Midwest

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Midwest Region
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Where is the Midwest?
Have you been to any states in the Midwest?
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When European Settlers came to America, they
settled along the east coast of the United
States. In 1804, U.S. President Thomas Jefferson
asked Merriwether Lewis to lead an expedition
across western North America. This was
unexplored territory so no one knew what to
expect. His friend William Clark helped him lead
a special team on the journey. Their goals were
to map the rivers, make friends with natives,
open the West to trade, and look for a water
route from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific
Ocean. Lets learn about the new area they
explored, which is today called the Midwest.
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Stop 1
Missouri
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As we fly over St. Louis, Missouri you will see
the famous Gateway Arch.
The Gateway Arch is the tallest national monument
in the United States! It stands at over 630 feet
tall.
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Lets get another view
The Gateway Arch gets more than 1 million
visitors a year! It is the 4th most popular
tourist attraction in the world.
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Hold on tight! Lets get a closer look
The arch was made using 900 tons of stainless
steel. Thats more than any other project in
history! It weighs 17,246 tons!
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Why is the Arch so popular?
When you visit the Gateway Arch, you can go all
the way to the top for a stunning view of St.
Louis. There is a tram (elevator) inside that
takes you to the top.
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Westward Expansion Museum
There is also a museum at the Gateway Arch. The
museum has artifacts to help preserve the history
of the Midwest. Items include information about
the Sioux Indians, the first to live on these
lands, and information about Lewis and Clark, the
explorers who led the Westward Expansion.
Click on the explorer to play a Lewis and Clark
expedition game!
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Its getting dark, we better get going
Click here to take a quiz about the Gateway Arch.
Click on Gateway Arch Quiz.
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Stop 2
Iowa
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Iowa The Farm State
Iowa is often referred to as The Farm State or
The Corn State. Much of Iowa looks like the
pictures below.
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Prairie States
Iowa is one of the Midwest prairie states. A
prairie is flat, grassy land with few trees.
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Agriculture in Iowa
Agriculture is the process of producing food by
the raising of plants and animals.
Because of the flat land that is good for
farming, Iowa and many of the other Midwest
states are among the top agriculture states in
the U.S.
In fact, in 2005 Iowa led the nation in the
production of pork, corn, soybeans, and eggs!
Agriculture is a very important source of income
for many people in Iowa.
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Interesting Facts
about Iowa's Agriculture

• About 89 of Iowas land is farms
• Iowa is ranked 2nd in the nation in red meat
  production
• Iowa has 5 ½ hogs for every person in the state
  (that was 16.3 million hogs in 2006!)
• Iowas total agricultural exports for 2004 were
  valued at more than 3.676 billion (ranking Iowa
  2nd in the nation)

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Stop 3
Illinois
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As we fly over Chicago, Illinois we will have to
watch out for more planes.
The OHare International Airport in Chicago is
one of the busiest airports in the world! It has
been voted The Best Airport in North America by
travelers.
Click on the airplane above to watch a video
about the Chicago Airport system. Listen and be
ready to discuss why it was voted best airport
by travelers.
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Many people fly in to Chicago to catch a baseball
game at Wrigley Field.
The Chicago Cubs baseball team plays at Wrigley
Field.
Wrigley Field, built in 1914, is the second
oldest baseball stadium.
Click on the sound icon to root on the team with
Take Me Out to the Ballgame.
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Stop 4
Ohio
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Look! It's Mike Fink...
You dont know who Mike Fink is? Everyone who
travels along the Ohio River has heard stories of
Mike Fink. Ask your teacher to tell you the
story of this keelboat man.
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Stop 5
Michigan
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Michigan The Great Lakes
Michigan is surrounded by the Great Lakes. The
city of Sault Ste. Marie is the third oldest
settlement in the United States.
Before European settlers came over, the area was
inhabited by North American Indians for almost
2,000 years. Because the area was surrounded by
water, it quickly became an important fishing and
meeting place.
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Michigan Soo Locks
Ships are constantly traveling between the Great
Lakes. The Soo Locks are the busiest locks in
the world, with an average of 12,000 ships
passing through each year.
In the winter months, the Soo Locks are closed
due to ice on the Great Lakes.
Click on the ship to see an animation of how the
Soo Locks work.
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Detroit, Michigan
Detroit, Michigan is known for its automotive
industries. Ford Motor Company was established
here in 1903.
Henry Ford produced the reasonably priced,
reliable and efficient Model T in 1908. Ten
years later, half of all cars in America were
Model Ts.
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Detroit, Michigan
In 1913, Henry Ford developed the first moving
assembly line. This meant that workers would
stand in one place adding parts to the cars as
the cars moved past them on an assembly line.
This had never been done before. This was a
huge change in production that reduced assembly
time per car and lowered costs. Ford was now the
largest automobile manufacturer in the world.
Click on the car above to take a tour of the Ford
GT Factory today!
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Stop 6
South Dakota
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As we fly over South Dakota, be on the lookout
for Mount Rushmore.
There it is! Mount Rushmore is a mountain with
the faces of four great United States Presidents
carved into it. Do you know the Presidents?
George Washington
Thomas Jefferson
Theodore Roosevelt
Abraham Lincoln
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Mount Rushmore is located in the Black Hills of
South Dakota.
Here are more pictures of Mount Rushmore.
Mount Rushmore took 14 years to complete.
Click here for more Mount Rushmore Trivia!
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Crazy Horse Memorial is also located in the Black
Hills of South Dakota.
The Crazy Horse Memorial is a carving in
progress. Crazy Horse is a legendary Lakota
leader. The Lakota, Nakota, and Dakota are
Plains Indians, more commonly known as Sioux.
The Crazy Horse Memorial is not finished, but you
can see the head completed on the mountain.
Click on the feather to see the progress of the
head carving.
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The Sioux Indians still live in South Dakota
today.
More than 62,000 American Indians live in South
Dakota. Many of the nine tribes in South Dakota
maintain buffalo herds today. You will often see
them as you travel across the open prairies.
If you visit South Dakota, you can learn about
the traditions, dances, dress, and food of the
Sioux at one of their powwows or wascipis
(dances).
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Stop 7
Kansas
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Welcome to Kansas The Sunflower State.
Just like many of the other Midwest prairie
states, Kansas has lots of flat land good for
farming. You will also see many sunflowers in
Kansas, thus its nickname.
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Often, when people think of Kansas, they think of
a famous movie set here.
The Wizard of Oz
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We can learn a few things about Kansas from The
Wizard of Oz.
Tornadoes are common in the Midwest prairie
states. Do you know why?
Click on the tornado to see video of a real
tornado.
Winter storms are often severe in the Midwest
states!
Click on the state of Kansas above to view a
current weather map of the Midwest Region.
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United Streaming Videos These videos are listed
for grades 3-8, but video segments may be
appropriate to show to 2nd graders to illustrate
key concepts of region. Midwest Volume
I Midwest Volume II Mount Rushmore
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Tall Tales of the Midwest A good resource for
regional tall tale stories is http//www.americanf
olklore.net/tt.html The author, Steven Kellogg,
has also created books of several tall tales that
have amazing illustrations. Due to time
constraints on this unit, only the tall tale of
Mike Fink was included in this presentation.
However there are many other tall tales that
could be shared from this region. An integrated
reading unit on tall tales is recommended to help
students fully understand this genre and the
importance of these stories to American
history. Other tall tales from the
Northeast Johnny Appleseed (traveled through
Midwest planting apple trees) Sal Fink (daughter
of Mike Fink)
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over time websites change and links may become
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this resource. Thanks for your help! All links
were also previewed before being selected to
ensure their appropriateness for 2nd graders.
However, since websites are constantly changing
it is always best to preview all links before
showing to students. If you find a link that is
no longer appropriate please email
amadden_at_greenville.k12.sc.us and I will remove
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