Grade 4 Lesson at a Glance: Chapter 1, Lesson 2

Houghton Mifflin Social Studies
Oh, California

Lesson at a Glance
Chapter 1, Lesson 2: California's Regions (pp. 12-18)

The Big Idea
Framework Concept: Continuity California is comprised of four main regions.

Have students write three words that come to mind that describe life along the Pacific coast and three words that describe living in a desert. Then have them write words comparing the farm land of the Central Valley and the mountains. Use the words to initiate a discussion about what makes each of CaliforniaÕs regions unique. Also discuss what similarities the regions share.

Lesson Outline
Use the Lesson Outline to preview the content of the lesson. You may wish to print it for your students as a guide during reading.

Check for Understanding

Assign groups of students each of the four regions. Have each group write a travel brochure that tells about the region, its weather, land and water features, and special attractions.
Invite students to make a patchwork collage of the four regions. On a large piece of construction paper, they can paste magazine pictures, newspaper headlines, etc. on each of the four region's squares.

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