Melisa Harmady

EGP 335
Social Studies: Southeast Unit

1.0 Introduction Lesson: Guess that State! Game, Day 1, Melisa Harmady, 4
th

Grade
-Time: 45-minute lesson
-Become familiar with the Southeast region
-Concept: Geography
-Skills: Small group work

1.1 Objectives:
1. Students will be able to identify all 13 states that are located in the Southeast
region by the end of the lesson.
2. Students will work in groups in order to apply their knowledge of the Southeast
region to answer game questions using prior knowledge.

1.2 Standards:
1. 7.1.4.B: Describe and locate places and regions as defined by physical and human
features.
2. NCSS 1.3.d Help learners to locate, distinguish, and describe the relationships
among varying regional and global patterns of geographic phenomena such as
landforms, climate, and natural resources.
3. NCSS 1.4.h assist learners as they work independently and cooperatively within
groups and institutions to accomplish goals.

1.3 Anticipatory Set:
-Ask the students, Who can tell me the name of the last U.S. region we just
covered? Remind the students that they covered the Northeast region most
recently, and have them tell you the states that are in that region.
-Inform the students that today, We will be starting a new unit, this time focusing
on the Southeast region of the United States.

1.4 Procedure:
1. Have the students sitting in their assigned seats.
2. Pull up the map of the U.S. on the SmartBoard and point out where the Northeast
region is, then point out the area that is considered the Southeast region.
3. Have students take out their notebooks to take brief notes of what you write on
the board.
4. On the board write: The Southeast region is the area in the lower right of the
United Sates. It includes 13 states. It is broken into more specific regions.
These are:
The Atlantic Coast States:
- Maryland
- Virginia
- North Carolina
- South Carolina
- Georgia
The Gulf Coast States:
- Florida
- Alabama
- Mississippi
- Louisiana
The Inland States:
- West Virginia
- Tennessee
- Kentucky
- Arkansas
5. As you are writing the notes on the board, point out each state.
6. After the student finish taking notes, have a blank map up on the SmartBoard of
the Southeast region and see how much of the map the students can fill out, working
together. Ask, Who would like to come up and write in the states for me? You guys
can work together as a class to figure it out. (Objective 1)
7. Fill in and go over any states the students failed to locate.
8. Have the students put their notes away.
9. Explain, Since its the beginning of the unit and we dont know much about the
Southeast region yet, were going to play a game. This game is not going to count as a
grade, and its not a race. We wont even keep score. Its just meant to tell me how
much you guys know about these states already.
10. Explain, Today we are going to be playing the game, Guess that State! You
guys are going to work together at your tables to answer some questions about the
Southeast region. I will give you a fact or a question, and you have to guess what
state the question is referring to. You will pick one of the 13 states that are in the
Southeast region, and write it on the white board your group has. You will get only
30 seconds to answer each question and write it down.
11. Hand out the white boards to each group along with a dry erase marker.
12. Ask the students if they have any questions before beginning the game.
13. Pull up the game on the power point.
14. Complete the whole game, stopping at the appropriate times to help guide the
students thinking and to point out important facts. (Objective 2)


1.5: Differentiation:
1. For students who are visual learners, pass out individual blank southeast region
maps to fill out.
2. For students who get distracted easily and have symptoms of ADD/ADHD allow
them to sit in the front of the class and class on them to use the SmartBoard.

1.6 Closure:
-Before the students leave, pass out the exit slip. Explain that you want the students
to write down one thing they knew about the Southeast region before talking about
it today, one thing they learned/took away from todays lesson, as well as one
question they have about the Southeast region/upcoming unit.



1.7 Assessment:
Formative- I will assess students knowledge of what states are located in the
Southeast region by observing them interact with the map that is projected on the
SmartBoard. I will also assess students by observing them interact with their group
members and how they answer questions during the game.
Summative- I will assess students knowledge on the Southeast region by collecting
their exit slip and making notes on what they know already as well as what they
want to know.

1.8 Materials:
1. SmartBoard
2. White boards
3. Dry erase markers
4. Power point
5. Chalk

2.1 Reflection on Planning
While planning this introduction lesson for the Southeast region of the
United States, I was able to learn a great deal. For this lesson, I had to learn about all
13 states in order to create the lesson. I also have never created an introduction
lesson for a unit before, so this was a new learning experience for me. I realized that
it was a lot harder than what I thought it would be, because you have to introduce
lot information in a short period of time without overwhelming the students. Some
ways to improve this lesson might be to find a way to have the students get up and
move around the class so they are not sitting at their desk the whole time. I could
also keep score of who gets what answers right during the game so the students are
more motivated answer the questions correctly.
Some potential successes might be that the students get really into the game
and get involved in their learning. If they like the way the class was set up, and I see
the lesson going well, I could even use this same sort of introduction game for other
unit plans in the future.
One concern for implementation is that the students will have little pervious
knowledge on the Southeast region, and might become overwhelmed with new
information. I tried to make the game questions at a level the students will be
comfortable answering, but depending on the class some students might have less
prior knowledge than others.








Content Notes: Intro lesson
I. West Virginia
a. Will be taught about during the second day.
b. Part of the Inland States.
i. Located right above Virginia and Kentucky.
c. Will be discussing their amount of wild morsel mushrooms, and other
produce that can be found in the region.
II. Maryland
a. Will be taught about on the second day.
b. Part of the Inland States.
i. Located above Virginia and West Virginia.
c. Will discuss the production and distribution of seafood, and how this
area is known for its abundance of fresh seafood.
III. North Carolina
a. Will be taught about during the third day of the unit.
b. Part of the Atlantic Coast States.
i. Located next under Virginia and under Virginia.
c. Will discuss two popular attractions found in the area. (Great Smokey
Mountains and The Outer Banks)
IV. South Carolina
a. Will be a part of day 3 lesson plan.
b. Part of the Atlantic Coast states.
i. Located under North Carolina and above Georgia.
c. Will discuss two popular attractions found in the area. (Myrtle Beach
and Charleston)
V. Virginia
a. Will be taught about on day 4.
b. Part of the Atlantic Coast States.
i. Located above North Carolina and to the right of West Virginia.
c. Will be discussing colonial America during the 4
th
day lesson.
VI. Washington D.C.
a. Will be taught about on day 5.
b. Not an actual state.
i. Viewed as a very important area due to its history and
buildings it contains.
c. Will be introducing presidents and do a web scavenger hunt during
this lesson.
VII. Tennessee
a. Will be taught about on day 6.
b. Part of the Inland States.
i. Located next to North Carolina and under Kentucky.
c. Will be discussing The Great Smoky Mountain range in more detail
during this lesson.
VIII. Alabama
a. Will be a part of the lessons on days 7 and 8.
b. Part of the Gulf Coast States.
i. Located to the left of Georgia and under Tennessee.
c. Will be a part of the two-day lesson that talks about the civil rights
movement in the South.
IX. Georgia
a. Will be a part of the lessons on days 7 and 8.
b. Part of the Atlantic Coast States.
i. Located above Florida and to the right of Alabama.
c. Will be a part of the two-day lesson that talks about the civil rights
movement in the South.
X. Mississippi
a. Will be a part of the lessons on days 7 and 8.
b. Part of the Gulf Coast States.
i. Located to the left of Georgia and to the right of Louisiana.
c. Will be a part of the two-day lesson that talks about the civil rights
movement in the South.
XI. Arkansas
a. Will be taught about on day 9 of the unit plan.
b. Part of the Inland States
i. Located to the left of Mississippi and above Louisiana.
c. Will be discussing the history of the people of Arkansas and their
culture.
XII. Louisiana
a. Will be taught about on day 10 of the unit plan.
b. Part of the Gulf Coast states.
i. Located under Arkansas and to the left of Mississippi.
c. Will be discussing The Corn Bread Boy and comparing and contrasting
it to the Gingerbread Man.
XIII. Florida
a. Will be taught about on day 11 of the unit plan.
b. Part of the Gulf Coast states.
i. Located under Georgia and Alabama.
c. Will be discussing Disney land during this lesson along with all of the
technologies it offers.