Unit 6: West Region of the United States 

Driving Question: 

• How can citizens of the West use its resources wisely to provide for economic opportunities?

Essential Questions: 

• How does human adaptation to the environment affect how people live?

• Why and how do people change their environments to support themselves?

• What are cultural traits and how do they affect how we live? 

Supporting Questions: 

• What are the major natural resources of the West and how have they created opportunities for growth?

•  In what ways can alternate energy sources help people of the West?

• What factors influence the different climates of western states?

• How has agriculture developed and contributed to the economy of the West?

• How important are service industries and tourism to the growth of the West?

• How do national parks and reserves protect the West’s resources? 

• What impact has immigration had on the development and cultures of the West? 

Prior Knowledge 

Measure students’ prior knowledge of the geography and resources of the western states by using the Carousel strategy to gather ideas. Ask student groups to identify information from images depicted on selected State Seals and draw conclusions as to the history, geographic features, cultures, and economic activities of the West. Encourage students to evaluate the accuracy of images from state seals as they learn more about the western states through the unit of study. Provide time to discuss issues and reinforce understanding of terminology, such as pollution, degradation, and water management. Encourage groups to draw a mural of issues of concern to the Wintu tribe.

Launch Task 

Ask students to summarize the variety of opportunities for citizens of the West as they relate to the natural resources of the region. Using information provided by the narrative, Natural Resources of the West, ask students to consider possible human conflicts that might arise over modification of the environment in order to access and use its natural resources? Invite students to investigate the case of the Wintu tribe and its efforts to conserve water resources of the region. 

Instructional Strategies 

• Suggested strategies for reinforcing the Social Studies Practices.

• Correlations to Social Studies Practices of the Oklahoma Academic Standards.

Objective Analysis and Instructional Resources 

Analysis for each grade-level's content standards and learning objectives is provided in a manner to support deep understanding of goals and expectations for the teacher and student. Following each Objective Analysis are links to Instructional Resources providing recommendations for lesson ideas, inquiry-based tasks, primary and secondary resources. 

Collaborative Engagement Ideas

• The Power of Dams
  A 5E lesson from the Oklahoma Curriculum Frameworks Writers, examines the purposes of mega-dam construction to meet human needs, as well as impact on the environment.  

• The Great Pacific Garbage Patch
  An inquiry-based lesson from the Oklahoma Alliance for Geographic Education, analyzes the cause and effects of human waste on environments and current efforts to address ocean pollution.

• Whole Lotta Shakin’ Goin’ On
  An inquiry-based lesson from the Oklahoma Alliance for Geographic Education, examines the effects of tectonic activity for humans living along the “Ring of Fire.”

• Nuclear Energy Friend of Foe
  An inquiry lesson from the Oklahoma Alliance for Geographic Education, encourages students to weigh the advantages and costs of nuclear energy as a viable alternative to fossil fuels.

• To Drill or Not To Drill
  An inquiry lesson from the Oklahoma Alliance for Geographic Education, asks students to consider the outcomes of developing fossil fuel resources of the Arctic region.

• Colorado River and Sustainability
  An inquiry lesson from the Oklahoma Alliance for Geographic Education, focuses on drainage basins, water scarcity, ecosystem balance, and consequences produced by population growth. 

• Wolves of Yellowstone
  A 5E lesson from the K20 Center at the University of Oklahoma, challenges students to examine published data to explain how different organisms interact to change the entire park ecosystem.

Following each Objective Analysis are links to Instructional Resources providing recommendations for lesson ideas, inquiry-based tasks, primary and secondary sources. 

Evidence of Learning: Formative Assessment Ideas

• Following student learning of the role American Indian tribes play in conservation of natural resources, using such resources as American Indians and Our Environment, assess student understandings. Invite students to compose a brief RAFT letter from different perspectives and audiences of their choice. (Oklahoma Academic Standard 4.1.2, 4.1.3)

• Assess students’ understanding of the concept of environmental stewardship by examining how national parks protect the resources of the West. Using History of the National Parks by National Geographic Kids, ask students to create a 5Ws graphic organizer to demonstrate their learning. (Oklahoma Academic Standard 4.1.3, 4.4.1) FORMATIVE ASSESSMENT PROBE

• Following student learning about the physical features of the West, using such textual resources as The West: Land of the Rockies, assess understanding of the region's major geographic features. Ask students to engage in a Word Splash strategy, connecting related key terms and explaining their relationship, using the provided West Word Splash. (Oklahoma Academic Standard 4.2.2, 4.2.3) FORMATIVE ASSESSMENT PROBE

• Measure student understanding of the causes and impact of natural and manmade disasters on people and their environment using the example of recurring wildfires and resources such as The West’s Fire Danger and satellite imagery. Ask students to demonstrate the depth of their understanding by analyzing a political cartoon, using the SPAM strategy. (Oklahoma Academic Standard 4.2.4, 4.4.3)

• Following student learning of human-environment-interaction among people of the northwest region, using textual resources such as Living in the Far North and Focus on Alaska, assess student understanding by asking students to note their conclusions on a Five Themes Graphic Organizer. (Oklahoma Academic Standard 4.3.2, 4.4.1, 4.4.2)

• Following student learning about the varied natural resources of the West region, using textual information such as The West: Natural Resources, assess students’ understanding by asking students to recall and note facts related to each resource category: Land, Forests, Minerals, Fuels, Water, and Wildlife. Encourage students to determine which category of resource is most valuable and explain why. Invite students to create a sticky note bar graph reflecting class opinions. (Oklahoma Academic Standard 4.4.1) FORMATIVE ASSESSMENT PROBE

• Following student learning about the importance of the lumber industry to the economy of the West, assess student understanding by asking students to reconstruct a storyboard of the lumbering process, using an historic and contemporary photograph collection. (Oklahoma Academic Standard 4.4.1, 4.4.2) 

• Measure student understanding of how humans adapt to and modify their environments by using a sample multiple-choice question related to the Colorado River system. Challenge students to explain the depth of their knowledge regarding why and how humans use the water resources of rivers. (Oklahoma Academic Standard 4.4.1) 

• Assess students’ understanding of sustainable practices in the logging industry of the West using a brief videoclip, National Geographic’s Sustainable Logging, as a stimulus. Ask students to demonstrate their knowledge, using a Connect, Extend, Challenge graphic organizer or by charting the Pros and Cons of lumbering methods (clear-cutting versus cross-cutting). (Oklahoma Academic Standard 4.4.2, 4.4.3) 

Unit Closure Idea 

Using the narrative, Focus on the West, ask students to develop a list of the diverse cultures they would encounter in the region. Does the West's population support the concept that America is a melting pot? Reinforce student understandings of the cultural traits that all groups of people share by encouraging students to create Cultural Mandalas, an idea provided by the Asia Society. 

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