4FN6 – Geography – United States Part 1: West

How do FreeNode lessons work?

FreeNodes are instructor-led schooling lessons with a unique approach, granting you the freedom to independently teach using a personalized lesson plan. This autonomy enables you to tailor your lessons to suit students’ individual needs, learning styles, and interests.

To use a FreeNode, read the provided class outline & follow the formatting provided for each class. Make sure to touch on the Theocratic Connection in each class. Follow the outline closely so it is aligned with our main at-home curriculum.

How Do I Use the FreeNode?

Read this lesson plan before class to familiarize yourself with the ideas and concepts you’ll be teaching the students. You may print this page out if you need to use it as a reference point during live classes.

This lesson is a guide, but feel free to expand on the content or decrease/increase what you teach depending on the learning levels of the students in your class or the amount of time you have to cover the material.

Can I show videos in FN classes?

Yes, feel free to include additional material to supplement the class lesson material. Videos, Physical Objects, Games, Activities, etc. are okay to share in live classes.

Videos should have no advertisements or logos and should be viewed by you before showing them to the students to ensure no offensive or questionable content is included.

The video should make up only 1-3 minutes of the live class and should not take the place of instructor-led instruction. Videos should be supplementary only.

How do bookmarks work?

Bookmarks help you keep track of lessons you’re going to teach in future live classes. The bookmarks you see are for all your bookmarked lessons across all grades.

You can bookmark a lesson by visiting the lesson you want to bookmark and clicking the “bookmark” button in the bookmark section.

You can remove a single bookmark by visiting a lesson you’ve bookmarked and clicking the “bookmark” button again to unbookmark it.

You can clear all of your bookmarks by clicking the “clear all bookmarks” button. Be careful, this will erase all of your bookmarks.

Class Lesson Plan

Objectives:

Explore the geography and landscapes of the Western region of the United States.
Understand the significance of different regions and their climates.

Materials:

Whiteboard
Visual aids (map of the United States, images depicting landscapes and landmarks of various regions)

Introduction (2 minutes):

Introduce the topic of the United States, displaying its location on a map. Briefly discuss its borders, including neighboring countries like Canada and Mexico. The USA has a land area of close to 4 million square miles and a population of over 330 million people. The capital of the USA is Washington D.C., and its largest city is New York City. Explain the objectives of the lesson: to learn about the landscapes, climates, and cultural diversity the Western Region in the USA.

Theocratic Connections:

Discuss significant theocratic events and the advancement of the good news in this region.

Activity 1 – States and Territories (10 minutes):

Discuss the growth and development of the United States, from its early history to the present day. In less than 400 years, the USA has grown from a wild and untamed land to one of the most powerful nations in the world. In the USA, there are 50 states. The land belonging to the USA also includes territories like American Samoa, Puerto Rico, Guam, Micronesia and other islands.

Introduce the concept of states and territories, highlighting the diversity of landscapes and climates across the country. Since the United States, Canada, and Mexico are all on the same continent, they share some geographical features. For example, Niagara Falls and the Rocky Mountains are a part of both Canada and the USA. The Chihuahuan Desert is located in both Mexico and the USA.

Activity 2 – Exploring Regions: West (16 minutes):

Explore the landscapes and climates of the West, including desert climates, coastal regions, and natural wonders like the Rocky Mountains.
Highlight the climate differences between northwestern states and southwestern states. (e.g. Oregon and Washington have cooler climates because they’re on the coast of the Pacific ocean. While states like Arizona and Nevada have hotter desert climates.)

Highlight the natural wonders of Western states such as: Mount Rainier National Park in Washington, The forests of Oregon, Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming and the Rocky Mountains of Colorado. Discuss the importance of water sources like the Colorado River and the economic activities of Western states, such as technology development in Silicon Valley.

Explain the historical significance of the Gold Rush. When gold was discovered at Sutter’s Mill, on the American River in California, U.S.A., in 1848, the boom officially began. The discovery set off what became known as a “rush”—a influx of enthusiastic prospectors into the area.

Finally, point out that Hollywood, the center of the movie business, is in the West. This business has a big effect on American culture and society, and Hollywood is where a lot of the most popular movies and TV shows are made.

Conclusion (2 minutes):

Summarize the key points of the lesson, including the diversity of landscapes and climates in the Western United States.
Reinforce the importance of understanding geographical features and their role in shaping local communities and cultures.
Encourage students to continue exploring the geography of the United States and its significance in the world.

Assessment:

Assess student understanding through participation in discussions, completion of reflection questions, and identification of key geographical features on the map. Evaluate students’ comprehension of key concepts, including states, territories, and regional diversity, through informal observation and discussion.