Geography of the United States - Part I - Upper Elementary Social Studies

In this class, students will learn all about the geography of the United States.  Students will explore the different regions of the United States, focusing on one to two different states each week.  Students will learn about the state's history, the physical geography of the state, and what life is like within the state.  

This course, Part I, will focus on states in the northeastern and southeastern regions.

Course Outline:

Week One: Overview of Northeastern Region
Week Two: New York
Week Three: New Jersey and Pennsylvania
Week Four: Connecticut and Rhode Island
Week Five: Massachusetts and Maine
Week Six: New Hampshire and Vermont
Week Seven: Overview of Southeastern Region
Week Eight: Delaware and Maryland
Week Nine: Virginia and West Virginia
Week Ten: Kentucky and Tennessee
Week Eleven: North Carolina and South Carolina
Week Twelve: Maryland and Washington, D.C.
Week Thirteen: Georgia and Mississippi
Week Fourteen: Florida
Week Fifteen: Louisiana and Arkansas
Week Sixteen:  Wrap-Up and Review Game

Each week, students will receive assignments through Google Classroom.  The post will include 3-5 assignments to complete.  Sample activities include map activities, web quests, creating interactive notebooks, and many others.  The live class will build upon the information in the assignments.  The live class will include storytelling, interactive slides, and lots of discussions.  

Students will complete three projects throughout the course.  Students will receive a theme and projects will be centered around the theme.  Examples of projects include slide presentations, short films, visual arts, essays, family interviews, and many others!  Students may also choose their own projects with approval from the teacher.  

There is not a required textbook for this class.

Throughout this course, there will be discussions of the history and cultures of minority groups living in the United States.  The following are resources that will be used in these discussions, as well as information that will be given to students in their weekly packets.  The information will include images, maps, recordings, and first-hand accounts.  

https://americanindian.si.edu/nk360/about.cshtml
https://www.loc.gov/collections/?fa=subject:african+american+history
https://www.loc.gov/collections/
https://latino.si.edu/learn/teaching-and-learning-resources
https://smithsonianapa.org
https://www.si.edu/feature/celebrate-asia