In Bedford MA our fourth grade students (ages 9-10) study regions of the United States. I am looking to develop a wiki that encompasses teachers from the different regions as well as some email pals - ePals - for our fourth grade students to correspond with about the regions of the country. The wiki would guide us in activities that we can do to help us to understand what it's like to live in a different region of the US.
If you would like to participate or help to develop this wiki, would love to hear from you! I have three classrooms of roughly 25 students who would be interested.
These are the topics that we cover in fourth grade:
1) Location 2) Climate 3) Physical Features 4)Unique Attributes: 5) Natural Resources 6) Economy
These are the regions
| SOUTHWEST | SOUTHEAST | NORTHEAST | MIDWEST MOUNTAIN | MOUNTAIN | WEST |
| Arizona | North Carolina | Connecticut | Illinois | Colorado | Alaska |
| New Mexico | South Carolina | Delaware | Indiana | Idaho | California |
| Texas | Kentucky | Maine | Iowa | Montana | Hawaii |
| Oklahoma | Virginia | Maryland | Kansas | Utah | Nevada |
| West Virginia | Massachusetts | Michigan | Wyoming | Oregon | |
| Arkansas | New Hampshire | Minnesota | Washington | ||
| Louisiana | New Jersey | Missouri | |||
| Mississippi | New York | Nebraska | |||
| Alabama | Pennsylvania | North Dakota | |||
| Georgia | Rhode Island | Ohio | |||
| Florida | Vermont | South Dakota | |||
| Tennessee | Wisconsin |
I am a fourth grade teacher in New Orleans. I didn't teach SS last year, but not sure about next. If I don't teach SS next year I will certainly pass on your info to the teachers who do teach it. Good luck with your project.
Our 4th grade social studies teacher is quite open to new ideas. I will mention this idea to her - I think she'd like the concept. Will reply to you after talking to her. We're from SE Ohio, so would be part of the midwest region.
Could you send me an e-mail with the above info? I can then forward it to her and get a quicker response.
Judy Brown
K-12 Librarian
Caldwell Schools
Caldwell, Oh 43724
jbrown@caldwell,k12.oh.us
jtortora -
I am a special needs teacher located in NW Virginia - Winchester, Virginia to be exact - and have been teaching for 3 years. Although I do not teach SS content, I think that your idea for sharing info from state to state is a really cool idea. I will run your idea past our SS teacher here at the JDC, and if he is unwilling, I am sure my Science standards would support contributing to this effort. Keep in touch!
David Meyer
NRJDC: Math/Science
meyerd@frederick.k12.va.us
jtortora
I am a 4th grade teacher in Oklahoma (Norman - Go OU!). I would love to be a part of this project. Our Social Studies covers US Regions. I will have around 24 students next year.
FYI - I grew up in Littleton, MA. Would love to be there right now as it over 100 today. LOL
Eric Andexler
Truman Elementary
600 Parkside Road
Norman, OK 73072
I am moving to a 4th grade this fall in Worcester, MA. I was thinking of something similar. I left a couple replies to other 4th grade teachers about collaborating. (That was my first day and I don't remember who I asked.) As I plan out my year this summer, it would help me a lot to be involved with a project like this. I had done projects such as 'Postcard Geography' in the past, which could be so much more dynamic in this environment, especially now that I'm learning how to better manipulate everything here. Good idea starting a forum.
Mark Tozer
tozerm@worc.k12.ma.us
mrtozer.pbworks.com
jtortora, I am a 4th grade teacher teaching in Japan. MY children ae US servicememvbers. We study alot of the same things and would like to be included. I should also have about 25 students. Write me at Steve.parker@pac.dodea.edu
Steve
Let's set up a wiki for this, if no one has yet, and add whoever wants to work on it. While the camp is running, we can keep the page(s) here, and move them (create new wikis) off of our own pages for the school year. It would be a good place to save / share resources and ideas. A good place to practice, create something meaningful, and make a few friends 
I've just opened a new page:
http://camppbworks.pbworks.com/Regions-of-the-US-Collaboration-Project
What do you think?
Mark Tozer
Let's set up a wiki for this, if no one has yet, and add whoever wants to work on it. While the camp is running, we can keep the page(s) here, and move them (create new wikis) off of our own pages for the school year. It would be a good place to save / share resources and ideas. A good place to practice, create something meaningful, and make a few friends [image]
I've just opened a new page:
[url]
What do you think?
Mark Tozer-mozert
Mark, I left a comment on the page you made but am not sure you saw it. Any way, check your page, look at my comment and if you are still interested, let's get started
Hello Janet and all others who posted here (or anyone who may happen across this post in the future) -
Steve and I are starting a collaboration project having the students design wikis based on the states within regions. Janet's original post was asking for e-pals around this theme. The more people from the various states/regions the better. I'll send Janet an email to let her know what we are doing, and perhaps we can organize a system for setting up e-pals as well. Please get in touch with either Steve or myself to see how the plans are coming along. THANKS!
Mark
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