Unit 2: Interior Lowlands Region



Map Skills activities 3 the above link to identify the latitude and longitude of the capital cities in the Interior Lowlands region.StateCapitalLatitudeLongitudeIllinoisSpringfieldIndianaIndianapolisIowaDes MoinesKansasTopekaMichiganLansingMinnesotaSt. PaulMissouriJefferson CityNebraskaLincolnNorth DakotaBismarkOhioColumbusOklahomaOklahoma CitySouth DakotaPierreTexasAustinWisconsinMadisonActivity ExtensionYou are planning a road trip to visit your best friend who lives in Fort Worth, Texas. You are travelling from St. Paul Minnesota. Create a grocery list for the items you will need to pack in the car, calculate how long it will take to drive, and approximately how much money you will spend in gas. Let’s assume that each state has a consistent gas price of 2.99 per gallon and you are driving a Lincoln Navigator with a 25 gallon gas tank.Scouting Report 4 the above link to identify the logo of 5 college or NBA basketball teams.Choose your favorite and create an advertisement to encourage an athlete to join the team. Be careful to identify which state in the Interior Lowland the team comes from. Your advertisement should include 3 reasons why an athlete should join the team. For example you may choose to identify tourist attractions in the area, the major industry in the area, and possible family activities. Activity ExtensionIf you are not a basketball fan you can use the same link and choose a sport of interest to complete this activity.Color by state 3 on the above map, identify which Interior Lowland states are Republican, and which are Democrat. Put a triangle on the democratic states and a circle on the republican states.Activity ExtensionThe above referenced map was from the 2008 election year. 2012 (this year) is also an election year. Watch television for 30 minutes. Make a chart of how many democrat and republican advertisements you see. Make a decision on who you would vote for based on the advertisements you watch and write 1 paragraph explaining why you chose this candidate.Scavenger Hunt 3North Dakota, South Dakota, Texas, Wisconsin, Iowa, Oklahoma, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, OhioDirections: Match the correct state to the description provided each state can only be used once. If you need help use an atlas or use I am home to the Theodore Roosevelt National Memorial Park.I am home to the soybean capital of the world. Bart Simpson and his family lives here also. -1905222885During Memorial Day weekend thousands of people come here to see cars race.17145129540Monument rocks that are over 10,000 years old are found here.Eminem spent most of his life here.I am known as the gopher state.You can find the Boonville Daily News in this state.Arbor Day was founded in this state in 1872.The first city to use police cars is found in this state.The first shopping cart was invented by someone from this state.If you wanted to take a picture of Mount Rushmore you would go to this state.Known as the Lone Star stateProduces more milk than any other state in the U.S.The world’s largest strawberry lives here.ANSWER KEYInterior Lowlands Scavenger HuntNorth Dakota, South Dakota, Texas, Wisconsin, Iowa, Oklahoma, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, OhioDirections: Match the correct state to the description provided each state can only be used once. If you need help use an atlas or use I am home to the Theodore Roosevelt National Memorial Park.North DakotaI am home to the soybean capital of the world. Bart Simpson and his family lives here also.IllinoisDuring Memorial Day weekend thousands of people come here to see cars race.IndianaMonument rocks that are over 10,000 years old are found here.KansasEminem spent most of his life here.MichiganI am known as the gopher state.MinnesotaYou can find the Boonville Daily News in this state.MissouriArbor Day was founded in this state in 1872.NebraskaThe first city to use police cars is found in this state.OhioThe first shopping cart was invented by someone from this state.OklahomaIf you wanted to take a picture of Mount Rushmore you would go to this state.South DakotaKnown as the Lone Star stateTexasProduces more milk than any other state in the U.S.WisconsinThe world’s largest strawberry lives here.Iowa1162050634Make That Money!! 4Choose two states from the Interior Lowlands region. Create a Venn diagram to compare and contrast the major sources of revenue for each state. Creative Writing Prompts 4Choose 2 of the following writing promptsImagine you are a corn farmer in Indiana. A swarm of grasshoppers has devoured two thirds of your corn harvest. Write a journal entry explaining how this has impacted your family.Your whole life you have dreamed of being an airplane pilot. You have learned that Kansas is the leading state in the manufacturing of aircraft. Write an essay explaining the history of the airplane.The Food & Drug Administration has banned the consumption of soybeans stating that eating soybeans will lead to cancer. Make a list of all the products we will no longer see in the stores if soybeans were banned in the Interior Lowlands region.A factory has been dumping chemicals into Lake Itasca, the source of the Mississippi river. Write a persuasive letter to the CEO of the company explaining why they should stop this practice. Be sure to explain the environmental and economic impact.Years ago millions of Bison roamed freely in Kansas. Currently Bison, commonly referred to as buffalo, are protected in National Parks. Explain the decline in the Bison population.Name that State Flashcards 2Label each state and identify the capital, and the state flower. In the empty square choose a state from the region that has not already been selected, draw the state and identify the capital and the state flower.Bodies of Water Activities 2Complete all 3 of the following activities1. Mississippi River: Use the above link to fill in the blank.The Mississippi is the world's fourth-longest river at _________________ miles, including the Missouri River. It flows from its source, at Lake ________________, in Minnesota, to the Gulf of Mexico. It is the ____________________ river in the United States. The Mississippi, especially in its lower sections, can _________________ its banks with disastrous results for the people living nearby. Federal and state ___________________ are very vigilant in keeping up with river flow _____________________ and making sure that such flooding is minimal. Many different kinds of wildlife make their homes in the river, including 241 species of ______________, 37 species of _____________________, 45 amphibians, 50________________, and a full 40 percent of the entire country's migratory ___________________. 2. Missouri River: Use the above link to fill in the blanks.The Missouri is the world's ________________________ river at 2,341 miles. It flows from its source, at the Gallatin,_________________________, and Jefferson Rivers in Montana, to the Mississippi River, at St. Louis. The Missouri drainage area is 529,350 square __________________, one-sixth of the entire United States. The basin is home to about 10 ____________________ people from 28 Native American _______________, 10 states, and a small part of __________________________. The Missouri is one of the most __________________________ rivers in the U.S. Its many dams and reservoirs have created many lakes and _______________________ the free-flowing nature of the river, stopping flooding in many areas. Historically, the river has changed its course slightly many times in just the __________________ years that ___________________________ have been living nearby. In some places, the river has relocated more than ______________________ feet of soil. This is one reason that the Missouri is called the _________________________and the "Muddy Mo." ("Mo" is short for Missouri.) 3. The Ohio River: Use the above link to fill in the blanks.What is Happening to the _______________ River? ?During ________________________, raw sewage is discharged directly into the river at over _________________ points along the river. A result is that stretches of the Ohio River near many major cities are ___________________ to swimming. ?Non-point source________________ from urban runoff and agricultural activities contributes significant amounts of _____________________ to the river. ?Acid mine drainage (AMD) is a major source of water_______________ problems for the upper Ohio River and its __________________. (As water runs through old mines, it becomes contaminated with___________________ and high concentrations of _____________.) ?Many ______________________of the Ohio River do not meet water quality standards for ____________________ and pathogens, PCBs, lead, mercury, metals, ____________________and other pollutants. ?Approximately __________________species of fish have been found in the Ohio River. However, the dams have drastically altered the __________________ for river organisms, as they___________________ fish and other organisms from moving up and down the river in their ____________________ cycles. Presentation 4 Power Point Presentation InstructionsYour travel agency has been selected to give a presentation about the Interior Lowlands Region. Design a presentation that would encourage tourists to take a tour of this region. Your presentation should include all 14 states of this region, the major bodies of water, sources of revenue, and popular attractions. A sample slide is shown below:Come visit Minnesota485076566040Although Minnesota is known as the” gopher state”, it is the leading state in the computer industry. It is also home to the headquarters of several popular brands like Nabisco and Pillsbury.222694531432550038070485Physical Processes 2 The Kansas City Star special reports“Chasing the Drought: Drought’s wide impact likely to last for years”July 23 2012By RICK MONTGOMERY and IAN CUMMINGSDrought’s effects, experts say, stretch far beyond the farm fields and this dry bed at Lake Cooley in Clay County. Its impact could include higher food prices, cracked foundations and stagnant stock markets. Longtime rancher Monty Wheeler has moved most of his livestock, including Black Angus cattle, closer in because the pastures on his Polk Country farm are bare. For Wheeler and his wife, Mary, the drought’s impact includes higher costs for feed, hay and fuel. The Wheelers also have lost seven calves in the heat. The once green grass at Loose Park has dried up, meaning it is mowed less often. Although the drought has affected farmers the most, experts say dry weather can create a ripple effect that touches us all. Of all natural disasters, drought is the most common and the least understood.It doesn’t hit like a hurricane, earthquake or twister. You can’t see it coming on satellite radar, experts note, which may be why many people disregard the effects.Around Kansas City, drought creeps — first claiming the Missouri crop grower, then the Kansas cattleman who can’t afford grain to feed livestock.In time, grocery shoppers around the nation will wonder what’s with the higher prices for produce and hamburger.The ground, meantime, shifts in silence. Water mains burst. Homeowners agonize over fractured foundations.Thousands of trees around the metro likely will die, if not this year, then next.Physically, economically and sociologically, droughts do their damage the way a python squeezes the life out of its prey, in super-slow motion.“Much like a python, drought comes up slowly and can essentially suffocate a region,” said Alex Prud’homme, who wrote The Ripple Effect, a book about the creeping distress that follows a dearth of rainfall.“It can set off a series of consequences, many of which we’re not aware of being associated with drought,” Prud’homme said in an interview.In Kansas City, the months of April through June marked the driest three-month period endured since 1911. The area received about six inches of rain in those months — we’d normally get a foot more.Tasks:Read the article. Write a summary (3-5 sentences) on the impact of the drought on the plants, animals and humans. Be sure to include the short term and long term effects.Line 9 states the drought is the most common and misunderstood of all disasters. Explain this phrase using evidence from the article.Write a response to this article. You can choose to be a local farmer, an animal affected by the drought, or a plant from the region. Explain how the weather has impacted your life.Climate Characteristics 2 Weather Map AnalysisAnalyze the weather map depicting the average high temperatures in the United States. Remember the major bodies of water in the Interior Lowlands region are (Mississippi, Missouri, Ohio, and Great Lakes) What impact would these temperatures have on these bodies of water? What type of recreational activities would you expect to find during June? Explain the human impact on the environment those recreational activities would have.Weather Phenomenon 2 Tornado Valley Interactive Map and Where is Tornado Alley?by Dr. Greg Forbes, Severe Weather ExpertFirst Published: October 7, 2005The Wizard of Oz movie in 1939 helped Kansas and the Great Plains become known as part of "Tornado Alley" - the region of the United States often visited in late spring and early summer by dangerous, sometimes violent, tornadoes. Part of the reason why is that the "dry-line" -- a front separating moist Gulf of Mexico air from dry air from the Southwest -- often sits across these states, helping spawn tornado-producing thunderstorms.The Glossary of Meteorology published by the American Meteorological Society defines "Tornado Alley" as "a term often used by the media to denote a zone in the Great Plains region of the central United States, often a north-south-oriented region centered on north Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, and Nebraska, where tornadoes are most frequent." Tornado Risk by Month and LocationUse the link provided above to access the online interactive map. Choose any 3 “dots” located in the Interior Lowlands region. What months have the MOST tornado activity?/The LEAST tornado activity? Explain why you think this happens.2376302-30348Slide Rocket 32280920269875Required TaskDirections: View the SlideRocket Presentation using the link below. Then you must choose from one of the activities at the end. activities are as follows:Visit at least 5 of the links that provide more information about each state. Read the section on their major industries carefully. Pick a product that is common to most of the states in this region. Create an advertisement for this product or service. You may use technology or art supplies to create your ad.Explore the link about the Great Lakes. Consider a body of water in our area of Virginia. Create a Venn diagram comparing and contrasting the 2 bodies of water.Choose one of the interesting landmarks in this region and research it. Create a brochure for this landmark.View this “commercial for the Interior Lowlands. Create your own commercial with a partner using what you’ve learned in this presentation. one or more of the Microsoft Word Templates Located in your Hand Out folder. You will need to revisit several links in the presentation. The templates are:Economy TemplateGeography TemplateCultural Template ................
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