Western Region of the US: Today
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Discover the Modern West – Economy, Cities, and Culture Come to Life!
Step into the vibrant and dynamic Western Region with Western Region: Today, an engaging, standards-aligned video designed for 4th-grade classrooms! This educational journey explores the natural resources and industries that power the West, from gold mining and timber harvesting to cutting-edge technology in Silicon Valley and aerospace innovation in Seattle. Students will learn how the West’s economy thrives through farming, fishing, tourism, and international trade, making it one of the most diverse and fast-growing regions in the U.S.
Beyond economics, this video highlights bustling capital cities and iconic landmarks, including the Golden Gate Bridge, Space Needle, Alcatraz, and Monument Valley. Students will meet notable historical figures like Lewis & Clark, Sacagawea, and Queen Liliʻuokalani, as well as modern trailblazers like Bill Gates.
The cultural richness of the West also shines with legendary celebrations like the Chinese New Year in San Francisco, Alaskan Iditarod, Hawaiian luaus, and thrilling rodeos. Packed with stunning visuals, real-world connections, and interactive elements, this video makes learning about the modern West exciting and unforgettable!
Bring history, geography, and culture to life—subscribe today and let your students explore the incredible Western Region!
Companion Video to:
Western Region: Early Beginnings
Video Length: 34:20 minutes
Learning Resources with this Video*
Quiz
Universal Resources
National Standards
*Links are active on Full Video page.
Topics Covered
Modern Industries in the Western economy
Natural Resources
-Forestry
-Minerals
-Uranium
-Oil & Natural Gas
-Farming
-Ranching
-Fishing
Technology in the West:
-Aviation technology
-Computer technology
-Telecommunication technology
Federal Government
Tourism
Shipping
Hawaii’s economy
Alaska’s economy
Natural Landmarks
-Salton Sea
-Bonneville Salt Flats
-Cannon Beach
-Monument Valley
-Venice Beach
Natural Landmarks
-Space Needle
-Sutter’s Mill
-Golden Gate Bridge
-Alcatraz
-Grand Coulee Dam
The Capital Cities of the West – one by one
More Notable Cities of the West
-Los Angeles, California
-San Francisco, California
-San Diego, California
-Seattle, Washington
-Bozeman, Montana
-Las Vegas, Nevada
-Portland, Oregon
-Anchorage, Alaska
Notable People
-Meriwether Lewis & William Clark
-Sacagawea
-Kit Carson
-Brigham Young
-Queen Liliʻuokalani
-Margaret Murie
-Bill Gates
-Jedediah Smith
-Dorothea Lange
-Jeannette Rankin
Celebrations
-Chinese New Year
-Iditarod
-Rodeos
-Crow Fair
-Luau
Classroom Ideas
Western Region of the US: Today
Landforms and Bodies of Water
Print out or look at a map of the Western Region.
Identify landforms and bodies of water in the Western Region.
Cloze Practice
A cloze piece has full sentences used in the virtual field trip with blanks where students can write in the information that is missing. This task requires close listening to the trip in order to complete it.
Art and Social Studies
Draw a scene from the video you just watched.
Create Quizzes
Students create a quiz based on the information presented for their peers. This can be used as a review for a test, or Jigsaw class activity where students are responsible for teaching other students assigned topics.
Visual Learning
Offer videos to struggling learners as another form of creating knowledge and accessing information.
Classroom Ideas for ALL Videos
Here are dozens and dozens of ideas that you can use in your classroom along with our videos!
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