What Your Child Is Learning in Unit 4 "The Development of America's Regions"

During the next few weeks, your child will see how regions in the West, the North, and the South developed politically, socially, and economically. He or she will read about westward expansion, the rapid growth and development of the Northeastern cities, and the social and cultural experience of people in the South.

Activities You Can Do at Home to Support Your Child's Learning

Chapter 8 The West

• With your child, pretend that your family is about to embark on a journey from the East to the West in the 1830s. Together, plan the items you will bring -- food, clothing, tools, bedding. (Be sure to include only items that would have been available at the time.) Be aware of the combined weight of all the items because a heavy load will tire the horses. As you negotiate, discuss the importance of each item.

• Together, look at books that contain pictures of settlers traveling west. Encourage your child to use clues in the pictures to learn about life at the time. What can he or she discover by examining clothing, tools, and materials used to build homes?

Chapter 9 The North

• Talk with your child about some of the problems facing cities today, such as homelessness, pollution, poverty, crime, and drugs. Find articles in newspapers that discuss these problems and together make suggestions for their resolution. Find out about groups in your own town or city that work to alleviate such problems.

• Have your child research the history of a southern city such as Charleston, South Carolina, or New Orleans, Louisiana. Have him or her find out how and why the city was founded and what kinds of work people did. Discuss what he or she learned.