Unit 2: The Northeast
The Big Idea
Cities and Growth: Many early settlements in the Northeast grew into some of the largest cities in the United States today.
What to Know
Your child is studying the geography, the early history, the economy, and the cultures of the Northeast region of the United States. In Unit 2, The Northeast, the following essential questions will be discussed:
Home Activities
Extra Credit will be given to students for each activity. Students must submit fully completed activity and documentation of description, letter, or fact cards and quizzes with parent signature. These activities will be due on the day of the Chapter 5 Test.
Ideas to Discuss
Extra Credit will be given to students for each discussion. Students and parents/guardians must discuss questions and answers, then write an essay response - must be at least one paragraph in length. Students who submit fully completed answer in paragraph form with parent signature by Chapter 5 Test date will earn extra credit points.
Books to Read
Immigrant Kids by Russell Freedman. Puffin, 1995.
Stories from Where We Live: The North Atlantic Coast by Sara St. Antoine. Milkweed Editions, 2000.
A Young Patriot: The American Revolution as Experienced by One Boy by Jim Murphy. Clarion Books, 1998.
Cities and Growth: Many early settlements in the Northeast grew into some of the largest cities in the United States today.
What to Know
Your child is studying the geography, the early history, the economy, and the cultures of the Northeast region of the United States. In Unit 2, The Northeast, the following essential questions will be discussed:
- What states make up the Northeast, and why are they grouped together as a region?
- What kinds of land, water, and resources does the Northeast have?
- How did the United States become a country?
- How did changes in the transportation help the Northeast grow?
- Why is the Northeast the most crowded region in the United States?
- How are the New England states and Middle Atlantic states similar and how are they different?
Home Activities
Extra Credit will be given to students for each activity. Students must submit fully completed activity and documentation of description, letter, or fact cards and quizzes with parent signature. These activities will be due on the day of the Chapter 5 Test.
- Together with your child, study the map on pages 4-5 of the textbook. Challenge your child to describe the location of the Northeast in relation to the other four regions of the United States, to Canada, and to the Atlantic Ocean.
- Lead your child to consider what life was like for new immigrants who arrived at Ellis Island. Encourage your child to write a letter from the point of view of a young immigrant in the Northeast during the late 1800s or early 1900s.
- Help your child make fact cards of the 10 Northeast states. On the front of each card, write the name of one state. On the back of the card, list that state's capital and at least five other interesting facts, such as, largest cities, major rivers, industries, or attractions. You can then take turns using the cards to quiz each other about the Northeast.
Ideas to Discuss
Extra Credit will be given to students for each discussion. Students and parents/guardians must discuss questions and answers, then write an essay response - must be at least one paragraph in length. Students who submit fully completed answer in paragraph form with parent signature by Chapter 5 Test date will earn extra credit points.
- What does freedom mean to you?
- Who was George Washington and Thomas Jefferson, and why are they so important to United States history?
- What are the advantages of living in a large city?
Books to Read
Immigrant Kids by Russell Freedman. Puffin, 1995.
Stories from Where We Live: The North Atlantic Coast by Sara St. Antoine. Milkweed Editions, 2000.
A Young Patriot: The American Revolution as Experienced by One Boy by Jim Murphy. Clarion Books, 1998.