Unit 5:

United States
and Canada

10-Day Unit
Plan

By: Taylor E.
Karr
 Contextual Information

1. Knowledge of characteristics of students

Use the spaces provided below to address indicated characteristics of your students.

Age-Range, Gender, Total number of students

13-14 year olds, Male and Female, 1,126 in school, 20-25 in each classroom
Mrs. Bernauers Class- 127 kids total

Achievement Levels (Remedial, Average, Advanced/ Accelerated, or specify range

in percentiles or grade-equivalent)
Average to Average/Advanced

Socio-Economic Description
Most children are lower middle to upper middle class. My first period and third period
are my normal class, and most are lower to regular middle. My second period class, the
accelerated class, is more of the upper middle.

Typical Demeanor of Students

The children are in good moods most of the time. There are not really any
troublemakers, but kids seem to take a disinterest to social studies at times.

Typical Interest and Involvement of Students

Most of the students are involved in some area of the school, whether it be BETA club,
Band, Athletics, etc. The kids at Tupelo take pride in being at Tupelo.

2. Knowledge of students varied approaches to learning (Include information from

learning styles inventory)
Most of the students in my class learn the best from visually seeing the information
given. I had a few who were auditory learners and one who learned from movement.
From what I can tell, the students can spit back the content to me, but cannot use it in a
primary source or analyze a piece of information and use the content to help further
understand it.

3. Knowledge of students skills and prior learning

Prior to this class, they have only had one social studies class. Social studies as an
individual subject is fresh to them, and I think the students need to be taught how to
analyze history and think deeper about it. They are in the adolescent stage of learning
about social studies, so they need to be taught the basics first. There is not any prior
learning other than 7th grade U.S. history.

4. Knowledge of community and school district (Include a description of the

community and school district)
Tupelo School Dtheistrict is a 6A school district in Lee county, MS, and the school
district is located in the county seat. The population estimate is 35,680. Whites tend to
make up 60-65 percent of the population, with African-Americans having 30-33 percent
of the population. The median household income is $41,979 dollars, and 25 percent live
below the poverty line. Tupelo is known as a quality school district in the state of MS
with outstanding achievement scores each and every year. It is known for great school
support and success in after school activities. In the school district, 58% of the students
qualify for free and reduced lunch.

REFERENCE LIST
http://nces.ed.gov/ccd/schoolsearch/school_detail.asp?
ID=280432000293
http://www.census.gov/quickfacts/table/PST045215/2874840

Intro and Brief Summary

This unit is Unit 5: United States and Canada. The unit includes
Chapters 6,7,8 from the textbook. Chapter 6 gives a profile of the
United States and discusses the resources the United States uses. In
Chapter 7, the four regions of the United States are highlighted in
detail. Chapter 8 gives a regional overview of the country Canada. In
this 10 day unit, the student will be assessed in multiple ways to
demonstrate quality understanding of the content. Day 1 will be a
higher order thinking day involving Chapter 6, as the student will
complete a guided note sheet on the chapter. Days 2 and 3 will be our
note taking days with in class activities to use the content. Day 4 will
be a mid-unit quiz day with an introduction of the performance
assessment. The students will have days 5 and 6 to complete their
group performance assessment for a major test grade. Days 7 and 8
will be devoted entirely to the country of Canada with a review day
scheduled for Day 9. The unit will conclude with a summative
assessment on Day 10. The unit will hit a variety of content standards
from the Social Studies MS Frameworks as well as the Science MS
Frameworks and the Common Core English Standards.

Goals
Goal: Identify overall goal (s) of the unit based on the
Mississippi Curriculum Frameworks or Common Core
Standards.

MS FRAMEWORKS- Social Studies

2. Understand the physical environments in the United States
and the world along with the processes that shape them and
the problems they present to human occupation and use
a. Identify and explain the concepts and processes that effect
physical environments around the world and explain the subsequent
patterns and distributions of natural resources and physical
environment changes that result from those processes (DOK 3)
b. Recognize problems associated with the complex interactions
between human activity and the physical environments around the
world (DOK 2)

3. Understand how population, migration, culture, economics,

urbanization, and political factors produce complex networks
and systems of human activity around the world
b. Identify the characteristics of human settlements around the
world, sort them into categories and analyze how each type of
settlement develops and is sustained through time (DOK 3)

5. Understand economic development, economic globalization,

and global resource use
a. Use maps and other geographic representations, tools, and
technologies to explain the geographic reasons of economic
interactions among people, places, and environments of the world
(DOK 2)

6. Understand the characteristics, distribution, and complexity

of Earths cultural mosaics
c. Identify major culture regions of the world and explain how the
characteristics of each give it a distinctiveness that sets it apart from
others (DOK 2)

MS FRAMEWORKS- Science
4. Describe the Earths System in terms of its position to
objects in the universe, structure and composition, climate,
and renewable and nonrenewable resources.
d. Research the importance of the conservation of renewable and
nonrenewable resources, including (but not limited to) Mississippi, and
justify methods that might be useful in decreasing the human impact
on global warming. (DOK 3)

COMMON CORE ART STANDARDS

1. VA: Cr2.3.8a- Select, organize, and design images and words
to make visually clear and compelling presentations

Assessment Plan/Critical Thinking

Performance Task
1. Unit 5 Performance Assessment- Regions of the United States and
Canada
2. 5 regions of Canada Storyboard
Test/Quiz Items and Other Traditional Assessments
1. Unit 5 Learning Celebration
2. Mid-Unit Quiz on United States
Informal Check
1. Bellringers
2. In Class Activities
3. H.O.T. Timeline
Critical Thinking/Academic Prompt
1. Why do cultural differences matter in the United States and Canada?
2. What are steps to take to be able to respect each others cultural
differences while displaying our own?
3. What are ways the United States can maintain economic stability?
4. Could the differences in government policy in Canada function well
in the United States? Explain.
5. As a group of people, can our differences within the United States
keep us from moving forward as country?

Pre-Test/Post Test

Directions: Circle the letter for the correct answer. This is strictly a
PRE-TEST to see what we know and do not know

1. How many Regions are located in the United States?

A. Four
B. Two
C. Three
D. Five
2. The two non-contiguous states (Alaska and Hawaii) belong to which
region?
A. West
B. Midwest
C. South
D. Northeast

3. The Bible Belt, Mangroves, Bayous, and Everglades are located in

which region?
A. Northeast
B. Midwest
C. South
D. Northeast

4. This event takes place in Chicago and allows for the trade of wheat,
barley, and rye to occur
A. Grain Elevator
B. Grain Product
C. Grain Exchange
D. Wheat Store

5. Which Region in the United States contains the megalopolis (large

city area from D.C. to Boston that contains 1/7th of entire population)
A. South
B. Northeast
C. Midwest
D. West

True/False: Indicate if the statement is True or False by circling the

letter T or F

6. The Capital of the United States is located within the borders of a

state
T or F
7. The Western Region has an abundance of natural resources such as
gold and iron ore
T or F
8. The Northeast heavily relies on agriculture to provide economic
stability within the region
T or F
9. The South has tourism as a secondary economic source because of
the beaches along the coastal region
T or F
10. The Mississippi River is the main source of economic transportation
for the products that are made in the Midwest
 T or F

Directions: Read the questions carefully and answer to the best of your ability. There is
only one correct answer.

1. There is a stretch of cities that hold 1/7th of the United States population. What region
are these cities found in and what is the term used to call these cities?
A. Midwest Region, microlopolis
B. Northeast Region, microlopolis
C. Northeast Region, megalopolis
D. West Region, Suburban District

2. The Mangroves, Bayous, and Everglades are all unique to what region?
A. Mid-South Region
B. Northeast Region
C. Frontier Region
D. South Region

3. The United States is known for having some of the most farmable land in the world.
Agricultural production has made the United States far more affluent because of its
ability to export its goods to other countries. The state of Iowa has produced more corn,
soybeans, and hogs than any other state in the nation. Also, high wheat production in the
entire region has positively influenced the country as a whole. What region is Iowa
found in and what is the nickname that the region has earned due to its continuous wheat
production?
A. Midwest Region, The Countrys Grainfest
B. Midwest Region, The Countrys Breadbasket
C. Mid-South Region, The Countrys Heartland
D. Southeast Region, The Countrys Dairy House

4. What factors have caused new businesses to be attracted to the South Region?
A. Lower Labor Costs
B. Cheaper Land
C. Warmer Winters
D. ALL of these reasons
E. NONE of these reasons
5. Respecting Individual Freedoms has always been a cornerstone to the political system
within the United States. These freedoms stemmed from a belief in individual equality,
opportunity, and freedom. There was also a belief that an individual acting in their own
interests may also serve the interests of others. What economic system supports these
ideals?
A. Free enterprise, or capitalism
B. Free enterprise, or communism
C. Totalitarianism, or capitalism
D. Traditional economy

6. A metropolitan area comprises a major city and its surrounding suburbs. The country
has more than 250 metropolitan areas, the U.S. is a nation of city dwellers. Which of
these places would be considered a metropolitan area?
A. Miami, Florida
B. Tupelo, Mississippi
C. Dyersburg, Tennessee
D. Warner Robbins, Georgia

7. What is the long chain of mountains called that run from Canada down to Arizona and
what region can they be found in?
A. Himalayan Mountains, Northeast Region
B. Rocky Mountains, West Region
C. Rocky Mountains, Midwest Region
D. Cascade Mountains, West Region

8. What is a tall building equipped with machinery for loading, cleaning, mixing, and
storing grain?
A. Grain Elaborator
B Grain Exchange
C. Grain Elevator
D. Grain Flow

9. The growing population in California has allowed for new technology to be created.
For example, Los Angeles is home to almost 4 million people in its metropolitan area.
Innovators have had to create new ways to obtain water to support its people. California
has created large pipes that carry water over long distances. What is this called?
A. Aqueducts
B. Oil Rig
C. Dams
D. Water Pick

10. What Lakes contain of all the freshwater in the world?

A. The Grand Rivers
B. Smith Lake
 C. Hoover Dam
D. The Great Lakes
11. Look at the map of the United States. What factors could influence the majority of
the population to live in the eastern 2/3rds of the United States?

A. The climate is easier to live and function in.

B. Jobs became more available in the cities located in the Northeast, South, and
Midwest
C. Immigrants coming into the United States moved to the cities to live in their
specific cultural area that had formed.
D. All of the above
E. None of the above

12. The State of Florida is located in the South Region of the United States. Florida is
home to sunny beaches, warm weather, and Disney World! Florida has also become one
of the wealthier states in the South Region. What reasons could be behind this?
A. People who have decided to retire are moving to Florida because of the warm
climate
B. Tourism has become an important economic sector also because of the warmer
climate that is found in Florida.
C. Many people go to Florida because of its popular snow ski resorts
D. A and B
E. None of these

13. A network of roads designed in the 1950s by President Eisenhower to further connect
the United States by land and link our major cities across the nation.
A. Interconnected Land System
B. Roads by Land System
C. Interstate Highway System
 D. Interstate Waterway Paths

Performance Tasks

Performance Assessment Directions

Four Regions Project

The four regions of the United States Project will be a group based
performance task where each individual will contribute to the group as a
whole. The project will be in two parts, a drawing section and research
section. Each group will be responsible for the following:

PART 1- DRAWING
1. Must have an outlined sketch of the United States
2. Region that group is assigned clearly labeled and colored
3. Capital of every state in region named and labeled with a star
4. 5 largest cities in the region named and marked with a shaded circle
***If capital is also one of largest cities, mark it with the star
5. Must be aesthetically appealing with clear borders and neat handwriting

PART 2- RESEARCH
***On a separate sheet of paper, record the research that you find and make
sure the data is relevant and correct. Every group member must participate in
the group research. At the end of the project, each group member will
complete a peer review assessment on every member, and that assessment
will factor into your grade. Please record the information in PEN.

For your region, provide the following:

1. 3 natural resources from your region and why they are important to the
region
2. What vegetation is found in the region and how it contributes.
3. Population of each individual state in your region and the total population
of the region- Make sure the population data is from 2014
4. Top 3 economic sectors in the region and why they are so critical to the
regions growth
5. 3 different types of cultures in the region and how each culture has
impacted the region
6. 5 interesting facts from the region- actual facts not random information.
7. Finally, give 5 complete, solid sentences on why your region is the most
important to the United States. Back up your opinion with FACTUAL INFO

Rubric for Performance Assessment U.S.

Four Regions Project

GENERAL
A. Names of Group Members:
B. Turned in on Time:
C. Research Taped To Front of Poster:

DRAWING
C. Outlined Sketch of U.S.:
D. Region Clearly Labeled/Colored:
E. Capital of Every State in region named and labeled with a star:
F. 5 Largest Cities in Region Named and Marked with Shaded Circle:
*Capital is also largest city, marked with star
G. Aesthetically Appealing with Clear Borders and Neat HW:

RESEARCH
H. 3 Natural Resources From Region and Why They are Important:
I. Vegetation is Found and How it Contributes:
J. Population of Each State and Total Population:
*2014 Census
K. Top 3 Economic Sectors and Why They are Critical to Growth:
L. 3 Different Types of Cultures and How Each Culture Impacted:
M. 5 Interesting Facts From Region:
*Actual Facts, Not Random Info
N. 5 Complete, Solid Sentences on Why Your Region is Important:
*Back Up Opinion with
PEER ASSESSMENT
O. Peer Review:

Samples of Student Work

ON WEBSITE

Reflection
The students enjoyed the unit on the United States and Canada. After
observing them work on their performance assessments and their
learning celebration, I could definitely see an improvement from the
pre-test. Throughout the Unit, there was a quality variety of
differentiated instruction that kept the students engaged on learning
while enjoying the subject. For improvements, I do believe the
students should have taken the notes instead of being given the
guided notes sheets. I am a believer in writing it instead of filling in
the blanks, as it increases the students chances of improving their
grade.