Mapping America’s Landforms

Overview

Across two 30-minute sessions, students use maps, visuals, and two short informational texts to investigate six major physical features of the United States: the Atlantic Coastal Plain, Great Plains, Continental Divide, Gulf of Mexico, Mississippi River, and Great Lakes. Students compare information, explain how landforms affect geography, and write a brief evidence-based response.

Learning intentions

Students will be able to:

• Identify six major physical landforms and bodies of water in the United States.
• Interpret information from physical maps, diagrams, and text.
• Explain how a landform’s location or features affect the surrounding region.
• Combine information from two texts and a map to communicate knowledgeably.

Success criteria

• I can locate and correctly name at least five of the six features.
• I can describe one important fact about each feature I study.
• I can explain how a map or visual adds information to a text.
• I can use evidence from two texts to write a clear comparison or explanation.

Curriculum links

• Reading informational text: integrate information from two texts on the same topic to speak or write knowledgeably.
• Reading informational text: interpret visual and quantitative information and explain how it contributes to understanding.
• Reading informational text: explain ideas, events, or concepts using specific information from a text.
• Writing: conduct a short research project by investigating different aspects of a topic.

Lesson structure (60 minutes across 2 days)

Day 1: Identify and investigate

1. 0–5 min · Hook and prior knowledge. Teacher opens the landform mystery hook showing a physical map of the United States with six features highlighted but unlabeled, then asks, “How might the land look different from one region to another?” Students silently observe, make a prediction, and share one idea with a partner.

2. 5–12 min · Mini-lesson with map. Teacher uses the labeled physical map and landform visuals to introduce the Atlantic Coastal Plain, Great Plains, Continental Divide, Gulf of Mexico, Mississippi River, and Great Lakes; briefly clarify that the Gulf and Great Lakes are bodies of water and the Continental Divide is a high land boundary that separates watersheds. Students locate each feature on a classroom map or their worksheet and record one visual clue about its location.

3. 12–25 min · Partner text investigation. Teacher pairs students and distributes the U.S. landforms investigation worksheet with two short informational texts: one focused on land regions and the Continental Divide, and one focused on waterways and bodies of water. Students read assigned sections, underline key facts, and complete a two-column chart naming the feature, its location, and one important detail. Partners use the map to check their thinking.

4. 25–30 min · Evidence share and check. Teacher returns to the investigation discussion prompts and asks pairs to share one fact supported by a text and one fact supported by the map. Students explain which source provided each piece of information and show a quick thumbs-up, sideways, or down for their confidence.

Day 2: Connect, compare, and explain

5. 0–7 min · Retrieval review. Teacher displays the map review and “Which feature am I?” clues and reads clues such as “I form a boundary between waters flowing in different directions” or “I am a large river that flows toward the Gulf of Mexico.” Students identify the feature, point to its location, and explain the clue to a partner.

6. 7–18 min · Compare sources and visuals. Teacher models one response using the source-comparison example, thinking aloud: “The text tells me what the Mississippi River does; the map shows where it travels and which regions it connects.” Students work with partners to choose two features and complete the comparison section of the worksheet, using evidence from both texts and the map. Invite students to compare the Great Plains with the Atlantic Coastal Plain, or the Mississippi River with the Great Lakes.

7. 18–27 min · Knowledgeable response. Teacher asks students to write a 4–6 sentence response on the worksheet: “How do two physical features shape people’s understanding of the United States?” Remind students to name both features, include at least two text facts, and explain what the map contributes. Students write independently, then read their response to a partner and revise one sentence for clarity or evidence.

8. 27–30 min · Plenary and exit reflection. Teacher uses the final synthesis prompt and asks, “Which feature is most important for understanding the geography of the United States, and why?” Students share a claim and evidence, then complete the final reflection on the worksheet: name one feature, one fact, and one way a visual helped them understand it.

Resources

• the U.S. physical geography slide deck
• the U.S. landforms investigation worksheet
• Classroom physical map or student atlases
• Projector or interactive display
• Pencils, colored pencils, and highlighters
• Two short teacher-selected informational texts about U.S. landforms and waterways

Assessment

• Listen for accurate location words and explanations during partner talk and retrieval review.
• Check the worksheet chart and comparison response for facts drawn from both texts and accurate interpretation of the map.
• Use the final reflection to assess whether students can identify a feature, state a relevant fact, and explain the visual’s contribution.

Differentiation

• Provide a labeled reference map, picture vocabulary, enlarged text, and sentence starters such as “The text explains ___, while the map shows ___.”
• Pair developing readers with supportive partners; allow students to listen to the texts being read aloud and respond orally before writing.
• Reduce the writing demand for students who need support to three well-supported sentences, while retaining the requirement to use two sources.
• Challenge advanced learners to explain a possible connection among three features, such as how the Great Plains, Mississippi River, and Gulf of Mexico form a connected geographic system.

Extension

• Students create a mini “geography guide” paragraph explaining why a traveler should know about one selected feature.
• Students compare the Continental Divide with a major river system and explain how elevation influences the direction of flowing water.