U.S. Regional Studies (aka Please Abandon Traditional State Reports)

Sometimes it's difficult to abandon traditions. For ages, elementary students have engaged in research reports about states. While teachers might feel satisfied with the classroom buzz of busy students finding a wealth of facts, there comes a time when we must ask ourselves, "Does this experience lead to deeper understanding of conceptual ideas? Does this experience lead students to engage in the critical thinking processes of a social scientist?" If we are honest with ourselves, the answer is a definitive NO.

What is a region? How might I organize the states into regions? 

To engage students in deeper understanding of our nation, we must begin by thinking about regions of the United States.  As a concept, region designates an area (of no specific size) that is part of a larger whole (the United States) which has smaller units within it. Regions differ largely on what we are talking about. While there are ways to regionally organize the nation based on climate, cultural ethnicity, well-being,.... we might consider a traditional organization of our nation into regions. Each region includes a particular set of states and those states have been included within the region based on geographic, economic, historic, and cultural trends/patterns.

• West Region (WA, OR, CA, NV, ID, MT, WY, UT, CO) and AK, HI
• Southwest Region (AZ, NM, TX, OK)
• Midwest Region (ND, SD, NE, MN, IA, MO, WI, IL, IN, OH, MI)
• Northeast Region (MD, DE, NJ, PA, CT, RI, MA, NV, VT, NH, ME)
• Southeast Region (KY, VA, WV, NC, SC, GA, FL, AL, MS, TN)

What will students learn about regions? 

State reports have been justified for a long time because students find out lots of facts about states.  But, our goal is to support conceptual understanding of our nation.  Ask yourself, "How does finding facts about a state help you to understand our nation?"  It doesn't.

Consider this - students frequently engage in lengthy, complex studies of their home state prior to learning about the United States.  In Colorado, students investigate some significant concepts, such as:

• What regions might we identify in Colorado based on physical geography? What traits define these regions?
• Who has come to Colorado over time? Why?
• How is migration and population in Colorado connected to events in the United States?
• How has migration and population development influenced the cultural diversity of the state? How is today's diverse population connected to the past?
• How has the geography of Colorado influenced the ways people live over time and place?
• How has the geography of Colorado influenced economics over time and place?
• What is the structure and function of state government?
• What issues are being addressed by the state government? What are potential solutions?

In a regional study of the United States, students have the opportunity to expand horizons by connecting their state to a region.  In our case, Colorado becomes connected to the West region.  When students take a deeper look at the region, they begin to see patterns emerge.  For example, people migrated to various parts of the West for gold, not just Colorado.  People migrate to the West for its physical features and climate. Cultural diversity in the West has some patterns due to historic events.  

With an understanding of a region's trends and patterns, students have the opportunity to compare and contrast these trends and patterns with other regions.  In doing so, students develop deeper understanding of our nation.  

• If we divide the nation into these regions, what characteristics might be used to describe the physical geography of each region? (How do those characteristics compare to Colorado and the West?)
• Who has come to __________ region over time? Why? (How does this compare with who and why people migrated to Colorado and the West region over time?)
• How is migration and population in __________ region connected to events in the United States? (How does this compare with Colorado and the West?)
• How has migration and population development influenced the cultural diversity of the______ region? How is today's diverse population in the _______ region connected to the past?
• How has the geography of the _______ region influenced the ways people live over time and place? (How does this compare with the ways people have lived over time and place in Colorado and the West?)
• How has the geography of the __________ region influenced economics over time and place? (How does this compare with the influence of geography on economics over time and place in Colorado and the West?)
• What issues are being addressed by governments within the __________ region? (How do the issues in this region compare to the issues in Colorado and the West?)

What resources might I use? What case studies might students examine to develop regional understanding of our nation?

• Tools to Compare Regions
• Blank and Thematic Maps for ALL Regions of the United States - There are so many maps in this link.  As you look at the different maps, start to think about the trends and patterns that you notice within a region.  You'll notice trends and patterns for physical geography, climate, cultural diversity, and so much more.
• Resource Bundle: West Region (WA, OR, CA, NV, ID, MT, WY, UT, CO) and AK, HI
• Resource Bundle: Southwest Region (AZ, NM, TX, OK)
• Resource Bundle: Midwest Region (ND, SD, NE, MN, IA, MO, WI, IL, IN, OH, MI)
• Resource Bundle: Northeast Region (MD, DE, NJ, PA, CT, RI, MA, NV, VT, NH, ME)
• Resource Bundles: Southeast Region (KY, VA, WV, NC, SC, GA, FL, AL, MS, TN)
• Portal to Digitized Resources for Every State (Library of Congress)

What about memorizing states and capitols? 

To be honest, cultural traditions are strong and many families in our communities still want this type of learning.  So...let's consider our purpose.  When we hear news about different states in the nation, we want students to have a general sense of where those states are located.  As adults, we hear about news in the nation and often connect that news with the region where a state is located.  If this is how we operate as thinking adults, how might we design learning that aligns with how we think? I think it's perfectly appropriate to establish a goal where students can identify the states within each region.  As for capitols, the reason we know capitols is to know where a state's government is located.  How about an alternative?  What if we identified the significant cities within a region so students become familiar with the cultural and economic centers for each region?  It comes down to this..."What type of learning will help students have a strong knowledge base and deeper understanding of our nation's regions?"