In this resource, students can learn about the geography of the United States through short videos, mini-activities, and practice questions. The eight questions in this segment cover topics such as, the longest rivers in the country, the oceans that border the country, and the states that border Canada and Mexico.
This site was designed with the needs of recent immigrants in mind. It is written at a “low-intermediate” ESL level.

North Carolina's state capitol rises majestically on Union Square in downtown Raleigh, a city specifically created in 1792 to serve as North Carolina's permanent capital. Built between 1833-40, the granite building is one of the finest and best preserved examples of civic Greek Revival architecture in the United States. Relatively small in comparison to many other state capitols, this impressive structure has stood as a symbol of pride to North Carolinians for more than 150 years.

Topics: This lesson could be used in American history courses in units on the early National period, North Carolina state history, or early 19th-century politics and government.

Time period: Early 19th century

In this activity, students examine an advertisement for available acreage in Nebraska and answer a series of questions. The questions are designed to guide students into a deeper analysis of the source and sharpen associated cognitive skills.

Explore the relationship between the location of surface water and U.S. population settlement patterns.

Have you ever wondered about the first people who lived on our continent? How did they get here? It is believed by many historians that thousands of years ago, hunters following herds of animals like woolly mammoths and bison migrated (or moved) to the Americas on foot from Asia. This belief assumes that they crossed over a frozen land bridge caused by the Ice Age.

Students learn about the political, economic, and geographic regional differences that led to conflict in the United States through map sketches, primary sources, problem-solving and points of view.

In this lesson, students learn how physical features (land forms) in what is now the United States affected the settlement patterns of early citizens.

Students gain a better understanding of geographic tools and their application for interpreting information. Students learn about why the early colonists settled in the areas they did and the types of economic patterns that emerged due to the physical environment. In the process, students differentiate between different types of regions and how they may develop based on human actions or their physical geography