Focus (or Guiding) Questions:

What are landforms? Give some examples.

What are natural resources?

What are some key landforms in West Virginia?

What are some key natural resources in West Virginia?

Can any of these landforms/natural resources be used to generate money? How?

Know:

The various regions of the United States.

Key landforms within each region.

The interdependence of landforms and resources on the economy of a region.

Characteristics of regions in terms of economic resources.

Characteristics of regions in terms of climate.

Do:

Identify the regions of the United States

Identify the states within the regions of the United States.

Identify major landforms within regions.

Relate resources and landforms to economic factors of a region.

Create a product demonstrating how landforms/climate/natural resources play a key role in the economies of specific regions.

Research has shown that the least effective strategy for teaching vocabulary is having students look up words and write the definitions.  For quality, research-based strategies for teaching content vocabulary, see the Teach 21 Strategy Bank at http://wvde.state.wv.us/strategybank/vocabulary.html.

Materials Used:

Poster board, scissors, markers, colored pencils, construction paper, glue, homemade play dough

Differentiation Strategies: Group lower level students in groups with one higher level, and two mid-level students.

Stage 1: Economy Definition Activity

Prior to the lesson, provide paper money to the students, about five dollars apiece.  Use this template.  http://www.kidsmoneyfarm.com/us-dollar-style-templates.htm Kids are to cut out their own money.  Next, give students some play dough.  They are to create a small clay figure(s).  Give students about five or ten minutes.  Allow students to walk around and look at different figures.  They can use their money to buy a figurine, the maker sets the price.  Observe interactions to facilitate.  After the exchange is complete, discuss:  What item was most in demand?  What item was least in demand?  What price was paid for the item most in demand?  What item was the least?  Give students more clay and allow them to redesign a product that may be popular and allow the “sale” to happen again.  Discussion:  Discuss which product was most popular, which was least popular.  Why could the maker charge as much as he/she wanted (supply/demand/scarcity)? Explain that the production and exchange of goods or products create the economy. 

Stage 2: Landforms and the Economy

View Living off the Land PowerPoint

Stage 3: Regions and Population Density

Prior to the lesson, use overhead to trace regions (trace the states, as well) onto large pieces of poster board or cardboard.

Introduce regions by using the Looking at Regions PowerPoint. Use PowerPoint as a springboard for defining regions, urban, suburban, and rural areas, and economics.  Leave up website showing different regions for students.

Using a blank map of the United States, http://www.enchantedlearning.com/usa/outlinemaps/states/  have students to color and label the regions to assist in identifying characteristics for later in the module and also for a test.

Use a map to help locate and label the individual states.

Stage 4: Putting It All Together

Introduce the term “population density”, use in a sentence and allow students to use context to figure out the meaning.  Show students the population density map at http://www.visualizingeconomics.com/2008/09/07/us-population-density-1990-and-2000/  explain that the peaks represent large populations in that area.  Have students to identify areas of high population density and areas with low population density.

View the U.S. census website.  http://2010.census.gov/2010census/data/ Roll cursor over states and discuss change in populations and discuss possible reasons for the decline or increase.

Divide the class into five groups, these groups represent each region.  Ideally, each group should have four students, but adjust as needed for the activity.  Each group should have access, either color paper copies, or online copies of the following maps from How Stuff Works (formatted the same, helps with continuity):

1. Land Use Map
2. Landform Map
3. Natural Resources Map
4. Population Density Map
5. Climate Region Map (group)

Assign each group a region, and each regional group should select a leader.  Each student within the group is responsible for interpreting the map assigned to him/her.  The leader presents his/her map to the group to begin the discussion, explaining what it is, how to read the map and detailing the information that it shows. Each person shares their map and explains it to the others in the group, noting anything of interest.

Pass out the poster board regions to assigned groups.

Instructions for Poster Board Regions:

View the Climate PowerPoint.  Using Climate Map for reference, use construction paper, glue under the edges of the region to form a colored outline, trim outline to about 2 in.  If region has more than one climate, it can be reflected with two different colors as borders on the outside edge or a strip in the middle of the region to separate. (These colors should correspond as closely to the climate map colors as possible for uniformity throughout the groups). On this outside edge, students should write the name of the type of climate and a description of the precipitation and temperature, etc.  This description can flow around the whole outside of region.

Using Land Use Map as a guide – Students use construction paper to represent land use.  This paper will be glued to the heavy poster board region. Do not cover up state lines. They must devise a key to show what each color stands for.  This must be kept with the region map.

Using the Landform Map as a guide – Students will create landforms from Play-Dough to place on the map. Label landforms with toothpicks with tape flags.

Using the Natural Resource Map as a guide – Students use paint to indicate natural resources in the region – it is permitted to paint over land use and landforms.  Students must devise a key.

Using the Population Density Map as a guide – use glue and glitter to indicate areas of high population. It is permissible to put glue and glitter over land use, landforms, and painted areas indicating natural resources.

After completing the hands-on group activity, students should answer the following questions in preparation for discussion and next activity.  Pass out Region Economics handout for groups to complete.  One student should be assigned as recorder.

Class Discussion:  Each group comes to the front and presents their map.  Each person in the group will tell the class their findings on the particular topic that they were assigned. Using the map for reference, students will demonstrate their knowledge regarding the region assigned.  Students should also use any information they discovered while discussing the Region Economics handout.

Stage 5:  People and Environment

Watch “The Lorax” (check to see if it is blocked, may have to download to comp)

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=6650219631867189375#  

Use the questions from this website to lead a discussion to analyze “The Lorax.” in terms of people’s effect on the environment.

http://www.seussville.com/Educators/lorax_classroom/educatorlorax_discuss.php

Activity:  Place students into groups of three.  Have students to brainstorm about ways that they can reduce their impact on the environment. Provide students with the Poster Rubric that outlines expectations.  Discuss expectations with students. Students are to create a poster.  One side will provide images and written explanations of one problem that concerns them, the opposite side will show ways that the students can reduce the impact on the environment.

Students are to share their posters with the class.  Hang up for display in the hallway.

To further emphasize the amount of waste that occurs, save all paper from one week of class.  Use this as a springboard for further discussion. 

If it is feasible in your school community, encourage a school-wide recycling program.  If this is possible.  Have students research interesting facts at http://www.oberlin.edu/recycle/facts.html to help create banners and generate interest in the program.

How do the landforms, climate, and natural resources affect the economy of my region/state/country?  What effect does the rural/urban population have on the landforms, climate, and natural resources of an area?

After this module, students will have a deeper understanding of the interconnections between climate, landforms, and natural resource on the economy, and how these factors affect population density.