The tasks found after this story will help students compare and contrast the five regions of the United States and learn geography, location and distance, and populations of areas!

To start, the United States consists of MANY different states! Fifty to be exact! All of these states are organized into five Regions. What is a region?

Hi there! I'm Ellie the Eagle! I am here to tell you about my journey across the United States! It was so much fun! I learned so many new AWESOME things about the U.S. to share!

A region is an area of land that has common features. The five regions of the United States are: Northeast, Southeast, Midwest, Southwest, and West.

The first region that I traveled to was the Northeast during the summer, it gets way to hot in the other regions!

The Northwest and Southwest regions are on the same coast connecting to the Atlantic Ocean! In the Northwest, I saw the Statue of Liberty! Although she is a statue, she is a significant part of the Northeast. Since I was in the North, I also experienced all four seasons!

The Southeast region is located in one of the southern parts of the U.S. There are many beaches and warm climates found in this region! I sure was sweating while flying through this region!

After deciding the tropical weather of the Southeast region was a little warm for me, I decided to travel west, to the Southwest region! They have many deserts here and it's very dry!

After exploring many of the Southwest deserts, I was ready to experience a region with COLOR! So, I made my way over the Midwest region. I found so many colorful farms with lots of green land and vibrant vegetables!

Last but not least, I thought I would travel to the West to see another ocean that touches the U.S! The Pacific Ocean connects to the West region. In the West, I also saw many mountains and huge trees!

I hope you had fun learning from my trip through the regions of the United States! I sure had fun flying around all of America!

Task #1

The Southwest is the smallest region in the United States, which includes the states: Arizona, New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Texas. These states all have mountains, deserts, plains, and forests. However, Texas is the only state with a beach. If Texas is the only state that has a beach, what is the fraction of states that DO NOT have a beach?

Florida Mathematical Standards

 MAFS.3.NF.1.3 Explain equivalence of fractions in special cases, and compare fractions by reasoning about their size. Understand two fractions as equivalent (equal) if they are the same size, or the same point on a number line. Recognize and generate simple equivalent fractions, e.g., 1/2 = 2/4, 4/6 = 2/3). Explain why the fractions are equivalent, e.g., by using a visual fraction model. Express whole numbers as fractions, and recognize fractions that are equivalent to whole numbers.  Compare two fractions with the same numerator or the same denominator by reasoning about their size. Recognize that comparisons are valid only when the two fractions refer to the same whole. Record the results of comparisons with the symbols >, =, or <, and justify the conclusions, e.g., by using a visual fraction model.