WHERE and WHY? Marty Mater and Phil Gersmehl Michigan Geographic Alliance BIG IDEA: REGIONS IN THE...

WHERE and WHY?

Marty Mater and Phil Gersmehl Michigan Geographic Alliance

BIG IDEA: REGIONS IN THE U. S.

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Objectives: The student will


• Describe characteristics of natural regions

• Divide United States into major regions

• Explain relationship between physical characteristics and human activities

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National Geography Standards• The World in Spatial Terms:

Use maps…and spatial thinking to understand and communicate information.

• Places and Regions: That people create regions to interpret Earth’s complexity.


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RegionA geographic “BIG IDEA”that can help us organize

our knowledge about

the United States4

There are many kinds of regional maps

Economic regions

Sports regions

Forest regions

Voting regions

Language regions

Definition: a region is a group of places that are like each other and close to each other

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There is no such thing as “the”

regions of a state, country, or continent.


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http://www.google.com/url?sa=i&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=images&cd=&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0CAcQjRw&url=http://thomaslegion.net/uscensusbureauregionsthewestthemidwestthesouthandthenortheast.html&ei=k-yXVZLqBoTGsAWVtrKoAg&bvm=bv.96952980,d.aWw&psig=AFQjCNFudyynDEcyb_AtnMwDPbH7Kt33dQ&ust=1436106094671573

http://www.google.com/url?sa=i&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=images&cd=&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0CAcQjRw&url=http://thomaslegion.net/uscensusbureauregionsthewestthemidwestthesouthandthenortheast.html&ei=k-yXVZLqBoTGsAWVtrKoAg&bvm=bv.96952980,d.aWw&psig=AFQjCNFudyynDEcyb_AtnMwDPbH7Kt33dQ&ust=1436106094671573

https://www.google.com/search?hl=en&site=imghp&tbm=isch&source=hp&biw=1600&bih=1046&q=US+Regions&oq=US+Regions&gs_l=img.3..0l10.1672.4126.0.4490.10.9.0.1.1.0.357.1553.0j4j2j1.7.0....0...1ac.1.64.img..2.8.1573.JGNTFtVcURM

We will use natural characteristics to regionalize the US


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Great Lakes

Atlantic Ocean

Pacific Ocean

Mexico

Canada

Gulf of Mexico8

Work Map


Natural characteristics can make it advantageous or disadvantageous to live in an area.

TERRAIN:Mountains

Plains WATER

BALANCE:Enough water to grow trees

GROWING SEASON:Number of

frost-free days9

Rocky

Mountains.

Sierra

Mountains.

Appalach

ian

Mounta

ins.

Great Plains

Terrain: Mountains, Plains

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Growing Season: Number of frost-free days

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Water balance: Enough water to grow trees

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Definition: a region is a group of places that are like each other and close to each other If you draw a line around the places, the result is a regional map.

Why do we make regional maps?

Because it is usually easier to rememberthe general shape of a region,

rather than the locations of many individual places.

Let’s look at how to make

a simple regional map to help us remember

the environments in the United States.

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The Western Region of high mountains and

deep valleys

The Eastern Region of worn-down mountains and

nearly flat plains


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• Most of the land is more than a mile above sea level

• It is easier to build roads and railroads

• There are more big tunnels, steep slopes, and spectacular views

• Most valuable metal mines are here

• Most deposits of fossil fuels are here

• Most of the good food-producing land is here

• Most of the major earthquakes and all of the active volcanoes occur here

CONSEQUENCES OF THE TERRAIN

Western Region or Eastern Region?

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More than a mile above sea level

Roads and Railroads

Tunnels, slopes, views

Valuable mines

Fossil fuels

Food producers

Earthquakes and volcanoes


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Our first line was drawn based on

TERRAIN.

Now we’ll use the idea of GROWING SEASON

to divide the area into places with enough frost-free days

to grow crops. 18

Atlantic Ocean

Very few farms

Manyfarms


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Very few farms

Manyfarms


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Very few farms

Manyfarms

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Our first line was drawn based on TERRAIN

Our second line used

GROWING SEASON

Now we’ll use WATER BALANCE to show the line that separates places that have

more precipitation than trees needfrom places that have less 22


Semi-arid

Great Plains

Rainy East

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Semi-arid

Great Plains

Rainy East

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• People grow crops such as corn, soybeans, and vegetables. • People grow short grasses like wheat and barley.• People grow tree crops like apples, pears, cherries, and even

oranges and grapefruit.• People are more likely to need to irrigate, if they have a water

source.• There is always a danger of drought, which can kill the crops.• Surplus water can make rivers or lakes. • Rivers start in the mountains and actually get smaller as they

flow.• Rivers tend to get larger as they flow toward the ocean.

CONSEQUENCES OF WATER BALANCE

Semi-Arid or Rainy East?

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Corn, soybeans

short grasses

apples, pears

irrigate

drought

rivers or lakes

Rivers get

smaller

rivers get

larger

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Our first line was drawn based on TERRAIN

Our second line used

GROWING SEASON

Now we’ll use GROWING SEASON again to show the line that separates places that have

more than 7 months of frost-free days.

Our third line used WATER

BALANCE

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4-7 Months

7+ months

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CONSEQUENCES OF FROST-FREE MONTHS

• People spend more money for heating

• People spend more money for air-conditioning

• Dead leaves and roots decay slowly, making soil rich in

nutrients

• Dead leaves and roots decay quickly, making soil red or

orange in color, and unable to store water or fertilizer as well

• Trees grow faster, so there are many managed forests

• Glaciers left many scattered lakes and swamps33


Scattered Lakes and swamps

Managed Forests

High Heating

Rich Soils

Soil can’t hold

water

Expensive Air Conditioning

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Let’s Review - and name our

regions

Look at the lines on your map.

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Can you remember the lines and what they mean?..

Western Mountain Region

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younger rocks, earthquakes, high mountains,dry lowlands, rainy slopes with forests, snow on the highest peaks, ski resorts,

metal mines, scattered cities, national parks

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Northern Cold Region

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Northern cold region

older rocks, low hills or plains, many lakes,dense forests of slow-growing needleleaf trees ORtreeless tundra in places with really short summers,very few people, few roads, some mines, oil wells

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Great Plains

Grassland Region

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Great Plains Grassland Region

young rocks, flat plains or low hills, dry creeks,grassland, bison (buffalo), cattle ranches, some wheat fields, some irrigated areas,

scattered towns, oil wells, occasional tornadoes

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Great Lakes Farm/Forest

Region

Great Plains

Grassland Region

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Great Lakes Forest/Farm/Factory Region

warm summers, cold winters, plains or low hills, hardwood forest, corn fields, dairy cows,cities on rivers or next to Great Lakes,

many small towns with factories

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Southern Plantation/Pine

Region



Retion

Great Plains

Grassland Region

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Southern Plantation / Pine Region

long summers, mild winters, fast-growing forest,red soil, cotton plantations, slavery, Civil War,

sharecroppers, boll weevil, planted pines,paper mills, some new factories (e.g., cars)

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Using regions to explain human characteristics

Using maps of the physical characteristics

of our regions, can you explain why humans decided to use the land

for growing certain crops?

Would knowing about the physical characteristics of our regions help you describe some requirements

for growing cotton, corn or wheat?

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Corn Production in the United States

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REGIONS IN THE US

1. Outline the “region” of crop production in the United States.

REGIONS IN THE UNITED STATES

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2. Describe the area you outlined by using some of the following words:

near, next to, inside,west, east, south, north, northeast, southeast, northwest, southwest

Also use some place names.

Bodies of Water

Countries

States


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REGIONS IN THE US

3. Describe terrain of your crop region.

4. Describe the water balance in your crop region.

5. Describe the growing season of your crop region.


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Rice Production in the United States

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Wheat Production in the United States

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Cotton Production in the United States

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Knowing the approximate location of these four lines can help us organize a lot of other knowledge about environments in North America….

So What?Putting it all together:

If we remember:

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They are generalizations based on measurements and human choices about what criteria are important..

Regions can help us organize

knowledge…

Regional lines are not “real.”

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BUT

Regionalization

The process of dividing a large area into smaller

areas that consist of groups of

places that have important features

in common.It can help us organize a lot of other useful information about our country.56



Southern Plantation/Pine

Region



Retion

Great Plains

Grassland Region

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REGIONS IN THE US

1. Choose at least one of the human characteristics on the following maps.

2. Write at least two questions relating your crop to a characteristic shown on these maps.


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Markets for food crops: Symbols show largest urban areas.

NewYork

LosAngeles

Chicago

Markets: Clusters of dots show large urban areas.

NewYork

LosAngeles

Chicago

Interstate Highways and Markets (Largest urban areas)

Interstate Highways and Markets (Clusters of population)

WHERE and WHY? Marty Mater and Phil Gersmehl Michigan Geographic Alliance BIG IDEA: REGIONS IN THE...

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