Southwest BINGO

Mrs. Murphy's fourth grade class from Proctor School in Topsfield, MA had the opportunity to spend some time with Mrs. Viviani's fourth grade class from Spofford Pond School in Boxford, MA. Although these two schools are only 6 miles away, the students took a journey to the southwest region of the United States together.

Part of the fourth grade social studies curriculum is the study of the regions of the United States. In working with Mrs. Murphy's class we had the idea for a twist on the game BINGO. Students from both schools worked in a shared google doc to develop the questions and answers we would use for the game. They researched to find facts for landmarks and landforms, climate and water, culture and interesting facts, products and resources, and places to visit. Students filled in their BINGO boards with the answers from the shared doc. Each student had the opportunity to choose their own answers as they filled in the board.

On the big day we used google hangout to connect the two classes. Students took turns asking questions without revealing the answers. There were a few missed winners as they didn't have all the correct answers but in the end 2 students from Mrs. Viviani's class called SOUTHWEST BINGO and had everything correct!

How well do you know the southwest region?

Landforms: What is the name of a steep-sided canyon carved by the Colorado River in the state of Arizona?

Water: Water in the Southwest comes from what major river?

Interesting facts: What nickname did settlers in Oklahoma get when some settlers tried to stake their claims for free land sooner than the law permitted?

Resources: Which dam is a major supplier of hydroelectric power in the southwest region?

Places to visit:  What famous route starts in Illinois, runs through the four states of the Southwest and ends in California?

Reflection:

At the end of each session I always ask students to reflect on what they did well and what we could improve.

Answers included: We used loud voices, we tried, we listened very well, and we didn't get discouraged when we didn't remember the answer.

Ways to improve: We should study more.

Both teachers plan to begin the year with a Northeast BINGO  in the fall.