Goals:

1.  The students will learn what regions are and how to define regional boundaries.

2.  Students will be able to define the term region and apply the concept to the region covered in the novel Shark Beneath the Reef.

Materials:

Multiple copies of the novel - George, Jean Craighead. (1989). Shark Beneth the Reef.  New York: Harper Trophy.

One copy of an outline map of the United States for each group

Colored pens or pencils for each group

Reference maps or atlases

Time:

Excluding the time it will take to read the novel, this lesson should take from five to ten hours to complete.

Procedure:

1.  To introduce the concept of region, ask students what Mexico's Baja peninsula, a rain forest, the Corn Belt and a local well-known region all have in common. Explain that these areas are all regions.  Tell students that they will be learning about regions--areas defined by certain unifying characteristics.

2.  Have students (individually or in small groups) identify regions within your classroom, school or community.  Ask them to define the boundaries of those regions as specifically as possible and to cite the unifiying characteristics that define the regions.  Allow time for response. (Possible responses are: an area of the room where students hang their coats, a section of the cafeteria where the athletes congregate or a neighborhood where there is a large number of recreation opportunities).

3.  Develop the definition of a region. Have the students draw a concept web of a region. Make sure they understand regions by offering the following examples.
 

Physical regions, like climates, vegetation zones, biomes, general physical areas like mountains, peninsulas and islands, and specific physical areas such as the Mexican Baja peninsula.

Cultural regions like Latin America and the Bible Belt.

Global regions such as areas with similar soil types, religions, climates, languages.

Local regions including school districts, newspaper-circulation areas, and zip code and zoning areas.
 

4.  Ask students to analyze their list of regions by looking for similarities and differences among the regions.Ý Prompt students by asking:
 

How would you know you had left one region and entered another?

What characteristics make one region different from another?

How do you determine the boundaries of a region?
 

5.  Ask students to define regions in a complete sentence or two.

6.  Give each team a copy of an outline map of the United States and two colored pens or pencils.  Ask students to draw boundaries on their maps for two regions commonly known and frequently used in popular speech and literature such as the Midwest or the South.  Designate a separate color to outline the boundaries of each region.Ý Use reference maps or atlases if necessary.

7.  Now that the students have a better understanding of what regions are, ask the students to list what they can determine about the region of the Mexican Baja peninsula from the novel Shark Beneath the Reef. Include both physical and cultural characteristics.

8.  Have the students create a map of the peninsula with the characters drawn in.

9.  Discuss how this area compares to their own region.

Assessment:

1.  Have students turn in their concept web of the characteristics of the region of the Mexican Baja peninsula  (Criteria for success = correct identification of 80% of the characteristics).

2.  In paragraph form, have students explain why they chose those characteristics for their concept web (Criteria for success = five or more sentences with few spelling and grammatical errors).

3.  Each student will evaluate their own and their team member's participation in group mapping activity  (Criteria for success = see Group Contribution Scoring Sheet).

4.  Teacher can tabulate student participation in class discussion (Criteria for success = more than one check mark).

Curricular Strands and Major Concepts:

1.  Language Arts - Using evidence from the novel as the foundation of individual and group activities.

2.  Social Studies - Geography Standards:

1 - Learning the concepts of regions and regional boundaries
2 -  Facilitating map reading.
3 -  Discussing the characteristics of a region and how they are used for human survival
 

3.  Science - Examining the physical characteristics of a particular region.

Possible Extensions:

1.  Students could do an in depth study of the culture of the Mexican Baja peninsula and perhaps make comparisons to another similar region.

2.  Students could make a regional map to include physical features, cities, and industry.

3.  Students could report on the importance of the ocean and the coral reefs to the economy of the region.

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Coral Reefs - developed by Kristen Treadway, Jenny Mavis, T. J. Beck, & Jim O'Keefe

This page submitted by the St. Norbert College Ocean Voyager Program

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