FLEX - United States Physical Geography and 50 States (and Capitals)
In this 7-week FLEX class, students will learn not only the major physical features of the USA, but also the 50 states and their capitals. Students will also be able to explore the geography of each region of the USA. #academic
Tayler Morrell, Licensed History and ELA Teacher
Average rating:
5.0
Number of reviews:(200)
What's included
Homework
1-2 hours per week. Students will complete each assigned activity, video, and quiz on their own time before the next week's assignment.Assessment
Each week, students will complete a review Kahoot of the region they studied. At the end, students will take a final Kahoot to identify the major physical features as well as the 50 states and capitals of the USA. Students will also complete a final project on their state of choice. If you would like me to grade a student's work and progress and provide a letter of achievement after the course finishes, please let me know as soon as possible. As a certified teacher, I know many parents appreciate this for their state homeschool/charter school requirements.Grading
includedClass Experience
US Grade 5 - 8
Use coupon code MORRELLFLEXUSGEO5 for $5 off. This is a 7 week long FLEX schedule class - this means that we will **NOT** be meeting live. Students will learn all about the physical (landforms) and political (states and capitals) geography of the United States of America. Not only will students work on and review map skills, they will also be filling out maps for each of the 5 regions of the USA. Students will also learn about some interesting facts and places of interest. Each week, I will also share a recipe for a dish commonly eaten in each region! Although students will *NOT* be meeting live, there will still be ways to participate and interact with each other through discussion threads on the classroom page. We will also be doing a final project that students will share on the classroom page so their classmates may view and comment. Each week, I will post on the classroom page the list of videos, activities, and discussion threads to complete each week. We will be utilizing self-recorded videos, printed-out maps, Google Earth presentations, Kahoot! for quizzes, Google Forms for comprehension checks, and informational Youtube videos for extension. This class will not be graded. **HOWEVER**, if you would like me to grade a student's work and progress and provide a letter of achievement after the course finishes, please let me know as soon as possible. As a certified teacher, I know many parents appreciate this for their state homeschool/charter school requirements. Week 1: Introduction to Geography and Map Skills - Pretest for prior knowledge of map skills, USA physical features, and states/capitals - Map skills activities - Discussion of the state each student lives in (please do *not* share your city - we want to keep that personal information private). If you do not live in the USA, you will be able to share if you've ever visited the country or what state you would like to visit in the future. Week 2: South West - Map of physical features, states, and capitals - Google Earth presentation of physical features - Presentation of state facts, important stories - Exploration of a National Park and touristy city or manmade feature - Regional recipe - Kahoot review Week 3: West - Map of physical features, states, and capitals - Google Earth presentation of physical features - Presentation of state facts, important stories - Exploration of a National Park and touristy city or manmade feature - Regional recipe - Kahoot review Week 4: Midwest - Map of physical features, states, and capitals - Google Earth presentation of physical features - Presentation of state facts, important stories - Exploration of a National Park and touristy city or manmade feature - Regional recipe - Kahoot review Week 5: South East - Map of physical features, states, and capitals - Google Earth presentation of physical features - Presentation of state facts, important stories - Exploration of a National Park and touristy city or manmade feature - Regional recipe - Kahoot review Week 6: North East - Map of physical features, states, and capitals - Google Earth presentation of physical features - Presentation of state facts, important stories - Exploration of a National Park and touristy city or manmade feature - Regional recipe - Kahoot review Week 7: Review and Final Project - Final Kahoot for 50 states and capitals - Final Kahoot for physical features - Final Project - presentation on state of choice (More information will be given at the end of Week 6)
Learning Goals
Students will be able to name and identify the 50 states and capitals of the USA. Students will be able to identify the 5 regions of the USA and major physical features. Students will be able to read and utilize a map.
Other Details
Parental Guidance
We will be utilizing the following 3rd party platforms: Google Earth, Google Forms, Kahoot!, Canva Presentations and Youtube. You do not need an account for any of these platforms. We will only be using Canva to view the presentations I created - you don't need to login or create anything.
Supply List
Coloring pencils are recommended for the physical maps. Students have the choice of creating a Powerpoint, video, or taking a picture of a poster board for their final project. Each week, students will be given a recipe from each region - making the recipe is optional and not required. At the beginning of each week, I will release the specific recipe, as well as an specific allergen warning. As for a general heads up for common allergens: Week 2: South West - Cowboy Caviar Possible ingredients that contain common allergens are: corn, avocado, lime, chili pepper, corn/flour/gluten (tortilla chips) Week 3: West - Fish Taco Possible ingredients that contain common allergens are: halibut, flour/gluten (tortilla), corn (tortilla), dairy/lactose, avocado, chili pepper Week 4: Midwest - Chili and Cinnamon Roll Possible ingredients that contain common allergens are: flour/gluten, dairy/lactose (butter and milk), sugar, cinnamon, eggs. We will be focusing on baking our own cinnamon rolls and the recipe will call for each student to utilize their own favorite chili (whether it's canned, store bought, or a family recipe). Week 5: South East - Fried Chicken Possible ingredients that contain common allergens are: flour/gluten, bread crumbs/gluten, corn, dairy/lactose (butter and milk), eggs Week 6: North East - Boston Cream Pie Possible ingredients that contain common allergens are: flour/gluten, dairy/lactose (butter and milk), sugar, eggs, chocolate Again, students do not have to create the recipes - they are an optional extra bonus. Families are also welcome to use their own recipes to adhere to their personal dietary needs and restrictions.
External Resources
In addition to the Outschool classroom, this class uses:
Joined June, 2020
5.0
200reviews
Teacher expertise and credentials
Utah Teaching Certificate in Social Studies/History
Bachelor's Degree in Education from Brigham Young University
***I am currently not doing any LIVE or FLEX classes.***
I have a Bachelor of Arts in History Teaching and a Minor in English Teaching. I have a U.S. state license to teach all classes that fall under the category of history and English/Language Arts umbrella (reading, grammar, writing, literature, and language arts). I am currently working on my Masters of Science in Education in Curriculum and Instruction through the University of Kansas.
I studied Welsh throughout college and even spent a summer stationed in Cardiff, Wales, taking intensive immersion classes while traveling around Wales, England, and Scotland. I was a writing tutor and a teacher's assistant throughout my college experience. I taught in both public and charter schools for 3 years. I even taught ESL online for four years through the international company, VIPKID. I am also heavily involved in my own children's school's PTO program and will even be substitute teaching this year.
I'm a bibliophile (someone obsessed with books) and have a passion for history. I teach about world history, specifically medieval and Tudor history. I also love sharing about different world religions, cultures, and mythologies. I also love sharing about influential people in history. I believe "history" is a "story", so my classes will be far more than just facts and dates--we will learn their stories and discover the culture, the people, their relationships, their experiences, etc.
In my literature classes, we don't just read and summarize. Students will learn about the history and culture of the author as well as the setting of the book. Students will make connections between character growth and relationships to the themes and motifs. We will also focus on text connections (such as text to text, text to self, and text to world).
In my writing classes, students will learn how to "show, not tell." They will be able to find their own individual and unique writing style and express themselves with the written word. I always find something to praise before giving constructive criticism.
In my Welsh language classes, students will have fun learning basic Welsh grammar and conversation skills, as well as singing some fun Welsh songs.
I want to share my passion with my students. I wholeheartedly believe that children really do enjoy learning--they just have to find what they are passionate about and the right way to engage them. I love using a variety of teaching methods to keep students interested. I'm here for the student, just as much as I am here to teach subjects.
Outside of the classroom, I am a wife and a mother of two elementary students. I love to run, workout, and play soccer and volleyball. Reading is my favorite past time, and playing videogames or watching anime is a close second. I love traveling and exploring with my family.
I'm very excited to get to know you!Reviews
Live Group Class
$7
weekly or $45 for 7 weeks7 weeks
Completed by 35 learners
No live video meetings
Ages: 10-15
