So, teachers have to be really adept at finding ways to fit it in the literacy time period. The easiest way is to make it a reading lesson with a Social Studies theme. One of my favorite Social Studies themes is Regions of the United States. It has so many elements to it that every day can be focused on a different aspect. Kids love that, which can make it such an engaging unit of study!
That’s why I created this Regions of the United States resource. I want my students to learn Social Studies concepts and I’m determined to find time to let them do just that!
What I love about this resource is that you can use it in small chunks if time is a problem for you OR you can schedule it for a 7-day unit and really get your kiddos engaged in learning this important geographical concept.
Here’s how I use it in my classroom:
to do while reading. Make sure students have a pencil in hand.
3. Immediately after reading, model or have students answer the question “What’s the
4. Next, we want students to go back to the text for words they do not understand and list
5. Give students a copy of the Northeast Region map and let them use the text to label the
that are based on the first three texts – Northeast, Southeast, and Southwest Regions.
2. Students will continue with maps by completing the Southwest Region map.
1. After reading the Midwest text, students will have the opportunity to compare two
choose which two they would like to compare.
2. Students complete the Midwest Region map. By day four, they should really be getting
1. After reading the West Region text, students will now answer the text based questions
on page 9 of the Close Reading 2nd Read page. This page continues to challenge
students to use multiple texts to find answers and again, all of the questions are language
arts based.
1. If students have been able to complete all 5 days of this lesson, I give them either the
1. As a final assessment grade, I give my students a unit test which is included in this
resource.
I hope you enjoy using this resource! Here’s what other teachers have said:
“These kept my students engaged during this unit. They enjoyed reading and gathering new information about our regions. It was very simple and allowed us to be able to use our close reading skills. Thank you for such a great product!” – J.W.
“This is perfect and exactly what I was looking for!” – K.G.
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