Chapter 1: Geography of the United States
In this chapter, students will be strengthening their map reading skills as they learn how to locate places on a map using lines of latitude and longitude. Students will also learn how to describe the features of Earth's surface by identifying their location and using descriptive vocabulary. We will look at how our surroundings influence us and how we interact with our surroundings.
* Chapter 1 test: Friday, September 28
* Interactive notebooks due: Friday, September 28
- Map A
- Map B
- Geography Challenge A
- Geography Challenge B
- Geography Challenge C
- Geography Challenge D
- Reading Further: My Route to California
- My Journal
* Chapter 1 test: Friday, September 28
* Interactive notebooks due: Friday, September 28
- Map A
- Map B
- Geography Challenge A
- Geography Challenge B
- Geography Challenge C
- Geography Challenge D
- Reading Further: My Route to California
- My Journal
Key Vocabulary
* Visit Quizlet to practice the chapter 1 vocabulary: http://quizlet.com/_8jslk
Section 1
1) Geography: the study of our physical surroudings and how humans interact with them
2) Climate: aspects of weather that are measured over time in an area (ex. temperature, wind, rainfall)
3) Globe: the most accurate model of Earth
4) Geographic Terms: words that name a landform or body of water (ex. river, mountain, plain)
5) Physical Features: a part of Earth's surface that is a landmass or body of water (ex. Rocky Mountains, Mississippi River, Great Plains)
Section 2
1) Compass: a tool or instrument for finding directions by first locating north
2) Cardinal directions: north, south, east, and west
3) Intermediate directions: northeast, northwest, southeast, and southwest
4) Equator: 0 degrees latitude; divides Earth into Northern and Southern hemispheres
5) Prime Meridian: 0 degrees longitude; divides Earth into Eastern and Western hemispheres
Section 3
1) Absolute location: an exact address on Earth
2) Latitude: lines that circle Earth from west to east; they show how far north or south a location is
3) Longitude: lines that run from north to south; they show how far east or west a location is
Section 4
1) Landforms: a physical feature of Earth’s surface such as a mountain or a plain
2) Sea: a smaller body of salt water
3) Gulf: part of a sea or ocean that cuts into a mass of land
4) Bay: similar to a gulf but smaller
5) Lake: a body of water surrounded by land
6) River: flowing water
- Mouth: where a river empties into a larger body of water
- Source: where the river begins
7) Tributary: a smaller stream that runs into a river
8) Mountain: rise above surrounding land; steep sides
- Mountain range: a row of connected mountains
9) Plains: mostly flat land with few trees
10) Peninsula: land surrounded by water on three sides
11) Cape: a piece of land that juts into the water; usually smaller or narrower than a peninsula
12) Island: land surrounded entirely by water
13) Valley: low area between mountains or hills
14) Delta: formed when soil is deposited at the mouth of a river; usually shaped like a triangle
Reading Further
1) Isthmus: a narrow strip of land connecting two larger land areas
1) Geography: the study of our physical surroudings and how humans interact with them
2) Climate: aspects of weather that are measured over time in an area (ex. temperature, wind, rainfall)
3) Globe: the most accurate model of Earth
4) Geographic Terms: words that name a landform or body of water (ex. river, mountain, plain)
5) Physical Features: a part of Earth's surface that is a landmass or body of water (ex. Rocky Mountains, Mississippi River, Great Plains)
Section 2
1) Compass: a tool or instrument for finding directions by first locating north
2) Cardinal directions: north, south, east, and west
3) Intermediate directions: northeast, northwest, southeast, and southwest
4) Equator: 0 degrees latitude; divides Earth into Northern and Southern hemispheres
5) Prime Meridian: 0 degrees longitude; divides Earth into Eastern and Western hemispheres
Section 3
1) Absolute location: an exact address on Earth
2) Latitude: lines that circle Earth from west to east; they show how far north or south a location is
3) Longitude: lines that run from north to south; they show how far east or west a location is
Section 4
1) Landforms: a physical feature of Earth’s surface such as a mountain or a plain
2) Sea: a smaller body of salt water
3) Gulf: part of a sea or ocean that cuts into a mass of land
4) Bay: similar to a gulf but smaller
5) Lake: a body of water surrounded by land
6) River: flowing water
- Mouth: where a river empties into a larger body of water
- Source: where the river begins
7) Tributary: a smaller stream that runs into a river
8) Mountain: rise above surrounding land; steep sides
- Mountain range: a row of connected mountains
9) Plains: mostly flat land with few trees
10) Peninsula: land surrounded by water on three sides
11) Cape: a piece of land that juts into the water; usually smaller or narrower than a peninsula
12) Island: land surrounded entirely by water
13) Valley: low area between mountains or hills
14) Delta: formed when soil is deposited at the mouth of a river; usually shaped like a triangle
Reading Further
1) Isthmus: a narrow strip of land connecting two larger land areas