Geography in the USA

Lyrics

Chorus
Mountains, valleys, rivers, lakes
So much to see in the 50 states
But you don’t need a car, you don’t need a plane
To learn geography in the U.S.A.
(×2)

Verse I
If you lose yourself inside of a map
Trying to figure out where the U.S. is at
Just move your little finger to the left of the page
The western hemisphere is the home to the States
North America is the continent we’re in
Conveniently between a few of our friends:
Canada up north, Mexico below
Atlantic on the East, Pacific on the West Coast

Chorus

Verse II
There are 50 states in the land of the free
And the national capitol is Washington D.C.
300 million people in the USA
It’s the 3rd most populated country today
50 states is a lot, and for that reason
We divide the country into these six regions:
New England, the Mid-Atlantic, the Midwest,
The South, the Southwest, and the wild, wild, West

Chorus

Verse III
If you see a little blue on the map of the states
You might be looking at the 5 Great Lakes
Lake Superior is superior ‘cause of its size
Next in line is Lake Michigan right by its side
Then Lake Huron, Erie, and Ontario, too
They’re the largest fresh water lakes stuck in a group
But if you’re talking about bodies of water with salt
We got the Great Salt Lake in the state of Utah

Chorus

Verse IV
Mississippi and Missouri are the longest rivers,
But don’t try swimming in ‘em; it’ll make you shiver
Unless you’re looking at a map that was made in 3-D
You might not notice the highest point: Mt. McKinley
Death Valley is the lowest elevation let me warn you
Making its home in the state of California
That’s about all that we got for this track
So if you missed anything, just rewind it back

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Description

This song teaches geography in the United States from New England to California. It discusses the Pacific Ocean, Atlantic Ocean, and the Great Lakes in between. The song also teaches the lowest point in the US, Death Valley, as well as the highest point in the US, Mount McKinley. The teaching materials at the bottom of the page, including lesson plans, worksheets, and activities help teachers and homeschool parents generate teaching ideas for the song topics. By learning this song, students will have a greater grasp of the geography of the USA.

This social studies song is suitable to help teach United States geography to elementary school students (4th grade, 5th grade and 6th grade), middle school, high school, home school, and college classes.

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Related Reading and Activities

Reading

Kids.gov
Maps/Geography
Contains several links to other web resources and maps from government cites and other learning venues. Maps may be downloaded from their store. Some are free.

USGS.gov
US Geological Survey
This government website has maps and resources explaining the geography of our country.

Lesson Plans & Activities

Sheppardsoftware.com
USA MAPS
This wonderful site is filled with information about individual states, regions, landscapes, maps, and a host of other interesting facts. Very easy to navigate and full of useful information. Extremely useful for classroom activities.

Eduref.org
State Geography
For this group activity, students create posters advertising assigned regions of the US.

Three Dimensional Physical Map of the United States and Canada
Using various classroom supplies, students make a map of the US, carefully marking regions, rivers and landmarks.

Enchantedlearning.com
US Geography
Requires membership and log in. This site features a wide variety of classroom activities to help students learn about US geography including quizzes.

Nationalgeographic.com
What’s Your Region Really Like?
Students use maps of the US to help better understand the country’s regions. This lesson plan also includes the idea of making a culture capsule that represents the specific region the class is in.

PBSkids.org
City, County, Community
This collection of lesson plans includes making travel brochures for US regions, using maps as learning tools and deciding on what makes a desirable community to live in.

Census.gov
FactFinder Kid’s Corner
This Is a fun site with lots of interesting facts and trivia about each state and quizzes. Good information, easy to navigate.

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State Standards

State standards listed here are representative of school standards across the United States.

Florida

SS.7.G.1.3 - Interpret maps to identify geopolitical divisions/boundaries of places in N. America.
SS.7.G.2.2 - Locate major physical landmarks that are emblematic of U.S.

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