Lesson 2- Introduction to Geography
Grade Level: 4th
Jonathan Nycz
Time: Two 50-minute periods
Content Standards:
SOC.II.1.LE.3
Locate and describe the major places, cultures, and communities of the nation and compare their
characteristics.
Content Expectations:
G2.0.1
Describe the ways in which the United States can be divided into different regions (e.g. political regions,
economic regions, landform regions, vegetation regions).
Objectives:
Students will consider what they may already know about a geographic region and the similarities and
differences between regions of the United States.
Materials needed:
1. Class KWL chart
2. Marker
3. Pencil
4. Crayons or colored pencils
5. Harcourt Social Studies: States and Regions
6. Copies of map: http://www.teachervision.fen.com/tv/printables/scottforesman/SSMAP023.pdf
Background information:
Relevant non-fiction texts (see materials and resources appendix)
Berson, Michael, Tyrone C. Howard, and Cinthia Salinas. Harcourt Social Studies: States and Regions.
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2010.
Instruction:
1. Begin by reviewing the KWL charts completed in lesson 1.
2. Distribute two copies of the Southeast Region map to each student. Have the students use the
information on pages 164-165 to complete them. Make sure students have labeled the states
and capitals correctly.
3. Are there any notable landforms or geographic features noted on the map? What are the three
areas of the Southeast Region? Where are the Appalachian Mountains located? Are these
mountains found in any other states outside the Southeast Region? Are these the only
mountains in the Southeast?
4. Taking turns, read through pages 176-181. Stop periodically to check understanding. (Questions
to think about as a class are found in the appendix to this lesson.)
5. Watch the video “American Geography Close-Ups: Southeastern Region Volume 2” from
Discovery Education.
6. Remember to add new information or questions to the KWL chart.
7. Additionally, it may be helpful to record new vocabulary on a chart to display next to the KWL
chart.
8. Have students examine the Land Use and Resources Map on page 180. Discuss with the students
the distribution of resources and differences in how the land is used. What might the little used
land be? Why isn’t it used? This can be related to recent events including, but not limited to, oil
drilling in the Gulf of Mexico.
9. Have the students compare the location and distribution of resources on this map to the
location of various landforms and topographical areas on the map on pages 164-165. (For
example, the coal is primarily located in and around the Appalachian Mountains.)
Assessment:
Assessment of students will take place through completed maps and whole-class discussion.
Appendix: Questions to consider while reading
What are the three areas that the Southeast Region is divided into? What do the states in these areas
have in common? How do the states differ from each other?
Do the Inland South states border a body of water? Etc…
Why do you think they are called the Smoky Mountains?
What Southeast states have the Appalachian Mountains?
Reflection- Introduction to Geography
As I have mentioned elsewhere, my goal is to approach social studies through a variety of
different routes. In addition to reading together information from the social studies textbook, we also
watched a short video. Providing a brief overview of the region, it also touched upon some of the people
and history of the area. This included mentioning several presidents who had come from the south or
were related in some way to the south: Thomas Jefferson, Andrew Jackson, Abraham Lincoln, and Jimmy
Carter. As I moved about the room, I noticed that two different students had opened their social studies
books and were reading while the movie was playing. Intrigued, I moved closer to see what they were
doing. Apparently, the facts about presidents interspersed through the video piqued their curiosity- they
had flipped to the appendix at the back with the presidential timeline and biographical facts. (I need to
speak with these students to determine whether my interpretation of the behavior I observed was
indeed correct.) This coupled with a more positive appraisal of social studies by some in the class has me
very excited.