North American Geography

Grade 4

Geography

Overarching Question: How does where you live affect how you live?

 

Essential Questions:

How do the topography, climate, and natural resources of a region affect how people live and work?

 

Enduring Understandings

 

 Knowledge and Skills

MA History/ Social  Studies

Framework (2003)

Sample Assessments and

Learning Experiences

Location, topography, and climate are what define a region.

 

The U.S. has a variety of geographic regions.

 

The world has both political and physical geographic boundaries.

 

Land, economy, and culture are interconnected.

 

Maps are useful tools for locating and identifying areas.

 

North America is a continent made up of many countries.  The three largest countries in North America are Canada, the United States., and Mexico.

 

 

 

 Knowledge and Skills

 

Students will be able to:

Locate North America on a world map

 

Locate the United.States,,Canada, and Mexico on a world map.

 

Identify major bodies of water and mountain ranges on a map of the U.S.

 

Identify and label major U.S. regions

 

Students will know:

The U.S. is made up of 50 states.  Each state has cities, towns, and one capital city.

 

Canada is divided into provinces and territories and Mexico is divided into provinces.

 

 

 

Learning Standards:

On a map of the world, locate North America.

 

On a map of North America, locate the United States, the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, Gulf of Mexico, Mississippi, and Rio Grande Rivers, the Great Lakes, Hudson Bay, and the Rocky and Appalachian Mountain ranges.

 

On a map of North America, locate the current boundaries of the United States (including Alaska and Hawaii)

 

Locate the New England, Middle Atlantic, Atlantic Coast/Appalachian, Southeast/Gulf, South Central, Great Lakes, Plains, Southwest Desert, and Pacific states and the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico.

 

Identify the states, state capitals, and major cities in each region.

 

Describe the climate, major physical features, and major natural resources in each region.

 

Identify and describe unique features of the United States.

 

Identify major monuments and historical sites in and around Washington D.C.

Continued…

 

 

 

 

 

 

MA History/ Social  Studies

Framework (2003) continued

 

 

Identify the five different European countries (France, Spain, England, Russia, and the Netherlands) that influenced different regions of the present United States at the time the New World was being explored and describe how their influence can be traced to place names, architectural features and language.

 

Identify major immigrant groups that live in Massachusetts and where they now live in large numbers.

Canada

 

On a map of North America, locate Canada, its provinces, and major cities.

 

Describe the climate, major physical characteristics, and major natural resources of Canada and explain their relationship to settlement, trade, and the Canadian economy,

 

Identify the location of at least two Native American tribes in Canada (e.g Kwakiutl and Micmac) and the Inuit nation and describe their major social features.

 

Identify the major language groups in Canada, their geographic location, and the relations among them.

Mexico

 

On a map of North America, locate Mexico and its major cities.

Describe the climate, major physical characteristics, and major natural resources of Mexico and explain their relationship to the Mexican economy.

 

 

Sample Assessments

 

Create a travel brochure of a unique U.S. feature, historical monument, or historical site.

 

Create a map legend that demonstrates an understanding of state capital, major city, location.

 

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Sample Learning Experiences