Description
Get ready to make Western Hemisphere geography engaging! This three-week unit is designed to help students explore the 5 Themes of Geography in a way that’s hands-on and meaningful.
The 5 Themes of Geography
The first five lessons provide a deep dive into the 5 Themes of Geography:
- Location
- Place
- Human-Environment Interaction
- Movement
- Region
And the best part? These lessons are anything but boring! Students actively participate in their learning—like when they explore Theme 2: Place through an engaging gallery walk.
Exploring the Regions of the Western Hemisphere
Next, students apply the 5 Themes to learn about the major regions of the Western Hemisphere:
- North America
- Central America
- South America
- The Caribbean
To keep students engaged, information is presented through a mix of task cards, articles, and a Powerpoint presentation. Then, students demonstrate their learning through exciting review games like Jeopardy and Trashketball.
In-Depth Regional Case Studies
Students also dive deeper into each region through engaging case studies:
- North America: Dust Bowl Diaries – How Americans adapted to the ecological disaster of the Dust Bowl
- Central America: Secrets of the Panama Canal – The effects of the canal on Panama and the world
- South America: Mountain Survival Mystery – How people in the Andes adapt to high-altitude living
- The Caribbean: Jamaica Uncovered – The positive and negative impacts of tourism in Jamaica
Student Research Project
U.S. History Curriculum Bundle | Save 20% on All Units (5th–8th Grade)
Why You Will Love This Geography unit
Easy-to-Use
No need to be a geography expert—this unit has you covered! Even if you are not sure if Mexico is in North or Central America, you can teach with confidence. Everything is included: high-quality lesson plans, worksheets, and answer keys.
Engaging for Students
Geography doesn’t have to be boring! These lessons keep students actively involved through interactive activities like gallery walks, readers’ theater, jigsaw learning, Trashketball, Jeopardy, a mock newscast, and more.
Enjoyable to Teach
Here’s what’s included in the Western Hemisphere Geography Unit:
Week 1
- What is Geography? & Theme 1: Location—Define the 5 Themes of Geography; explore “location stations” to identify different types of maps and use map components
- Theme 2: Place—Participate in a gallery walk to observe and describe the physical and human characteristics of six locations
- Theme 3: Human-Environment Interaction—Describe how humans adapt to their environment; uses “clues” to discover how people in the Andes Mountains adapted to high-altitude living and farming
- Theme 4: Movement—Explain the movement of people, goods, and ideas through a jigsaw activity
- Theme 5: Region—Use a four corners activity to explore four U.S. regions and compare two of them
Week 2
- Geography of North America—Create a “passport” to travel the Western Hemisphere; analyze an article to describe the geography of North America; review key concepts with a “Trashketball” game
- Dust Bowl Diaries— Use clue cards to examine how the Dust Bowl affected U.S. farmers and how they adapted; participate in a short readers theater introduction to the Dust Bowl
- Geography of Central America— Learn about Central America’s geography through a slideshow; reinforce learning with a Jeopardy review game
- Secrets of the Panama Canal— Use clue cards to create a poster illustrating the Panama Canal’s impact on Panama, global trade, and the environment
- Geography of South America— Explore South America’s geography through a gallery walk; review concepts with a “Trashketball” game
Week 3
- Geography of the Caribbean— Study articles in expert and jigsaw groups to describe Caribbean geography; review with a Jeopardy game
- Jamaica Uncovered— Use task cards to create a mock news report about the positive and negative effects of tourism in Jamaica
- Student Project—Apply the five themes of geography to a country in the Western Hemisphere by creating a travel brochure
- Student Work Day—Use a curated list of kid-friendly sources to research and write a travel brochure
- Presentations—Share completed brochures and listen attentively to classmates‘ presentations
How to Use in the Classroom
This unit has 15 lessons, each with 45 – 60 minutes of activities. However, if you use this unit during the first month of school, you may want to budget extra time. (I’ve found that lessons typically take longer at the beginning of the year.)
For 5th, 6th, 7th, and 8th Grade Students
The unit articles and task cards are written at a 7th-8th grade reading level. If you teach one of those grades, your students will be able to complete the activities more or less independently.
If you teach 5th or 6th grade, I recommend reading and analyzing the articles with your students. They will do great! Check out the reviews to see how teachers at your grade level have successfully used and loved this unit.
In-Person & Remote Learning
I designed this unit to be printed out and used in an in-person classroom.
However, the unit can also be taught remotely. I have created a Google Slides resource for each lesson. Each resource contains student instructions, student worksheets with editable text boxes, and articles/task cards, if applicable. Teachers can assign Google Slides via Google Classroom.
Traditional Classroom vs. Homeschooling
This Western Geography Unit was designed to be used in a traditional school setting. Almost every lesson includes some type of group work with peers. The activities are interactive and often get kids out of their seats.
That being said, many homeschooling parents successfully use my units. Before purchasing, know that some lessons must be modified for homeschooling settings.
This Western Hemisphere Geography Unit also includes digital access via Google Slides.
I have created a Google Slides resource for each lesson. Each resource contains student instructions, student worksheets with editable text boxes, and articles/task cards, if applicable. Teachers can assign Google Slides via Google Classroom.
This Unit is For You If:
You are a new teacher who wants a high-quality unit for teaching about the geography of the Western Hemisphere. Nail it right out of the gate by using an easy-to-implement unit that leaves your students asking for more.
You have been teaching for years but need fresh ideas for getting kids excited about geography. You are always seeking to improve your craft and incorporate higher-level skills.
You want to spend less time preparing for lessons. You want a solution that is easy to prep and teach.
This Unit is NOT For You If:
You prefer only PowerPoint lectures and notes. The activities in this unit are varied and interactive. Students will often be getting out of their seats and working with others.
FAQs
Q: What grade levels is the unit for?
A: This unit is designed for 5th–8th graders.
Q: How long will this unit take to teach?
A: This unit includes 15 days of lesson plans, with each lesson lasting 45–60 minutes.
Q: When should I teach this unit?
A: You can use this unit anytime!
- Some teachers like to introduce the 5 Themes of Geography at the start of the year.
- Others love using a unit like this as a fun way to wrap up the year.
Q: My students find geography boring. Will this unit win them over?
A: I totally get it. Geography can feel dry if students aren’t connected to it.
This unit can help! To engage students, I’ve designed collaborative activities, tasks that get students out of their seats, in-depth case studies, and interactive student booklets. Plus, your students will love the review games (Trashketball and Jeopardy).
Q: How do you discuss the Gulf of Mexico / Gulf of America name dispute?
A: This is an issue I’ve given a lot of thought to. In case you haven’t heard, President Trump issued an executive order earlier this month renaming the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America. This change only applies within the United States—other countries, including Mexico, are not required to recognize it.
This has left many teachers unsure about how to teach this topic. One teacher even told me:
“I’m not sure how I’m going to teach the Gulf. All my resources say Gulf of Mexico! Getting new maps is like pulling teeth!”
I surveyed teachers to get a better sense of their plans. Over 70% said they would use both names and discuss the name dispute with their students.
So, that’s exactly how I approached it in this unit!
Throughout the lessons, this body of water is referred to like this:
Gulf of Mexico (Gulf of America).
My intentions in doing this are:
- to acknowledge that a name dispute exists
- to open up a discussion with students.
Example questions to discuss with students:
- Do Americans have to start calling it the Gulf of America?
- What about people from other countries?
- Can a declaration alone change the words people use?
Q: Does this unit discuss different types of maps?
A: Yes! This is covered in lesson 1.
First, students explore the difference between relative and absolute location. Then, they dive into the key parts of a map, including:
- Symbols
- Legend/key
- Compass rose
- Scale
After that, they’ll learn about and practice reading these types of maps:
- Political Maps
- Physical Maps
- Climate Maps
- Resource Maps
- Thematic Maps
Q: Does the unit talk about Human Geography?
Yes! This unit explores both physical and human geography.
In Theme 2: Place, students learn about the characteristics that make a location unique:
- Physical characteristics include natural features like landforms, climate, plants, animals, and bodies of water.
- Human characteristics focus on elements created by people, such as language, culture, religion, and buildings.
Q: How much prep is this resource?
A: I designed this unit to make your life easier!
I’ve already done the heavy lifting—researching the Western Hemisphere and the 5 Themes of Geography, creating slideshows, writing articles, making booklets, designing worksheets, and making answer keys.
Everything is ready to go, so much so that you could even leave it with a substitute teacher and know your students are in good hands!
Q: Will lessons be sold separately?
A: No, the lessons are only available as part of the full unit.
Q: Where can I find more history units?
Need a huge time-saving solution? Check out my money-saving bundles.
U.S. History Curriculum Bundle | Save 20% on All Units (5th–8th Grade)
Read answers to more FAQs here.
This Unit Goes Well With:
Native American Tribes Activities | Regions Lessons for Grades 5–8
Age of Exploration Activities | Interactive Lessons for Grades 5–8
Important Customer Information
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Kalpana Mehta (Verified Buyer) –
Your units are interesting and fun! Full of great information and learning resources. I just feel you need to devote more than 3 weeks to each unit. it takes me at least 5 to 6 weeks per unit. Then I have to skip some lessons!
Kriste Davenport (Verified Buyer) –
I have not been able to use the resourc, and will not be able to until next year, however, after looking through it, I am very excited to be teaching this to my students in the future.
Kathy Edwards (Verified Buyer) –
I am getting ready for next year’s Geography class for grades 7-8. This curriculum is engaging and thorough, offering a variety of activities that keep students interested while ensuring meaningful learning. The colorful articles and visuals enhance comprehension, and the balance of assignments caters to different learning styles.
Shelly Piecuch (Verified Buyer) –
I really like the unit at least what I have done so far. I see me using it more at the beginning of the school year so excited for that. It is great foundation to make sure that students have in place~
Patty Garrett (Verified Buyer) –
A lot of really great work went into this unit! The activities are hands on for student learning, which I love. The only thing I’ve had an issue with is the activities are a little low for 8th grade. For example, the Location Stations literally took them seconds to complete. I taught 5th grade for years and this would have been perfect!