1. Unit I “The Land and Early People”
Chapter 1 “Our Country’s Geography” p
Day 1
Day 2
Day 3
Day 4
Day 5

2. Our Country’s Geography:
Introduction:
Watch a video about the continents and the oceans. Click here.
Watch a video introduction to the geography of North America. Click here.

3. Chapter 1 Vocabulary: landform mountain range piedmont sea level
Lesson 1
Lesson 2
Lesson 3
Lesson 4
Lesson 5
landform
mountain range
piedmont
sea level
plateau
basin
volcano
current
tide
inlet
sound
tributary
drainage basin
fall line
climate
natural vegetation
rain shadow
humidity
drought
arid
tundra
prairie
savanna
natural resource
modify
fertilizer
irrigation
nonrenewable
renewable
erosion
land use
relative location
political region
economic region
cultural region
population region
urban
suburban
rural
crossroads
metropolitan area

4. Our Country’s Geography:
Lesson 1: Land and Regions
Lesson 2: Bodies of Water
Lesson 3: Climate and Vegetation Regions
Lesson 4: Using the Land
Lesson 5: Where People Live and Work

5. Lesson 1 “Land and Regions”p

6. L1: Land and Regions
All of the United States, except for the island state of Hawaii, is in North America.
In addition to sharing the continent of North America, the United States shares landform regions with its neighbors, Canada and Mexico.
Image 1. 1: World Map

7. L1: Land and Regions
The two largest mountain ranges in the United States are the Appalachian Mountains and the Rocky Mountains.
The Appalachians cover much of the eastern U.S. They stretch all the way from central Alabama to southeastern Canada. The Rocky Mountains cover much of the western U.S. They extend north from Mexico through Canada and into Alaska.
Image 1.2: Landforms of North America

8. L1: Land and Regions
Farther north is the Alaska Range. It has the highest mountain peak in N. America, Mount McKinley. The peak, which is sometimes called by its Native American name, Denali, is 20,320ft (6,194m) high. Denali means "The Great One" or "The High One." However, Mount Whitney (California) is the highest point 14,495ft (4,418 m) in contiguous 48 states.
Image 1.3: Landforms of North America

9. L1: Land and Regions
The two largest landform regions in the United States are plains—the Coastal Plain and the Interior Plains. The Coastal Plain stretches inland from the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Mexico. The Interior Plains, also called the Interior Lowlands, extend across most of the center of the United States.
Image 1.4: Landforms of North America

10. L1: Land and Regions
Between the Rocky Mountains and other mountain ranges farther west is a large area called the Intermountain Region or the Basin and Range Region. Part of this land is the Great Basin where on the SW edge lies the lowest point of N. America Death Valley in California more than 280 ft. (85 m) below sea level.
Image 1.5: Landforms of North America

11. L1: Land and Regions
Question:
What mountain range covers much of the eastern United States? the western United States?

12. L1: Land and Regions
Answer:
The Appalachians cover much of the eastern U.S. The Rocky Mountains cover much of the western U.S.

13. L1: Land and Regions
Question:
What are the two largest landform regions in the U.S?

14. L1: Land and Regions
Answer:
The two largest landform regions in the U.S. are plains - the Coastal Plain and the Interior Plains.

15. L1: Homework Answer questions 1 and 3 on the page 23.
1) What are the major kinds of land that determine the landform regions of the United States?
3) How do the Appalachian Mountains differ from the Rocky Mountains?
Draw a map of the United States.
The map should show the main landform regions. Describe and label each region, and list some of the region's main physical features. You can use this map. Click here.

16. Lesson 2 “Bodies of Water”p

17. L2: Bodies of Water
The largest bodies of water on Earth are the four oceans. From largest to smallest, they are the Pacific Ocean, the Atlantic Ocean, the Indian Ocean, and the Arctic Ocean.
Image 2.1: World Map
These four oceans hold most of the Earth's water. They also separate most of the Earth's seven continents. From largest to smallest, these continents are Asia, Africa, North America, South America, Antarctica, Europe, and Australia.

18. L2: Bodies of Water
Image 2.2: Oceans and Continents

19. L2: Bodies of Water
The Gulf of Mexico is the largest inlet boarding the United States. Most of the largest bays and other inlets in the U.S. are found along the Atlantic Coast (Chesapeake and Delaware Bays) and Gulf Coasts (Tampa and Mobile Bays, and others).
The largest lakes in North America are the Great Lakes: Huron, Ontario, Michigan, Erie, Superior (the world's largest freshwater lake).
Most lakes in the U.S. are made up of fresh water, but the Great Salt Lake in Utah is as salty as any sea or ocean.
Image 2.3: Major Bodies of Water in U.S.

20. L2: Bodies of Water
The Mississippi River (2, 300 ml / 3,701 km) is the longest in the U.S. and entire continent.
The Delaware, Hudson, James, Potomac, Roanoke, Savannah, and Susquehanna Rivers begin in the Appalachian Mountains.
Image 3: U.S. Major rivers
The major rivers on the western side of the Continental Divide include the Sacramento, San Joaquin, and Columbia Rivers. The Rio Grande is a river that forms part of the border between the U.S. and Mexico.

21. L2: Bodies of Water
Question:
Name the continents according to their size, starting with the smallest one.

22. L2: Bodies of Water
Answer:
The continents – Australia, Europe, Antarctica, South America, North America, Africa, and Asia.

23. L2: Bodies of Water What is the longest river in the United States?
Question:
What is the longest river in the United States?

24. L2: Bodies of Water
Answer:
The Mississippi River.

25. L2: Bodies of Water
Question:
Name the Great Lakes.

26. L2: Bodies of Water
Answer:
The lakes—Superior, Michigan, Huron, Erie, and Ontario.

27. L2: Homework Answer questions on the page 32.
1) Identify the major bodies of water in the United States.
3) Why did many cities grow along the Fall Line?
Make a list of rivers and its tributaries.
Find out what river is located nearest to where you live. List nearby cities and any tributaries the river may have.

28. Lesson 3 “Climate and Vegetation Regions”p

29. L3: Climate and Vegetation Regions
Factors Affecting Climate:
Distance from the equator - the closer to the equator, the warmer it is
Distance from oceans - being close to water keeps the land cooler in summer and warmer in winter
Ocean currents - bring warmer and cooler water, making a mild climate
Higher elevations are cooler.
Location near mountains or plains - mountains cause one side to be dry and the other to get rain and snow. Plains get heavy winds.

30. L3: Climate and Vegetation Regions
The continental climate region covers the northeast quarter of the U.S. It usually has four very different seasons, including a hot, wet summer and a cold winter.
Most of the southeast quarter of the U.S. is in the humid subtropical climate region. It has four seasons, but its winters are milder and its summers are hotter than in the continental climate region.
Image 3.1: Climate Regions

31. L3: Climate and Vegetation Regions
Most of the United States can be divided into four main vegetation regions. These are forest, grassland, desert, and tundra.
Image 3.2: Vegetation Regions

32. L3: Climate and Vegetation Regions
Question:
What four main vegetation regions cover most of the United States?

33. L3: Climate and Vegetation Regions
Answer:
The vegetation regions - forest, grassland, desert, and tundra.

34. L3: Homework Answer questions 1 and 3 on the page 39.
1) What are the main climate and vegetation regions found in the United States?
3) What are some kinds of plants that grow in the desert?

35. Lesson 4 “Using the Land”p

36. L4: Using the Land
The United States has many natural resources such as soil, water, minerals, and plants. Different physical environments and the natural resources found there affect the way people live. The environment affects the activities of many people. It affects not only the kinds of activities people take part in for recreation, but also how they earn a living. That is because people often do work related to the resources around them. At the same time, people and their activities also affect their environment. Not every place has enough of every resource it needs. To meet their needs or to do their jobs, people must often modify their environment.

37. Image 4.1. Land Use and Resources
L4: Using the Land
About half of the land in the U.S. is used for farming. Most farming takes place on the Coastal Plain, on the Interior Plains, and in the large valleys in the western part of the country.
Forests cover about one-third of the United States. The largest forests are found in mountain regions, along the Great Lakes, or on the Coastal Plain.
Image 4.1. Land Use and Resources

38. Image 4.1. Land Use and Resources
L4: Using the Land
Much of the land is occupied for houses, transportation, and business. In cities, most people work in service industries, such as banking, education, or health care.
Image 4.1. Land Use and Resources

39. L4: Using the Land
Question:
What factors influence land use?

40. L4: Using the Land
Answer:
Landforms and climate influence land use.

41. What are the two types of natural resources?
L4: Using the Land
Question:
What are the two types of natural resources?

42. L4: Using the Land
Answer:
Renewable and nonrenewable.

43. L4: Homework Answer questions 1 and 3 on the page 43.
1) What are two ways that people use the land in the United States?
3) Why do people dig wells or lay pipes that take water to dry places?
Research land use of your chosen country.
Choose a country. Then use sources from the Internet and the library to research land use in this country. Then write a paragraph describing the different ways the land is used.

44. Lesson 5 “Where People Live and Work”

45. L5: Where People Live and Work
Regions can be defined using any feature , such as landforms, climate, and vegetation.
There are many different kinds of regions.
Often the 50 states are separated into four large regions – the Northeast, the South, the Middle West, and the West.
Image 5.1 Regions
The states in each of these regions are alike in many ways, such as landforms, climate, and natural resources. They may also share a history and culture.

46. L5: Where People Live and Work
Regions are also based on people’s activities. These regions often form and change over time as people move and adopt new ways of living.
A political region is a region based on a pattern of people sharing a government and the same leaders. Nations, states, counties, and cities are all political regions.
An economic region (agricultural and manufacturing) is based on the work people do or the products they make. People might work there in farms, ranches, and factories.
The cultural region is based also human activity - culture. The main people that live there share the same customs and beliefs, such as religion or the language they speak.

47. L5: Where People Live and Work
A population region is based on where people live. Most of the people in the United States live in urban regions. There many people live close together in cities.
Almost every large city has suburbs and towns around it. People who live in these suburban regions often work in the larger city nearby. Other people live in rural regions. Homes in rural regions are built farther apart, and people there often have to travel farther to go to school or work or to go shopping.
Cities are the largest and the most crowded type of settlement. Together, a large city and its surrounding suburbs make up that city's metropolitan area. Some metropolitan areas are so large that they stretch across state borders. The largest metropolitan area in the U.S. is he New York City metropolitan area that stretches across parts of three states.

48. What are the four large regions of the United States?
L5: Where People Live and Work
Question:
What are the four large regions of the United States?

49. L5: Where People Live and Work
Answer:
Four large regions — the Northeast, the South, the Middle West, and the West.

50. L5: Where People Live and Work
Question:
What are the four kinds of regions that are based on people's activities?

51. L5: Where People Live and Work
Answer:
The four kinds of regions that are based on people's activities – political, economic, cultural and population.

52. What are the settlements of people affected by?
L5: Where People Live and Work
Question:
What are the settlements of people affected by?
Image Center of Population p. 47

53. L5: Where People Live and Work
Answer:
Geographic factors, such as landforms, bodies of water, and climate, usually affect where people settle.

54. Where are most of the largest cities in the U. S.?
L5: Where People Live and Work
Question:
Where are most of the largest cities in the U. S.?
Image 5.3 Larges Cities p. 49

55. L5: Where People Live and Work
Answer:
Today, most of the largest cities in the U.S. are found near a coast, along rivers or the shores of the Great Lakes, or on other major transportation routes.

56. L5: Homework Answer questions 1 and 3 on the page 49.
1) Describe regions in the United States that are based on human activity.
3) In what kind of region based on people's activities would a community of farmers live?

57. Review and Test Preparation

58. Skill: Use Elevation Maps
Vocabulary: he lines that run east and west are the lines of latitude. Lines of latitude are also called parallels. Lines of latitude are measured in degrees north and south of the equator, which is labeled 0°, or zero degrees. The parallels north of the equator are marked N for north latitude. The lines that run north and south on a map or globe are the lines of longitude, or meridians. Each meridian runs from the North Pole to the South Pole. Unlike parallels, which never meet, meridians meet at the poles.

59. Skill: Use Elevation Maps
Question:
Which location is farther north—50°N, 80°W or 30°N, 90°W?

60. Use Elevation Maps farther north - 50°N, 80°W or 30°N, 90°W?
Image 6.1 Latitude and Longitude

61. Skill: Use Elevation Maps
Answer:
Farther north—50°N, 80°W.

62. Answer questions 1 and 14 on the page 53.
Review and Test Prep
Answer questions 1 and 14 on the page 53.

63. Vocabulary Identify the term that correctly matches each definition.
landform (p. 18) inlet (p. 27) rain shadow (p. 35) fertilizer (p. 41) relative location (p. 44)
where a place is, compared to other places
physical feature on Earth's surface
material added to soil to make it more fertile
any area of water that extends into the land from a larger body of water
the dry side of a mountain

64. Recall Facts Answer these questions:
What group of lakes makes up the world's largest freshwater lakes?
What do river systems do?
What is the Continental Divide?
How do people today modify their environment?
How does erosion change the land?
Which of the following vegetation regions has low bushes and cactuses?
A forest B grassland C desert D prairie
12) Cultural regions can be based on all of the following except—
F the religion that people follow. G the language people speak.
H the work that people do J the customs of the people.

65. Think Critically Answer these questions:
What types of regions are based on people's activities?
What are some ways the land is used in the United States?

66. Chapter 1 Our Country’s Geography
TEST

67. Chapter 1 “Our Country’s Geography”
Clipart:
Information: eharcourtschool.com