Materials

• Atlases
• Almanacs

Instructional Activities

1. Review the content of the previous session.
   
   
2. Provide resource atlases and almanacs, or have students visit the computer lab or media center to research statistics that support the following statements about the United States and Canada:
   •    Both countries have a high literacy rates.
   •    Both countries have a high standard of living.
   •    Both countries are highly urbanized.
   •    Both countries have highly mobile populations.
   •    The United States and Canada share the world’s longest unfortified border.
   •    Both countries are members of multinational alliances, such as the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).
   •    Both countries produce large quantities of waste and pollution.
   
   An option is to have the students work in groups and to assign each group one of the above topics to research and then report back to the class.
   
   
3. Provide time for students to report to the class on the information they found. Conduct a class discussion on each of these characteristics as they are reported.
   
   
4. Assign a teacher-selected reading, worksheet, or other reinforcement activity, using available teacher resources.