United States

One of the fourth grade standards is for students to be able to identify the neighboring countries to the United States, the capitals, and major cities.

After filling in the neighboring countries, we started a mapping activity where students filled in the neighboring cities of the United States. Then on the back, we labeled the major landforms, bodies of water, and additional features of the United States.

This is foundational learning. When we study the regions of the United States, students will have experience and a more developed "mind map" of the features of the US. Many of the United States regions are organized by shared features of the land.

Students had access to a variety of different resources and tools to support their learning. Several times, we lost track of time. Students expressed they were having so much fun!