Objectives
Recall and define the following terms: peninsula, harbor, bay, island,
coast, boundary, valley, desert, prairie, plateau.
Recognize the following geographical water features: delta, isthmus,
strait, channel, reservoir.
Materials
Classroom-size world map
Classroom-size U. S. map
Geographical feature dittoes (included)
Suggested Books
Student Title
Baker, Sanna Anderson. Mississippi Going North. Morton Grove,
IL: Albert Whitman & Comp., 1996. (0-8075-5164-3)
This beautifully illustrated picture book tells about the sights and
sounds experienced by a family as they travel north on the Mississippi
in a canoe.
Teacher Note:
This lesson refers to information included in this month's history
lessons, so this lesson should be taught after the history lessons are
completed.
Procedure
Tell the students that although the Spanish explorers de Soto and Coronado
did not find the riches they were searching for, they both discovered two
important geographical features in the United States. Ask: What is the
name of the geographical feature that de Soto found? (the Mississippi River)
Coronado? (the Grand Canyon)
Review with the students other geographical terms that were discussed
in this month's history lessons and from past grades. Show the students
the geographical features on the classroom size U. S. or world maps as
you ask the questions.
Peninsula: Ask: What present-day state in the southeastern United States
is a peninsula? (Florida) What is the definition of a peninsula? (A piece
of land that extends out into a body of water.)
Isthmus: Direct the student's attention to the world map. Point to
the country of Panama. Ask: Is the country of Panama a peninsula? (no)
Why? (Because it is attached to land on two sides.) Tell the students that
a piece of land that joins two larger pieces of land is called an isthmus.
Write the term on the chalkboard. The country of Panama is an isthmus that
joins North America to South America.
Bay and harbor: Direct the student's attention to the U. S. map and
the state of Maryland. Tell the students that the Atlantic Ocean has an
inlet in between the western and eastern shores of Maryland. Ask: What
is that body of water called? (the Chesapeake Bay) Explain that part of
the bay near the city of Baltimore is referred to as Baltimore Harbor.
Ask: Has anyone ever visited the National Aquarium or the Maryland Science
Center? Explain that both of these places are located by the Baltimore
Harbor. Explain the difference between a bay and a harbor. A bay is an
inlet of the ocean that is partly surrounded by land and a harbor is the
part of a bay that is along the shore and is deep enough for a ship to
enter and anchor.
Island: Ask: What is the definition of an island? (An area of land
that is surrounded by water.) Display the classroom-size world map. Direct
the class' attention to the islands south of the United States. Tell the
students that these islands are located in the Caribbean Sea.
Coast: Tell the students that the coast is land that is next to a sea,
and is also called the seashore. Ask: On which coast of the United States
do we live? (east or the Atlantic)
Boundary: Direct the student's attention to the classroom U. S. map.
Ask: What states share a border or boundary with Maryland? (Pennsylvania,
Delaware, West Virginia, and Virginia)
Next, ask the students to recall the following land features: valley,
desert, prairie, plateau. Show the students each of the included pictures
of geographic land features, asking them to identify the type of land shown.
You may wish to provide hints such as, notice the land shown is at the
base of the mountains (valley). Also, ask the students to point out
some of the characteristics of each land feature shown, e. g. desert -
cactus, prairie - flat grasslands.
Valley: The low land between mountains or hills.
Desert: A land area having little or no moisture or vegetation.
Prairie: An area of flat grassland.
Plateau: A flat-topped piece of land that rises sharply above the surrounding
land (looks like a table).
Tell the students that the features we just looked at were land features.
They are now going to learn about some geographical features that are water
features. As they are discussed, write the name and definition of each
water feature on the chalkboard.
Ask: What is the longest river in the United States? (the Mississippi
River) Explain that when we learned about de Soto's discovery of the Mississippi
River, we talked about the different parts of the river. Have a student
locate the Mississippi River on a U. S. map. Ask the students to recall
that the beginning of the river is called its source and the place where
the river empties into a larger body of water is called its mouth. Ask:
What body of water does the Mississippi River empty into? (the Gulf of
Mexico) Have a student locate the Gulf of Mexico on the map.
Explain that another feature they will find as part of large river
such as the Mississippi is a delta. Write the word delta on the chalk board.
Explain that the delta of a river is where sand and soil are deposited
by a river at its mouth. Ask: In which state is the mouth of the Mississippi
River located? (Louisiana) Since the mouth of the Mississippi River is
in Louisiana, the Mississippi Delta is also located in Louisiana.
Tell the students that large rivers like the Mississippi make it possible
to travel by boat in the interior of a country or state. Direct the students'
attention to the Mississippi River on the U. S. Map. Trace the path of
the Mississippi and name each state that the Mississippi passes through.
Tell the students that the Mississippi makes travel by boat to these places
possible. Explain that another water feature that makes travel by boat
possible is something called a channel. A channel is the deepest part of
a river, harbor, or other waterway. A channel can also be a body of water
that connects two larger bodies of water. Ask a student to locate the country
of England in Europe on the world map. Tell the students to notice that
south of England there is a channel called the English Channel. The channel
runs between England and France. Point out that if you follow the English
Channel towards Belgium and the Netherlands you will notice that the channel
narrows and its name changes to the Strait of Dover. Explain that a strait
is a narrow channel.
Tell the students that the last water feature they are going to learn
about is a reservoir. Explain that a reservoir is a place used to collect
and store water. It looks something like a pond or a lake, but is special
because its purpose is to store water. Some reservoirs store drinking water
for communities. These reservoirs are protected so that we have a supply
of clean drinking water. Ask: Why do you think we need to store water?
(ready supply of water for drinking, household needs, watering gardens
and crops) What would happen if there was a drought, not enough rainfall,
and we didn't have a ready supply of water?
Review each of the new geographical water features with the class by
stating the definition and calling on students to name the appropriate
water feature.