UNIT 4

THE STATES IN THIS UNIT

In Unit 4, students will:
• Talk about geographical features and
places in the United States
• Practice count and noncount nouns
• Make statements and questions with
determiners much, many, and enough
• Write a report

ABOUT THE PHOTO

The Mount Rushmore National
Memorial is a famous monument in

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South Dakota. Carved into the granite
face of a mountain, the sculpture

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features four US presidents: George
Washington, Thomas Jefferson,

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Theodore Roosevelt, and Abraham
Lincoln. In this humorous photo, a

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National Parks worker appears to be
on the brink of being inhaled as he

c rappels down Lincoln’s nose.

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Preview the topics in this unit by
asking students yes/no questions on
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the photo. Explain the monument to

them and tell them: This photo is in
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ACADEMIC Read and understand maps; categorize South Dakota. What do you know about
nouns; find supporting details; write a report; prepare a South Dakota? Is it near the ocean? (No)
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presentation; make observations Does it have mountains/forests? (yes)

AT WORK Listen to and give a presentation Does it have big cities with skyscrapers?
A national park service
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(No). You may want to give examples

worker at Mt. Rushmore, CIVICS Identify land features in a map of the United
of mountains, skyscrapers, oceans by
States; learn about Montana, California, and the Death
South Dakota. name to support comprehension.
Valley National Park
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To activate students’ background

knowledge on the fifty states, see if
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students can name some places with

these features. Ask: Where can you see
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skyscrapers? (New York, Chicago) The

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ocean? (California, Hawaii) Mountains?

CCRS Level A: R 1, 2, 5, 7; W 2, 5, 7, 8; L 1, 5; Level B: R 1, 2, 5, 6, 7; W 2, 4, 5, 7, 8;
(Colorado, New Hampshire) Forests?
L 1, 2, 7; Level C: R 1, 2, 7; W 2, 4, 5, 7, 8, 9; L 1, 2, 3, 5; Level D: R 1, 2, 7; W 2, 4, 5, 7, 8, (Vermont, Washington). Sample
9; L 1, 3; Level E: R 1, 2, 7; W 2, 4, 5, 7, 8, 9 answers may change based on your
ELPS Level 1 Standards 2, 3, 5, 9, 10; Level 2 Standards 1, 2, 3, 5, 7, 9, 10; Level 3 students’ frame of reference.
Standards 1, 2, 3, 5, 7, 9, 10; Level 4 Standards 1, 2, 3, 5, 7, 9, 10; Level 5 Standards If any of the other features listed on
1, 2, 3, 5, 7, 9, 10 the next page are particularly relevant
to your community (desert, river,
CIVICS 10-3; 10-4; 10-8; 50-7 canyon, etc.), elicit examples of those:
CASAS 0.1.2; 0.1.5; 0.1.8; 2.2.5 Here in our town/state, we have X. What
other states have X?

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SAMPLE COPY, NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION

A
• Encourage students to use their
dictionaries, either print or on their canyon
phones.
• Review by going over the terms
visible in the photo as a class.

B
• Read the features in the list aloud.
Ask students to ­repeat each one. waterfall

• Ask ­questions, such as:

What’s the difference ­between a plain river
and a mountain? What is another
word for seaport? Where do you find a
seaport? What is a glacier?

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• Encourage students to ask questions
about anything they don’t understand Palouse Falls State Park,

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and to make comments on the land Washington.
formations in the picture.

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• Invite them to discuss which of these A Check the words you see in the photo. Look up the words you don’t know.

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geographical features are present in
their own countries or the city /
B Give an example of each of these geographical features in the United States: a lake, a river, a
area in which they currently live.

c
mountain range, a seaport, an island, and a canyon.
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C C Circle True or False about your city. Answers will vary.
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• Read the statements aloud.

1. We can see mountains from our school. True False
• Answer any questions students may 2. This city / town is on a river. True False
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have about new vocabulary. 3. If I drive for an hour, I can see the Atlantic or the Pacific Ocean. True False
• Then, have students circle their 4. This city is the capital of the state. True False
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answers and check them with a 5. There is a desert near here. True False
partner. 6. This city / town is near a lake. True False
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7. There is a large forest near here. True False

8. This city / town is also a seaport. True False
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50 Unit 4
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TEACHING TIP
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Bring in a large map of the United

States, or use the one at the back
of the student book. Name some
geographical features in the US,
such as the Great Salt Lake and the
Mississippi River, and ask students
to find them on the map. Then, ask
students to tell you which features
they have visited or would like to
visit.

50 Unit 4

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 ACTIVE GRAMMAR Count Nouns: Singulars and Plurals
ACTIVE GRAMMAR:
Count Nouns: Singulars
Count nouns are people, places, or things that we can count individually (one by one). and Plurals
Count nouns can be singular or plural.
Expressions with one of the, every, and each before the noun take a singular verb.
Every state has a capitol building. A
Expressions with a few of the, some of the, many of the, all of the, etc., take a plural verb. • Review the information in the
All of the states have capitol buildings. grammar chart with the class.
• Read out some of the words or
phrases from Exercise A in random
A Write S next to the nouns that take a singular verb, and P next to the nouns that take a plural verb. ­order. Ask students to raise their right
1. S a desert 6. S one of the cities 11. S each of the farms hand if the noun is plural and their
P S P left hand if the noun is singular.
2. mountains 7. a mountain range 12. all of the states
S P P • Have students complete Exercise A
3. a forest 8. a few of the parks 13. millions of tourists
individually.
P S S

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4. rivers 9. every national park 14. every state
• To review the answers, call on
5. P seaports 10. P many of the people 15. P several of the islands different students to give an answer

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and ­explain it. For example:
B Circle the correct forms of the verbs.
S1: Desert is a singular noun. It has a

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1. A plain is / are a large area of flat land. in front of it and doesn’t end in -s.
2. A range is / are a group of mountains.

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S2: One of the cities is a singular
3. Canyons is / are long, deep cracks in the earth’s surface. noun. Cities is plural, but the phrase
4. Glaciers is / are large rivers of slow-moving ice. one of the is singular. The phrase is
5. Every major city has / have a lot of traffic.
c ­referring to only one city.
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6. Many rivers begins / begin in the mountains.
7. Millions of tourists visits / visit national parks
B
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every summer.
8. Every dairy farm produces / produce milk. Have students work on the exercise
individually and then check their
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9. Every state has / have interesting places to visit.

answers in pairs. Remind students to
10. All the states has / have interesting places to visit.
look at the ­grammar chart if they need
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11. Each farm grows / grow many kinds of vegetables.

help determining what ­expressions
12. All road maps shows / show cities and highways.
are singular or plural.
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13. Most cities has / have skyscrapers.

CIVICS
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One World Trade Center is a

skyscraper in New York City. Let any students who may be intending
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to take the citizenship test know
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that this unit contains information

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that will be useful. The interview can

MORE ACTION include questions on the states and
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US geography. Civics labels within the

For further practice with singular and plural count nouns,
unit will draw attention to material of
give students the beginning of ­sentences and ask them
to complete the sentences in pairs. For example: particular relevance.
All cities…(have a city hall.)
Many mountains…(have snow in winter.)
Every state…(has a capital.)

The States 51

SAMPLE COPY, NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION