Landforms Write On Grade 3

Learner Expectation Content Standard: 3.0 Geography enables the students to see, understand and appreciate the web of relationships between people, places, and environments. Students will use the knowledge, skills, and understanding of concepts within the six essential elements of geography: world in spatial terms, places and regions, physical systems, human systems, environment and society, and the uses of geography. Learning Expectations: 3.01 Understand how to use maps, globes, and other geographic representations, tools, and technologies to acquire, process and report information from a spatial perspective. 3.03 Demonstrate how to identify and locate major physical and political features on globes and maps.

IN THIS ACTIVITY YOU WILL: Learn about the different types of landforms. Create landforms with modeling clay. Write a Four Square describing a landform of their choice.

LANDFORMS Landforms are the kinds of land a place has. Landforms include mountains, valleys, plateaus, deserts,plains, islands, and peninsulas.

MOUNTAINS Mountains can be tall and sharply pointed like the Rocky Mountains. Mountains can be lower and more rounded like the Appalachian Mountains.

VALLEYS Valleys are lowlands that lie between mountain ranges. They are often good places for communities because water runs down from the mountains and they have rich soil to grow crops.

PLATEAUS Plateaus are landforms that have STEEP SIDES and a FLAT top. They may stretch for miles in every direction.

DESERTS A desert is dry land with few plants and little water.

ISLANDS An island is a piece of land that has water on all sides.

PLAINS The area of flat land along a sea or ocean is a coastal plain. Plains are flat sometimes grassy lands that stretch for miles and can be good habitats for animals like zebras, lions, and elephants, giraffes.

PENINSULAS A peninsula is a piece of land that has water on ONLY THREE sides and attached to another piece of land. A good example of a peninsula is FLORIDA.

REVIEW OF LANDFORMS MOUNTAINS: High steep,rocky land VALLEYS: Low land in between mountains PLATEAUS:Steep, sloped land with a flat top DESERTS: Dry, sandy land PLAINS: Flat, grassy land that stretches for miles ISLANDS: Land surrounded by water PENINSULAS:Land with water on 3 sides

Sources Jefferson County Website Harcourt Horizons: People and Communities volume 1 Florida Picture: http://fcit.usf.edu/florida/maps/clipart/colorpic/48.htm

CREATIVE ACTIVITY Give a lump of modeling clay. Allow students to mold and create each type of landform discussed. If needed go back through Power Point.

Writing Activity Students will choose their favorite landform to write a Four Square assignment and present it to the class.