Introduction
People need the earth, sunshine, and water to meet their basic needs.
Without these natural resources, crops could never be grown, and people
could never get a drink. Nature provides for our basic needs of food,
drink, shelter, and clothing.
Shared Book Literature Source
Heartland, Diane Siebert.
Through poetic text and illustration, Diane Siebert has captured the
beauty of the Midwest in its land and its people. Life as it is
described becomes mystifying, yet awesome in its uniqueness.
Other Materials Needed
- United States Discovery Map
- Landscape Picture Map
- Map Markers
Suggested Lesson
As part of a pre-reading activity, introduce the children to various
regions of the United States, i.e., East Coast, West Coast, South,
Midwest, etc. Discuss with the children the various characteristics of
each of these regions, including climate, landforms, and industry.
Remind the children that the story to be read is about one of these
regions. Ask students to listen to see which region is being talked
about in this story. (Do not show the front cover to the students or
tell them the title of the story)
In a shared book experience, read Heartland to the students. Ask the
children to identify the region of the United States being described.
Discuss with the children how the dependence on natural resources played
a part in this story. Remind the children of the immediate effect on the
farmer and the long-term effect on the consumer. Ask the children to
divide the dependence on natural resources as being either the farmer
and predict what might happen if this resource were no longer available.
List these on the chalkboard.
Ask the children to refer to the Landscape Picture Map and locate all
natural features, including land and water. Write "L" on each land
feature and a "W" on each water feature.
Using sentence strips, ask the students to write a sentence about one
of the features identified and tell about how the feature is used as a
resource to help meet people's needs. For example, "My mother uses water
when she prepares our dinner." Hang the sentence strips in the form of
the appropriate letter. For example, use those sentences utilizing land
resources to create the letter "L" and use those sentences utilizing
water resources to create the letter "W".
The author uses poetic form to convey the feelings of one who lives
in the Midwest. Ask the children to write about where they live in
poetic form. |
