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TEACHER’S GUIDE
• The Midwestern frontier was settled by pioneers who traveled there
across rivers, lakes and on wagons. Have students investigate the
pioneer way of life during the great westward expansion. Students can
learn about going to school on a wagon train, games pioneer children
played, foods and more. Included is an excellent hands-on lesson involving making an apple doll. Useful resource:
www.eagle.ca/~matink/themes/Pioneers/lessons.html
• Have students learn more about the benefits of dairy products and
calcium.“Counting Up 4 Calcium” and “Building My Bones” are two
excellent lessons provided by the Midwest Dairy Council. Lessons
include printable material and assessments. Resources:
www.midwestdairy.com/resources/content/6/documents/
CountingUp4Calcium.pdf
www.midwestdairy.com/resources/content/6/documents/
BuildingMyBones.pdf
• Hot air ballooning is a popular leisure activity in the Midwest region.
Have students create their own hot air balloons to understand more
about how they operate.An excellent lesson, with instructions and
activities, is available at: www.wpafb.af.mil/cap/glr-ae/lplan/oct97.htm
TEACHER’S GUIDE
TEACHER’S GUIDE
Suggested Print Resources
• Bruchac, Joseph. Crazy Horse’s Vision. Canadian National Institute for the
Blind,Toronto, Canada; 2001.
• Carroll, Colleen. How Artists See America: East, West, South, Midwest.
Abbeville Press, New York, NY; 2002.
• Crimi, Carolyn. Kidding Around Chicago. Avalon Travel Publishing,
Emeryville, CA; 2000.
• Hintz, Martin & Stan Stoga. Wisconsin Portraits: 55 People Who Made a
Difference. Trails Media Group, Incorporated, Black Earth,WI; 2000.
• Ingalls Wilder, Laura. On the Way Home: The Diary of a Trip from South
Dakota to Mansfield. HarperCollins Publishers, New York, NY; 1969. Laura
Ingalls Wilder’s diary of her journey via covered wagon through South
Dakota.
• St.Antoine, Sara. Stories from Where We Live: The Great Lakes. Milkweed
Editions, Minneapolis, MN; 2003.
Grades K–4
Suggested Internet Resources
Periodically, Internet Resources are updated on our web site at
www.LibraryVideo.com
• ted.coe.wayne.edu/coatt/monica/lesson_plans.htm
The Consortium for Outstanding Achievements in Teaching with
Technology has put together an excellent web site full of lessons, activities and assessments regarding the regions of the United States.Very
student-friendly and fun!
• www.netstate.com/states/index.html
An entertaining and informative web site full of facts about the states.
Julia McMeans, M.Ed.
Rudolph Lea, Educator
Curriculum Specialists, Schlessinger Media
COMPLETE LIST OF TITLES
• California
• Florida
• Michigan
• New York
• Texas
• The Midwest
• The Northeast
• The Southeast
• The Southwest
• The West
eography is the study of the Earth’s surface and
the ways in which people interact with it. It helps
us to understand the unique features of regions, landforms, climates and natural resources. Geography is
also the study of people; where they live, how they
live and why and how they move from place to place.
Through the study of geography we can understand
the impact people have upon the environment, and
the effect the environment has upon people.
Geography is not about the rote memorization of
capital cities or mountain ranges, but rather an understanding of why cities sprang up where they did, and
how one mountain range may be different from
another. Geography is a framework through which we
can understand, interpret and make sense of an everchanging world.
G
TEACHER’S GUIDE
Teacher’s Guides Included
and Available Online at:
5
The Midwest
• State Capitals
• The United States
• U.S. Commonwealths
& Territories
800-843-3620
Teacher’s Guide and Program Copyright 2004 by Schlessinger Media,
a division of Library Video Company
P.O. Box 580,Wynnewood, PA 19096 • 800-843-3620
Executive Producer:Andrew Schlessinger
Program produced and directed by JWM Productions, LLC.
All rights reserved.
K7651
V8806
Program Summary
natural resource — Something found in nature that people can use. Coal
With vast open plains, Great Lakes, big cities, farms, ranches and tornadoes,
the Midwest region is located in the central United States. Known for its production of corn, wheat, cheese and meat, this region is comprised of 12
states, many of which border important waterways like the Mississippi River,
Great Lakes and the St. Lawrence Seaway.This makes it possible to transport
goods produced in the Midwest all over the world!
The proximity to water gave rise to ports which, in turn, gave rise to the
Midwest’s largest cities: Cleveland, Ohio; Detroit, Michigan — nicknamed the
“Motor City” because of the automobile industry; Milwaukee,Wisconsin; and,
of course, Chicago, Illinois — the region’s biggest city and home to the Sears
Tower, one of the world’s tallest skyscrapers.
is an example of a natural resource.
barge — A large, flat-bottomed boat usually pushed by a tugboat.
quarry — A huge hole that is dug into the ground in order to retrieve
stone.
blizzard — A severe snowstorm with strong winds.
drought — A period of time with very little rainfall.
lake effect — A delay in freezing temperatures around a lake as a result of
lake water staying warm.
Pre-viewing Discussion
The Midwest possesses two enormous carvings etched into the sides of
mountains. Mount Rushmore features 60-foot-tall faces of four presidents, and
the Crazy Horse Memorial was created in honor of the great Lakota Indian.
• Discuss with your students why they think the study of geography is
important.What can we learn from studying people, the land and how
they interact?
• What questions do students have about the Midwest region? What predictions can they make about certain aspects (climate, landforms, etc.) of this
particular region?
• The Midwest region can have quite severe weather. Have students think
about what it might be like to live in a place where tornadoes occur.
• Farming is an important industry in the Midwest. Discuss with students the
differences between living in an urban and a rural area.
Vocabulary
Focus Questions
region — An area that has characteristics that distinguish it from other
1. How many states comprise the Midwest region?
2. Name the states that comprise the Midwest region.
3.What are the names of the two smaller areas in the Midwest region?
4.What is the largest city in the Midwest?
5. Name some of the products that are produced in the Midwest.
6.What landform dominates the Midwest?
7.Why are plains good places for farms?
8.Why do so many places in the Midwest have French names?
9.What is Mount Rushmore?
10.Where is the Gateway Arch?
Agriculture is an important part of the Midwest’s economy, and the landforms
that characterize this region make it ideal for just this purpose.The Central
Plains, with its low, flat, fertile land and ample rainfall, is perfect for growing
corn and wheat, and the Great Plains — also flat, but with less rainfall and
almost no trees — is a location where cattle ranching thrives.
Weather can be quite severe and sometimes deadly in this region. Drought,
blizzards and especially tornadoes can plague parts of the Midwest.
areas.
landforms — The natural shapes that make up the Earth’s surface. Deserts,
mountains and plains are examples of landforms.
plain — A large area of mostly flat land.
Interior Plains — Plains that cover most of the Midwest, named because
they are found in the interior part of the country.
port — A trading center along a waterway where ships load and unload
people and goods.
economy — The way people make, sell and buy goods and services.
industry — A group of businesses that provides a type of service or makes
a certain kind of product.Automobile manufacturing is an example of an
industry.
pioneer — A person who moves into an area that has not been settled.
frontier — An area of land or a place that has not been settled.
river system — A river and all of its tributaries.
tributary — A smaller river that flows into a bigger river.
(Continued)
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Follow-up Discussion
• Have students discuss the importance of the Great Lakes and the
St. Lawrence Seaway to the economy of the Midwest.
• Have students discuss why farming is not like other types of work.Why
can’t farmers leave their farms for long periods of time? What might
happen if they did?
(Continued)
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• Pioneers were brave people who settled the Midwest. Have students
discuss what it might have been like to be a pioneer settling the
frontier.
Follow-up Activities
• Detroit, one of the Midwest’s largest cities, is world-famous for Motown
Records. Have students explore this recording company and the impact
it has had on the music industry. Students can read about Berry Gordy,
founder of Motown, listen to music and view a time line of the
company. Excellent resource:
www.motown.com/classicmotown/frameset_2.html
• The Crazy Horse Memorial is the largest stone sculpture ever
attempted. In small groups, have students conduct research into the life
of the historical Crazy Horse and Korczak Ziolkowski, the Polish sculptor. Students can also create their own memorial to the great Lakota
warrior. Excellent resources:
www.crazyhorse.org/
www.state.sd.us/state/capitol/stallions/sculptor.html
bronzesbykorczak.com/bio-korczak.html
• Mount Rushmore, a massive stone sculpture located in South Dakota,
features the likenesses of George Washington,Abraham Lincoln,
Theodore Roosevelt and Thomas Jefferson. In small groups, have
students investigate the life of one of these great presidents. Useful
resource: www.nps.gov/moru/
• Tornadoes are common occurrences in the Midwest region, hence the
nickname “Tornado Alley.” Have students create a tornado in a bottle to
help understand how tornadoes are formed. Excellent instructions for
this hands-on activity can be found at the following web site.This site
also has excellent links to a variety of information about tornadoes in
general, and Tornado Alley in particular: www.windows.ucar.edu/
cgi-bin/tour.cgi?link=/teacher_resources/tornado_edu.html&back=/
coloring_book/index_beg_edu.html&sn=294781&br=graphic&d=/
teacher_resources&cd=false&fr=f&sw=false&tour=&edu=elem
• Have students investigate the populations of the ten largest cities in the
Midwest.Then create a bar graph to display their data. Excellent
resource: www.factmonster.com/states.html
• Agriculture is an important industry to the Midwest. Have students take
a 4-H virtual tour of a variety of different types of farms. Students can
investigate horse, beef, dairy, poultry and wheat farms.The following is
an excellent resource for students providing background information,
vocabulary, quizzes and photographs. Students can actually watch a
chick hatch! www.ext.vt.edu/resources/4h/virtualfarm/
(Continued)
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