Atlantic Gulf Pacific and Great Lakes

Supplied materials

• Paper and pencil; drawing or spoken answers are welcome.
• Topic notes: Atlantic coast: the eastern U.S. ocean coast. Pacific coast: the western continental U.S. ocean coast. Gulf coast: the southern coast bordering the Gulf of Mexico. Great Lakes region: the area around major freshwater lakes on the U.S.–Canada border.
• Original exercise cards: A card locates ocean shoreline in the eastern United States. / A card locates ocean shoreline in California. / A card locates Gulf shoreline in Louisiana. / A card describes freshwater shipping near Michigan. / A card locates ocean shoreline in Oregon. / A card locates Gulf shoreline in southern Mississippi. / A card describes the lakes shared across the northern international border. / A card identifies an ocean-facing shore near the eastern seaboard.

Learn the idea

The United States borders Atlantic and Pacific waters, the Gulf of Mexico and the Great Lakes. The Great Lakes are freshwater lakes, not an ocean. Water routes and coasts connect regions, but a coastline does not by itself tell us a place’s economy or culture.

Atlantic coast: the eastern U.S. ocean coast. Pacific coast: the western continental U.S. ocean coast. Gulf coast: the southern coast bordering the Gulf of Mexico. Great Lakes region: the area around major freshwater lakes on the U.S.–Canada border.

Use the coast or water clue in the card: eastern ocean, western ocean, Gulf shoreline or freshwater Great Lakes. Read the notes and the word cards. You can write, draw or say your answer.

1. Read the four notes. Find the words Atlantic coast, Pacific coast, Gulf coast, Great Lakes region.
2. Use the coast or water clue in the card: eastern ocean, western ocean, Gulf shoreline or freshwater Great Lakes.
3. Read the worked answer. Then try the other cards and explain which words helped you choose.
4. Choose two different examples: one for Atlantic coast and one for Pacific coast. Explain how their clues differ.

Check your reasoning

Your answer is temporary and is not saved to an account. Download your current answer before leaving or reloading. Written work on paper or in another app stays in your own file.

Take it further

New card: “A card identifies an ocean-facing shore near the eastern seaboard.” Match it with a note, then point to or say the words that helped. Check: The card says: “A card identifies an ocean-facing shore near the eastern seaboard.” That matches Atlantic coast. Atlantic coast is the eastern U.S. ocean coast.

Nothing here is saved to an account or sent to a teacher. The answer download includes your current choice and any checked feedback. It does not include choices from the separate More practice section. Download that section separately.