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SOCIAL STUDIES 4
Updated 7/21/2016 1:18 PM
UNIT 1 – REGIONAL GEOGRAPHY OF THE UNITED STATES (18 DAYS)
1. Overview
In this unit students explore the variety of landforms and geographic make-up of the United States and how each region has influenced economic
development. This sets the stage for the unit to follow where students explore the early days of exploration and colonization through various geographic
regions.
Grade 4 Claims
What are the physical characteristics of the US and how did this impact colonization?
What were the influences and effects of the Revolutionary War?
How did the technological advancements and key historical events impact our current society?
REMINDERS
CONTENT AND
CLAIMS
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Late take-in day for students (08/24/16)
Labor Day (09/05/16)
Landforms
How can we define the location of a place?
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4.4.1 Locate and label continents, oceans, the poles, hemispheres, and key parallels and meridians on a map
or globe.
4.4.2 Locate and label on a map the major physical features of each of the five regions of the United States
and summarize how they affect the climate, economy, and population of each region
4.4.3 Identify the states of each of the five regions of the United States
4.4.4 Measure approximate distance on a map using scale to the nearest hundredth mile
4.4.7 Use mental mapping to construct a map of the United States regions and the world to include map
elements (title, compass rose, legend/key, scale)
How are the characteristics of each region similar and different?
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4.5.1 Compare and contrast the distinguishing physical characteristics of the five regions of the United States
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Regions
How do the physical characteristics of each region shape its economic development?
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4.5.2 Analyze how physical characteristics of a region shape its economic development
How do the physical characteristics of each region influence human settlement?
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4.5.3 Identify and explain how the physical characteristics of a region influenced human settlement
How do natural processes and human processes impact the land and water around them?
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TOPICS OF
CONSIDERATION
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4.6.1 Illustrate how natural processes have created and/or changed the physical characteristics of places in
the United States
4.6.2 Describe the human impact on the land and bodies of water of the five regions of the United States
Physical Map
Political Map
Topographical Map
Population Map
Product Map
Bar Graph/Pictographs
Circle Graphs
Interpretation of graphs,
charts, and diagrams
Geographic features, bodies
of water, and landforms on
a U.S. map
Physical characteristics of
regions: precipitation,
elevation, vegetation
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Ways that location and
physical features influence
the development or life in a
region of the United States
Physical and other
characteristics used to
define and distinguish U.S.
regions: climate, vegetation,
culture, elevation
Reasons for migration and
settlement in various time
periods: job opportunities,
escape religious/political
oppression, drought or
famine, relocation
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Ways in which people
modify the physical
environment to meet basic
needs: clearing land for
urban development,
construction levees, building
bridges
Ways humans have adapted
to the physical environment
Natural resources used by
the people in the United
States
Urban
Suburban
Rural
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UNIT 1 – REGIONAL GEOGRAPHY OF THE UNITED STATES (18 DAYS)
2. Resources
LDOE SUGGESTED RESOURCES
Landforms:
 Outline Map with Landforms, National Geographic
 Types of Land, Harcourt School
 Outline Maps, Education Place
 Landform Regions of the United States, Eduplace
 Physical Map of the United States, FEMA
 United States Landforms, Mr. Nussbaum
 Major Landforms, World Atlas
Regions:
 United States Regions, National Geographic
 Let’s Explore the Pacific Northwest, Kathleen Connors
 Let’s Explore the Great Basin, Kathleen Connors
 Let’s Explore the Midwest, Kathleen Connors
 Let’s Explore the Northeast, Kathleen Connors
 Let’s Explore the Southwest, Kathleen Connors
 States and Regions, Harcourt School
 Regions of the U.S., Scholastic
 Railroad Maps 1828-1900, Library of Congress
 Northeast, Discovery Education
 West, Discovery Education
 South, Discovery Education
 Midwest, Discovery Education
 Interactive Maps, Eduplace
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ADDITIONAL SUPPORTING RESOURCES
Discovery Education Streaming:
 States: https://app.discoveryeducation.com/learn/videos/d3cef7ef-6430-46b8-a62e-bc742b46ec5a
 American Geography: https://app.discoveryeducation.com/learn/videos/136F78F9-97F5-491D-A0D2-13468274D3BC?hasLocalHost=false
 Location, Size, and Regions of the U.S.: https://app.discoveryeducation.com/learn/videos/5c08727f-d10d-4a5d-8b71-76cf53b0499e
WorldBook Online:
 What is a Map? http://www.worldbookonline.com/socialstudiespower/maplesson?lessonid=geo1-1whatisamap-841837
 How to Measure Distance: http://www.worldbookonline.com/socialstudiespower/maplesson?lessonid=geo1-4measurdis-841836
UNIT 1 – REGIONAL GEOGRAPHY OF THE UNITED STATES (18 DAYS)
3. Activities for Understanding
SUGGESTIONS
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4.4.1 Students will draw or label a world map that includes the following: 7 continents, 5 oceans,
eastern/western and northern/southern hemispheres, poles, equator, and prime meridian. Students will then
select two of the locations to research (e.g. equator and Prime Meridian, north and south poles, etc.) and write 2
paragraphs that compare and contrast the areas.
4.4.3, 4.5.2 Students will be divided into groups by regions found in the United States to plan a breakfast,
lunch, or dinner menu made entirely from foods found in the assigned region. Students can use information and
maps found in their text, teacher-complied resources, or the internet. As an extension activity, students can
select another region and write 1-2 paragraphs that compare/contrast the foods grown in the two regions,
including an explanation of why the foods on their menu are not produced in the other region.
Blank Menu
4.4.1 Students will identify the difference in size of various areas by creating a layered foldable (preferably with
maps of the areas) and labeling it in the following manner:
1st – World (largest sheet)
2nd – Continent
3rd - United States
4th - Louisiana
5th - Jefferson Parish
6th - Metairie, Gretna, Harvey, etc. (whichever is appropriate for your location)
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As an alternative, circles of various sizes can also be stapled together (at the top) to represent the sizes of the
areas listed. The teacher will ask guided questions about the areas, and students will develop and ask questions
about the features of each page using the jigsaw method.
Foldable Guide
Size Maps
4.4.3, 4.5.2 Students will be grouped by the five regions found in the United States. Using grocery store ads,
the internet, and textbooks, students will create a resource poster for their region. Students will identify and cut
out food items in the ads from their region and add them to the poster. Each group will present its poster to the
class. (Although students are introduced to the 50 states and the idea of grouping by regions, students will spend
the school year mastering this concept as they study the regions in depth.) After the presentations, each student
will write a 1-2 paragraph essay on the types of food their family likes to eat, identifying the region in which the
food is produced.
4.6.1 Students will locate landforms or bodies of water. The teacher will write the following on a storyboard or
present them on a PowerPoint presentation: Rocky Mountains, Appalachian Mountains, Great Lakes, Grand
Canyon, and Hawaiian Islands (include photographs). The teacher will divide the class into five groups, each
representing a landform or body of water listed. The students will research their landform (or the teacher can
provide research packets on the various areas) to find out which physical process created each one. Students will
share their research with the class.
4.6.2 Students will complete a picture walk through a textbook. The teacher will select pages in the textbook
and instruct students to stop on various pages and identify ways people have changed the land in the photos.
The students will then make judgments as to whether the changes were positive or negative. The teacher will
track student responses using a T-chart. As an extension activity, the students will write a 2-3 paragraph essay
discussing the long-term implications the negative changes will have on the land.
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