“From California to New York Island”

For the lesson on the USA the whole class will be divided into 4 groups. Each group will get one aspect (one of the regions of the USA). Your task will include the following:

PRE-CLASS PREPARATION.

- study Web-based materials using links suggested;

- do additional Internet search for information on the target issue, if necessary;

- answer the questions;

- divide the material between all team members for presentation in class for the members of other groups;

- illustrate the results of your search by examples and create a Power Point presentation reflecting your ideas.

IN-CLASS ACTIVITY
Report to the whole class what you have learned on the topic for your group activity.
Phase 1 – Background information
For the lesson I decided to break “The USA” into 2 parts. Each group will need to study only one part and inform the whole class about its major features and subjects.
Phase 2 – Roles
You will be working in teams. It will be up to you to divide roles in each team. For efficiency, there should be a leader, who will organize the work and divide the issues within each topic to make sure everything is covered and there is no overlap. However, all team members are responsible for presenting information in class, regardless their role in pre-class preparation process.

Group 1: The South

http://www.slideshare.net/sc31082/us-geography-powerpoint?next_slideshow=5 (regions of the USA)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Southern_United_States

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E0c-ZizZ88M (video) 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grand_Canyon_National_Park

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miami

QUESTIONS

Why has the South been a very important region in the history of the USA?

Why is the South economically important?

What National Park in the region is the home to all kinds of water birds?

Miami is the popular tourist destination? What can you say about it?

Miami is nicknamed the "Capital of Latin America".

What are popular cultural destinations in the area?

Group 2: The West

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Western_United_States

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Las_Vegas

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Disneyland

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XhNyRM5HGcc (video) 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CO1OOm7uH2E (video)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hollywood

QUESTIONS 

The West is famous for its many mountains. What are the major mountains in the region?

What are the cities of the West and what can see and visit there?

What city is the popular tourist destination?

Why do people take their vacations in the West?

Where can you see the largest tree on Earth?

Arizona state slogan: Grand Canyon State. Why?

Phase 3- Reaching Consensus

Work in groups. Discuss the following questions and be ready to participate in the whole class discussion.

What do you know about geography of the USA? What places would you like to see and visit in the USA and why? Which region of the USA is the most suitable and attractive for the tourists? Give your arguments.

Final project