Social Studies

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Unit 1: Discovering the Social Sciences

Lesson 1: The Four Core Social Sciences

Focus Question: What do Social Scientists do?
Vocabulary: economy, geography, history, political science

Lesson 2: Exploring Regions of the United States

Focus Question: How do geographers study the regions of the United States?
Vocabulary: basin, coastal plain, global grid, inland, line of latitude, line of longitude, map key, plateau, region, scale, special-purpose map

Lesson 3: The Peopling of the United States

Focus Question: How have different groups contributed to the United States?
Vocabulary: the Americas, colony, culture, democracy, diverse, immigrant

Unit 2: The Northeast

Lesson 4: A Tour of the Northeast

Focus Question: What are different parts of the Northeast like?
Vocabulary: canal, lock, mass production, peak, skyscraper

Lesson 5: Population Density and Life in the Northeast

Focus Question: How do people live in the Northeast?
Vocabulary: megalopolis, pollution, population density

Unit 3: The Southeast

Lesson 6: A Tour of the Southeast

Focus Question: What factors have shaped the culture of the Southeast?
Vocabulary: bayou, delta, hurricane, mineral, petroleum, plantation, savanna, segregation, strip mine, swamp

Lesson 7: The Effects of Geography on Life in the Southeast

Focus Question: How has geography helped shape daily life in the Southeast?
Vocabulary: agriculture, fall line, floodplain, foothills, industry, natural resource, navigable, tornado

Unit 4: The Midwest

Lesson 8: A Tour of the Midwest

Focus Question: Why do we call the Midwest “America’s Heartland”?
Vocabulary: assembly line, feedlot, fertile, frontier, livestock, meatpacking, prairie, reservation, transportation hub

Lesson 9: Agricultural Changes in the Midwest

Focus Question: How has farming changed in the Midwest over time?
Vocabulary: agribusiness, canning, combine, dairy, fertilizer, pesticide, reaper, self-sufficient, sod

Unit 5: The Southwest

Lesson 10: A Tour of the Southwest

Focus Question: How have geography and history shaped life in the Southwest?
Vocabulary: adapt, aqueduct, border, canyon, capital, cavern, dam, desert, mesa, mission, rebellion

Lesson 11: A Case Study in Water Use: The Colorado River

Focus Question: How do people depend on the Colorado River and share its water?
Vocabulary: conservation, drought, habitat, irrigation, municipality, reservoir, river basin, wastewater

Unit 6: The West

Lesson 12: A Tour of the West

Focus Question: What are the features that have drawn people to the West?
Vocabulary: expedition, geyser, gorge, pass, technology

Lesson 13: Cities of the West

Focus Question: What attracts people to the cities of the West?
Vocabulary: mint, oasis

Unit 7: Inquiry - Studying Illinois

Lesson 14: The Geography of Illinois

Focus Question: How has geography influenced life in Illinois?
Vocabulary: demographics, geographic inquiry process

Lesson 15: The History of Illinois

Focus Question: How can you learn about Illinois' history?
Vocabulary: primary source, secondary source

Lesson 16: The Economy in Illinois

Focus Question: What do you need to know to understand Illinois' economy?
Vocabulary: budget, factors of production, market, scarcity, tax

Lesson 17: The Government in Illinois

Focus Question: How does Illinois' government work?
Vocabulary: bill, citizen, federal government, legislator, local government, republic, state constitution, state government, system of checks and balances

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