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Geography · Grade 5

North American Physical Geography

A tour of the whole continent of North America, from Canada's Arctic islands to Panama. Learners locate its countries (including the seven countries of Central America and the main Caribbean islands), its great physical regions from the Canadian Shield to the Sierra Madre, and its rivers, lakes and seas, from the Mississippi–Missouri system to Hudson Bay. They finish by comparing elevations, from Denali at 20,310 feet to Badwater Basin, 282 feet below sea level.

  • 4 lessons
  • About 90 minutes
  • North America check: 9 questions
  • Ways to answer: fill in the blanks, choose an answer, pin a map, pick map regions, match pairs and type a number
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What learners will discover

  • Locate the countries of North America: Canada, the United States, Mexico, the seven countries of Central America and the main Caribbean island countries.
  • Describe and locate North America's major physical regions, including the Canadian Shield, Rocky Mountains, Great Plains, Appalachians, coastal plains, Great Basin and Sierra Madre.
  • Locate major rivers, lakes and seas of North America and explain where and why each river flows.
  • Compare elevations using data, including heights below sea level, and locate the highest and lowest points of North America.

Lessons

  1. The countries of North America 8 steps4 practiceabout 22 min
  2. Crossing the continent's physical regions 8 steps5 practiceabout 24 min
  3. Rivers, lakes and seas 9 steps5 practiceabout 22 min
  4. Highs and lows 8 steps5 practiceabout 22 min
  5. North America 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 5th grade geography

Guide for grown-ups