REGIONS OF THE USA

THE MIDWEST

CLIMATE

• Weather in the Midwest Minnesota, Iowa, Missouri, Wisconsin, Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, Ohio, North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska and Kansas-- varies dramatically from state to state and season to season.

• Without any oceans nearby to moderate the changing temperatures, summers in the region can be brutally hot, while winters can be frigid.

TEMPERATURES

• Temperatures in the Midwestern part of the U.S. can swing 100 or more degrees between winter and summer. In winter, temperatures can fall below zero.

• Spring and autumn temperatures tend to be moderate.

• Summers in the Midwest tend to be humid and hot.

PRECIPITATIONS

• Rain is a common occurrence in the Midwest. Snow is also standard in winter months.

WEATHER HAZARDS• Tornadoes are a frightening part of life in Midwestern

states. Tornado Alley, a swath of land known for its high incidence of tornadoes, is concentrated in the center of the United States but extends up into Minnesota and Iowa. For its part, Iowa has an average of 48 tornadoes per year, with the majority of storms in May and June.

SPOT Tornado Alley in your map.

• Droughts are also unfortunately common in spring and summer, and can be devastating for areas.

• On the other hand, heavy rainfall can lead to flooding in low-lying areas of the region.

Tornado Alley

Click on the photo below

DROUGHTS

FLOODS

TORNADOES

ACTIVITY

States• Copy the states and circle them with

their colour.

• Draw the map in your notebook

States and cities

Click on the shapes

STATES AND CAPITALS

SONG

STATES AND CAPITALS• Springfield Lincoln • Illinois Nebraska• Indianapolis Bismarck• Indiana North Dakota• Des Moines Columbus• Iowa Ohio• Topeka Pierre• Kansas South Dakota• Lansing Madison• Michigan Wisconsin• Saint Paul Saint Louis• Minnesota Missouri

Click on the QUIZLET to practise:

ACTIVITY

MATCH THE STATES WITH THEIR CAPITALS

a) Wisconsin 1. Springfield b) Illinois 2. Saint Louisc) Ohio 3. Madisond) Indiana 4. Lansinge) Missouri 5. Columbusf) Michigan 6. Saint Paulg) Minnesota 7. Indianapolis

VOCABULARY

ACTIVITY

LANDSCAPES

• Match these landscapes with the photos:1. Desert2. Valley3. Lakes4. Prairie

LANDSCAPES

a. b.

c. d.

DESERT ANIMALS

DESERT VOCABULARY

COMPLETE ______________

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_________

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WATCH THIS VIDEO

LAKESClick on the shapes

The Great Lakes are located in northeastern North America, on the Canada–United States border, which connect to the Atlantic Ocean .Consisting of Lakes Superior, Michigan, Huron, Erie, and Ontario, they form the largest group of freshwater lakes on Earth, containing 21% of the world's surface fresh water.

•The Great Lakes region contains not only the five themselves but also many thousands of smaller lakes, often called "inland lakes."Of the five lakes, Lake Michigan is the only one that is located entirely within the United States; the others form a water boundary between the United States and Canada.

DRAW THE GREAT LAKES AND COPY THEIR NAMES

WATCH THIS VIDEO

THE MIDWEST STATES :

SPORTS

ECONOMY

CULTURE

Click here

ACTIVITY

QUIZ TEST

• 1. It’s the state famous for its CHEESE.• 2. It’s the state famous for its SUNFLOWERS and

PLANES• 3. It’s the state famous for its Christmas Tree

Farms• 4. Mount Rushmore is here• 5. It’s the land of the 10,000 lakes• 6. Corn is grown and there is a Botanical Garden• 7. Roosevelt National Park is a landmark

ANSWERS TO THE QUIZ

• 1. WISCONSIN• 2. KANSAS• 3. MICHIGAN• 4. SOUTH DAKOTA• 5. MINNESOTA• 6. IOWA• 7. NORTH DAKOTA

THE WEST

States and capitalsTEST GAME

ALASKA (JUNEAU)

CLICK

CLICK

• It’s the only state capital that cannot be reached by road or rail; everyone and everything comes to Juneau by boat or plane.

• Activities: hiking, boating, biking, skiing and fishing.

WASHINGTON (OLYMPIA)

OREGON (SALEM)

MONTANA (HELENA)

St. Helena CathedralThe state Capitol building

IDAHO (BOISE)

WYOMING (CHEYENNE)

CALIFORNIA (SACRAMENTO)

NEVADA (CARSON CITY)

UTAH (SALT LAKE CITY)

COLORADO (DENVER)

ARIZONA (PHOENIX)

NEW MEXICO (SANTA FE)

St. Francis cathedral

Lensic Theatre

ACTIVITY

MATCH THE STATES WITH THEIR CAPITALS

a) COLORADO 1.JUNEAUb) OREGON 2.BOISEc) CALIFORNIA 3.SALT LAKE CITYd) NEW MEXICO 4.SACRAMENTOe) NEVADA 5.SANTA FEf) ALASKA 6.SALEMg) IDAHO 7. HELENAh) UTAH 8. DENVER

CLIMATE• Northwest Pacific: Oregon and Washington to

the Cascade Mountains.• This is the perhaps the wettest part of the

country. There are scattered rain showers all year round.

• Temperatures are mild. The summer months are pleasantly warmer but never too hot.

• You can see fogs along the coast during the warmer weather.

States and capitals

• Mid/South Pacific Rockies: California, Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, Colorado, Utah and Nevada.

•These states have generally dry and delightful summers. Sometimes there are fires.

•California has excellent weather all the year round, with the northern part of the state somewhat cooler.

There are very few places in California that experience snow, and the state is known for its nice weather.

•The winter months in the other states like Montana, Idaho and Wyoming can be very cold, with temperatures dropping well below 0 degree F. Colorado, Utah and Nevada are known for their excellent skiing.

States and capitals

LANDSCAPES

RIVERSMOUNTAINS

NATIONAL PARKSDESERTS

WATCH THIS VIDEO

RIVERS

• The Mississippi river• The Missouri river• The Ohio river• The Colorado river• The Rio Grande

What’s the name of this type of boat?STEAMBOAT

Click on the Mississippi river to watch two videos

Click here to watch a video

RIVERS

MOUNTAINS

WATCH THIS VIDEO

THE ROCKY MOUNTAINS

Click here to watch the video

DESERTS

NATIVE AMERICANS LOCATIONWe were expelled from

the East in the past...

WHERE shall we go now?

GOING TO THE

• The Indians and the “White Man” were not always Friends.

WEST

• The White Man wanted their LAND…….so the indians escaped to the west.

WATCH THIS VIDEO

HOW DID THEY TRAVEL TO THE WEST?

The railroad workers• They opened the

way to the West…

through mountains, valleys…

working all day long

MEANS OF TRANSPORTSTEAM TRAIN

COVERED WAGON

BUFFALO BILL• He hunted LOTS of

buffaloes and he had a circus show to teach people the HISTORY of the WEST

WATCH THIS VIDEO

• Buffalo Bill and Chief Sitting Bull played cowboys and Indians

HORSE

COWBOYS

STAGECOACH

HOW DID THEY LIVE?

WILD WEST CITIES

__________________________

We are the

BAD GUYS!!

Train Robbery

What were th

eir Jobs?

Gold Seekers• During the

Gold Rush, they looked for GOLD

Gold Nugget

Trappers

• They hunted animals, like bisons and beavers, for their FUR

BarkeepDoctor

Drunken Gunslinger

Ladies in the Old West

LISTENING

ACTIVITY

Top 10 West USA• 1.- The Grand Canyon (Colorado)• 2.- San Francisco (California)• 3.- Las Vegas (Nevada)• 4.- Santa Fe (New Mexico)• 5.- Road Trip (Through the West)• 6.- The National & State Parks• 7.- Denver (Colorado)• 8.- San Diego (California)• 9.- Seattle (Washington)• 10.- Portland (Oregon)

1.THE GRAND CANYON (COLORADO)

– Grand Canyon Skywalk

– Grand Canyon

2. San Francisco (California)

3.- Las Vegas (Nevada)

4. Santa Fe (New Mexico)

5.- Road Trip (Through the West)

6.- The National & State Parks

YoshmiteYellowstoneGrand TetonArcher National ParkGoblin ValleySequoia National ParkRedwood National & State Park

7. Denver (Colorado)

8.- San Diego (California)

9. Seattle (Washington)

Mount Rainier

10.- Portland (Oregon)