Geography—Student Handout
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Name Date Geography—Student Handout Scavenger Hunt through the Maps directions: You are going to complete a scavenger hunt through the maps. With a partner or in a small group, read the second paragraph in Geographic Tools on pages 4–5 in Discover Colorado. Answer these questions using the maps in this section. 1. Which direction would you go if you drove from Sterling to Steamboat Springs? a. Which map did you use to find this information? b. What tools did you use to get this information? 2. About how many miles is it from Colorado Springs to Fort Collins? a. Which map did you use to find this information? b. What tools did you use to get this information? Geography Stand-Alone Lesson 3. What city is located at about 38° North and 104° West? a. Which map did you use to find this information? b. What tools did you use to get this information? 4. You are planning a road trip from Denver to Grand Junction to Durango and back to Denver. What roads would be the fastest route? a. From Denver to Grand Junction? b. From Grand Junction to Durango? c. From Durango to Denver? d. About how many miles is the whole trip? e. What map(s) did you use to answer these questions? f. What tools did you use to answer these questions? 5. At about what latitude and longitude is Craig, Colorado, located? a. What map did you use to find this information? b. What tools did you use to get this information? Geography Stand-Alone Lesson Name Date Chapter 1 — Student Handout 1 BECOME A GEOGRAPHER! Geographers study the world and how everything in the world is connected. Geographers are different from historians, anthropologists, or economists because geographers include space in their study. Not space as in “outer space,” but space as in where things are located. One way geographers study space is to begin by asking questions. They may start out by asking, “Where are the Rocky Mountains located?” Once they find the answer, the bigger question is, “Why are they located there?” You are going to become a geographer starting by asking/ answering geographic questions using the maps in chapter 1. Look at the maps located in chapter 1 of the textbook and answer these questions. 1. What states border Colorado? 2. What region is located in eastern Colorado? 3. In what mountain range does the Colorado River begin? 4. In what direction does the Colorado River flow? The previous questions are basic locational questions. Let’s now try to answer more complex questions. Notice that these questions don’t begin with “what.” 1. Why do you think many cities are located next to the mountains (along the Front Range)? Chapter 1: Regions of Colorado 2. Why do the Rocky Mountains not stop at the Colorado border? 3. How do you think a lot of people who live in eastern Colorado make a living? 4. How do you think the climate in the mountains impacts the plants and animal life? Now it is your turn. With your partner, come up with FOUR geographic questions you could ask your peers using the Colorado maps in chapter 1. Use these sentence starters to help. 1. Where is ________________________________________________________ located? 2. Why is _____________________________________________________ located there? 3. Why . _________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ 4. How . _________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ Switch papers with another pair and see if you can answer their questions while they answer yours. Chapter 1: Regions of Colorado Name Date Chapter 1 — Student Handout 2 Regions of Colorado Describe the geography Describe where of the region (for Draw a sketch or in Colorado this example, landforms, Describe the climate a symbol that best Region region is located waterways) of the region represents this region The High Plains The Piedmont Chapter 1: Regions of Colorado Describe the geography Describe where of the region (for Draw a sketch or in Colorado this example, landforms, Describe the climate a symbol that best Region region is located waterways) of the region represents this region The Mountains and Parks The Western Plateaus Chapter 1: Regions of Colorado Name Date Chapter 1 — Student Handout 3 ADVERTISEMENT FOR THIS REGION You are an advertising agent. Your job is to create an advertisement encouraging people to move to your region. What is your region like? Why would someone like living there? Using the box below, draw a picture, use short descriptions, and create symbols that would encourage settlement in your region. Under the advertisement, write a paragraph describing the geography of your region. Be sure to use a topic sentence and supporting details in your paragraph. Region ______________________________ Chapter 1: Regions of Colorado Name Date Chapter 1 — Student Handout 4 MAP MAKING directions: With your group, create a map of Colorado’s regions in the space below. Be sure to include this information on the map: • Title of the map • Four main urban areas (cities) • Four main regions • Compass rose • Major rivers (South Platte, Arkansas, • Key Rio Grande, and Colorado) TITLE ________________________________________________________________________________ Chapter 1: Regions of Colorado Name Date Chapter 1 — Student Handout 5 CHAPTER 1 PERFORMANCE ASSESSMENT: SALT DOUGH RELIEF MAP Expectations You are going to create a Salt Dough Relief Map of Colorado, as well as write a short essay about the four regions in Colorado. Your salt dough map should include: ✓ Cardinal directions written with thin-line black markers either at the edges of the map or on a Compass Rose in one of the corners ✓ Four regions indicated by the molding of the dough • High plains—flat • Piedmont—slightly elevated at the eastern edge of the mountains and forming the South Platte and Arkansas River Valleys • Mountains—peaks and valleys; four mountain parks—flat • Plateau—higher than the plains, with mesas rather than mountain peaks ✓ Four regions painted with light washes of watercolors: • High plains—light yellow • Piedmont—light green • Mountains and valleys—light blue (high mountain peaks left white, if desired); four mountain parks—flattened, medium blue • Plateau—light orange ✓ Major rivers drawn in with thin-line black markers and labeled • South Platte • Arkansas • Rio Grande • Colorado ✓ At least four major cities anywhere in Colorado, indicated by a red dot and labeled Chapter 1: Regions of Colorado Writing Prompt How are Colorado’s regions different from one another? Write a short essay (two to three paragraphs) answering the previous question. Be sure to use topic sentences and specific details to support your answer. Use at least five of the key vocabulary words from this chapter in your writing. Refer to the grading rubric when writing your responses. SALT DOUGH RECIPE (makes enough for one student) Bowl 2 cups flour 1 cup salt 2 tablespoons cooking oil ¾ cup water 1. Mix the flour and salt together in a bowl. 2. Add the oil to the water. 3. Pour the water mixture slowly into the flour mixture, kneading with your hands until it becomes soft and doughy. If it is sticky, add more flour. If it is dry, add a little more water. You should be able to form mountains and valleys that hold their shape with your dough. This dough does not need cooking. Just place it in a little plastic bag so it will remain pliable for the project. Chapter 1: Regions of Colorado Name Date Chapter 2 — Student Handout 1 LIFE ZONE PREDICTIONS directions: With a partner, you are going to predict where these five zones are located in Colorado by analyzing satellite or aerial images. ✓ Read the descriptions of the life zones below. ✓ Choose five colored pencils and decide which color will represent each of the life zones. Color in the key to the map to show these colors. ✓ Using the images projected in the classroom, predict where you might find these life zones in Colorado, and color in the map. ✓ Brainstorm with your partner why you think these life zones are located where they are, and finish the sentence starters below. Description of the Life Zones of Colorado • Grasslands (below 5,000 feet in elevation): Buffalo grass and few trees • Shrub and Woodland (5,000–6,000 feet in elevation): Grass, low trees, and woody plants • Montane Forests (6,500–9,000 feet in elevation): Some pine and aspen trees • Subalpine Forests (9,000–11,000 feet in elevation): Tall trees and some meadows • Alpine Tundra (above 11,000 feet in elevation): Small grasses/plants and no trees Chapter 2: Colorado Life Zones Why There? After you complete the map predictions with your partner, finish these sentences. We think the grasslands are located where we put them on the map because ____________ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________. We think the shrub and woodlands are located where we put them on the map because ____ ________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________. We think the montane forests are located where we put them on the map because ____ ________________________________________________________________________