Well, starting today you’re going to travel to some Northeast states to learn about this region. I’ll be your tour guide and we’ll be traveling on my fishing boat. I bet you’ll learn a lot about the Northeast as we travel around. Grab your ticket and let’s get moving.

Many years ago, the only people that lived in America were the Native Americans. Then people from England decided to move to America for a new start. They wanted freedom. They didn’t like having to follow all of the King’s rules in England. They wanted to be able to go to church where they wanted and read books of their choice. They set sail on a ship called The Mayflower. These pilgrims founded Plymouth, the first permanent European settlement in the Northeast, on December 21, 1620.

Welcome to Plymouth!

The pilgrims landed at Plymouth Rock located in the

state of Massachusetts.

Life was very hard for the pilgrims when they first

arrived at Plymouth Rock.

Look! It’s the Mayflower!

This is a model of the ship the pilgrims sailed

on. The Mayflower carried 102

passengers to America. The journey took ten weeks.

Life in Plymouth Rock

This is what a house may have looked like in Plymouth colony. The houses had only one room so the families lived, ate, and slept in this room.

Life was hard for the Colonists

Life in the colonies was very hard. Many of the pilgrims became sick and food was

scarce. Luckily, some Native Americans helped the pilgrims learn to fish and hunt.

Meet Squanto

One Native American who became friends with the pilgrims was Squanto. He taught the pilgrims many

new things about their new world.

Thanksgiving

The pilgrims invited the Native Americans to a big feast to thank them for their help.

Today we call this big feast Thanksgiving.

Plymouth Today

Many tourists visit Plymouth Rock today to see the landing place of the pilgrims.

Plymouth Harbor is also a popular whale watching spot.

I wish we could stay and watch for whales in the harbor, but we’ve got much more to see! The Northeast is

full of important places to visit. In fact, before we leave

Massachusetts, we have one more stop to make.

Welcome to Boston!

Boston is the capital city of Massachusetts.

It is a very large city with many tall

skyscrapers and beautiful harbors.

A Big Problem in Boston

On December 16, 1773 there was a big problem in Boston. The people were not happy because they were going to have to pay a new tax on tea. They decided to protest this new tax by throwing all of the British tea

into the Boston Harbor. This was a famous day in history, known as The Boston Tea Party!

While we’re in the Boston Harbor, there’s someone I’d

like you to meet. He was one of the greatest sailors

to ever live!

Meet Old Stormalong

Alfred Bulltop Stormalong was about 5 fathoms tall

when he was a young boy. He loved the ocean and he

sat on the shore and watched it all day. He

watched it for so long that his eyes turned ocean blue and the blood in his veins turned to ocean water. He was destined to be a great

sailor of the ocean!

Click on the picture of the sailor to read or listen to a story about Old Stormalong’s amazing adventures on the sea.

That Stormalong sure was an amazing sailor! Just think…

defeating a kraken! Let’s get moving. We’re going to head to the most northern state to see

people in the Northeast have fun.

Northeast Favorites

Just like in most other Northeastern states, Maine is surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean. This means it has

many harbors so whale watching and fishing are among favorite things to do. Fishing is not just a hobby though. Fishing is a huge industry in the

Northeast. Many people make a living as fishermen. Shipping is also a big industry since harbors are

plentiful and deep.

The most northern state

Maine is the most northern state in the United States. This means it is farther away from the equator and has very cold winters. People in Maine have several unique

winter festivals to celebrate their favorite season, winter!

There are traditional races with snowmobiles and snowshoes, or unique contests where people race

downhill in canoes! There’s also a mush course race where mom and dad (instead of dogs) pull their

children in sleds!

Winter Fun Facts

Did you know that earmuffs were invented in Maine? That’s right! And each December in the Chester

Greenwood Day parade, they celebrate this fact by having everyone from horses to police cars wear

earmuffs!

Well, I don’t know about you, but I’m getting hungry from

all this fun. Do you like pancakes? If so, I bet you’ll

enjoy this next state.

Forests of the Northeast

Many states in the Northeast, like Vermont, have many forests. The forests in these states have plants that

can grow in cool climates. Some of these plants include maple trees. The forests are especially

beautiful in the fall when the leaves change colors.

Maple Syrup

In late winter and early spring, the maple trees produce syrup. In fact, Vermont is the leading producer of

maple syrup. Over 350,000 gallons of maple syrup is produced in Vermont each year!

How do you like your syrup?

That’s enough syrup for a LOT of pancakes!! Don’t like pancakes? People in Vermont also like to put warm

maple syrup on top of ice cream! Another tradition is a “sweet and sour” – maple syrup followed by a bite of pickle! Or you can enjoy donuts served with maple

syrup.

Wow! Forget pancakes, ice cream and syrup is my new

favorite! Our next stop is the most famous city in the

Northeast region. Can you guess where we’re headed?

New York, New York

New York City is one of the most famous cities in the world. More than 9 million people live in the city of New York – that’s more than any other city in America. More than 40 million tourists visit New York city each year.

Just how do all of these people travel around the city to see all of the sites?

Subways and Taxis

Most people in New York travel around the city on subways or taxis. Subways are underground trains that carry lots of people. You can travel all around the city

of New York and be underground the entire time! People use the subways because they are inexpensive and because they don’t have to deal with the traffic on

the streets!

These are what the subway tokens look like in New York City. A person must purchase tokens to

ride on the subway.

The Statue of Liberty

The Statue of Liberty is one of the most well-known

statues in the world. It was a gift from France to the United States in 1886. It is a symbol of freedom and stands in the New York Harbor. Without

the base, the statue is as tall as a 15-story building. It

used to be one of the tallest structures in New York, but

today there are many buildings taller than it!

The Empire State Building

The Empire State building was built in 1930 and is 1,472 feet tall. It took only 14 months to build. It is the second tallest building in America. If you climb to the top you can see the entire city of New York! It was made famous in the movie King Kong.

Other Famous SpotsTimes Square

Times Square is a busy intersection in New York where

there are lots of electronic billboards (almost like TVs)! This is where the ball drops

every New Year’s Eve!

Central Park

Central Park is a grassy space where people can go to relax

and play. It is one of few large grassy areas in this large, busy

city.

Other Famous SpotsTimes Square

Times Square is a busy intersection in New York where

there are lots of electronic billboards (almost like TVs)! This is where the ball drops

every New Year’s Eve!

Central Park

Central Park is a grassy space where people can go to relax

and play. It is one of few large grassy areas in this large, busy

city.

We could spend days in New York and still not see everything,

but we have another exciting state to visit. Do you hear

something? I wonder what that ringing could be?

Welcome to Philadelphia!

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania is home to the Liberty Bell. This historic bell is a symbol of freedom for America. The Liberty Bell

was made in England in 1752. It was made of copper and tin. Once it arrived in the U.S., the bell cracked. A new one was made from the same metal, but it cracked too. A third bell was made from the same metal and now it has a crack, too! The last time it rang was in 1846 for George

Washington’s birthday. Today, it hangs in Philadelphia for visitors to view.

Hershey, Pennsylvania

In Hershey, Pennsylvania the entire town smells like chocolate! That’s because the factory that makes all of the Hershey chocolate

candies is right in the middle of town! In fact

most people in the town work at the factory.

Hershey, Pennsylvania

Chocolate is everywhere in Hershey! In fact, many of

their streets are named after chocolate and their

streetlights are shaped like Hershey’s kisses!

It’s time for our last stop in the Northeast region. We’re headed to the capital of our

nation. What do you think we might see there?

The White House

Washington, D.C. is home to the President of the United States. He lives in the White House with his family.

Did you know that every President except for George Washington has lived here? The President’s office is called the Oval Office. There are 132 rooms in the White House. It is 6 levels high. It has 3 elevators, a tennis court, a track, a swimming pool, a movie theater, and a bowling lane.

Click on the White House above to take a tour of one of the rooms!

Washington Monument

The Washington Monument is a four-sided stone structure that towers over everything else in Washington, D.C. This monument is over 555 feet tall! It is one of the tallest stone structures in the world. It was built to honor our first President, George Washington. You can take an elevator to the top to an observation room. You can look out from here to see the Lincoln Memorial and the White House.

Lincoln Memorial

This memorial was built to honor President Abraham Lincoln. He was President during the Civil War and fought to free slaves. There is a large statue of Abraham Lincoln seated in the memorial. The statue is 19 feet tall and weighs 175 tons!

You can see the Lincoln Memorial on the back of a penny!

The Capitol Building

Another important building in Washington, D.C. is the Capitol Building. This is where our President, senators, and congress men and women work to make laws and important decisions for our country.

The Capitol Building

Visitors are allowed to go inside the Capitol Building to see the people hard at work.

The architecture of the building is amazing. Look up at the ceiling!

Well, we better head out of Washington, D.C. and let everyone get back to work. I have to get all of these

fish cleaned and ready to sell. Now that you’ve visited many states in the Northeast, I bet you’re ready to travel

to another U.S. region. I hope you come back to the Northeast soon!

United Streaming VideosThese videos are listed for grades 6-8, but video segments may be

appropriate to show to 2nd graders to illustrate key concepts of region.

U.S. Geography: The Northeast

The Northeast Region: People and Heritage

The Northeast Region: Environment

Tall Tales of the NortheastA good resource for regional tall tale stories is http://www.americanfolklore.net/tt.html

The author, Steven Kellogg, has also created books of several tall tales that have amazing illustrations.

Due to time constraints on this unit, only the tall tale of Alfred Bulltop Stormalong (“Old Stormalong”) was included in this presentation. However there are many other tall tales that could be shared from this region. An integrated reading unit on tall tales is recommended to help students fully understand this genre and the importance of these stories to American history.

Other tall tales from the Northeast:

Paul Bunyan (born in Northeast)

Johnny Appleseed (born in Northeast)

At the time of creation, all links in this PowerPoint were accurate and active. However, over time websites change and links may become broken. If you find broken or inactive links in this PowerPoint, please email amadden@greenville.k12.sc.us and I will try to fix them and resubmit this resource. Thanks for your help!

All links were also previewed before being selected to ensure their appropriateness for 2nd graders. However, since websites are constantly changing it is always best to preview all links before showing to students. If you find a link that is no longer appropriate please email amadden@greenville.k12.sc.us and I will remove the link.