• Map of South Carolina with the geographic regions delineated (full-page version)
• Topographic map of South Carolina
• Glue
• Various materials to represent each geographic region. Suggestions for materials to use for each region:
  • Mountain: Medium-sized rocks (to represent the high elevation and rocky terrain of the Mountain region)
  • Piedmont: Clay, shaped into hills, with small pieces of cat litter or fish tank gravel placed on top (to represent the rolling hills and clay soils of the Piedmont region)
  • Sandhills: Large grain sand or rice (to represent the sandy soils of the Sandhills)
  • Coastal Plain:  Small grain sand or grits (to represent the flat land of the Coastal Plain region)
  • Coast: Cornstarch and salt (to represent the sandy beach and the saltwater of the ocean)
• Reference materials or internet access for use in determining climate and geographic information for each region, as well as the wildlife communities

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Procedure

1. Have students explore reference materials to discover information on the physical characteristics (elevation, soil types, geologic history, average annual precipitation, average annual temperature) of the five geographic regions of the state (Mountains, Piedmont, Sandhills, Coastal Plain, Coast) .
2. Present students with individual maps which identify the state’s regional boundaries.
3. Have each student team use materials in Materials section to make a 3-D model that will represent some of the characteristics they have learned about each region, such as elevation and soil types. For example, large rocks are glued in the Mountain region and cornstarch is glued in the Coast region to show that the Mountains have the highest elevation and the Coast has the lowest elevation. The students' maps should visibly show through the materials they select for each region that elevation decreases across the state as you travel from the mountains to the sea. 
4. Using the 3-D models of the state, encourage students to compare the regions based on the attributes (elevation, temperature and precipitation) that make each region unique. Discuss.
5. Ask student teams to pick a particular region and to describe in writing the elevation, precipitation and basic geology of that region and to describe how they think these abiotic, physical factors impact which animals and plants can survive there (what type of communities are found there).