Dig Deep

 

 

Exploration and US Geography, 4th Gr

 

PRINT RESOURCES: NON-FICTION

Geogra-fleas! : riddles all over the map, Joan Holub

http://tinyurl.com/r6ztj5

Humorous book that has geography riddles!  Who knew?! 

 

Helping your child learn geography, Carol Sue Fromboluti

http://tinyurl.com/o4zh36

Booklet produced by Department of Education to help parents and teachers in teaching map skills and other geography related skills.

 

If maps could talk : using symbols and keys, Erika L. Shores

http://tinyurl.com/oabqq7

Looks user-friendly and a helpful addition to teaching kids map skills.

 

United States in Pictures, Tom Streissguth 

http://tinyurl.com/yk96wnv

Part history book, part geography textbook, this book might have many of the maps and visuals you requested.  Has sections on US history, culture, economics, among other topics.  Looks like a bit high of a reading level for your students, but graphics could be helpful.

 

USA from Space, Anne-Catherine Fallen

http://tinyurl.com/ygms788

Sattalite pictures of US regions are the visual treats of this book.  MIght help to give students an overview of what the US looks like as they study the era of Exploration.

 

 

PRINT RESOURCES: FICTION

Journeys in time : a new atlas of American history, Elspeth Leacock and Susan Buckley

http://tinyurl.com/yhc6bdu

Places in time : a new atlas of American history, Elspeth Leacock and Susan Buckley 

http://tinyurl.com/ygsaq8y

Dovetails with your study of early American colonization and understanding US geography.  School Library Journal Review states that these two volumes are "a winning blend of facts, maps, and the drama of a well-written story results in an unusual and exciting view of this country's past."  A thematic approach that integrates primary and secondary resources as well as some embellishments to illuminate US history. 

 

 

DVD/CD-ROM RESOURCES

Over Washington (PBS) 

http://www.amazon.com/Over-Washington-PBS/dp/B001L9EXVQ/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=dvd&qid=1242050897&sr=8-1

There is a VHS format, older version of this in the WCLS catalogue.   

 

How the USA Grew: 13 Colonies to 50 States

http://tinyurl.com/yz3lk5m

This was the selection you picked out at our meeting.  Looks great!

 

U.S. Geography for Children DVD Series

http://tinyurl.com/yhsjzjk

Explores the 5 regions of the US through various landmarks, towns and landforms. Supplements the journey using maps, interviews and graphics.  

 

Where in the world is Carmen Sandiego? [electronic resource]

http://tinyurl.com/ykckjrn

Players learn US geopgraphy while trying to track Carment Sandiego. 

 

 

MAPS & ATLASES

National Geographic World Atlas for Young Explorers, Third Edition

http://www.amazon.com/National-Geographic-World-Atlas-Explorers/dp/1426300883/ref=pd_sim_b_3

A wonderful classroom resource, this atlas has maps and information catagorized by continent and regions.  Large photos and graphics help to explain geography concepts.  There are icons throughout that suggest internet links for extended learning.  Looks like a great option for you for a basic atlas that is written at an elementary level.

 

National Geographic Beginner's United States Atlas

http://www.amazon.com/National-Geographic-Beginners-United-States/dp/1426305583/ref=sr_1_14?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1262534914&sr=8-14#noop

This is similar to the Time for Kids atlas below, but is more expensive as it has a library binding.  I'm sure it must be available in other forms and with a similar price point to the TFK. 

  

Time for Kids United States Atlas 2010

http://www.amazon.com/Time-Kids-United-States-Atlas/dp/1603208070/ref=sr_1_9?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1262534914&sr=8-9

Cheap enough that you could get one for pairs of students or all students, this basic atlas has a section on the territorial expansion of the US.   Has political

 

THE WORLD IS FLAT: NOT! Cool New World Maps for Kids, W. Frederick Zimmerman

http://www.amazon.com/WORLD-FLAT-Cool-World-Maps/dp/0978813812/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1262534914&sr=8-6#noop

This looks great as it categorizes it's maps by era and topic.  For example, it  shows where people were in the 1700s or crops in the 1800s.  If it shows enough of the US for your purposes, it will help students visualize the colonization of the US and their interaction with the environment. 

 

 

ONLINE & CURRICULUM RESOURCES

     Premium Digital Resources (must have WCLS card to access) 

elibrary

http://elibrary.bigchalk.com.ezproxy.wcls.org:2048/elibweb/elib/do/search?clear=no&edition=&ts=3706545B2D430CED2AF1B8C5669B6920_1262717441934&secondaryNav=basic

This is a great resource for you to find everything from travel videos to maps to articles and books.  You can use the advanced search to limit searches based on reading level.  Here is an example of one search I did:

     westward expansion maps:  http://elibrary.bigchalk.com.ezproxy.wcls.org:2048/elibweb/elib/do/results?set=search&source=&maxresultsperpage=0&start=1&secondaryNav=advance

 

World Book Online

http://www.worldbookonline.com.ezproxy.wcls.org:2048/student/home?null&gr=Welcome+Whatcom+Co+Rural+Library+Dist

A good site to go to for basic information on US regions that you requested in our meeting.   Below are some examples of the searches I did:

     US population density: http://www.worldbookonline.com.ezproxy.wcls.org:2048/student/media?id=mp000397

     US economy: http://www.worldbookonline.com.ezproxy.wcls.org:2048/student/media?id=mp000401

     Lewis & Clark expedition: http://www.worldbookonline.com.ezproxy.wcls.org:2048/student/article?id=ar321480&st=historical+maps+of+the+united+states  (Note the embedded maps and primary source material.)

 

 

Other Online Resources (do not need WCLS card to access)  

American FactFinder, US Census Bureau,

http://factfinder.census.gov/home/saff/main.html 

All the data you could wish for on US economic, population and other census derived data.  You can specify a town or state and get a fact sheet on a variety of topics.

 

Animated Westward Expansion, Ed Stephan

http://www.edstephan.org/48states.html

A WWU professor emeritus created this map that shows how the US colonies developed.

 

Digital History

http://www.digitalhistory.uh.edu/

An "online textbook" of US history.  I spent some time looking through this but nothing grabbed me other than the links below.  Worth knowing about as it has lesson plans, primary source material and much more on a variety of topics.

     Timeline http://www.digitalhistory.uh.edu/timeline/timelineO.cfm

 

Discovering Lewis and Clark

http://www.lewis-clark.org/

Lots of primary source material here from journals, maps and other information.  Probably not a site students would find easy to use, but good for you to know about.

 

Lewis and Clark: Mapping the West

http://www.edgate.com/lewisandclark/

Site sponsored by Smithsonian, it has lesson plans along with maps and other primary source material to be used in the classroom. It didn't seem too inspiring to me and also lessons were designed for older grades (6-12) but a good source for maps. 

 

Lewis and Clark Expedition in Washington State, 1805-1806: An Illustrated Cybertour

http://historylink.org/index.cfm?DisplayPage=output.cfm&file_id=7062

Not really that inspiring as a cybertour, but I thought I'd draw it to your attention as it does have some great maps and photos of what the areas look like now.

 

National Archives

http://archives.gov/education/lessons/lewis-clark/

Primary source documents and lesson plans on Lewis and Clark expedition.  

 

National Geographic

     Eduplace

     http://www.eduplace.com/ss/maps/

     Clear, crisp outline maps with or without labels.  Has current political maps as well as historical US maps from a variety of eras.  Ready to be printed out and used in the classroom.

     Xpeditions

     http://www.nationalgeographic.com/xpeditions/lessons/

     Lesson plans based on a variety of geographic themes.  

           "Explore Your State with Maps"

http://www.nationalgeographic.com/xpeditions/lessons/03/gk2/exploremaps.html

"Where in the US would you want to live?"

http://www.nationalgeographic.com/xpeditions/lessons/03/gk2/live.html

 "Making State maps with MapMachine"

http://www.nationalgeographic.com/xpeditions/lessons/03/g35/exploremaps.html

 

State Facts for Students, US Census Bureau

http://www.census.gov/schools/facts/

Quick facts about every state, though many odd ones such as how many dentist offices are in a given state. 

 

Travel the United States, Chris Yancone

http://cte.jhu.edu/techacademy/fellows/Yancone/webquest/cyindex.html 

An activity for students to map a route of their choice from their school across the US.  

 

MUSEUM RESOURCES 

Burke Museum

Burke Boxes: Classroom Collections  

http://www.washington.edu/burkemuseum/education/study.php

This is such a great resource!  They have boxes on all sorts of NW topics, including one on Native Peoples and their Environment and Lewis and Clark. You can sign up online and boxes come with lots of extras depending on the topic you picked.

          Burkemobile

           http://www.washington.edu/burkemuseum/education/burkemobile/

A new program that was piloted a year ago.  They bring museum to your classroom, for free!, and help students connect with the artifacts.  They have 3 lessons, one called Living Traditions: Native People of Washington State.  Looks superb!

 

 

 

GENERAL RESOURCES     

Facing the Future        

http://www.facingthefuture.org

Gates Foundation funded curriculum "think tank" that designs curriculum for classroom use based on issues of sustainability.  May be good for use with other CBAs. 

 

History Link       

http://www.historylink.org/

A free on-line encyclopedia of Washington State History that is also accessible through the WCLS website.  Has a fantastic database of biographies, photos, slideshows, interactive "cybertours" and essays about the people and places in Washington's history.   Seems better for researching the past 50-100 years or so than the 1800's that we're trying to do.

 

Washington State Library

http://www.secstate.wa.gov/library/?

Has historical maps, online historical newspapers, digital collections, genealogy and census information.  Lots here, though some information is spotty, we're lucky to have this accessible online.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

eLibrary

http://elibrary.bigchalk.com.ezproxy.wcls.org:2048/elibweb/elib/do/search?edition=&ts=

If you only had time to look at one database in the WCLS collection, look at this one.  There is so much here that is going to be useful for you and your students.  Lots of primary source and related resources including art, poems and articles. 

English colonies in America, Rebecca Love Fishkin

http://tinyurl.com/yds3kz9

Shows how colonies were shaped by their colonial powers overseas as well as their local geographical environment.  More in this series that includes ones for French and Dutch colonies. For grades 4-6.