Hello Boys and Girls.

Welcome to Grade Six. I trust you are all keeping safe and adhering to all COVID19 guidelines. Grade Six is an amazing and interesting class as it’s the last class in your primary education. Many children experience anxiety during this class and can become overwhelmed by the pressure of gaining a spot at a senior secondary school. This column is intended to supplement your classroom instruction and help you navigate the content that must be covered during Grade Six so that you would be better prepared for the National Grade Six Assessment (NGSA).

Remember at the Grade Six level you are expected to be very much focused, to think critically, and to read and pay keen attention to what you are taught. You must take some time to play but remember too much play makes Jack a dull boy!

In today’s lesson, we are going to explore the Natural Regions of Guyana. This topic is quite extensive, therefore, we are going to focus on a single aspect of each natural region over the next few weeks.

At the end of this lesson you will be able to: 1. Define the term Natural Regions 2. Identify Natural Regions of Guyana 3. Locate Natural Regions on a Map of Guyana 4. Describe features of each natural region

Boys and girls, I am sure you are anxious to learn all you can about the beautiful natural regions of Guyana.

What is A Natural Region?

A natural region is a basic geographic unit. Usually, it is a region that is distinguished by its common natural features of geography, geology, and climate. This also means that the buildings, the vegetation, and the way of life of people may also be similar. I am sure you know that Guyana has ten Administrative regions, but do you know also that Guyana has Natural Regions? How many Natural Regions do you think Guyana has? If your answer is FOUR, you are correct. Guyana has FOUR Natural Regions and these regions are also called Geographic Regions. This means that in Guyana there are FOUR distinct areas where the climate, vegetation (plants, plant life, flora) and even the kinds of animals found there would be similar.

I am quite sure you are anxious to know the names of each Natural Region!

The FOUR Natural Regions of Guyana are:

1) The Low Coastal Plain 2) The Hilly Sand and Clay Region 3) The Forested Highland Region 4) The Interior Savannahs

Please ensure you learn the names of each region and you must learn to spell each of the names correctly as well. Now, let us try to identify these Natural Regions on a Map of Guyana. Let’s do this activity together.

● Get a blank piece of paper (chart paper or art paper) and a pencil. Use your pencil to sketch the outline of the Map of Guyana.

● Ensure that your map has a border or a frame. That means you must take your ruler and draw four neat lines that look like a square around your map. The lines should not touch the map. Please look at the map below for guidance.

● Now that you have your map let’s trace the location of each Natural Region. Look at the map below and note the location of the Four Natural Regions. You can use crayons, markers or any other materials to decorate and create a beautiful map.

Step 3

Boys and girls, did you notice that the Map has a rectangle at its side? That is called the KEY or LEGION? This Key helps to explain symbols and colours used on a map. You must ensure that whatever symbol or colour is used on your map must be placed in the key so that everyone would know the name of the Natural Region you are identifying.

Did you have fun creating your map? Now that you are finished with your map you must name your map. The name of the map is also called Title. The title is important since it will tell everyone what your map is depicting. You can write the title at the top of your map or the bottom. When you are writing the title ensure that you use block letters script (writing).

Now that you know the name of the four natural regions and you can locate them on a Map of Guyana, it’s time for us to learn some of the main features of each Natural Region of Guyana. Please pay attention to the table below. You can recreate this table in your exercise book or journal. Take your ruler and pencil and draw five neat columns as displayed below.

You can examine the features of the regions. What differences or similarities have you noticed?

You must note that while the build of the land is flat on the Low Coastal Plain, the land in the Hilly Sandy and Clay Region is made up of hills and mountains in the Highland Region. The build of the land in the Interior Savannahs is rolling or undulating.

Hope you had fun learning the basic information about Guyana’s Natural Regions. Do you know the name of the Natural Region in which you live? I live on the low Coastal Plain and next week I am going to tell you all about life on the Low Coastal Plain.

Until next time, stay safe, boys and girls!