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1 Sample Lesson Welcome to Social Studies Alive! Regions of Our Country. This document contains everything you need to teach the sample lesson Exploring Regions of the United States. We invite you to use this sample lesson today to discover how the TCI Approach can make social studies come alive for your students. Contents Letter from Bert Bower, TCI Founder and CEO 2 Benefits of Social Studies Alive! Regions of Our Country 3 Program Contents 4 Student Edition: Sample Lesson 2: Exploring Regions of the United States 5 Lesson Guide 22 Assessment 35 Interactive Student Notebook 36 Visuals 42 Study Your State Watch a lesson demonstration 2. Learn about strategies behind the program 3. Discover the new and improved Teacher Subscription and Student Subscription

2 Welcome! Social Studies Alive! Regions of Our Country You have in your hands a sample of Social Studies Alive! Regions of Our Country from TCI. This sample lesson is intended to give you the opportunity both to review our program and to try it out in your own classroom so you can join the growing body of elementary teachers who are turning to Social Studies Alive! to reinvigorate their social studies and language arts programs. As a high school teacher who teaches only one subject, I am in awe of elementary teachers. You not only teach all subjects math, language arts, science, and social studies you juggle a myriad of other teaching and nonteaching responsibilities as well. That s why we created Social Studies Alive! Regions of Our Country to make it easier for you to integrate language arts skills and social studies skills, to create active lessons to keep kids engaged, and to provide meaningful content to inspire young learners to care about the world around them. I m confident you and your students will enjoy this sample lesson. I look forward to welcoming you to the TCI community of inspired, active social studies teachers! welcome Best, Bert Bower, TCI Founder and CEO 2

3 benefits Benefits of Social Studies Alive! Regions of Our Country How can we help our students to understand their world? How do we prepare them to participate in it effectively? To these core social studies goals, TCI adds another: How do we get students excited about this learning? Social Studies Alive! Regions of Our Country delivers on all three goals. Interactive classroom experiences, coupled with fascinating reading, engage all learners in today s diverse classroom. TCI recognizes the challenge to teachers of fitting social studies into a school day that must concentrate so heavily on the three R s. To meet this challenge, TCI has created a social studies program that serves double duty: reinforcing reading and language arts skills at the same time that students learn social studies. Social Studies Alive! Regions of Our Country was created by teachers, for teachers. The program is flexible and easy to use, providing a variety of ways to meet student needs. Teachers can Cover state standards in history, geography, economics, and government. motivate student reading with the Reading Further feature in each lesson a high-interest case study that drills down into interesting events, concepts, and people discussed in the lesson. support language arts instruction in the social studies curriculum with vocabulary development, reading strategies, a variety of writing activities, and numerous opportunities to develop speaking and listening skills. Measure student mastery with rigorous assessments that cover comprehension, skills, and critical thinking. modify instruction for English language learners, learners with special education needs, and enrichment. extend learning with recommended additional reading opportunities and TCI s online Enrichment Resources, including a Biography Bank, Enrichment Readings, and Study Your State activity booklet. Social Studies Alive! Regions of Our Country will help you ignite your students passion for learning social studies and your passion for teaching it! Social Studies Alive! Regions of Our Country 3

4 Welcome! Program Contents 1 Discovering the Social Sciences 2 Exploring Regions of the United States 3 The Peopling of the United States 4 A Train Tour of the Northeast 5 Population Density and Life in the Northeast 6 A Boat and Bus Tour of the Southeast Social Studies Alive! Regions of Our Country 7 The Effects of Geography on Life in the Southeast In Social Studies Alive! Regions of Our Country, an Essential Question organizes each lesson and its corresponding activity. By reading the Student Edition and participating in the classroom activity, students gain a deeper understanding of the content. 8 A Crop Duster Tour of the Midwest 9 Agricultural Changes in the Midwest 10 A Big Rig Tour of the Southwest 11 A Case Study in Water Use: The Colorado River 12 A Van and Airplane Tour of the West 13 Cities of the West 14 Researching Your State s Geography 15 Researching Your State s History 16 Researching Your State s Economy 17 Researching Your State s Government Sample Lesson: 2 Exploring Regions of the United States FREE 30 DAY TRIAL contents Test-drive with a 30 Day Trial With the Teacher Subscription, teachers can get an entire class interacting with one computer, an internet connection and a projector. Students thrive on the immediate feedback they get using the Student Subscription s Reading Challenges. 4

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6 Midwest Northeast Student Edition Lesson Guide Lesson Masters Interactive Student Notebook Visuals Study Your State 6 West Southeast Southwest

7 Exploring Regions of the United States 2 How do geographers study the regions of the United States? 2.1 Introduction Because Earth is so large, geographers divide it into regions to study. A region is an area with common features that set it apart from other areas. In this book, we have divided the United States into five regions to study. In this chapter, you will learn how geographers study regions. One way is by using maps. Geographers use maps to help them think about five topics, or themes, of geography. These are the five themes of geography: Location: Where is this place located? What is it near? Place: What is this place like? Human-environmental interaction: How does this place affect the people living here? How do the people who live here affect this place? Movement: How do people, goods, and ideas move to and away from this place? Regions: What features Regions of the United States about this place set it apart from other places? Try answering the questions above about a place you know well your school. Now you are thinking like a geographer. Keep thinking that way as you read more about the regions of the United States. Student Edition Lesson Guide Lesson Masters Interactive Student Notebook Visuals Study Your State 7 Exploring Regions of the United States 15

8 North Pole South Pole 2.2 Location and Direction Every place has its own location. A location is the site where something can be found. People describe locations in many ways. You might describe the location of your home by talking about what it is near. This is the relative location of your home. Or you might use your street address. This is the exact location of your home. Geographers use globes and maps to show the locations of places on Earth. Globes are round like Earth. They are useful when you want to know where places are on the planet. When you need to see where many places are all at once, maps can be more useful. Maps show all or part of Earth on a flat surface. To use a map, you need to know the four cardinal directions. North is the direction toward the North Pole. When you face north, your back is facing south. East is to your right. West is to your left. On a map, the letters N, S, E, and W stand for the cardinal directions. The intermediate directions are halfway between the cardinal directions. Northeast, for example, lies halfway between north and east. The other intermediate directions are southeast, southwest, and northwest. On a map, the letters NE, SE, SW, and NW stand for the intermediate directions. Most maps use a compass rose to show directions. It sits on each map with N pointing toward the North Pole. This tells you which way is north. Student Edition Lesson Guide Lesson Masters Interactive Student Notebook Visuals Study Your State 8 Cardinal Directions Intermediate Directions Compass Rose 16 Chapter 2

9 2.3 Scales and Symbols a Maps never show sizes and distances as they really are. They are always much smaller than the part of Earth they represent. A short distance on a map stands for a much greater distance on Earth. The scale of a map shows the relationship between map distances and real distances. A map s scale can be shown in many ways. The most common is a line scale. The maps on this page have two line scales. One is for miles, and the other is for kilometers. Maps use symbols to show other kinds of information. A symbol is anything that stands for something else. Sometimes symbols look like what they stand for. For example, mapmakers often use tiny airplane symbols to stand for airports. Color is another important map symbol. The color blue usually stands for water. Mapmakers often use different colors to show separate states or countries. Mapmakers use a map key to explain their symbols. (A key is also called a legend.) The map key tells what each symbol stands for. Look at the maps on this page. What does the star stand for? scale a diagram that shows the relationship between distances on a map and real distances on Earth map key an explanation of what the symbols on a map stand for Student Edition Lesson Guide Lesson Masters Interactive Student Notebook Visuals Study Your State 9

10 line of latitude an imaginary line that runs east and west around the globe; also called a parallel 2.4 Lines of Latitude Suppose you want to describe the exact location of a place on Earth. To help you do this, mapmakers invented a system of imaginary lines around the globe. Some of these lines run east and west around the globe. They are called lines of latitude. Lines of latitude are also known as parallels because they are always the same distance apart. Lines of latitude tell us how far north or south of the equator a place on Earth is. The equator is a line of latitude. It divides Earth into two halves. They are called the Northern Hemisphere and the Southern Hemisphere. Because the United States lies north of the equator, it is in the Northern Hemisphere. The equator is the starting point for measuring latitude. It is labeled 0, or zero degrees. Parallels north of the equator are labeled N. The North Pole is 90 N. Parallels south of the equator are labeled S. The South Pole is 90 S. Lines of latitude measure between 0 and 90 N or 90 S. The closer a parallel is to the equator, the smaller its number of degrees. The closer it is to one of the poles, the greater its number of degrees. Student Edition Lesson Guide Lesson Masters Interactive Student Notebook Visuals Study Your State 10 A boat s location on the ocean can be pinpointed using latitude and longitude.

11 2.5 Lines of Longitude Lines of longitude tell us how far to the east or west we need to go to locate a place. Look at the map on this page. It shows lines circling Earth. They are called lines of longitude. Lines of longitude are also called meridians. Unlike lines of latitude, meridians are not parallel to each other. All meridians meet at the North Pole and the South Pole. The distance between meridians is greatest at the equator. That distance shrinks as you move from the equator to the poles. Can you find the line that is labeled prime meridian on the map? This imaginary line divides the world into the Eastern Hemisphere and the Western Hemisphere. Because the United States lies west of the prime meridian, it is in the Western Hemisphere. The longitude of the prime meridian is 0. Lines of longitude west of the prime meridian are labeled W. Meridians east of the prime meridian are labeled E. Lines of longitude measure between 0 and 180. The closer a meridian is to the prime meridian, the smaller its number of degrees. The farther it is from the prime meridian, the greater its number of degrees. line of longitude an imaginary line that runs around the globe between the North and South Poles; also called a meridian Student Edition Lesson Guide Lesson Masters Interactive Student Notebook Visuals Study Your State 11

12 global grid the grid formed by crisscrossing lines of latitude and longitude on a map 2.6 The Global Grid Mapmakers combine lines of latitude and longitude to form a grid. A grid is a set of crisscrossing lines. The grid you see on the map below is called a global grid because it covers all of Earth. Using the lines of latitude and longitude on the global grid, you can locate places anywhere in the world. For example, suppose you want to locate New Orleans on the map below. It is 30 degrees north of the equator, or 30 N. It is also 90 degrees west of the prime meridian, or 90 W. When locating places on a map, latitude is stated first, then longitude. So the location of New Orleans is 30 N, 90 W. The city of Uíge, Angola, is located at 8 S, 15 E. To find this location, put your finger on the map where the equator and the prime meridian meet. Move your finger east to the 15 E meridian. So far, so good. Now you have a problem. The 8 S parallel is not marked on this map. You know, though, that 8 S must lie between the equator and 15 S. If you move your finger along the 15 E meridian to the spot halfway between these two parallels, you will find the city you are looking for. 12

13 2.7 Kinds of Maps Geographers make di erent kinds of maps for di erent purposes. Maps that show natural features are called physical maps. Physical maps show landforms, such as mountains, valleys, and plains. Physical maps also show bodies of water, such as rivers, lakes, and oceans. Other maps show human features. For example, a political map shows cities, capitals, states, and countries. Special-purpose maps show just one kind of information. Rainfall maps, for example, show how much rain falls in di erent parts of the world. Population maps show how many people live in di erent areas. Language maps show what languages people speak in di erent places. e special-purpose map above is an elevation map of the United States. Elevation is the height of the land above the ocean. e surface of the ocean, called sea level, is at zero elevation. e highest point in North America is Mt. McKinley in Alaska. Its elevation is 20,320 feet. What does the map show about your state s elevation? special-purpose map a map that shows just one kind of information, such as rainfall or elevation 13

14 coastal plain low, flat land that runs along a coast 2.8 The Northeast and Southeast The maps on this page show the Northeast and Southeast regions of the United States. These regions share a number of features. Both lie beside the Atlantic Ocean. A low, flat plain runs along the coast in both regions. It is known as a coastal plain. The Appalachian mountain range also runs through both of these regions. Large rivers flow out of these mountains. The rivers that flow east cut across the coastal plain to the Atlantic Ocean. The rivers that flow west drain into the Gulf of Mexico. While they are alike in some ways, the Northeast and Southeast regions have different climates. The climate of a place is the kind of weather it has over time. It includes temperature, rainfall, and wind conditions. In the Northeast region, winters are long and cold. Snowstorms are common. Summers are warm and sometimes can be hot. The Southeast region has a mild winter climate. Winters are usually warmer than in the Northeast. Summers are hot and humid. Humid means damp or moist. 14

15 2.9 The Midwest and Southwest maps on this page show the Midwest and Southwest regions of the United States. two regions lie in the center of our country. e Midwest is an inland region. It does not border any ocean. However, the Great Lakes form part of the Midwest s northern border. ese lakes are so large that they hold one- h of all the fresh water on Earth. Most of the Midwest is at plains. e Central Plains and Great Plains are covered with some of the best soil on Earth. at soil makes the Midwest an important farming region. e Mississippi River runs through the Central Plains. It is the largest river in the United States. It is also a busy water highway used by boats and barges. Plains also cover the eastern part of the Southwest. Farther west, the land rises to form the Colorado Plateau. A plateau is a high, at landform that rises steeply from the land around it. Most of the Colorado Plateau is fairly level. But it is crisscrossed by many deep canyons. e largest and most famous is the Grand Canyon. inland not bordering an ocean plateau a high, at landform that rises steeply from the land around it 15

16 basin a bowl-shaped landform that is lower than the surrounding land 2.10 The West Mountain ranges stretch across much of the West. e Rocky Mountains begin far to the north, in Alaska. From there they stretch south through Canada, Montana, Idaho, Wyoming, and Colorado. e Great Basin lies to the west of the Rockies. A basin is a bowl-shaped landform that is lower than the land around it. Small ranges of mountains circle around the Great Basin. ere are several mountain ranges along the Paci c coast. e Coast Ranges are low hills that seem to rise right out of the Paci c Ocean. e Cascade Range and the Sierra Nevada are farther inland. (Sierra Nevada means snowy range in Spanish.) Between the Coast Range mountains and the inland mountains are two rich farming valleys. One is California s Central Valley. e other is Oregon s Willamette Valley. Hawaii is also mountainous. Volcanoes formed its islands long ago. A volcano is an opening in Earth s surface through which hot, melted rock and ash may pour out. As the liquid rock cools, it forms a cone-shaped mountain. 16

17 Summary As you have just read, each region of the United States is different. Did you remember to think like a geographer as you looked at the maps of each region? You now know that there are different kinds of maps. Some maps show locations of places around the world. Lines of latitude and longitude help us find exact locations of places and measure distances north to south and east to west. Map scales also help us measure distances from place to place. As you read about each region of the United States, you looked at physical maps. There are many other kinds of maps, including special-purpose maps. To compare climates around the country, you might use a climate map. A product map might show what each region grows or manufactures. Each region also has its own history and culture. People in different regions eat different foods. They celebrate different holidays. They wear different kinds of clothing. They tell particular stories and honor special heroes. Often part of what gives a region its special character is an important natural feature an ocean, a chain of mountains, a desert, a series of lakes, or a great river. 17 Exploring Regions of the United States 25

18 Reading Further 2 Mark Twain s The Adventures of Tom Sawyer was published in Ever since, Americans have enjoyed reading about Tom and Huck s adventures. The Mighty Mississippi The Mississippi River the largest river in the United States runs down the middle of the United States. It flows through ten states. But the Mississippi influences many more. Why do geographers call it one of the most important rivers in the nation? It was dark. But Tom Sawyer and Huck Finn could hear the great river drifting along in front of them. They continued to their raft, untied it, and then pushed it from shore. Then they climbed on. In his book The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, Mark Twain tells what happens next: Mark Twain The raft drew beyond the middle of the river; the boys pointed her head right, and then lay on their oars...they came near to letting the current drift them out of the range of the island. But they discovered the danger in time The boys were off on an adventure down the great Mississippi River. Although Tom and Huck are made-up characters, the Mississippi is a real river. It is just as remarkable as the two friends soon discovered. Many readers enjoyed Twain s story. He soon followed it up with The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. This book, too, featured the Mississippi River. Twain s writings brought the river into the minds of a great many Americans.

19 Life on the Mississippi Long Ago Mark Twain s real name was Samuel Clemens. He based Tom and Huck s adventures on his own life growing up in a small town on the Mississippi. To the young boy, one of the most exciting sounds in the world was the cry S-t-e-a-m-boat a-comin! The steamboats brought interesting people and new things like goods for the store or letters from faraway places. In 1859, Twain became a steamboat pilot. Standing behind the wheel of his boat, he learned to avoid dangers in the muddy waters. He took his name as a writer from the calls the boatmen made to tell the pilot how deep and safe the water was: M-a-r-k three!... Half twain!... M-a-r-k twain! In Twain s time, the Mississippi was like a great highway. People could travel down smaller rivers and then into the Mississippi, all the way from Minnesota to the Gulf of Mexico. People used rafts and boats to carry goods down the Mississippi to the busy port at New Orleans. After the invention of the steamboat, people could send goods up the river as well as down it. As a boy, Mark Twain loved to watch steamboats like these travel down the Mississippi River. 19

20 levee a wall, typically made of dirt, built along a river to keep it from flooding In 1882, the Mississippi flooded people out of their homes. Changing the River People depended on the Mississippi River. But they could never quite rely on it to be safe. At low water, its sandbars made travel dangerous for boats, which could run aground. In the spring and during very rainy times, the river sometimes overflowed. Mark Twain remembered that during one flood, the river became 70 miles wide. So people began to change the river. First, they built levees to stop the river from flooding farms and towns. The levees did their job well some of the time. At other times, the river seemed to have a mind of its own. It pushed right through the levees. Then people fixed the levees and built more of them. They hoped the new ones would hold better. People also changed the river to improve travel. They built bridges across the river. They dug mud out of the river bottom to make it deeper so that large boats could travel the river more easily Chapter 2

21 The River Today The changes people made to the river have made it easier to use. If Mark Twain visited the river today, he would see huge barges. These barges carry millions of tons of goods up and down the river each year. But changing the river does not mean people control it. In 2005, a hurricane called Katrina hit the city of New Orleans and proved that. Huge winds and heavy rains from the storm made the Mississippi overflow. One by one, the levees failed. Most of the city was under water. Lots of people climbed onto roofs to get away from the water. But many did not get away and died. Thousands of people lost their homes and their businesses. The storm and the flood cost billions of dollars. It was one of the greatest disasters in our nation s history. Since that time, people have worked hard to rebuild New Orleans. They have looked to geographers for help. Geographers study the river and the ways human changes influence it. Their knowledge helps people plan well for the future. Today the Mississippi is still a major water highway. Barges carrying goods regularly travel down the river. 21 Exploring Regions of the United States 29

22 S o c i a l S t u d i e s S k i l l B u i l d e r How do geographers study the regions of the United States? Overview Students apply basic map skills to learn about the regions of the United States. In the Preview activity, they draw a map of their own home showing its different regions. In a Social Studies Skill Builder, they interpret a series of specialpurpose maps depicting five regions of the United States and attempt to identify the locations at which five images of the United States were taken. In Reading Further, students discover why the Mississippi River is the most important river in the United States. In the Processing activity, students use their new map skills to explore three locations of their choice. Objectives Social Studies Interpret a physical map of the United States by using directions and latitude and longitude. Interpret special-purpose maps: elevation, annual rainfall, and population density. Hypothesize the locations of five photographs, using geographic information. Analyze the relationship between river systems and people. Research geographic information. Language Arts Write reasons to support answers. (writing) C H A P T E R Exploring Regions of 2 the United States Materials Social Studies Alive! Regions of Our Country Transparencies 2A 2I Interactive Student Notebooks Lesson Masters Student Handouts 2A and 2B Information Master 2 Interactive Desk Maps coins classroom map of the United States Time Estimates Preview: 40 min. Social Studies Skill Builder: 3 sessions (45 min. each) Reading Further: 30 min. Processing: 45 min. 22 Social Studies Vocabulary scale, map key, line of latitude, line of longitude, global grid, special-purpose map, coastal plain, inland, plateau, basin, levee Note: TCI uses the terms visual and transparency interchangeably. Also, have students consult atlases for the mapping section of this lesson. Exploring Regions of the United States 11

23 P l a n n i n g G u i d e Activity Suggested Time Materials Preview Connecting to Prior Knowledge Building Background Knowledge Developing Vocabulary Social Studies Skill Builder Learning basic map skills, interpreting special-purpose maps, and identifying regions of the United States 40 minutes Social Studies Alive! Regions of Our Country, Section 2.1 Interactive Student Notebooks Phase 1 45-minute session Learning basic map skills (Steps 1 5) Phase 2 45-minute session Interpreting specialpurpose maps (Steps 6 11) Social Studies Alive! Regions of Our Country, Sections Transparency 2A Interactive Student Notebooks Student Handout 2A (depending on class size, 1 or 2 copies, cut apart) Interactive Desk Maps (1 per pair) coins (1 per pair) Social Studies Alive! Regions of Our Country, Section 2.7 Transparencies 2B 2D Interactive Student Notebooks Student Handout 2B (depending on class size, 1 or 2 copies, cut apart) Interactive Desk Maps (1 per pair) coins (1 per pair) 23 Phase 3 45-minute session Identifying regions (Steps 12 14) Social Studies Alive! Regions of Our Country, Sections , Summary Transparencies 2E 2I Interactive Student Notebooks Interactive Desk Maps (1 per pair) Reading Further Exploring the Mississippi River Processing Using new map skills to acquire information about locations 30 minutes Social Studies Alive! Regions of Our Country, Chapter 2 Reading Further Interactive Student Notebooks Information Master 2 classroom map of the United States 45 minutes Social Studies Alive! Regions of Our Country, Chapter 2 Interactive Student Notebooks Interactive Desk Maps Assessment 30 minutes Chapter 2 Assessment

24 Preview 1 Connecting to Prior Knowledge: Introduce maps and regions by asking students to draw a map of their home. Have students open their Interactive Student Notebooks to Preview 2 and draw a picture of their home from a bird s-eye view. Tell them to label each room (bedroom, kitchen, living room, and so on) and the other main parts of their home (hallway, porch, stairs, and so on). Once they have drawn a map of their home, have them choose a color for each of five regions of their home. All bedrooms, for example, might be blue; all outdoor porches might be red. Finally, have students create a simple key with the names of each of the five regions of their homes. When they have finished, have them share their drawings with others in the class and explain how and why they created their five regions. Ask students to explain what sets each region of their home apart from the others. 2 Building Background Knowledge: Introduce the five themes of geography and establish the last theme regions as a primary focus of students social studies work this year. Introduce Chapter 2 of Social Studies Alive! Regions of Our Country. Tell students that in this chapter, they will practice basic map skills as they learn about the five regions of the United States. Have students read Section 2.1. Conduct a brief review of the five themes of geography by asking volunteers to share their answers to the questions in Section 2.1 as they apply to their school. Let them know that throughout the year they will be exploring different regions of the United States. Introduce the graphic organizer in Section 2.1. Ask students to examine the graphic organizer. Then ask: What five regions are labeled on the map of the United States? In which region of the United States is our school? 3 Developing Vocabulary: Introduce key social studies terms scale, map key, line of latitude, line of longitude, global grid, special-purpose map, coastal plain, inland, plateau, basin, and levee. Discuss each term before beginning the activity, using methods described in Solutions for Effective Instruction. Review each term again with students as it appears in the activity reading, and encourage them to use it in their writing. P r o c e d u r e s Vocabulary Development: Define Words Have the class make a picture dictionary. On a large sheet of paper, create a class list of the social studies terms covered in the lesson. For each word, have a volunteer come up to the paper and create an illustration that represents its meaning. 24 Exploring Regions of the United States 13

25 Teachers Curriculum Institute P r o c e d u r e s Social Studies Skill Builder Phase 1: Learning Basic Map Skills 1 Prepare for the rst Geography Challenge. Make enough copies of Student Handout 2A: Geography Challenge 2A Cards to give each pair one Geography Challenge card and have a few extras. (It is helpful to have a pool for students to pick from, in case other pairs are still using their cards.) en cut out the cards. (Note: You may want to laminate the cards for future use.) Assign students to pairs and seat them side by side at desks facing the front of the classroom. Give each pair an Interactive Desk Map and a coin. 2 Introduce the activity. Explain to students that they will practice basic map skills as they learn about ve regions of the United States: the Northeast, Southeast, Midwest, Southwest, and West. Tell students that when they have completed three Geography Challenges, they will have the skills and knowledge they need to begin a deeper exploration of each of our nation s ve regions. 3 Have students read Sections 2.2 through 2.6 in their Student Editions. Tell them that they will use all the skills they read about during the rst Geography Challenge. 4 Practice basic map skills with students. Project Transparency 2A: Physical Map of the United States. Ask pairs to take out a pencil and turn their Interactive Desk Maps to the side showing the single large map of the United States. (Note: You may want to tell students that this is a physical and political map of the United States. Also, you may need to show students how to trace the path of the longitude and latitude lines over land areas.) Give students the following tasks, allowing time for them to complete each task. Use Transparency 2A to model each answer: a. Place your coin on the compass rose. What are the four main directions? (north, east, south, west) b. What do we call the four main directions? (cardinal directions) c. Place your pencil pointing north on the map. (Pencils should point north.) d. Place your pencil pointing east on the map. (Pencils should point east.) e. Place your pencil pointing southwest on the map. (Pencils should point southwest.) f. What do we call directions such as southwest? (intermediate directions) g. Place your pencil pointing northeast on the map. (Pencils should point northeast.) h. Lay your pencil along 35 degrees north latitude. (Pencils should be placed on the 35th parallel of north latitude.) i. Lay your pencil along 45 degrees north latitude. (Pencils should be placed on the 45th parallel of north latitude.) Interactive Desk Map S t u d e n t H a n d o u t 2 A 2A Question 6 Draw an X at 45º N latitude, 120º W S t u d e longitude. Label the name of the state you are in. Question 7 Draw an X at 35º N latitude, 110º W 2A n t H a n d o u t 2 A Geography Challenge 2A Cards Question 1 Label the name of the state that lies the farthest east in the United States. longitude. Label the name of the state you are in. 2A Question 2 Label the name Question of the state 8 that lies the farthest south in the United States (not including Hawaii). Draw a heavy line along the entire 2A 115th meridian of longitude. Label the names of the four U.S. states 2A this meridian passes through. Question 3 2A Label the name Question of the only 9 state that lies along the 60º N parallel. Draw an X at 30º N latitude, 95º W longitude. Label the name of the state you are in. 2A Question 4 Label the names of the states that Question 10 touch 155º W longitude. Draw an X at 35º N latitude, 80º W 2A longitude. Label the name of the state you are in. Question 5 Draw an X at 1040º Chapter N latitude, 2 90º W 2A longitude. Label the name of the state you are in. Teachers Curriculum Institute Exploring Regions of the United States 9 Student Handout 2A Transparency 2A 25

26 Teachers Curriculum Institute j. Lay your pencil along 90 degrees west longitude. (Pencils should be placed on the 90th meridian of west longitude.) k. Lay your pencil along 115 degrees west longitude. (Pencils should be placed on the 115th meridian of west longitude.) l. Place your coin on 45 degrees north latitude, 80 degrees west longitude. Which country are you in? (Canada) m. Place your coin on 40 degrees north latitude, 115 degrees west longitude. Which state are you in? (Nevada) 5 Have students take Geography Challenge 2A to test their new knowledge of maps. Pass out a Geography Challenge 2A card to each pair. Have students open their Interactive Student Notebooks to Geography Challenge 2A. Let them know that they will write the answers to each challenge card on this page. Tell students to use their Interactive Desk Maps during this activity. As pairs finish each challenge card, use Guide to Geography Challenge 2A to correct their work. Award pairs one point for a correct answer. If their answer is incorrect, give them the option of trying a second time. After scoring, lay the cards out on the table in front of you and allow students to choose their next Geography Challenge 2A question. Continue until pairs have answered all the questions. Phase 2: Interpreting Special-Purpose Maps 6 Prepare for the second Geography Challenge. Make enough copies of Student Handout 2B: Geography Challenge 2B Cards to give each pair one Geography Challenge card and have a few extras. Then cut out the cards. Assign students to pairs and seat them side by side at desks facing the front of the classroom. Give each pair an Interactive Desk Map and a coin. 7 Have students read Section 2.7 in their Student Edition. Explain that during the second Geography Challenge they will be using the skills they read about here. 8 Practice reading an elevation map with students. Project Transparency 2B: Elevation Map of the United States. Ask pairs to locate the elevation map of the United States on their Interactive Desk Maps. Give pairs the following tasks, allowing time for them to accomplish each task. Use Transparency 2B to model each answer: a. Place your coin anywhere on the map at sea level. (Coins should be placed on ocean areas of the map.) b. Place your coin anywhere on the map that is between 0 and 1,000 feet in elevation. (Coins should be placed on light green areas.) c. Place your coin anywhere on the map that is between 1,000 and 5,000 feet in elevation. (Coins should be placed on yellow areas.) Student Handout 2B Transparency 2B P r o c e d u r e s S t u d e n t H a n d o u t 2 B 2B Question 6 Which region receives the least annual rainfall? S t u d Question 7 Which state receives the least annual 2B e n t H a n d o u t 2 B Geography Challenge 2B Cards Question 1 Which region has the highest elevation? rainfall? 2B Question 2 Which state Question has the highest 8 elevation: Iowa, Idaho, or Kentucky? Which region has the highest population 2B density (most people per square mile)? 2B 2B Question 3 Question 9 Which state has the most area at the highest elevation? Which two regions have the lowest population densities (fewest people per square mile)? 2B Question 4 Which region Question has the 10 most area at an elevation of less than 1,000 feet? Which three states have the lowest 2B population densities (fewest people per square mile)? Question 5 12 Chapter 2 Which region receives the most 2B annual rainfall? Teachers Curriculum Institute Exploring Regions of the United States 11 26

27 P r o c e d u r e s d. Place your coin anywhere on the map that is between 5,000 and 10,000 feet in elevation. (Coins should be placed on orange areas.) e. Place your coin anywhere that is above 10,000 feet in elevation. (Coins should be placed on brown areas.) 9 Practice reading an annual rainfall map with students. Project Transparency 2C: Annual Rainfall Map of the United States. Ask students to find the annual rainfall map of the United States on their Interactive Desk Maps. Give pairs the following tasks, allowing time for them to accomplish each task. Use Transparency 2C to model each answer: a. Place your coin anywhere on the map that receives fewer than 16 inches of rain per year. (Coins should be placed on orange areas of the map.) b. Place your coin anywhere on the map that receives more than 96 inches of rain per year. (Coins should be placed on dark green areas.) c. Place your coin anywhere on the map that receives between 32 and 64 inches of rain per year. (Coins should be placed on light green areas.) 10 Practice reading a population density map with students. Project Transparency 2D: Population Density Map of the United States. Ask students to locate the population density map of the United States on their Interactive Desk Maps. Give pairs the following tasks, allowing time for them to accomplish each task. Use Transparency 2D to model each answer: a. Place your coin anywhere on the map where less than 10 people per square mile live. (Coins should be placed on light yellow areas of the map.) b. Place your coin anywhere on the map where more than 250 people per square mile live. (Coins should be placed on purple areas.) c. Place your coin anywhere on the map where between 50 and 250 people per square mile live. (Coins should be placed on dark orange areas.) 11 Have students take Geography Challenge 2B to test their new knowledge of special-purpose maps. Pass out a Geography Challenge 2B card to each pair. Have students open their Interactive Student Notebooks to Geography Challenge 2B. Let them know that they will write the answers to each challenge card on this page. Tell students to use their Interactive Desk Maps during this activity. As pairs finish each challenge card, use Guide to Geography Challenge 2B to correct their work. Award pairs one point for a correct answer. If their answer is incorrect, give them the option of trying a second time. After scoring, lay the cards out on the table in front of you and allow students to choose their next Geography Challenge 2B question. Continue until pairs have answered all the questions. Transparency 2C Transparency 2D Chapter 2

28 Phase 3: Identifying Regions of the United States 12 Prepare for the third Geography Challenge. Assign students to pairs and seat them side by side at desks facing the front of the classroom. Give each pair an Interactive Desk Map. 13 Have students read Sections 2.8 through 2.10 and the Summary in their Student Editions. Tell them they will be using the information they read about the five regions of the United States the Northeast, Southeast, Midwest, Southwest, and West during the third Geography Challenge. 14 Have students take Geography Challenge 2C to test their ability to identify regions of the United States. Tell students they will use their new map skills and knowledge of regions of the United States to identify where each of five photographs of communities and physical landmarks were taken. They should use their Student Editions and Interactive Desk Maps as resources as they try to determine the exact location of each image. Project Transparency 2E: Where Are We? Cover the clues with a sheet of paper. As students try to determine where the image was taken, slide the paper down to expose one clue at a time, hiding the answer at the bottom. Uncover as many clues as students need to venture a reasonable guess about the photograph s location. Ask students not to shout out their answers. Direct them to write their answers on Geography Challenge 2C in their Interactive Student Notebooks. When all pairs are ready, reveal the answer. Repeat the procedure for Transparencies 2F 2I: Where Are We? P r o c e d u r e s T r a n s p a r e n c y 2 G Where Are We? T r a n s p a r e n c y 2 F Where Are We? T r a n s p a r e n c y 2 E Where Are We? Clue 1 The elevation of this city is just above sea level. Clue 2 This city is in an area where the population density is more than 250 people per square mile. Clue 3 This city is in an area that receives between 32 and Clue 1 The population density in this area is between 10 and 64 inches of rain each year. 49 people per square mile. Clue 4 This city lies just north of 40 N latitude. Clue 2 The elevation of this area is above 1,000 feet. Clue 5 This city lies just east of 75 W longitude. Clue 3 This area lies between 19 N latitude and 20 N latitude. Clue 1 The elevation of this city is between 0 and 1,000 feet. Answer This is New York City, New York, in the Northeast region. Clue 4 This area lies between 155 W longitude and 156 W longitude. Clue 2 This city is in an area where the population density is more than 250 people per square mile. Clue 5 This is a hillside leading up to a large mountain whose initials are M. L. Clue 3 This city receives between 16 and Teachers 32 inches Curriculum of Institute rain each year. Social Studies Alive! Regions of Our Country 8 Answer This is a hillside of Moana Loa, Hawaii, in the West region. Clue 4 This city lies between 30 N latitude and 35 N latitude. Clue 5 This city lies between 95 W longitude and 100 W longitude. Clue 6 This city lies south of the Red River and north of the Brazos River. Teachers Curriculum Institute Social Studies Alive! Regions of Our Country 7 Clue 7 The name of this city begins with the letter D. Answer This is the city of Dallas, Texas, in the Southwest region. Teachers Curriculum Institute Social Studies Alive! Regions of Our Country 6 Transparencies 2E 2I 28 Reading Further: The Mighty Mississippi 1 Read students a passage from Mark Twain s The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. Tell students that you are going to read them a passage from a story, but do not tell them the name of the story or that it takes place on a river. Ask them to listen carefully and try to picture themselves in the scene. Have them pay special attention to what they see, hear, smell, and feel, and have them use these clues to help them figure out where they are. You can suggest that they close their eyes while they listen to help them picture themselves in this place. You may want to tell students that there will be some unfamiliar words in the passage. Let them know they should still be able to figure out where they are. Read Information Master 2: On the River aloud to students. I n f o r m a t i o n M a s t e r 2 On the River Two or three days and nights went by; I reckon I might say they swum by, they slid along so quiet and smooth and lovely. Here is the way we put in the time... we run nights and hid daytimes; soon as night was gone we stopped... and tied up... and then cut young cottonwoods and willows and hid the raft with them. Then we... had a swim, so as to freshen up and cool off; then we set down on the sandy bottom where the water was knee-deep, and watched the daylight come. Not a sound anywheres perfectly still just like the whole world was asleep, only sometimes the bullfrogs a-cluttering, maybe. The first thing to see, looking away over the water... was the woods on t other side... and you make out a log cabin in the edge of the woods... then the nice breeze springs up... so cool and fresh and sweet to smell on account of the woods and the flowers; but sometimes not that way, because they ve left dead fish laying around... and maybe see a steamboat coughing along up-stream, so far off towards the other side you couldn t tell nothing about her only whether she was a stern-wheel or side wheel... Next you d see a raft go sliding by, away off yonder, and maybe a [man] on it chopping... you d see the ax flash and come down you don t hear nothing; you see that ax go up again, and by the time it s above the man s head then you hear the k chunk! it took all that time to come over the water. Mark Twain, Adventures of Huckleberry Finn Teachers Curriculum Institute Exploring Regions of the United States 13 Information Master 2 Exploring Regions of the United States 17

29 P r o c e d u r e s 2 After reading, ask the following questions to help students analyze the passage and make some predictions: Where were you? What sights did you see? What sounds did you hear? What did you feel? Smell? (Give students some time to describe details they remember.) Which details helped you figure out where you were? Is this a place you would want to visit? Why or why not? Is this a real place? Why do you think that? (After students have had a chance to guess, you can let them know that, even though this is a fictional story, it is set on a real river. Tell them that the river is the largest river in the United States, but don t tell them the name yet.) 3 Using a classroom map of the United States, have students make and defend guesses about which river they just visited. Ask them to point to their guess on the map and explain their choice. 4 After students finish making predictions, introduce the Mississippi River. Let students know that the passage they just heard comes from a book called The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain. In the story, a boy named Huck and a slave named Jim are are on a raft on the Mississippi River the largest and most used river in the United States. If students have not already found the Mississippi River on the classroom map, point it out. Tell them they are about to read all about the Mississippi River. 5 Have students read, independently or in small groups, Reading Further 2 in the Student Edition. 6 To help students understand how large an area of the United States is affected by the Mississippi River, have students use a map to ask and answer questions about the Mississippi River basin. Ask students to open their Interactive Student Notebooks to Reading Further 2. Have them read the directions and complete the Questions portion of the page. Have pairs take turns asking each other questions about the Mississippi, completing the Answers portion of the page as they work. (Option: If time permits, you could instead divide the class into two teams and have them ask and answer questions in a quiz show format.) Speaking and Listening: Retell a Story Aloud After reading the passage to students, ask a few volunteers to retell the story aloud. Students may have trouble recalling the full passage. Encouage them to take one minute to record the details they do remember in the correct order before telling them aloud. Then read the passage aloud again, having students listen carefully for the details they missed. 29 Processing Have students complete Processing 2 in their Interactive Student Notebooks. Students will need to consult their Interactive Desk Maps and Student Editions to complete the assignment.

30 D i f f e r e n t i a t i n g I n s t r u c t i o n English Language Learners Give students more time to work on vocabulary and become familiar with the new language introduced in this lesson. Consider having students keep a vocabulary journal to record the new terms throughout the year. During activities, put students into mixed-ability pairs so they have a partner from whom they can learn. Allow students to use completed Reading Notes and Geography Challenge pages, as well as vocabulary resources, on any assessments. Students with Special Needs Give students extra time to work on vocabulary and become familiar with the new language introduced in the lesson. Provide them with a printed copy of the vocabulary and definitions. Allow them to use this as a resource throughout the lesson. During the Reading Further activity, read the feature aloud to students and explain any new vocabulary. Enrichment Have students think of various places that they would like to visit across the country. Have them write to both the visitors bureau of each state and the chamber of commerce for each city and ask for information. When they get a response, have them locate the place on a classroom map of the United States, using a sticky note or thumb tack. Display the information and materials they receive when the class studies the appropriate region Chapter 2

31 Enrichment Resources LearnTCI Student Subscription Have students find out more about map skills and regions of the United States by exploring the following Enrichment Resources for Social Studies Alive! Regions of Our Country at Internet Connections These recommended Web sites provide useful and engaging content that reinforces skills development and mastery of subjects within the chapter. Enrichment Readings These in-depth readings encourage students to explore selected topics related to the chapter. You may also find readings that relate the chapter s content directly to your state s curriculum. TeachTCI Teacher Subscription For the teachers resources listed below, click on Enrichment Resources for Social Studies Alive! Regions of Our Country at Biography Bank Hundreds of short biographies of notable people in history are available in PDF format for you to share with your students. Study Your State Resources Teaching directions and student activity pages (PDF format) will help you guide your students through researching their state. Additional Reading Opportunities The following fiction and nonfiction books offer opportunities to extend the content in this chapter. E n h a n c i n g L e a r n i n g 31 Geography from A to Z: A Picture Glossary by Jack Knowlton (New York: HarperCollins, 1988) This book is a classic resource, with illustrations and definitions of just about every geographical term students will need to know. Maps and Plans by Pam Robson (Brookfield, CN: Stargazer, 2005) This book provides detailed information about various types of maps. It also includes mapping projects about direction, coordinates, fixing position, and projection. A glossary and index are included. National Geographic Our Fifty States by Mark H. Bockenhauer and Stephen F. Cunha (Washington, DC: National Geographic Children s Books, 2004) This reference features a brief history of each state, along with maps, photographs, and information. Students can use it to practice locating states, cities, and physical features.