American Geography Close-ups
The Middle Atlantic States: Volume 2
Teacher’s Guide
Grade Level: 4-7
Curriculum Focus: Geography
Lesson Duration: Five class periods
Program Description
Middle Atlantic Region Overview (1 min.)—Reviews the five states that make up the Middle Atlantic
Region while showing adjoining geographical areas. Delaware: The First State (3 min.)—Explores the
geographic features of Delaware and its colonial settlement by the Swedish, Dutch, and English.
Pennsylvania’s Founding Principles (5 min.)—Reveals the Keystone State’s colonial history and the
ideals upon which the colony was founded. New Jersey’s History and Industry (2 min.)—Discusses the
history of New Jersey, providing an overview of the state’s leading industries, its geography, and
natural resources. Two of America's Best Known Landmarks (1 min.)—Explores Liberty Island and the
Statue of Liberty in New York Harbor, and introduces viewers to Ellis Island, the nation’s main
reception center for new immigrants from the late 19th century through the 1950s. From New
Amsterdam to New York (3 min.)—Reveals how New Amsterdam became New York City, the nation’s
financial center, and provides an overview of New York State’s geographic features and natural
resources.
Discussion Questions
•
What was Henry Hudson searching for when he came upon the waters of Delaware Bay? Was
his search successful?
•
What natural resources are found in the Middle Atlantic region of the United States? What
industries have developed around use of these natural resources?
•
What historically significant places and events are associated with Pennsylvania?
•
What two landmarks occupy New York Harbor? What is unusual about their geographic
situation? What is the significance of each?
•
What is the main river of New York State? What river forms part of the border between New
York State and Canada? What is the St. Lawrence Seaway and what purpose does it serve?
Lesson Plan
Student Objectives
•
Identify the states and district that make up the Middle Atlantic Region of the United States.
•
Explore the geographic features of the region.
The Middle Atlantic States: Volume 2
Teacher’s Guide
2
•
Learn about the history, people, and significant events associated with colonial Delaware,
Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and New York.
•
Create a timeline of events in colonial Delaware, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and New York.
•
Research and present an oral report on an important person in the history of colonial Delaware,
Pennsylvania, New Jersey, or New York.
•
Research and discuss the experience of immigrants entering the U.S. through Ellis Island.
•
Research and discuss the significance of the Statue of Liberty and the inscription at its base.
•
Explore key businesses, industries, and notable landmarks in Delaware, Pennsylvania, New
Jersey, and New York.
•
Create a visitors’ guide to one of the Middle Atlantic states.
Materials
•
The Middle Atlantic States: Volume 2 video
•
Computer with Internet access
•
Print and Web resources about the geography, natural resources, people, history, and
development of the Middle Atlantic region (especially Delaware, Pennsylvania, New Jersey,
and New York)
•
Print and Web resources about Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty
Procedures
1. Prior to viewing the program review with students the states and district that make up the
Middle Atlantic region of the U.S. Explain to students that in this program they will learn more
about the states of Delaware, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and New York. Ask students to share
what they know about these states. What questions do they have about them?
2. Discovery and Settlement Timeline: After viewing the program, have students use print and
Web resources to develop a colonial period timeline designating when, where, and by whom
colonies were established in the Middle Atlantic region. The following Web sites provide
helpful information:
•
North America: The Mid-Atlantic Region, 1600-1800 A.D.
http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/ht/09/nam/ht09nam.htm
•
Delaware
http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0108194.html
•
Pennsylvania
http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0108264.html
•
New Jersey
http://www.infoplease.com/ce6/us/A0835432.html
Published by Discovery Education. © 2005. All rights reserved.
The Middle Atlantic States: Volume 2
Teacher’s Guide
•
3
New York
http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0108252.html
3. Who’s Who: Assign or allow students to draw by lots the name of a person associated with the
colonial history of this region. Have them use print and Web resources to research and prepare
a brief oral report on the individual. Suggested people of interest include Henry Hudson,
Samuel Argall, Giovanni da Verrazano, Samuel de Champlain, Lord De La Warr (Thomas
West), William Penn, Benjamin Franklin, Peter Stuyvesant, Peter Minuit, George Washington,
Benjamin Rush, Joseph Reed, Thomas Mifflin, John Dickinson, Robert Morris, and Haym
Salomon. The Web sites listed in Procedure #3 offer good starting points for research.
4. Coming to America: Have students prepare for a general discussion of Ellis Island and the
immigrant experience. Provide them with books or other print material about Ellis Island
during its years of operation as an immigrant processing center, or have students explore the
following Web sites:
•
Ellis Island History
http://www.ellisisland.com/indexHistory.html
•
Ellis Island Postcards
http://www.fortunecity.com/littleitaly/amalfi/100/postcards.htm
•
Reliving the Ellis Island Experience
http://www.lowermanhattan.info/news/reliving_the_ellis_island_11911.asp
5. Once students have completed their research, use the following questions to lead a general
discussion of the topic: Where is Ellis Island located? When was it in operation as an immigrant
processing center? Why were immigrants processed through Ellis Island? Approximately how
many immigrants passed through the center? During what years did Ellis Island’s immigrant
processing reach its peak? What were the main countries of origin for Ellis Island immigrants?
What was the inspection process like? If the doctors diagnosed a person as having something
wrong, what would happen? Why were some Ellis Island immigrants deported? Of the millions
who came to Ellis Island, what percentage were sent back to their native country? What were
some of the reasons that Ellis Island immigrants decided to leave their homelands and come to
America? How did immigrants feel about their experience at Ellis Island? Do you believe that
immigrants were treated fairly during the inspection process? What do you think would have
been the worst part of the process? The best part?
6. Lady Liberty: Located in New York Harbor, the Statue of Liberty was a gift of international
friendship from the people of France to the people of the U.S. and is a well-known symbol of
political freedom and democracy. “The New Colossus,” a sonnet written by Emma Lazarus in
1883, is affixed to the inner walls of the statue’s pedestal. It has come to symbolize the statue’s
universal message of hope and freedom for immigrants coming to America and for people
seeking freedom around the world. Provide students with a printout of the poem to follow as
you read it aloud. Ask them to consider the following questions and be prepared to share and
discuss their ideas: Who is the Greek colossus referred to in the first verse? How is this new
colossus different from the old? Why is she called “Mother of Exiles”? The last line of the poem
Published by Discovery Education. © 2005. All rights reserved.
The Middle Atlantic States: Volume 2
Teacher’s Guide
4
mentions a “golden door.” What does the “golden door” mean? What was Lady Liberty’s
message to the world in 1883? Is that message still the same today? If not, how has it changed?
The following Web site provides a copy of the sonnet:
•
Statue of Liberty National Monument
http://www.libertystatepark.com/emma.htm
7. Visitors’ Booklet: For the following activity students should work together in groups of five.
Assign each group a state in the Middle Atlantic region. Explain that each state is launching a
campaign to attract more visitors. They are competing with one another to see which state can
produce the most effective visitor information booklet. Assign student teams to use print and
Web resources to design an informational booklet that highlights the exciting and interesting
things there are to see and do in their designated state. Each booklet should include the
following:
•
Cover page
•
General information (location, bordering states, size, population, state symbols,
nickname, and major industries)
•
Historical information and places
•
Names of state parks and recreational areas
•
List of natural resources (mountains, rivers, lakes, and so on)
•
Names of selected famous natives and residents
•
Fun facts and trivia
Have team members work together on the cover page and the fun facts and trivia page. Groups
should divide the remaining five topics among their members, each of whom will research and
prepare that section of the booklet. Encourage students to include visuals (graphics, photos, and
maps). Remind them that the way in which they present information is as important as the
information itself. Have students present their finished booklets to the class. Allow time for
questions and discussion of the booklet presentations. What design ideas did students find
interesting? Which state would students most like to visit?
Assessment
Use the following three-point rubric to evaluate students’ work during this lesson.
•
3 points: Students were highly engaged in class discussions and activities, and conducted all
required preparatory research; created a well-researched, accurate timeline; presented a
comprehensive biography; made interesting, well-prepared contributions to the teamdesigned booklet.
•
2 points: Students participated in class discussions and activities, and conducted adequate
preparatory research; created an acceptable timeline; presented a satisfactory biography;
made satisfactory contributions to the team-designed booklet.
Published by Discovery Education. © 2005. All rights reserved.
The Middle Atlantic States: Volume 2
Teacher’s Guide
•
5
1 point: Students participated minimally in class discussions and activities, and conducted
little or none of the preparatory research; created an incomplete timeline; presented an
unsatisfactory biography; made unsatisfactory contributions to the team-designed booklet.
Vocabulary
borough
Definition: A political district
Context: Manhattan is one of New York City’s five boroughs.
commerce
Definition: Large-scale buying and selling of goods and services
Context: Philadelphia is a major port and one of the leading centers of commerce in the United
States.
immigrant
Definition: A person who comes to a country where he or she was not born in order to
settle there
Context: Ellis Island served as the nation’s main reception center for new immigrants to the
U.S. from the 1890s through the 1950s.
mansion
Definition: A large and stately house
Context: William Penn’s estate, called Pennsbury Manor, was situated on the banks of the
Delaware River and consisted of a fine mansion as well as many smaller buildings.
Piedmont
Definition: Area at the base of the Appalachians between New York State and Alabama
Context: Valley Forge National Historical Park lies in the Piedmont region of Pennsylvania.
Quaker
Definition: A member of the Society of Friends, a Christian denomination founded in England in
the 17th century
Context: William Penn was a Quaker, and his strong religious beliefs guided him when he
founded Pennsylvania.
Wall Street
Definition: A street in lower Manhattan where the New York Stock Exchange is located
Context: Wall Street has become a symbol of American finance.
Published by Discovery Education. © 2005. All rights reserved.
The Middle Atlantic States: Volume 2
Teacher’s Guide
6
wetlands
Definition: A low area where the land is saturated with water
Context: In New Jersey nearly one-fifth of the land is fresh water or saltwater wetlands.
Academic Standards
Mid-continent Research for Education and Learning (McREL)
McREL’s Content Knowledge: A Compendium of Standards and Benchmarks for K–12 Education
addresses 14 content areas. To view the standards and benchmarks, visit
http://www.mcrel.org/compendium/browse.asp.
This lesson plan addresses the following national standards:
•
Geography—The World in Spatial Terms: Understands the characteristics and uses of maps,
globes, and other geographic tools and technologies; Knows the location of places,
geographic features, and patterns of the environment
•
Geography—Places and Regions: Understands the physical and human characteristics of
place; Understands the concept of regions
•
Geography—Human Systems: Understands the nature, distribution and migration of
human populations on Earth’s surface; Understands the patterns of human settlement and
their causes
•
Geography—Environment and Society: Understands how human actions modify the
physical environment; Understands how physical systems affect human systems;
Understands the changes that occur in the meaning, use, distribution and importance
of resources
•
Geography—Uses of Geography: Understands how geography is used to interpret the past
National Council for the Social Studies
The National Council for the Social Studies (NCSS) has developed national standards to provide
guidelines for teaching social studies. To view the standards online, go to
http://www.socialstudies.org/standards/strands/.
This lesson plan addresses the following thematic standards:
•
Culture
•
Time, Continuity, and Change
•
People, Places, and Environments
Published by Discovery Education. © 2005. All rights reserved.
The Middle Atlantic States: Volume 2
Teacher’s Guide
7
Support Materials
Develop custom worksheets, educational puzzles, online quizzes, and more with the free teaching tools
offered on the DiscoverySchool.com Web site. Create and print support materials, or save them to a
Custom Classroom account for future use. To learn more, visit
•
http://school.discovery.com/teachingtools/teachingtools.html
DVD Content
This program is available in an interactive DVD format. The following information and activities
are specific to the DVD version.
How To Use the DVD
The DVD starting screen has the following options:
Play Video—This plays the video from start to finish. There are no programmed stops, except by
using a remote control. With a computer, depending on the particular software player, a pause
button is included with the other video controls.
Video Index—Here the video is divided into six parts (see below), indicated by video thumbnail
icons. Watching all parts in sequence is similar to watching the video from start to finish. Brief
descriptions and total running times are noted for each part. To play a particular segment, use the
navigation key to highlight the icon and press Enter or Play on the remote for TV playback; on a
computer, click once to highlight a thumbnail and read the accompanying text description and click
again to start the video.
Curriculum Units—These are specially edited video segments pulled from different sections of the
video (see below). These nonlinear segments align with key ideas in the unit of instruction. They
include onscreen pre- and post-viewing questions, reproduced below in this Teacher’s Guide. Total
running times for these segments are noted. To play a particular segment, use the navigation key to
highlight the icon and press Enter or Play on the TV remote, or click once on the Curriculum Unit
title on a computer.
Standards Link—Selecting this option displays a single screen that lists the national academic
standards the video addresses.
Teacher Resources—This screen gives the technical support number and Web site address.
Video Index
I. Middle Atlantic Region Overview (1 min.)
Review the five states that make up the Middle Atlantic Region while discovering adjoining
geographical areas.
Published by Discovery Education. © 2005. All rights reserved.
The Middle Atlantic States: Volume 2
Teacher’s Guide
II. Delaware: The First State (3 min.)
America's second smallest state, Delaware lies primarily in the Atlantic Coastal Plain. Explore its
geographic features and its colonial settlement by the Swedish, Dutch, and English.
III. Pennsylvania’s Founding Principles (5 min.)
Hills, forests, and farmland make up most of Pennsylvania, one of the original thirteen colonies.
Explore the state’s colonial history and discover the ideals upon which the colony was founded.
IV. New Jersey’s History and Industry (2 min.)
New Jersey is one of America’s busiest industrial states. Find out what it produces while exploring the
state’s geography, natural resources, and history.
V. Two of America's Best Known Landmarks (1 min.)
Visit Liberty Island in New York Harbor and learn about the Statue of Liberty that welcomes
approaching ships. Next, explore Ellis Island, our main reception center for new immigrants through
the 1950s.
VI. From New Amsterdam to New York (3 min.)
New York is the northernmost of the Middle Atlantic States. Discover how New Amsterdam became
New York City, the nation’s financial center. Explore the state’s geographic features and natural
resources.
Curriculum Units
1. The Middle Atlantic Region
Pre-viewing question
Q: Which states make up the Middle Atlantic Region of the United States?
A: These states are Maryland, Delaware, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and New York.
Post-viewing question
Q: What other regions of the United States border the Middle Atlantic Region?
A: The Southeastern and New England Regions border the Middle Atlantic Region.
Published by Discovery Education. © 2005. All rights reserved.
8
The Middle Atlantic States: Volume 2
Teacher’s Guide
2. The Geography of Delaware
Pre-viewing question
Q: What does a map tell you about the geography of Delaware?
A: Answers will vary.
Post-viewing question
Q: What is significant about Delaware’s Great Cypress Swamp?
A: The Great Cypress Swamp is a wetlands that covers several thousand acres in the southern part of
the state. It provides an excellent habitat for many species of plants and animals.
3. Delaware: Exploration and Colonial Settlement
Pre-viewing question
Q: Why do you think Delaware is known as the “First State”?
A: Delaware was first to ratify the new U.S. Constitution.
Post-viewing question
Q: How were the Dutch and the Swedish involved in the colonization of Delaware?
A: The Dutch attempted to colonize Delaware in 1631. In 1638, Swedish colonists founded New
Sweden where the present-day city of Wilmington, Delaware, is located. Dutch forces conquered the
Swedish colony in 1755, and it fell to the English nine years later.
4. Pennsylvania’s Geography and Colonial History
Pre-viewing question
Q: What does a map tell you about Pennsylvania’s location?
A: Answers will vary.
Post-viewing question
Q: What type of colony did William Penn hope to establish?
A: William Penn designed his colony to be a place where religious freedom, property rights, and selfgovernment would thrive.
Published by Discovery Education. © 2005. All rights reserved.
9
The Middle Atlantic States: Volume 2
Teacher’s Guide
10
5. Pennsylvania Landmarks and Events
Pre-viewing question
Q: Why do you think William Penn chose the name “Philadelphia,” which means “Brotherly Love,” for
the city he founded?
A: Answers will vary.
Post-viewing question
Q: What significant events of the American Revolution took place in Pennsylvania?
A: The Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution were signed at “Independence Hall”—
the State House in Philadelphia—and the Liberty Bell was first rung here to announce ratification of the
Constitution. General George Washington’s troops were quartered at Valley Forge during the winter of
1777, suffering heavy loss of life due to cold and disease.
6. New Jersey’ Geography, Resources, and Industry
Pre-viewing question
Q: Look at a map. What river forms New Jersey’s border with Pennsylvania?
A: The Delaware River forms New Jersey’s border with Pennsylvania.
Post-viewing question
Q: What significant event occurred at Trenton, New Jersey, in 1776?
A: On Christmas night in 1776, General George Washington and his troops secretly crossed the
Delaware River in small boats to carry out a surprise attack on British and Hessian troops.
Washington’s victory was one of the great American successes in the early days of the Revolutionary
War.
7. New Jersey’s Cities and Resident Inventor
Pre-viewing question
Q: How do we use electricity every day?
A: Answers will vary.
Post-viewing question
Q: Discuss why Edison’s practical system for generating and distributing electricity to homes and
factories changed everyday living and working.
A: Answers will vary.
Published by Discovery Education. © 2005. All rights reserved.
The Middle Atlantic States: Volume 2
Teacher’s Guide
11
8. Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty
Pre-viewing question
Q: Why do people leave their homelands and immigrate to other countries such as the United States?
A: Answers will vary.
Post-viewing question
Q: What do you think the Statue of Liberty signified to immigrants as they entered New York Harbor?
A: Answers will vary.
9. New York’s History and Landmarks
Pre-viewing question
Q: Why do you think New York was first called New Netherland?
A: The state of New York began as a Dutch colony called New Netherland.
Post-viewing question
Q: Which New York City borough is considered the heart of that city? Why?
A: Manhattan, one of the five New York City boroughs, is thought of as the heart of the city. Central
Park and Wall Street, America’s financial center, are located there. It is also where terrorists attacked
and destroyed the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001.
10. The Geography of New York
Pre-viewing question
Q: What does a map tell you about the geography of New York?
A: Answers will vary.
Post-viewing question
Q: Where is the St. Lawrence Seaway and what is its purpose?
A: The St. Lawrence Seaway is part of the St. Lawrence River—the river that forms the border between
New York and Canada. The seaway is a series of canals and locks, and it serves as a major
transportation route for ships traveling between the Atlantic Ocean and the ports of the Great Lakes.
Published by Discovery Education. © 2005. All rights reserved.
The Middle Atlantic States: Volume 2
Teacher’s Guide
Credit
Patricia A. Peirson, freelance writer and former elementary school and adult ESL educator
Published by Discovery Education. © 2005. All rights reserved.
12