Aligns with standards G.8.3.1, G and G for third grade Social Studies. Created 9/15.

Transcription

1 Aligns with standards G.8.3.1, G and G for third grade Social Studies. Created 9/15. 1 Cover photo by Jonathan Ball.

2 Vocabulary climate map Map that shows information such as rain and snowfall amounts, temperatures and weather patterns (1) physical map Map that shows mountains, rivers, valleys, oceans and other natural features (2) political map Map that shows the boundaries of counties, states and countries. They often include cities and areas of water as well relative location Site of a place or region in relation to other places or regions (e.g., northwest, downstream) characteristic A detail belonging to a person, place, or thing that helps to identify it Conversation Fun fact: The record amount of snowfall in a 24 hour period was 24.5 inches in Siloam Springs in February, (3) Have you ever been lost? How did you feel? Would a map have helped? Have you been to another part of Arkansas? How was it different? How was it the same? What kind of maps can you think of? What are the pros and cons of each map? 2

3 No map can show every single thing. Some maps may show weather, some may show state boundaries, and some may show where the roller coasters are at Disney World. school would be a red square, and so on. You would then show what these symbols mean in a When making a map, you first have to decide what you want to show. For example, say map legend, a key you were going to make a map to show peo- that is usually at ple how to get from your school to your house. the border of a map. The legend is important for people to understand how to use the map. You will want to show roads and important A star may indicate a capital city, a you are buildings. What else? Is it important to show trees? What about stop signs? It all depends here sign, or an important spot on a map. You on what is important for what you re trying to would have to look at the legend to see what the star means on the map you are looking at! communicate. You then have to decide what the scale of your map will be, or, what the relationship between the space you are showing is to the real space. The scale may be 1 inch on the map equals 1 mile in real life. A map that isn t to scale can be very confusing. Once you decide what you want to show, you have to decide how you want to show it. Maps make things simple. For example, a building may be a square on a map instead of the actual building shape. Maybe you want to show what the buildings are used for Fun fact: Arkansas with color. represents 1.4% of A house the United States in would be total land mass. (4) a blue square, a People have many tools to make maps. They can look at images from space, they can measure places, or they can even look at other maps. A good map is easy to use and is a great way to give people information. 3

4 Write it out You can learn a lot about a place by looking at a map. Are there more cities near rivers? Is the weather generally cooler in one part of the state? Look at the maps in this activity book. Write 3 things you notice about Arkansas from looking at the maps. 1) 2) 3) Link Population map, with red having the most people, and dark green having the least amount of people 4

5 Make a map Make a map of your classroom. Include things like whiteboards, teacher s desk, student desks and computers. If you can, measure your classroom and draw the map to scale. Each block is a square inch in the grid below. Include a map title and a compass rose. Fun fact: People who make maps are called cartographers. Map legend: 1 inch= 5

6 Look at the map to the right. What do you notice? If you had to draw lines to show different regions in Arkansas, where would you draw the lines? Geographers have said there are six geographic regions in Arkansas. This means there are six areas in the state that share the same characteristics with each other. Which region do you live in? Which region would you like to visit? Ozark Mountains The Ozark Mountains are in the northwest corner of the state. They are from a high, flat land that was gradually worn away on the sides by water, wind, or ice. The area is full of lakes and rivers. The rocky soil makes it not very good for farming, which means that the first people who lived there had to work hard to survive and lived far away from each other. There are also many caves in this region because of the limestone and dolomite rocks underneath the ground, which are easily washed away by water. The streams in this region are very beautiful, and are popular places for people to visit. 6

7 Arkansas River Valley The Arkansas River Valley is the land between the Ozark and Ouachita Mountains, formed by the Arkansas River. The river was important for transportation for the first people who came to Arkansas, and many of Arkansas s first cities are in this region. This region has a few flattopped mountains, such as Mount Nebo, Petit Jean Mountain and the tallest point in the state, Mount Magazine. Early settlers cleared much of the land for farming, and it remains clear for farmland today. Ouachita Mountains The Ouachita Mountains are found in the western part of our state. Unlike the Ozarks, the land between the mountains are very good for farming. Also, unlike most of the mountains in the United States, the Ouachitas run west and east instead of north and south. Twenty-three water animals are found nowhere on Earth except the Ouachita Mountains (4). This area is known for its quartz crystals. There are also naturally hot springs, which early Arkansans built into bathhouses. These springs are a popular place for people to visit. West Gulf Coastal Plain The West Gulf Coastal Plain is an area of land made of low hills covered in pine trees. The lowest point in Arkansas is found in the Coastal Plan. Where the Ouachita River enters Louisiana is 55 feet below sea level. In the late 1800s, people removed most of the trees in the area, which caused a lot of harm to the environment. Now the trees are back, and people manage the trees for business. Oil is also found in this region, which is another important business. Mississippi Alluvial Plain This region is also known as the Mississippi Delta. It is a land created by the Mississippi River, which was important for early Arkansas settlers because of it s location near the Mississippi River. It also has good dirt that was good for farming, but the large amount of mosquitos and flooding made it difficult place to live. It is a great area to farm, and the rice, soybeans and cotton fields are a large part of Arkansas s economy. Crowley s Ridge Crowley s Ridge is an interesting area that is different from most of eastern Arkansas. It is a high elevation ridge, sometimes as narrow as a half mile, sometimes as wide as 12 miles. When people started to move to Arkansas, this was a popular spot to live because the land was not as swampy as the Mississippi Alluvial Plain and the land did not flood. Crowley s Ridge is the smallest of Arkansas s geographic regions. (4, 5) 7

8 Border State Song To the tune of Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star : Missouri is on top, Louisiana's down below, Oklahoma s to the left, Though in the corner Texas shows, Tennessee is right, On top of Mississippi, The river that separates makes the border kind of wiggily, Six states border Arkansas And I can name them all! Games I Spy Play I Spy in your classroom. When a person gets the answer wrong, respond with a relative location clue. Simon Says... Touch the Ozark Mountains! Head Ozark Mountains Shoulders Arkansas River Valley Knees Ouachita Mountains Toes West Gulf Coastal Plain Right eyebrow Crowley s Ridge Right arm Mississippi Alluvial Plain Heads Up Make notecards with each of the six geographic regions of AR. Player 1 blindly puts the region on his/her forehead. Player 2 gives clues about the region, and Player 1 must guess what region is on his/her forehead. 8

9 Mapping Arkansas Use the workbox to label the appropriate areas in Arkansas. Color each of the geographic regions. Arkansas River Mississippi River St. Francis River Arkansas River Valley Crowley s Ridge Little Rock Louisiana Mississippi Missouri Oklahoma Ouachita Mountains Ouachita River Ozark Mountains Tennessee Texas West Gulf Coastal Plain White River Your county Fun fact: You can get to each Arkansas border state by going south. Mississippi Alluvial Valley Red River Your town 9

10 More resources Free set of geography posters from the Department of Arkansas Heritage, for download or to order: Comprehensive information on the 6 geographic regions of Arkansas from the Arkansas Natural Heritage Commission, including text, PowerPoint, posters, and lesson plans, for free at Excellent book that has several maps of Arkansas: Paradise, Tom. Arkansas: An Illustrated Atlas. Little Rock: Butler Center, Print. Arkansas map scavenger hunt from the Arkansas Department of Parks and Tourism: How to use mental maps to organize information about people, places, and environments in a spatial context from National Geographic: How to use maps and other geographic representations, geospatial technologies, and spatial thinking to understand and communicate information from National Geographic: Draw and share a map online: Sources Cover photo by Jonathan Ball, Me on Hawksbill Crag, accessed on Flickr August < jball359/ /in/album /> 1) Climate map: Weisburg, Jenny, and Christopher Daly. "Average Annual Precipitation Arkansas." Western Regional Climate Center. N.p., n.d. Web. 2 Sept ) Physical map: "Arkansas." World Maps. N.p., n.d. Web. 2 Sept < arkansas.jpg>. 3) Shaw, Damon. "Historic Snow In Northwest Arkansas." 4029 TV Weather Blog KHBS, 09 Feb Web. 02 Sept < 4) Paradise, Tom. Arkansas: An Illustrated Atlas. Little Rock: Butler Center, Print. 5) Foti, Thomas L. The Natural Divisions of Arkansas. Arkansas Natural Heritage Commission, Print. < naturalheritage.com> 10 Allison Reavis Education Coordinator allison.reavis@arkansasheritage.org