Lesson Six: A Closer Look at U.S.

Regions
This lesson continues to build on students knowledge on how maps work. It expands
their knowledge of the U.S. by showing how and why the U.S. is divided into five main regions:
West, South West, Midwest, South East, and North East. Students understand the division of
regions by examining a made up country, then dividing it into regions how they see best fit.
Students will apply this new knowledge by doing the same thing with a topographical map of the
United States.
Objective
State that a region is an area
with at least one characteristic
or feature that sets it apart from
other areas

Standard
G2.0.1 Describe ways in which
the United States can be divided
into different regions (e.g.,
political regions, economic
regions, landform regions,
vegetation regions).

Interdisciplinary
ART.D.I.4.4 Define and
demonstrate an
understanding of general
space.

Understand that regions make it

easier to study large areas of
land, such as the U.S.A.
Regions can be based on many
different characteristics such as
landforms or climate
Work collaboratively with a
partner to divide the U.S.A into
regions (two different ways)
Divide the U.S.A into its
correct regions based off of the
4 landforms on their maps
*Students used maps found on the iPad and computers in order to understand the different ways
that the United States is divided into regions.
Assessments:
For the preassessment, students were asked to divide my made up country into regions in
a way that made sense to them. Then they shared with a partner, how and why they divided it the
way they did. I was able to assess them by walking around as they talked with a partner. A few
students even share with the whole class
During the lesson we brainstormed as a class ways that we could divided the United
States into regions (by climate, landform, and location).
As a summative assessment, students were to use their maps to divide the United States
into regions based on topographical maps that they found on the iPad or computer.