Adventures in Time and Place

Adventures in Time and Place
Grade 4: Regions
Infographic #11: Land and Water of the Southwest
Page 284

Name___________________________________________ Date________________

1. The Grand Canyon is the most prominent natural feature in the Southwest. At this Web site, you’ll take a virtual trip down the Grand Canyon. Your tiny raft will slip and slide over the whitewater rapids of the Colorado River. Join this multimedia journey to see what it is like to be in the grandest of all canyons! To begin your journey go to A Trip Through the Grand Canyon.
http://www.azstarnet.com/grandcanyonriver/GCrtA.html

Click the highlighted titles and read about each segment of the river trip.
Click the photos to see larger ones. Then click the Back arrow.
Be sure to find the audio version of the canyon wren!
As you read, look for answers to complete the diary activity below.

Online Activity: Grand Canyon Diary!
Read each segment of the raft trip and fill in the blanks to complete the story.

The first raft trip through the Grand Canyon was conducted in . The expedition leader of this trip was . Our trip begins in Marble Canyon. Within only minutes we pass under an enormous span called that was built in 1928 and rises 467 feet above the river. The name of the river that runs through the Grand Canyon is called the . Although the temperature in the canyon can reach degrees Fahrenheit, the water in this river is too cold for us—approximately degrees Fahrenheit. However, fish love the cold water! In fact, there are many different kinds of fish in the river for us to eat, but the most common is the . Centuries ago, in about A.D. 1100, the first humans to populate the Grand Canyon were the . Today, you can hike up and see ancient Indian drawings called that are thousands of years old. However, the canyon is much older. Some experts say it contains metamorphic rock that is estimated to be million years old! The Grand Canyon is full of interesting features. For example, the shortest river in the world—called —actually runs through the walls of the canyon and gushes from the wall. A raft trip through the Grand Canyon is filled with many exciting mysteries and sights.

2. You’ve read about the Grand Canyon in Arizona. Now discover facts about the Great Plains, a geographical feature of some other states in the Southwest. To see maps about Oklahoma, Texas, and New Mexico go to Atlas of the Great Plains.
http://www.greatplains.org/resource/atlas/characteristics.htm

Find the map entitled U. S. Great Plains Land Cover. Click View Map for a close-up view. Wait until the map loads.
Pick a state and look for facts about its land. Notice differences among the states. Then click the Back arrow.
In the same way, study the maps that show U.S. mean precipitation, ecoregions, forest types, and percent of county area in cropland.

Offline Activity: Southwest Poster
Use what you learned about the state you chose from the Atlas of the Great Plains to tell your own story about that state. Make a poster, including a fact from each of the maps. Draw or trace an outline of the state. Use colored pencils, markers, or crayons to color your map. And write your facts around or on it.