Unit Opener

1. Unit Opener How do geography, economics, and government affect people’s lives?

2. Contents Lesson 1 Regions of the United States Lesson 2 Geography of the United States Lesson 3 Natural Resources and Climate Lesson 4 Economy of the United States Lesson 5 Economic Regions of the United States Lesson 6 Personal Finance Lessons

3. How does geography create regions? Lesson 1 Regions of the United States Lesson 1 Vocabulary region climate precipitation humid arid

4. Lesson 1 The Five Regions FILL The United States has five geographic regions. A region is a large area with features such as climate and landforms.

5. Lesson 1 MC 1 Natural resources and geography can determine the industries that employ people in an area. The United States MC 2 The western coast of the U.S. faces the Pacific Ocean. The eastern coast faces the Atlantic Ocean. In the south, the Gulf of Mexico borders the land. FILL (x2) Climate is weather over a number of years. Weather in a place includes wind patterns, temperature, and precipitation, or rain or snow. FILL The eastern half of the United States is humid, or wet. This part of the U.S. gets more than 20 inches of precipitation each year. FILL The western half is arid, or dry. This area gets less than 20 inches of precipitation each year. Land elevation changes from the west coast to the east coast.

6. How does the geography of the United States affect people’s lives? Lesson 2 Geography of the United States Lesson 2 Vocabulary megalopolis prairie navigable Continental Divide canyon

7. Lesson 2 Lowlands and Highlands The Atlantic Coastal Plain runs along the coast of the Atlantic Ocean. The megalopolis Boswash is in this area. FILL A megalopolis is a group of cities that have grown so close together they seem to form one city. The Appalachian Mountains run from eastern Canada to Alabama and divide the Northeastern states from the Midwestern states.

8. Lesson 2 Interior Lowlands The Central Lowlands lie west of the Appalachian Mountains. They have grassy hills, rolling flatlands, thick forests, and fertile farmland. FILL The Great Plains are west of the Mississippi River. Most of this region is prairie, or flat, rolling lands covered with grass. In some parts of this region farmers grow grains in the fertile soil. In other parts, ranchers raise cattle on the land. Tornado Alley rests in the Plains region. This area of the country has more tornadoes than any other part of the world.

9. Lesson 2 Central Waterways The Mississippi River The Mississippi River Basin drains over 1 million square miles of land and the surrounding land is suitable for farming. MC 5 The Missouri and Mississippi Rivers are the two longest rivers in the country. FILL Most of the Mississippi is navigable, or wide and deep enough to allow the passage of ships.

10. Lesson 2 Mountain and Plateaus The Rocky Mountains begin in Alaska and run south to New Mexico. MC 6 The Continental Divide is an imaginary line in the Rockies. East of the divide, rivers drain into the Atlantic Ocean, and the Gulf of Mexico. West of the divide, rivers flow into the Pacific Ocean and the Gulf of California.

11. Lesson 2 Mountain and Plateaus FILL Between the Pacific coast and the Rocky Mountains is a stretch of dry basin and high plateaus. The Grand Canyon is located here. A canyon is a deep valley with steep sides. The Grand Canyon was formed when the Colorado River cut through rock, forming the deep valley with steep sides. John Wesley Powell led the first exploration of the Grand Canyon in 1869.

12. How do natural resources impact life in a region? Lesson 3 Natural Resources and Climate Lesson 3 Vocabulary economy

13. Lesson 3 Natural Resources FILL Farming and timber are important parts of the U.S. economy. An economy is the way a country’s people use natural resources, knowledge, and money to produce goods and services. Scarcity happens when there is not enough of a resource to make all the things people want. The United States has vast mineral resources. The northern states have large iron-ore deposits. The Rocky Mountains have gold, silver, and copper.

14. Lesson 3 Energy Resources Coal, oil, and natural gas are fossil fuels that people use to power homes, cars, and factories. These are nonrenewable resources. MC 7 Scientists have produced energy sources using renewable resources such as wind, sunlight, corn, and water. SA Wind and falling water spin turbines that can produce electricity. This is called hydroelectric power. Solar energy is collected using flat panels and is changed into electricity.

15. Lesson 3 Soil Resources The United States produces corn, soybeans, and grains in the Midwest. Dairy products and livestock are also important to the economy of the Midwest. MC 8 In the dry season in the Central Valley of California, farmers are able to grow crops because of irrigation. In the South’s warm, wet climate, farmers in Louisiana and Arkansas grow rice and sugarcane. Farmers in Florida and Texas grow citrus fruits such as oranges and lemons.

16. How does interdependence shape the U.S. economy? Lesson 4 Economy of the United States Lesson 4 Vocabulary stock

17. Lesson 4 Market Economies • The United States has a market economy. In a market economy, people can: • start any business they want, • decide what to make, • how much to produce, • and what price to charge. MC 9 People invest in companies by purchasing stock, or part ownership in a company. Competition happens when companies try to win customers from each other by lowering prices and improving the quality of products.

18. Lesson 4 Economic Ties MC 10 Countries sign trade agreements with each other to help them do business. SA The United States two major trading partners are Canada and Mexico. SA People invest their money in businesses in the hope of earning a profit. MC 12 Because our country uses more oil than we produce, we have to import oil from other countries.

19. How do economies meet people’s needs? Lesson 5 Economic Regions of the United States Lesson 5 Vocabulary supply demand

20. Lesson 5 Supply & Demand FILLSUPPLY The amount of a product or service for sale FILLDEMAND How much of a product or service buyers want CASE If supply is LOW and demand is HIGH, the price of an item will go UP. CASE If supply is HIGH and demand is LOW, the price of an item will go DOWN.

21. Lesson 5 The Northeast The Northeast has big cities where skilled workers are employed in businesses both large and small. MC 13 In New York there are many media (news) companies like NBC, ABC, and FOX.

22. Lesson 5 The Midwest The Midwest is rich in mineral resources such as iron ore, coal, lead, and zinc, which helps manufacturing, especially the manufacturing of automobiles and the steel industry. The Midwest has rich soil so farmers grow corn, wheat, soybeans, and other crops.

23. Lesson 5 The Midwest We live in the Midwest. The Midwest is known for its extreme weather conditions, that include thunderstorms, tornadoes, and lake-effect snow. The land is a region of plains and prairies. The Great Lakes and the start of the Mississippi River are in the Midwest. The main industries in our region are manufacturing like the steel mills and farming along the plains.

24. Lesson 5 The Interior West and Pacific The Interior West and Pacific are mostly arid and depend on irrigation to keep their agricultural economy alive. Fish, timber, and mineral resources are important to the Pacific region. Hawaii grows sugarcane, pineapples, and coffee. California, Oregon, and Washington grow fruits and vegetables.

25. How do finances affect the way a person lives? Lesson 6 Personal Finance Lesson 6 Vocabulary tax opportunity cost

26. Lesson 6 Earning Income SA The level of education, amount of training, and work experience people have can affect their income, or money earned for doing a job. FILL Taxes are a portion of the money people earn that is paid to the government. MC 16 Tax money is used to pay for services such roads, education, and police. The region where a person lives can also influence income. Wages are higher in some regions due to the cost of living in the area.

27. Lesson 6 Spending and Saving Income A budget is a plan for spending and saving money. A budget includes a list of all the expenses, or payments for goods and services, a person must make. Budgets show the amount of money left over after all expenses have been paid. People use checkbook registers to keep track of what money they put into their bank account and what money they take out of their bank account. They use ATM/debit cards to take money directly from their bank account.

28. Lesson 6 Spending and Saving Income Consumers decide whether the value of a good or service is worth the money they will spend to get it. This is a cost-benefit decision. If the benefits are greater than the cost, a consumer may buy the product or service. MC 17 Consumers are people who buy and use goods and services. FILL Consumers make decisions about what to buy and what not to buy. If you want to buy two items, but only have enough money for one, the value of the second-best choice—the item you don’t buy—is the opportunity cost.

29. Maps Maps Click on a map to enlarge the view.