Through examples and non-examples, students will learn what qualifies as a region. Creativity and problem solving skills will be put to the test as students determine the necessary elements that make up a region.
Have your students gather together, and inform them that today they will be answering the question, What is a region?
Explain that their introduction to regions will come in the form of a story.
Read the following story aloud to the class. Your students should listen carefully as you read.
*Nine-year-old Karen was walking to school when she saw a poster hanging in a store window. When Karen stopped to read it, she noticed that it was for an essay contest. A local company was offering $100 for the best essay about a region of the United States. The contest was only open to children between the ages of 7 and 10, and Karen really wanted to enter. The problem was Karen was not sure what she wanted to write about. She thought houses, zoos, and the Midwest would all be interesting topics for her paper; however, the rules stated that her essay must be about a region.
Explain to students that Karen knows she needs to follow the rules if she wants to win the contest, but she is not sure which of her potential topic ideas (if any) is a region.
Ask students if they were Karen, which of the three topics described above would they choose to write about for the contest? Houses, zoos, or the Midwest? Why or why not?
Inform your class that today, everyone will see if they can determine what a region is based on some examples and non-examples.