American Culture class

1. REGIONS OF THE USA

2. THE MIDWEST

3. CLIMATE
• Weather in the Midwest Minnesota, Iowa,
Missouri, Wisconsin, Indiana, Illinois,
Michigan, Ohio, North Dakota, South Dakota,
Nebraska and Kansas-- varies dramatically
from state to state and season to season.
• Without any oceans nearby to moderate the
changing temperatures, summers in the
region can be brutally hot, while winters can
be frigid.

4. TEMPERATURES
• Temperatures in the Midwestern part of the
U.S. can swing 100 or more degrees between
winter and summer. In winter, temperatures
can fall below zero.
• Spring and autumn temperatures tend to be
moderate.
• Summers in the Midwest tend to be humid
and hot.

5. PRECIPITATIONS
• Rain is a common occurrence in the Midwest.
Snow is also standard in winter months.

6. WEATHER HAZARDS
• Tornadoes are a frightening part of life in Midwestern
states. Tornado Alley, a swath of land known for its high
incidence of tornadoes, is concentrated in the center of
the United States but extends up into Minnesota and
Iowa. For its part, Iowa has an average of 48 tornadoes
per year, with the majority of storms in May and June.
SPOT Tornado Alley in your map.
• Droughts are also unfortunately common in spring and
summer, and can be devastating for areas.
• On the other hand, heavy rainfall can lead to flooding
in low-lying areas of the region.

7. Tornado
Alley
Click on the
photo below

8. DROUGHTS
FLOODS
TORNADOES

10. States
• Copy the states and circle them with
their colour.
• Draw the map
in your
notebook

11. States
and
cities

12. Click on the shapes

13. STATES AND CAPITALS
• Springfield Lincoln
• Illinois Nebraska
• Indianapolis Bismarck
• Indiana North Dakota
• Des Moines Columbus
• Iowa Ohio
• Topeka Pierre
• Kansas South Dakota
• Lansing Madison
• Michigan Wisconsin
• Saint Paul Saint Louis
• Minnesota Missouri
Click on the QUIZLET to practise:

15. MATCH THE STATES WITH THEIR
CAPITALS
a) Wisconsin 1. Springfield
b) Illinois 2. Saint Louis
c) Ohio 3. Madison
d) Indiana 4. Lansing
e) Missouri 5. Columbus
f) Michigan 6. Saint Paul
g) Minnesota 7. Indianapolis

16. VOCABULARY

18. LANDSCAPES
• Match these landscapes with the photos:
1. Desert
2. Valley
3. Lakes
4. Prairie

19. LANDSCAPES
a. b.
c. d.

20. DESERT ANIMALS

21. DESERT VOCABULARY

22. COMPLETE ______________
_______________
_____
________
_________
_________
________
_______ _______
_______
____
__________

24. LAKES
Click on
the shapes

25. The Great Lakes are located in northeastern North America, on the Canada–United
States border, which connect to the Atlantic Ocean .
Consisting of Lakes Superior, Michigan, Huron, Erie, and Ontario, they form the
largest group of freshwater lakes on Earth, containing 21% of the world's surface
fresh water.
•The Great Lakes region contains not only the five themselves but also many
thousands of smaller lakes, often called "inland lakes."Of the five lakes, Lake
Michigan is the only one that is located entirely within the United States; the others
form a water boundary between the United States and Canada.
DRAW THE GREAT LAKES AND COPY THEIR NAMES

27. THE MIDWEST STATES :
Click here

29. QUIZ TEST
• 1. It’s the state famous for its CHEESE.
• 2. It’s the state famous for its SUNFLOWERS and
PLANES
• 3. It’s the state famous for its Christmas Tree
Farms
• 4. Mount Rushmore is here
• 5. It’s the land of the 10,000 lakes
• 6. Corn is grown and there is a Botanical Garden
• 7. Roosevelt National Park is a landmark

30. ANSWERS TO THE QUIZ
• 1. WISCONSIN
• 2. KANSAS
• 3. MICHIGAN
• 4. SOUTH DAKOTA
• 5. MINNESOTA
• 6. IOWA
• 7. NORTH DAKOTA

31. THE WEST

32. States and capitals
TEST GAME

33. ALASKA (JUNEAU)
CLICK
CLICK

34. • It’s the only state capital that cannot be
reached by road or rail; everyone and
everything comes to Juneau by boat or plane.
• Activities: hiking, boating, biking, skiing and
fishing.

35. WASHINGTON (OLYMPIA)

36. OREGON (SALEM)

37. MONTANA (HELENA)
St. Helena CathedralThe state Capitol building

38. IDAHO (BOISE)

39. WYOMING (CHEYENNE)

40. CALIFORNIA (SACRAMENTO)

41. NEVADA (CARSON CITY)

42. UTAH (SALT LAKE CITY)

43. COLORADO (DENVER)

44. ARIZONA (PHOENIX)

45. NEW MEXICO (SANTA FE)
St. Francis cathedral
Lensic Theatre

47. MATCH THE STATES WITH THEIR
CAPITALS
a) COLORADO 1.JUNEAU
b) OREGON 2.BOISE
c) CALIFORNIA 3.SALT LAKE CITY
d) NEW MEXICO 4.SACRAMENTO
e) NEVADA 5.SANTA FE
f) ALASKA 6.SALEM
g) IDAHO 7. HELENA
h) UTAH 8. DENVER

48. CLIMATE
• Northwest Pacific: Oregon and Washington to
the Cascade Mountains.
• This is the perhaps the wettest part of the
country. There are scattered rain showers all
year round.
• Temperatures are mild. The summer months
are pleasantly warmer but never too hot.
• You can see fogs along the coast during the
warmer weather.

49. States and capitals

50. • Mid/South Pacific Rockies: California, Idaho, Montana,
Wyoming, Colorado, Utah and Nevada.
•
These states have generally dry and delightful summers.
Sometimes there are fires.
•
California has excellent weather all the year round, with
the northern part of the state somewhat cooler.
There are very few places in California that experience
snow, and the state is known for its nice weather.
•
The winter months in the other states like Montana, Idaho
and Wyoming can be very cold, with temperatures
dropping well below 0 degree F.
Colorado, Utah and Nevada are known for their excellent
skiing.

51. States and capitals

53. LANDSCAPES

55. RIVERS
• The Mississippi river
• The Missouri river
• The Ohio river
• The Colorado river
• The Rio Grande
What’s the
name of this
type of boat?
STEAMBOAT
Click on the Mississippi river
to watch two videos
Click here to watch a video

56. RIVERS

57. MOUNTAINS

59. THE ROCKY MOUNTAINS
Click here to watch the video

60. DESERTS

61. NATIVE AMERICANS LOCATION
We were expelled from
the East in the past...
WHERE shall
we go now?

62. GOING TO THE
• The Indians and the
“White Man” were
not always Friends.

63. • The White Man wanted their LAND…….so
the indians escaped to the west.

66. The railroad workers
• They opened the
way to the
West…
through
mountains,
valleys…
working all day
long

67. MEANS OF TRANSPORT
STEAM TRAIN

68. COVERED WAGON

69. BUFFALO BILL
• He hunted LOTS of
buffaloes and he had a
circus show to teach
people the HISTORY of the
WEST

71. • Buffalo Bill and Chief Sitting Bull played
cowboys and Indians

72. HORSE

73. STAGECOACH

75. WILD WEST CITIES

77. __________________________

78. We are the
BAD
GUYS!!

79. Train Robbery

82. Gold Seekers
• During the
Gold Rush,
they looked
for GOLD
Gold Nugget

83. Trappers
• They hunted animals,
like bisons and beavers,
for their FUR

84. Barkeep
Doctor
Drunken
Gunslinger

85. Ladies in the
Old West

87. Top 10 West USA
• 1.- The Grand Canyon (Colorado)
• 2.- San Francisco (California)
• 3.- Las Vegas (Nevada)
• 4.- Santa Fe (New Mexico)
• 5.- Road Trip (Through the West)
• 6.- The National & State Parks
• 7.- Denver (Colorado)
• 8.- San Diego (California)
• 9.- Seattle (Washington)
• 10.- Portland (Oregon)

88. 1.THE GRAND CANYON (COLORADO)
– Grand Canyon Skywalk
– Grand Canyon

89. 2. San Francisco (California)

90. 3.- Las Vegas (Nevada)

91. 4. Santa Fe (New Mexico)

92. 5.- Road Trip (Through the West)

93. 6.- The National & State Parks
Yoshmite
Yellowstone
Grand Teton
Archer National Park
Goblin Valley
Sequoia National Park
Redwood National & State Park

94. 7. Denver (Colorado)

95. 8.- San Diego (California)

96. 9. Seattle (Washington)
Mount Rainier

97. 10.- Portland (Oregon)