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Geography · Grade 3

Regions of Illinois and the United States

A region is an area whose places share something: landforms, climate, ways of earning a living or culture. Learners meet the five-region model of the United States, find Illinois in the Midwest and locate states on a map, explore the three big regions of Illinois from the Chicago area to the Shawnee Hills, and discover that different mapmakers draw regions differently.

  • 4 lessons
  • About 80 minutes
  • Regions check: 9 questions
  • Ways to answer: choose an answer, highlight a text, pin a map, match pairs, put in order and sort into groups
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What learners will discover

  • Explain that a region is an area with shared features, and give examples of regions based on landforms, climate or how people earn a living.
  • Name the five regions of the United States in the common five-region model, place Illinois in the Midwest, and locate states in their regions.
  • Describe three regions of Illinois: the Chicago area in the northeast, the farmland of the north and center, and the hilly, forested far south.
  • Explain why the same state can be placed in different regions on different maps.

Lessons

  1. What is a region? 4 steps2 practiceabout 15 min
  2. Five regions of the United States 5 steps3 practiceabout 22 min
  3. Regions of Illinois 5 steps3 practiceabout 22 min
  4. Who draws the region? 5 steps2 practiceabout 21 min
  5. Regions check 9 questions at the end

Keep exploring

Games to practice with

  • Globe ExplorerSpin a real 3D globe, flip to the flat map, and find continents, oceans and countries.
  • Pin the PlanetDrag the pin onto wonders, cities and exact latitude and longitude points.
  • Mapmaker QuestFollow directions to make a map, then read its legend, compass rose and scale.

More 3rd grade geography

Guide for grown-ups