Materials

• A map of the local area that shows city and county boundary lines
• A map of national and international boundaries

Instructional Activities

1. Review information from the previous session.
   
   
2. Remind students that when the United States was colonized, there were no cities, counties, or other political divisions. Ask students to speculate why the nation began to assign boundary lines for various regions. Suggest problems that would occur if there were no divisions of the regions.
   
   
3. Display the following possible reasons for spatial divisions:
   • Desire for government closer to home
   • Need to solve local problems
   • Need to administer resources more efficiently
   • Ask students what local problems may need to be solved.
   
   
4. Display the definition for spatial division on the board or overhead. Explain that spatial divisions generate cooperation and conflict just as cultural divisions do. Also, spatial divisions often serve to define areas of government responsibility and control. Display the following examples of spatial divisions:
   • Neighborhoods
   • Election districts
   • School districts
   • Regional districts (e.g., bus lines, waste disposal, conservation districts, planning districts, area code zones)
   • Cities
   • Counties
   • States
   
   
5. Display a map of different spatial divisions. Distribute unlabeled outline maps to students, showing their locality, state, or the United States. Provide a list of spatial divisions for the students to annotate on their map.
   
   
6. Assign a teacher-selected reading, worksheet, or other reinforcement activity, using available teacher resources.