Unit 1

 Describe San Antonio in a few words. ◦ Climate, soil, landforms, animal life, vegetation, language, religion, population distribution, ◦ Think back to 6 th grade.

 You just name the physical and human characteristics of San Antonio. We learned about this in 6 th grade and now we are going to apply what we learned to Texas regions.

 Landforms are features on Earth’s surface.  Texas has 4 major landforms: hills, mountains, plains, and plateaus.

 Plains are areas of flat or gently rolling land without a sharp rise or fall in elevation.

 Areas of flat elevated land one that drop sharply on one or more sides.

 Texas has several water features: lakes, rivers and streams  Water from all of the rivers and streams in Texas eventually flow into the Gulf of Mexico.  Texas has few natural lakes but many man made.  Aquifers are formations of natural gravel, rock and sand that trap and hold rainwater underground. Aquifers provide water for farms, homes and industry.

 Climate is the weather at a particular place over a period of years.  Location affects climate: distance from equator, proximity to large bodies of water

 Climate, landforms and soil all help to determine where a plant will grow. ◦ Brush, bushes, grasses, trees, wildflowers  Vegetation of Texas provide a habitat to a wide variety of animals. ◦ Armadillos, deer, javelinas, prairie hens, raccoons, wildcats, skunks, wild turkey and wolves ◦ Alligators, catfish, oysters, redfish, shrimp

 Agricultural ◦ Crops and animals ◦ Timber  Energy ◦ Oil, coal and natural gas

 The state of Texas is divided into 4 regions.  How do you think it is divided?  What do you feel the divisions are based on?  Geographers used climate, landforms, plant life and soil to divide Texas into 4 regions

 There are 4 natural regions in Texas ◦ Great Plains ◦ Central Plains ◦ Gulf Coastal Plains ◦ Mountains and Basins

Great Plains Mountains and Basins Central Plains Gulf Coastal Plains

Gulf Coastal Plain

 Covers 1/3 of the land of Texas  Northeast border is the Sabine River  Southeast border is the Gulf of Mexico  West border is the Balcones Escarpment

 Flat and low  Wooded land and Coastal sands  Big Thicket National Preserve - forest in SE Texas  Rivers - Brazos, Colorado, Trinity  Good soils along rivers

 Hot and damp, humid  Tornadoes, hurricanes  inches of rain per year

 Plants - pine trees, hardwood trees (elm, oak, cottonwood, pecan)  Various Animals  Minerals  Bodies of water

 Farming  Fishing  Ranching  Tree farms-lumber businesses  Oil and gas (Spindletop 1901)  Factories  Ports

 Austin  Houston  Dallas  San Antonio  Texarkana  Corpus Christi  Brownsville  Most populated region

HHow do people who live in the Gulf Coastal Plain adapt to or modify their environment and why? ◦H◦Houses, jobs, food, money EX: Houses are made of lumber because of all the trees.

 ions/gulf_coast/big_kids/ ions/gulf_coast/big_kids/

Central Plains

 Part of the Great Central Plains of the US and Canada  East border is the Coastal Plains  South border is the Colorado River  North border is the Red River  West border is the Cap Rock Escarpment

 Rolling grassy lands  Thick grasses  Cross Timbers area - large areas of hardwood trees  Limestone rock  Higher elevation because limestone doesn't wear down easily

 Dry air  Tornadoes  inches of rain per year

 Limestone  Minerals  Streams  Fertile lands for crops

 Farming - fruits, vegetables, watermelons, oats  Ranching - cattle, angora goats (mohair)  Cedar trees - fenceposts  Oil and gas

 Fort Worth  Abilene  Wichita Falls  San Angelo

 videohttp:// crosstimbers.htmlhttp:// crosstimbers.html

Great Plains Great Plains KAHOOT!!!!!!

 Part of the Great Plains of the US and Canada  Most of the Panhandle and Edwards Plateau  East & South borders are escarpments  Southwest border is the Mountains and Basins Region

 Flat  Few trees  Canyons in North (Palo Duro Canyon)  Higher elevation than Central Plains  Cap Rock Escarpment  Edwards Plateau

 Dry air  Hot summers  Cold winters  Dust storms  inches of rain per year tch?v=MYOmjQO_UMw

 Short grasses  Mesquite, cedar, pecan, and oak trees in Edward Plateau area  Deer  Wild turkeys

 Farming - cotton, wheat (irrigation from wells)  Ranching - cattle, sheep, goat  Oil and gas in the Permian Basin

 Amarillo  Lubbock  Midland  Odessa  Kerrville  Fredericksburg  Del Rio

 In your IAN, give, me some examples of how people who live in the Great Plains Region will adapt to or modify their environment and why. ◦ Houses, jobs, food, money EX: Houses are made of lumber because of all the trees.

 In your IAN, on the map. ◦ Color the Great Plains Region. ◦ Create a map key. ◦ Label 3 landforms. ◦ Label 2 cities. ◦ Label 2 natural resources. ◦ Label 2 economic resources. ◦ Label one example of climate.

Mountains And Basins

 Far west Texas  East border near Pecos River  South border is the Rio Grande  North border is New Mexico

 150 mountains in the mountain ranges  Plateaus and basins  Deserts  Pecos and Rio Grande Rivers  Big Bend National Park

 Driest part of state  8 inches of rain per year, 20 in mountains  Hot days, cool nights

 Plants - short grasses, shrubs, desert plants in plateaus and basins; pine forests in mountains

 Ranching - cattle, sheep, goat  Farming - cotton, fruits, vegetables, cantaloupes (irrigation in El Paso and Pecos River Valley)  Oil and gas - part of Permian Basin

 El Paso  Pecos  Kermit  Monahans  Fort Davis  Marfa  Alpine