Regional Study of the United States

Teacher's Guide

Produced by Gail P. Walker

Web Institute for Teachers, Summer, 2003

Menu                                                                      

Introduction 

Aim                                                                                                                        
Rationale

Goals and Objectives

Audience

Prerequisites

Subject-Matter

Instructional Plan

Materials

Assessment and Evaluation

Appendices

Resources

Glossary

Introduction
     We have been reading about the different regions of the United States. Each region has so many similarities and differences
between them. For instance, the climate of one area is different then another but they are on the same continent. The resources
of one area will help to fuel the furnaces of another, while the states found along the coasts help to feed the whole country with
the fish that they catch. So in this project the students will be able to acquire, process, and report information about places and
regions in the United States and the world using maps, globes and other geographic tools and technology. This web quest should take about six weeks to complete.
Click here to return to Menu

Aim
      The purpose of this curriculum is to motivate fourth graders to be able to study the different regions of the United
States using various geographic tools while using technology.
Click here to return to Menu

Rationale
 
Click

	This WebQuest is to be used to help motivate students to read informational text in order to learn about the various states 
in the United States. It has been found that if the students are able to choose what they want to read in order to obtain interesting 
information, and are able to present it to peers and others through a creative project.  

Goals and Objectives
 State Goals: 14, 16, 17,

•     The student will be able to describe the geography ,the climate and the resources of their state and region.
•      The student will be able to write a letter, a report and do a reseach project.
•      The student will become profient in graphing and map skills.
•      The student will be able to distinguish between important information from unimportant information.
  

   
Click here to return to Menu

Audience
     This WebQuest is designed for the fourth grade. It will give the students an opportunity to develop research skills, and the ability to distinguish between important information and unimportant information as well as becoming critical thinkers.
Click here to return to Menu

Prerequisites
     Students should have some prior knowledge of how to use the Internet, note taking, and gathering information, brainstorming and working effectively in groups. They also should be able to write a letter.

Click here to return to Menu

Subject Matter
     This project encourages students to became aware of the regional differences of the United States. This project also encourages students to draw conclusions between fictional events in reading texts and real life situations, while studying the social studies and language arts curriculum.
Click here to return to Menu

Instructional Plan
     The class will be divided into five groups of five students. Each group will be assigned a region of the United States. Each group must preview the section of the country that they have been assigned. They will be given an outline to follow as a guide to keep them focused. As they read and use the Internet to gather information for their storyboard, PowerPoint program and geographical map study.
Click here to return to Menu  

Materials:

In order to implement this web quest here are the required items:

• Social Studies and Language Arts books which cover the regions of the United States. (Contrasting fictional and nonfunctional accounts.)
• Letter writing skills that will be necessary to have students obtain information from the various websites.
• Access to a computer
• Access to art supplies, (paint, papier-mâché, Storyboards)
• Drama Skills and being able to work in groups.

Click here to return to Menu

Assessment and Evaluation
 You will know that this quest was successful by judging the quality of the engagement of the students. They should become experts on their regions as a group. Also the projects that the students had to produce individually will be useful assessments, (PowerPoint presentations, storyboards, and letters, maps, charts and oral reports). A rubric will be given to the students that will help them develop and self evaluate throughout the course of the project.
Click here to return to Menu  

Appendices (optional, if needed)

Resources
 www.compaq.com