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So often, students are really familiar with the state they live in and have a general idea about the other 49 states. They may have a little more understanding of those locations that played a big part in the history of the United States. But helping our students learn about and appreciate the 5 regions of the United States is important. Here’s some 5 regions of the United States Activities that are both fun and educational.
There are many long lasting benefits of teaching geography to your kiddos. History and geography help us to understand why people act the way they do. Geography helps students to understand what their place is in the world now and in the future. Teaching the regions of the United States will open your students’ eyes too many things about the country they live in. As you break down each region state by state they will learn all about landforms, agriculture, trading, culture, and way of life.
There are many different ways to break down these regions and teach them to your class. The main thing to remember is to keep your students engaged and excited about learning. Let’s talk about some fun activities to teach the 5 regions of the US with your class.
Teaching the regions of the United States will come with lots of information. After all, there are 50 states, each unique in their own way. Taking notes is one way we have our students gather information. But note taking can get so boring and repetitive. Why not change it up with these informational booklets. Students will get the same important information in a new and engaging form.
Completing a booklet requires some research to be done. You may choose to complete these activities together as a whole group, in small groups, or even independently. The information could also be shared as part of your lesson. Do whatever works best for you!
The booklet will cover topics like labeling the states and identifying the region on a map of the country. Then each state is broken down with more detailed information provided. Students will learn important facts like the state’s nickname, capital, famous landmarks, waterways, and special features. After compiling all of the information, your students will have a great book and learning tool.
If you don’t have time to do all of the states, then divide your class into groups and assign each group a state from the region you are studying. The group would research the state and present the information to the class. You can get as extensive as you want with this activity. It could be super simple if you just want them to fill out a page and present it, or they could create a PowerPoint or GoogleSlide Presentation to present! The possibilities are endless!
Oh, the joys of interactive notebooks! They are so useful and provide an engaging activity for taking notes and gathering information. The hands on learning through interactive notebooks is amazing and one students love. Plus, they provide a great portfolio of work your students will have at the end.
When teaching the 5 regions of the United States students can organize their notebook by region. Then each state will have its own “flap” in the notebook. Your students will list important facts for each state under the flaps.
Students can use their research from the information booklet in order to complete their interactive notebook activities. This is great when different groups work on the regions. Students can be held responsible for taking notes during each groups’ presentation in order to get the information they need to complete their notebook. You can also provide them with a reference sheet.
Games are always a hit in the classroom! They are a great way to reinforce knowledge and skills while keeping your students engaged. Memory Match is a great game that can be customized to meet your needs! Try playing as one of your 5 Regions of the US activities.
It would be a great idea for each of your students to have their own game. This way they could practice during any extra time and at home! Memory Match will have your students practice identifying the states by their shape and capital city(just have the capital city listed underneath the picture of the state.) You can run off the sheets for them, and they can cut and make their own game. Hint: Give them a ziploc bag to store them in.
To play they will lay out all of their cards face down in rows and columns. Then they will turn over any two cards. If they are a matching state shape and name, they get to keep the card. This continues until all cards are matched.
Connecting writing with the 5 regions of the United States is so much fun with this post card activity! Each student will create their own postcard for one of the states in the region. The students love expressing their creativity along with what they learned about their state.
The students will write their postcard to a family member or friend telling them about visiting the state. This activity can be done as a culminating activity or just one of many fun activities during the learning process.
Once they are done, displaying them on a bulletin board or in the hallway is a great way to show off what you are learning.
As teachers we want to make sure our students are learning along the way. A region quiz is a great way to do this. Students will demonstrate their knowledge of locating the region and states within the region. Students will label the states in the region and then connect each state with its capital. Finally, students will choose one state to provide additional information about. It’s a great way for your students to show off what they have learned. The quiz can be done in a formal way, or they can be added to a journal or notebook and completed using notes.
You can grab all of these amazing resources in the Appletastic Learning store. There is a regional pack for each of the 5 regions. This will save you tons of time and energy, and you’ll be able to get right down to teaching. Or, grab the 5 Regions of the United States Bundle and get everything you need to teach EACH region from start to finish! You and your kiddos will love all of the fun projects and 5 regions of the United States activities that are included.
Visit my store if you’d like to check out each region seperately:
Be sure to save this to your favorite social studies Pinterest board so you can come back any time you need tips and ideas for teaching.
Hi, I’m Shelly! Thank you for being here. I love helping third, fourth, and fifth grade teachers with fun and engaging activities that require no to little prep! Let me help you by taking some of the stress and work off your plate.
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