Unit 2 Objectives: The United States

and Canada
Chapter 5- The Physical Geography of United States and Canada- 1.5 Weeks
Section 1- The Land
1. Identify some key similarities and differences in the physical
geography of the United States and Canada.
2. Explain why rivers have played such an important role in the regions
development.
3. Explain geographic factors that have made the United States and
Canada so rich in natural resources.
Section 2- Climate and Vegetation
1. List the climate zones found in the United States and Canada.
2. Describe how winds, ocean currents, latitude, and landforms affect the
regions climates.
3. Identify the kinds of weather hazards affect the United States and
Canada.
4. Discuss how human settlement has affected the natural vegetation of
the United States and Canada.
Chapter 6- The cultural Geography of United States and Canada- 2 Full Weeks
Section 1- Population Patterns
1. Identify the peoples of the United States and Canada.
2. Explain how population patterns in the United States and Canada are
influenced by the regions physical geography.
3. Describe the geographic factors that encouraged the industrialization
and urbanization of the United States and Canada.
Section2- History and Government
1. Describe what life was like for the earliest Americans and for
European settlers.
2. Explain how industrialization and technology enabled westward
expansion in North America.
3. Discuss how governments of the United States and Canada differ.
Section 3- Cultures and Lifestyles
1. Discuss how the religious practices and languages of the region reflect
the immigrant history of the United States and Canada.
2. Describe how the arts of the United States and Canada reflect the
regions colonial past.
3. Identify the kinds of educational and health care systems that serve
the people of the region.
Chapter 7- The United States and Canada Today- 1.5 Weeks
Section 1- Living in the United States and Canada
1. Explain the effects of physical geography on the regions agriculture.
2. Identify the kinds of transportation and communications systems in
the region.
3. Describe how the economies of the United States and Canada are
dependent on each other and interdependent with those in other
parts of the world.
Section 2- People and Their Environment
1. Explain how the United States and Canada are learning to manage
their natural resources responsibly.
2. Identify causes and effects of pollution in the region, and discuss how
it can be prevented.
3. Discuss the environmental challenges faced by the United States and
Canada since the 2000s, both as individual countries and as a region.