Geography of Virginia Learning Guide Home:School Connections Unit Overview Did you know Virginia is divided into 5 geographic regions? Did you know Richmond lies on a Fall Line? Students will explore these topics and more in this introductory unit. Each of the geographic regions have distinctive characteristics that unify them. Students will examine a variety of the characteristics [water features, resources, and topography] and be able to compare and contrast the regions. Key Terms Geography is rich in terminology. You may hear your student mentioning some of these in the coming days and weeks: • Fall line • Region • Plateau • Peninsula • Piedmont Home Support There are a number of ways you can continue the conversation about Virginia’s geography at home now and throughout this year! • Print out some maps of Virginia with the five regions for each person in the family and use it as a placemat [Laminate them if you want to make them last longer. Kinko’s can do it or you can buy sheets from Target, Wal‐mart, or Office Max to make them yourself]. No printer, ask the teacher for help. • Order a free map from the Virginia Tourism Board and hang it up in the house. Before bed locate a college or university. [Www.virginia.org ‐ click on the Virginia Map tab] • If you have been lucky enough to travel to different locations around the state and have pictures, why not show your students some of the geographic differences. • Create an edible map! Hershey Kisses for mountains, licorice for rivers, the possibilities are endless. Not only are they fun to make but they are yummy! Books and Websites We are fortunate to live in Virginia. Its rich history and diverse geography have made it a topic many want to research and write about in both fiction and non‐fiction works. In addition to exploring any atlas that details the individual states, these are but a few books that help you explore geography and assist in understanding Virginia: • From Sea to Shining Sea: Virginia by Dennis Fraden • The Amazing Pop‐up Geography Book by Kate Petty and Jennie Maizels • Virginia by Tracy Barrett You can find easy to read maps of Virginia on the Virginia Department of Education website. They can be found: • Virginia Five Regions Outline Map http://www.doe.virginia.gov/VDOE/Instruction/History/ virginiaregionsunlabeled.pdf • Virginia Five Regions with Details http://vastudies.pwnet.org/pdf/vamap_no_counties.pdf Other websites that might be of interest to look at pictures and general information are: • Virginia Geographic Alliance http://www.geography.vt.edu/vga/index.html • National Geographic Society http://ww.nationalgeographic.com • Virginia’s First People: Past and Present http://virginiaindians.pwnet.org/index.php • Virginia Places http://www.virginiaplaces.org/ • Virginia Historical Society http://www.vahistorical.org