her paper; however, the rules stated that her essay must be about a region. In an update, give advice to Karen on what to write about and why.

Reply

Comment on a classmate's update with your thoughts about their ideas. Do you agree/disagree, and why? Begin your post with @Name, so that your peer knows you are commenting on his or her comment.

 

Educator

Knowledge Process/Learning Outcomes

Through examples and non-examples, students will learn what qualifies as a region. Creativity and problem-solving skills will be put to the test as students determine the necessary elements that make up a region.

Experiencing the Known: Activities that bring in the students’ own experiences and existing knowledge.

Experiencing the New: Activities that immerse students in new experiences or information.

Conceptualizing by Naming: Activities that get students to group and classify things, form concepts and define terms.

Conceptualizing with Theory: Activities in which students tie concepts together into generalizations or map the interconnections between concepts.

 

Duration

The lesson will take one 60 min class period to complete.

 

Resources

  • Social Science Notebook
  • Regions Document
Regions
  • Regions Document Answer Key
Regions Answer Key

Teaching Tip

Think About it: Students begin the activity by creating their own definition of a region in their notebooks. Once students have their definitions, have them work together to come up with a common group definition based on what each person has written. Guide students towards the idea that a region is a part of the earth characterized by distinctive climate, animal, and plant life.

Explore

Group Work: After deciding on a group definition, tell students that you are going to read several descriptions of different places. Ask students to tell you whether or not each is an example of a region, based on the definition created by the class. Each student should back up their classification with an explanation.

In the African savannah, lions, and hyenas play in the tall grasses under the blazing sun. (This is a region.)

In New England, people go apple picking as the leaves on the oak trees change color and fall. They often eat lobster in the summer. (This is a region.)

In the zoo, many different animals live in cages. Many different types of plants can also be seen in the zoo. Zoos are located all around the world. (This is not a region.)

Houses are located all over the world. Many people keep cats, dogs, and small plants in their houses. (This is not a region.)

In the rainforest, it is very rainy. Tropical plants grow and monkeys swing in the tree branches. (This is a region.)

In the Midwest, it snows a lot in the winter. Lots of corn is grown. Buffalo roam on the plains. (This is a region.)

On your own: As students work on the Regions Worksheet, circulate around the room to answer questions, challenge students to rethink wrong answers, and maintain order.
Playing soft music in the background can help to reduce side student conversations. Have available noise reduction headphones for learners that find the music to be distracting.

Update 2: The Northeast Region

Learner

Learning Target:

  • I will be able to identify the unique characteristics of each region.
  • I will be able to identify the geography, climate, resources, and culture of each region
  • I will be able to research a particular state in each region in the United States.
  • I will be able to locate and identify the states and capitals of all the states in each region.

 

Think About It!

(Khan, 2021)

Have you visited one of the Northeast states? What do you know about the states in this region? Share with your partner what you know related to the geography, climate, resources, or its culture and landmarks.

 

Explore

You are planning a trip across the US. You want to visit each of the regions. Before you leave you have decided to research each of the regions to gain a better understanding of the geography, climate, resources, and culture.

Read and Discover.

Northeast Region Reading

Watch the video below:

Video on Northeast Region

100% Educational Videos. (2001). Regions of the United States: The Northeast: Environment. [Full Video]. Available from https://www.discoveryeducation.com

Take notes on your research using an outline form:

Regions Outline Notes

Learn about the location of the states and the capitals of this region. Use the first three maps to help memorize the location of the states and the flashcards to memorize the shape, spelling, and capital of each state. Use the digital flashcards in Quizizz for the Northeast Region to help you learn.

Northeast Study Guide

Group Work: With your assigned group discuss the region. If you were living in this region, what advantages would you have over other regions? What disadvantages might you face living in this region? As you weigh the advantages and disadvantages consider educational opportunities, jobs and economy, political atmosphere, and environmental resources. If you were going to invite friends over for a vacation, what month would you tell them to plan their trip? What places would you take them and foods would you introduce them to that highlights the culture of the region?

Communicate

Post

After completing the reading and video, your task is to post about how the geography, climate, resources, and culture of the region impact how people live. Make sure to include three facts you learned related to the geography, climate, resources, and culture of the region. Include two things did you found interesting. Finally, add a question you still have about the region.

Update

Read about your state and take notes to help you. Locate and document the website for the states you are researching. Use the document below to help you organize your notes in a table. Once you have all of your notes, create an update about your state based on what you learned. Share what makes the state unique. What features does it have in common with other states that are a part of this region? What did you learn about the history, culture, and landmarks that would make this an interesting state for someone to visit?

Update Note Taking Table

Reply

Comment on a classmate's update with your thoughts about their ideas. Do you agree/disagree, and why? Begin your post with @Name, so that your peer knows you are commenting on his or her comment.

Educator

Knowledge Process/Learning Outcomes

Students will be able to identify the unique characteristics of the region. Students will be able to research a particular state in a region in the United States.

Think About it! activity classifies as experiencing the known. The activity brings in the students’ own experiences and existing knowledge.

Explore activities classifies as experiencing the new. These activities immerse students in new information.

Students' note-taking in the various categories classifies as conceptualizing by naming. The activity helps students to group and classify things, form concepts and define terms.

Students posting categories as conceptualizing with theory. In the post, students are tying concepts together to discuss the interconnections between concepts as they write about the impact the concepts have on people.

 

Duration

The lesson will take two 60 min class periods to complete.

 

Resources

Social Science Notebook

Other documents provided on the left.

Northeast Region Quizizz

 

Teachers Tip

Create excitement and engagement by gamifying the memorization of the states and capitals by beginning or ending each session with a Quizizz online game. Students complete with each other to be on the leaderboard. Students also earn power-ups as they gain mastery of the states and capitals. See the video below for a tutorial on how to use the online platform Quizizz.

Media embedded May 8, 2021

 

Ms Hannah’s Slice of the Pi. (2019, February 16). Quizizz Tutorial for Teachers [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oDO3j2PjS7s 

Explore: Help model for students how to take information from the document on the region and create an outlined notes. An example of a partial outline is shown below. Remind students to indent at each level, ideas do not have to be complete sentences, and details can be summarized into a few words.

I. Land & Water

     A. between coast of Atlantic Ocean & Great Lakes

     B. region has valleys, rolling hills, & low mountains

     C. Appalachian Mountains

           1. oldest mountain ranges in world

           2. changed a lot because of erosion

    D. [Leave blank and have students fill in with information from reading]

Communication: Assign a state to a student from the region. Make sure that the states are evenly distributed among the class. 

Informal Assessment: Provide feedback to students as they create their outlines. Some students may need to be pulled into small groups with the teacher guiding their outline creation. Students may need help identifying and determining important points from each section. Students may also need assistance knowing how to rephrase sections for the outline. To help students that are struggling, you may want to print a hard copy of the reading and provide colors to help identify the levels of an outline. In red they can circle all the bold headings. In blue, they can identify the key idea of the section. Green can be used to underline important supporting details. Stress that if they are underlining everything in the reading, they are not determining what is important and their technique will not help them when they study the information. Highlighting should be reserved for the most important ideas. This way they can review without having to read the whole text.

The Quizizz online program allows you to track students' progress as they memorize the states and capitals. A report can be emailed to parents also.

Additionally, you can use Kahoot or Quizlet. Quizizz, Kahoot, and Quizlet will give you the option to duplicate the sets and then modify it for your needs.

Description Links
The Northeast States, Capitals and Abbreviations Kahoot Link
The Southeast States, Capitals and Abbreviations Kahoot Link
The Midwest States, Capitals and Abbreviations Kahoot Link
The West and the Southwest States, Capitals and Abbreviations Kahoot Link
USA 50 States Quizlet Link

 

Update 3: The Southeast Region

Learner

Learning Target:

  • I will be able to identify the unique characteristics of each region.
    I will be able to identify the geography, climate, resources, and culture of each region
    I will be able to research a particular state in each region in the United States.
    I will be able to locate and identify the states and capitals of all the states in each region.

 

Think About It!

(Khan, 2021)

Have you visited one of the Southeast states? What do you know about the states in this region? Share with your partner what you know related to the geography, climate, resources, or its culture and landmarks.

 

Explore

You are planning the southeast portion of your trip across the US. You will research in order to gain a better understanding of the geography, climate, resources, and culture.

Read and Discover.

Southeast Region Reading

Watch the video below:

Video on Southeast Region

100% Educational Videos. (2001). Regions of the United States: The Southeast: People and Heritage. [Full Video]. Available from https://www.discoveryeducation.com

Take notes on your research using an outline form:

Regions Outline Notes

Learn about the location of the states and the capitals of this region. Use the first three maps to help memorize the location of the states and the flashcards to memorize the shape, spelling, and capital of each state. Use the digital flashcards in Quizizz for the Southeast Region to help you learn.

Group Work: With your assigned group discuss the region. If you were living in this region, what advantages would you have over other regions? What disadvantages might you face living in this region? As you weigh the advantages and disadvantages consider educational opportunities, jobs and economy, political atmosphere, and environmental resources. If you were going to invite friends over for a vacation, what month would you tell them to plan their trip? What places would you take them and foods would you introduce them to that highlights the culture of the region?

Communicate

Post

our task is to post about how the geography, climate, resources, and culture of the region impact how people live. Make sure to include three facts you learned related to the geography, climate, resources, and culture of the region. Include two things did you found interesting. Finally, add a question you still have about the region.

Update

Read about your state and take notes to help you. Locate and document the website for the states you are researching. Use the document below to help you organize your notes in a table. 

Update Note Taking Table

Reply

Comment on a classmate's update with your thoughts about their ideas. Do you agree/disagree, and why? Begin your post with @Name, so that your peer knows you are commenting on his or her comment.

Educator

Knowledge Process/Learning Outcomes

Students will be able to identify the unique characteristics of the region. Students will be able to research a particular state in a region in the United States.

Think About it! activity classifies as experiencing the known. The activity brings in the students’ own experiences and existing knowledge.

Explore activities classifies as experiencing the new. These activities immerse students in new information.

Students' note-taking in the various categories classifies as conceptualizing by naming. The activity helps students to group and classify things, form concepts and define terms.

Students posting categories as conceptualizing with theory. In the post, students are tying concepts together to discuss the interconnections between concepts as they write about the impact the concepts have on people.

 

Duration

The lesson will take two 60 min class period to complete.

 

Resources

Social Science Notebook

Other documents provided on the left.

Southeast Region Quizizz

 

Teachers Tip

Explore: Create excitement and engagement by gamifying the memorization of the states and capitals by beginning or ending each session with a Quizizz online game.

Continue providing support to students that need help indent at each level, ideas do not have to be complete sentences, and details can be summarized into a few words.

Communication: Assign a state to a student from the region. Make sure that the states are evenly distributed among the class.

Update 4: The Midwest

Learner

Learning Target:

  • I will be able to identify the unique characteristics of each region.
    I will be able to identify the geography, climate, resources, and culture of each region
    I will be able to research a particular state in each region in the United States.
    I will be able to locate and identify the states and capitals of all the states in each region.

 

Think About It!

(Khan, 2021)


Have you visited one of the Midwest states? What do you know about the states in this region? Share with your partner what you know related to the geography, climate, resources, or its culture and landmarks.

 

Explore

You are planning the midwest portion of your trip across the US. You will research in order to gain a better understanding of the geography, climate, resources, and culture.

Read and Discover.

Midwest Region Reading

Watch the video below:

Video on Midwest Region

100% Educational Videos. (2001). Regions of the United States: The Midwest: People and Heritage. [Full Video]. Available from https://www.discoveryeducation.com

Take notes on your research using an outline form:

Regions Outline Notes

Learn about the location of the states and the capitals of this region. Use the first three maps to help memorize the location of the states and the flashcards to memorize the shape, spelling, and capital of each state. Use the digital flashcards in Quizizz for the Midwest Region to help you learn.

Midwest Study Guide

Group Work: With your assigned group discuss the region. If you were living in this region, what advantages would you have over other regions? What disadvantages might you face living in this region? As you weigh the advantages and disadvantages consider educational opportunities, jobs and economy, political atmosphere, and environmental resources. If you were going to invite friends over for a vacation, what month would you tell them to plan their trip? What places would you take them and foods would you introduce them to that highlights the culture of the region?

Communicate

Post

our task is to post about how the geography, climate, resources, and culture of the region impact how people live. Make sure to include three facts you learned related to the geography, climate, resources, and culture of the region. Include two things did you found interesting. Finally, add a question you still have about the region.

Update

Read about your state and take notes to help you. Locate and document the website for the states you are researching. Use the document below to help you organize your notes in a table. Once you have all of your notes, create an update about your state based on what you learned. Share what makes the state unique. What features does it have in common with other states that are a part of this region? What did you learn about the history, culture, and landmarks that would make this an interesting state for someone to visit?

Update Note Taking Table

​Reply

Comment on a classmate's update with your thoughts about their ideas. Do you agree/disagree, and why? Begin your post with @Name, so that your peer knows you are commenting on his or her comment.

Educator

Knowledge Process/Learning Outcomes

Students will be able to identify the unique characteristics of the region. Students will be able to research a particular state in a region in the United States.

Think About it! activity classifies as experiencing the known. The activity brings in the students’ own experiences and existing knowledge.

Explore activities classifies as experiencing the new. These activities immerse students in new information.

Students' note-taking in the various categories classifies as conceptualizing by naming. The activity helps students to group and classify things, form concepts and define terms.

Students posting categories as conceptualizing with theory. In the post, students are tying concepts together to discuss the interconnections between concepts as they write about the impact the concepts have on people.

 

Duration

The lesson will take two 60 min class periods to complete.

 

Resources

Social Science Notebook

Other documents provided on the left.

Midwest Region Quizizz

 

Teachers Tip

Explore: Create excitement and engagement by gamifying the memorization of the states and capitals by beginning or ending each session with a Quizizz online game.

Continue providing support to students that need help indent at each level, ideas do not have to be complete sentences, and details can be summarized into a few words.

Communication: Assign a state to a student from the region. Make sure that the states are evenly distributed among the class.

Update 5: The Southwest Region

Learner

Learning Target:

  • I will be able to identify the unique characteristics of each region.
  • I will be able to identify the geography, climate, resources, and culture of each region
  • I will be able to research a particular state in each region in the United States.
  • I will be able to locate and identify the states and capitals of all the states in each region.

 

Think About It!

(Khan, 2021)

Have you visited one of the Southwest states? What do you know about the states in this region? Share with your partner what you know related to the geography, climate, resources, or its culture and landmarks.

 

Explore

You are planning the southwest portion of your trip across the US. You will research in order to gain a better understanding of the geography, climate, resources, and culture.

Read and Discover.

Southwest Region Reading

Watch the video below:

Video on Southwest Region

100% Educational Videos. (2001). Regions of the United States: The Southwest: People and Heritage. [Full Video]. Available from https://www.discoveryeducation.com

Take notes on your research using an outline form:

Regions Outline Notes

Learn about the location of the states and the capitals of this region. Use the first three maps to help memorize the location of the states and the flashcards to memorize the shape, spelling, and capital of each state. Use the digital flashcards in Quizizz for the Southwest Region to help you learn.

Southwest Study Guide

Group Work: With your assigned group discuss the region. If you were living in this region, what advantages would you have over other regions? What disadvantages might you face living in this region? As you weigh the advantages and disadvantages consider educational opportunities, jobs and economy, political atmosphere, and environmental resources. If you were going to invite friends over for a vacation, what month would you tell them to plan their trip? What places would you take them and foods would you introduce them to that highlights the culture of the region?

Communicate

Post

After completing the reading and video, your task is to post about how the geography, climate, resources, and culture of the region impact how people live. Make sure to include three facts you learned related to the geography, climate, resources, and culture of the region. Include two things did you found interesting. Finally, add a question you still have about the region.

Update

Read about your state and take notes to help you. Locate and document the website for the states you are researching. Use the document below to help you organize your notes in a table. Once you have all of your notes, create an update about your state based on what you learned. Share what makes the state unique. What features does it have in common with other states that are a part of this region? What did you learn about the history, culture, and landmarks that would make this an interesting state for someone to visit?

Update Note Taking Table

​Reply

Comment on a classmate's update with your thoughts about their ideas. Do you agree/disagree, and why? Begin your post with @Name, so that your peer knows you are commenting on his or her comment.

Educator

Knowledge Process/Learning Outcomes

Students will be able to identify the unique characteristics of the region. Students will be able to research a particular state in a region in the United States.

Think About it! activity classifies as experiencing the known. The activity brings in the students’ own experiences and existing knowledge.

Explore activities classifies as experiencing the new. These activities immerse students in new information.

Students' note-taking in the various categories classifies as conceptualizing by naming. The activity helps students to group and classify things, form concepts and define terms.

Students posting categories as conceptualizing with theory. In the post, students are tying concepts together to discuss the interconnections between concepts as they write about the impact the concepts have on people.

 

Duration

The lesson will take two 60 min class periods to complete.

 

Resources

Social Science Notebook

Other documents provided on the left.

Southwest Region Quizizn

 

Teachers Tip

Explore: Create excitement and engagement by gamifying the memorization of the states and capitals by beginning or ending each session with a Quizizz online game.Continue providing support to students that need help indent at each level, ideas do not have to be complete sentences, and details can be summarized into a few words.

Communication: Assign a state to a student from the region. Make sure that the states are evenly distributed among the class.

Update 6: West Region

Learner

Learning Target:

  • I will be able to identify the unique characteristics of each region.
  • I will be able to identify the geography, climate, resources, and culture of each region
  • I will be able to research a particular state in each region in the United States.
  • I will be able to locate and identify the states and capitals of all the states in each region.

Think About It!

(Khan, 2021)

Have you visited one of the Western states? What do you know about the states in this region? Share with your partner what you know related to the geography, climate, resources, or its culture and landmarks.

Explore

You are planning the final portion of your trip across the US. You will research the Western region in order to gain a better understanding of the geography, climate, resources, and culture.

Read and Discover.

West Region Reading

Watch the video below:

Video on Western Region

100% Educational Videos. (2001). Regions of the United States: The West: People and Heritage. [Full Video]. Available from https://www.discoveryeducation.com

Take notes on your research using an outline form:

Regions Outline Notes

Learn about the location of the states and the capitals of this region. Use the first three maps to help memorize the location of the states and the flashcards to memorize the shape, spelling, and capital of each state. Use the digital flashcards in Quizizz for the West Region to help you learn.

West Study Guide

Group Work: With your assigned group discuss the region. If you were living in this region, what advantages would you have over other regions? What disadvantages might you face living in this region? As you weigh the advantages and disadvantages consider educational opportunities, jobs and economy, political atmosphere, and environmental resources. If you were going to invite friends over for a vacation, what month would you tell them to plan their trip? What places would you take them and foods would you introduce them to that highlights the culture of the region?

Communicate

Post

After completing the reading and video, your task is to post about how the geography, climate, resources, and culture of the region impact how people live. Make sure to include three facts you learned related to the geography, climate, resources, and culture of the region. Include two things did you found interesting. Finally, add a question you still have about the region.

Update

Read about your state and take notes to help you. Locate and document the website for the states you are researching. Use the document below to help you organize your notes in a table. Once you have all of your notes, create an update about your state based on what you learned. Share what makes the state unique. What features does it have in common with other states that are a part of this region? What did you learn about the history, culture, and landmarks that would make this an interesting state for someone to visit?

Update Note Taking Table

​Reply

Comment on a classmate's update with your thoughts about their ideas. Do you agree/disagree, and why? Begin your post with @Name, so that your peer knows you are commenting on his or her comment.

Educator

Knowledge Process/Learning Outcomes

Students will be able to identify the unique characteristics of the region. Students will be able to research a particular state in a region in the United States.

Think About it! activity classifies as experiencing the known. The activity brings in the students’ own experiences and existing knowledge.

Explore activities classifies as experiencing the new. These activities immerse students in new information.

Students' note-taking in the various categories classifies as conceptualizing by naming. The activity helps students to group and classify things, form concepts and define terms.

Students posting categories as conceptualizing with theory. In the post, students are tying concepts together to discuss the interconnections between concepts as they write about the impact the concepts have on people.

 

Duration

The lesson will take two 60 min class periods to complete.

 

Resources

Social Science Notebook

Other documents provided on the left.

West Region Quizizz

 

Teachers Tip

Explore: Create excitement and engagement by gamifying the memorization of the states and capitals by beginning or ending each session with a Quizizz online game.

Continue providing support to students that need help indent at each level, ideas do not have to be complete sentences, and details can be summarized into a few words.

Communication: Assign a state to a student from the region. Make sure that the states are evenly distributed among the class.

Update 7: Scrapebook Touring the Regions

(Jameson, n.d.)

 

Learner

You have just returned from your travels through the regions of the United States. You have collected pamphlets, brochures, photos of your trip. Your bag is busting with souvenirs, mementos, and keepsakes. You would like to save your memories by creating a scrapbook of what you learned about the places you went.

 

Directions:

You are to demonstrate your understanding of the states and regions of our country by creating a scrapbook. The scrapbook will include a page of a state from each region of the United States. You may choose to use a variety of mediums to include within your scrapbook in order to express creativity. Use the checklist below to create your scrapbook.

Checklist for Scrapbook

Peer Review:

You will review a classmate's work. Provide them feedback using the rubric below. Remember to balance your feedback with what was done well and what can be improved. Always be respectful and kind when giving feedback.

Scrapbook Peer Rubric

Create Update 7

You will revise your work based on the rubric received by your peer. Post your revised work in update 7.

 

Complete the survey

Take an end-of-the-unit post-test.

Educators

Knowledge Process/Learning Outcomes

Students will be able to use identify unique characteristics of the region. Students will be able to research a particular state in a region in the United States.

Creation of the scrapbook classifies as applying appropriately: Activities that require the application of knowledge to actual problems and real-world situations

Creation of the scrapbook classifies as applying creatively: Activities that require the transfer of knowledge to new situations and different contexts.

The reflection page classifies as analyzing functionally. Students are comparing the various states.

The reflection page classifies as analyzing critically. Students explore motives, purposes, and interests.

 

Duration

The lesson will take five 60 min class periods to complete.

 

Resources

  • Scrapbook materials
  • Paper
  • Coloring utensils
  • Glue
  • Scissors
  • Any other artistic materials

 

Teaching Tip

Share different layouts of scrapbook pages to help students think creatively about their own scrapbooks. Pinterest has various boards that are great examples.

Assessment

​Use the rubric provided below to evaluate student's work. Individual comments can be provided in the rubric also.

Teacher Scrapbook Rubric

Assess students' ability to identify and locate states within a given region and their capitals. Students should spell both the state and capital correctly. 

State and Capital Test

Alternatively, you can assess states and capitals using region maps. 

Region State and Capital Test

 

References

References

100% Educational Videos. (2001). Regions of the United States: The Midwest: People and Heritage. [Full Video]. Available from https://www.discoveryeducation.com

100% Educational Videos. (2001). Regions of the United States: The Northeast: Environment. [Full Video]. Available from https://www.discoveryeducation.com

100% Educational Videos. (2001). Regions of the United States: The Southeast: People and Heritage. [Full Video]. Available from https://www.discoveryeducation.com

100% Educational Videos. (2001). Regions of the United States: The Southwest: People and Heritage. [Full Video]. Available from https://www.discoveryeducation.com

100% Educational Videos. (2001). Regions of the United States: The West: People and Heritage. [Full Video]. Available from https://www.discoveryeducation.com

Anderson, K. (2018, January 29). Claim, Evidence, Reasoning (CER): A Writing Strategy to Help Make Connections With Science Concepts and Labs. Model Teaching. https://www.modelteaching.com/education-articles/writing-instruction/claim-evidence-reasoning-cer

Bill Selak. (2009, November 28). Wakko’s 50 State Capitols with Lyrics/Subtitles [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MSvJ9SN8THE&t=1s

Education.com. (2019, September 19). What is a Region? https://www.education.com/lesson-plan/what-is-a-region/

Kalantzis, M., & Cope, B. (2020). The Knowledge Processes - New Learning Online. Work & Days. https://newlearningonline.com/learning-by-design/the-knowledge-processes

Khan, N. (2021). Touring the Regions of the US [Image]. Unpublished Work. The University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign.

Ms Hannah’s Slice of the Pi. (2019, February 16). Quizizz Tutorial for Teachers [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oDO3j2PjS7s

Rossi, J. (n.d.). Regions of USA. That Quiz. Retrieved April 10, 2021, from https://www.thatquiz.org/tq/preview?c=x9xkg5fg&s=pqxavn

Russ, J. (2021). United States Regions. Modern Blogger Pro. https://jillruss.com/social-studies/united-states-regions/

Teaching and Learning in Higher Education. (n.d.). RISE, Meaningful Feedback Model. Retrieved February 17, 2021, from https://www.queensu.ca/teachingandlearning/modules/assessments/17_s2_09_rise_meaningful_feedback_model.html

Vygotskiĭ, L. S., & Cole, M. (1978). Mind in society: The development of higher psychological processes. Cambridge: Harvard University Press.