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Overview:
Students will learn about how regions are created by categorizing grocery store products into different "regions" of the classroom, which they will pretend is a grocery store. They will then discuss the concept of regions and the unique qualities of their home region, and draw pictures of their home region.
Connections to the Curriculum:
Geography, economics
Connections to the National Geography Standards:
Standard 4: "The physical and human characteristics of places"
Time:
One to two hours
Materials Required:
- Computer with Internet access
- Common items from a grocery store (or their empty boxes)
- Wall map of the United States
- Paper and drawing materials for making brochures
Objectives:
Students will
- discuss how items are categorized in grocery stores they are familiar with;
- imagine that the classroom is a grocery store, and separate products into "regions" of the classroom;
- discuss the regions and how they are organized;
- discuss regions of the United States, including their home region; and
- draw pictures illustrating the unique features of their home region.
Geographic Skills:
Organizing Geographic Information
Analyzing Geographic Information
S u g g e s t e d P r o c e d u r e
Opening:
Have students explore the Xpeditions activity, Geographic Groceries.
Ask students to think about grocery stores they have been to. What different sections are in the store? What types of things are shelved together?
Development:
Bring in items (or their empty containers) on the class grocery list, or have students bring some things into class.
Ask students to imagine that the classroom is a grocery store. Where should they shelve the items? What items do they think should go together, and why? Help them figure out which items seem similar and should be placed together.
With students' help, designate sections of the classroom that correspond to "regions" of a grocery store. Hold up each item, one at a time, and have the class vote on where it should be placed. Put the groceries into their places, and then have students give each "region" of the classroom store a creative and descriptive name (one example provided in the Geographic Groceries activity is calling the freezer section "Antarctica").
Ask students to look at and think about the regions they have created in the classroom. Which regions are the largest, and which are the smallest? Which have the items that most appeal to students? Could they rearrange any of the items or classify them into more than one region? Discuss these questions with the class.
Closing:
Show students a map of the United States, and explain that regions exist in the country as well as in the classroom. Point out some of the country's regions: Northwest, Southeast, Midwest, etc. Discuss with students the idea that people can organize any type of place, from a classroom to a grocery store to a country, into regions. Can they think of any things that stand out about their home region of the United States or any other region of the country they have visited?
Suggested Student Assessment:
Have students pretend that they have been asked to illustrate a new brochure that will be used to encourage people from different parts of the country or the world to visit students' home region. Have them draw pictures that show the special features of their region.
Extending the Lesson:
Have students help you draw a large map of the school on the board or on a large piece of poster paper. Ask for their input in drawing the classrooms, offices, cafeteria, field, and any other prominent features.
Ask the class to contribute names for the different "regions" of the school. Tell them that they have to make up some new names for the different parts of the school and can't just call them classrooms and offices. Simple examples might be "fun and games" for the field and gym and "trouble" for the principal's office. Ask for contributions as to what the regions should be named, and have students discuss and vote on the names. Write the region names on the school map.
Discuss with the class the process of naming the regions. Did everyone agree on how to name the regions, or were there some differences of opinion? Did everyone agree on what rooms should be included in a region—for example, whether the principal's office and teachers' lounge are in the same region or in two separate regions?
Discuss the characteristics of the regions. Which regions do students use most frequently? Which do they use least frequently? Which regions are the most and least interesting to students?
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