Regions of The United States

This WebQuest is meant to be about a week long project for the student to be able to learn the research process, research, and design a truly creative project! 

Let DI and creativity work to their advantage!! 

When you separate the students into groups have the students be placed into mixed ability groups. Mix student's strengths and weaknesses. This is a weeklong project so make sure that the groups are with students that will work together well, and get along. 

I focused the standards on the 5 regions on the US. I took into account that they have already learned Kansas regional geography. Then, for student who wanted to further their learning they could compare what they had previously learned with Kansas regional geography to the 5 regional geographies that they learned throughout this WebQuest.

The students would have prior to this WebQuest:

• Studied Kansas Regional Geography
• Understood their group job roles and have practiced them repeatedly
• Learned how to create the unique presentation options I gave them 
• Learned how to navigate a WebQuest
• Learned how to access the websites from a WebQuest
• Understood how to fill our a graphic organizer 

Standards

The Standards this aligns with are Kansas's Standards of Fourth Grade:

This course focuses on the similarities and differences across Kansas and the regions of the United States (Northeast, Southeast, Midwest, Southwest, and West) to promote geographic and historical awareness and civic competency. A sense of place, an individual’s role in the community and state, the influence of geography and economics on decision making, and the historical context of the state and regions are key elements for developing this competency.

I focused specifically on:

Geography (G)
In this unit students will investigate settlement patterns to draw conclusions about a sense of place, first in Kansas, and then in relation to five geographic regions in the United States. Students will compare and contrast the Kansa with one prominent tribe from each of five geographic regions in the United States in the context of their geographic, cultural, political, and social characteristics. Students will investigate the human characteristics of Kansas and regions of the United States, such as languages, customs, economic activities, and food. In this unit students will learn how to use geographic tools and location to analyze the influence of physical features on decision-making. Students will use maps, graphic representations, tools, and technologies to locate, use, and present information about people, places, and environments. They will identify major landforms and bodies of water in Kansas, regions of the United States, and the world. Students will identify and compare the climate and ecosystems of eastern to western Kansas and to the regions of the United States. They will draw conclusions about the conditions that determine the location of human activities, such as population centers, resources, and transportation. Students will analyze natural resource challenges and draw conclusions about the solutions people have developed as they use renewable and non-renewable resources.

*Link to standards attached to page*

Credits

http://zunal.com/teacherspage.php?w=5457

http://www.ksde.org/LinkClick.aspx?fileticket=zNGRyc6vESw%3d&tabid=472&portalid=0&mid=1587

http://teachinghistory.org/teaching-materials/state-standards/kansas/4

https://www.google.com/search?q=teachers&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwigm7DcvKbWAhVl4IMKHTZBBukQ_AUICigB&biw=1280&bih=558#imgrc=AeuUw7pHivKknM:

https://www.google.com/search?biw=1280&bih=558&tbm=isch&q=brainstorming+template&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjT24nvvKbWAhUq64MKHewNCAEQhyYIKQ#imgrc=KgftDzMpJybSBM:

https://www.google.com/search?tbm=isch&q=brainstorming+template+graphic+organizer&spell=1&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwi0q_uOvabWAhUE6IMKHap-BeQQvwUIJCgA&biw=1280&bih=558&dpr=2#imgrc=0RFZrUuU1_sV0M:

https://www.google.com/search?q=the+end&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwj_v7etvabWAhUl9IMKHYfUCvoQ_AUICigB&biw=1280&bih=558#imgrc=SfcFo4VHinlCaM:

https://www.google.com/search?biw=1280&bih=558&tbm=isch&sa=1&q=regions+of+the+us&oq=regions+of+the+us&gs_l=psy-ab.3..0l4.4373.5346.0.5513.10.8.0.0.0.0.211.713.0j3j1.4.0....0...1.1.64.psy-ab..6.4.713...0i67k1.CYMq-O_sR4I#imgrc=5qKNpz_IDE9ZgM:

https://www.google.com/search?biw=1280&bih=558&tbm=isch&sa=1&q=rubric&oq=rubric&gs_l=psy-ab.3..0i67k1l2j0l2.6102.6300.0.6660.2.2.0.0.0.0.105.207.0j2.2.0....0...1.1.64.psy-ab..0.2.207.5gvCN3i4o4E#imgrc=uLseXx2FsHkKGM:

https://www.google.com/search?q=group+work&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwj057nLvabWAhWq7oMKHY79DdAQ_AUICigB&biw=1280&bih=558#imgrc=WGWXE44M0JmQ4M:

https://www.google.com/search?q=research&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjw0anRvabWAhUi6oMKHT0NAV4Q_AUICigB&biw=1280&bih=558#imgrc=bbbaqMgpMEJOdM:

https://i.pinimg.com/originals/b2/93/4c/b2934c4a09e009eacb64932bd40091ca.jpg

https://www.google.com/search?q=first+day+of+job&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjTlPTh4bHWAhVNymMKHbHDCsMQ_AUICigB&biw=1280&bih=627#imgrc=4RWfrnxCayBo2M:

https://www.google.com/search?q=practice&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiHgvvq4bHWAhUM5mMKHXKSArYQ_AUICigB&biw=1280&bih=627#imgrc=T-7G6CCSxApsnM:

https://i.pinimg.com/736x/e5/98/23/e598234d806d38d8e73727c45dd8c44d--group-roles-a-group.jpg

Other

Make sure to make this fun! It may be hard if you have never had an open ended assignment like this, but it would really demonstrate how the students learned, understood, applied, and were able to teach their region to the students in the class.