Intro to the Major Landforms of Texas and the Four Regions of Texas High Plains CAPROCK ESCARPMENT Permian Basin Edwards Plateau Coastal Plains BALCONES ESCARPMENT
As we discussed in our Walk Across Texas, there are many different landforms in our state. Get out your notes from the Walk and write all the LANDFORMS from diagram list on your handout. Add any other landforms you think Texas may have that weren t on the list. Today, we are going to focus on the vocabulary word escarpment. Texas has two major escarpments that play a large role in the shape of the land of our state.
Major Texas Landforms Escarpment a long steep slope, esp. at the edge of a plateau or separating areas of land at different heights High Plains Permian Basin CAPROCK ESCARPMENT Edwards Plateau Coastal Plains BALCONES ESCARPMENT
BALCONES ESCARPMENT TX Landforms South
CAPROCK ESCARPMENT TX Landforms
Test Your Knowledge Using the handout, write the answers to the questions on the following slides. 1. What is the name of this escarpment?
2. What is the name of this escarpment?
3. This escarpment separates what two major landforms?
4. This escarpment separates the Edwards Plateau from what two major landforms? Edwards Plateau
5. Which two Texas cities are near the Caprock Escarpment? 6. Which escarpment goes through Austin?
Four Regions of Texas The Escarpments help make up the NATURAL BORDERS for the Four Regions of Texas The Four Regions of Texas are: 1.Coastal Plains Region 2.North Central Plains Region 3.Great Plains Region 4.Mountains and Basins Region
Mountains & Basins Region North Central Plains Region Here are the regions on a map. Label them on your map, too. Find Travis County on this map. Put a star on the map where Austin would be (in Travis County). What do you notice about Austin? Which region(s) is it in? Great Plains Region Coastal Plains Region What do you notice about Austin? Which region(s) is it in?
The four regions found in Texas are just part of a larger set of regions found across the United States. What makes a region? The differences in the geography of a place remember the five things we talked about before the walk? Each region has different locations, landforms, climate, natural vegetation, natural resources.
Sub-Regions of Texas The four Regions of Texas are broken up into 11 Sub-Regions. The Coastal Plains Region is broken into 5 sub-regions The North Central Plains Region is broken up into 3 sub-regions
The Great Plains Region is broken up into 3 sub-regions The Mountains and Basins Region has NO sub-regions
You will be given a Texas map with the sub-regions shown. You will need to color and label the 11 sub-regions of Texas. You will also need to use the sub-regions to draw in the 4 regions of Texas. This assignment will be homework due the next time you come to class. Have fun!
Possible Activities Throughout Geography Unit Coloring Book Suggest students make coloring books entitled Geography Vocabulary (or you could do it for a particular region like North Central Plains). If the book is for Vocabulary give the students the list of words they need to know for this unit and write and look up the definitions for all the words (pp. 16-17 and the dictionary) If the book is for a region have students list on the board the products, resources, and landforms from the region. Then, assign items from the list to students The students will sketch the items on a half sheet of paper and then outline each drawing with black marker They need to print the word (with or without definition?) at the bottom of each picture Make copies of each page (either you sort and staple at the copy machine, or have them punch holes and bind books with brads)
Possible Activities Throughout Geography Unit Old Language Quote: Read aloud the following quote from John Steinbeck s Travels With Charley: I have said that Texas is a state of mind, but I think it is more than that. It is a mystique closely approximating a religion. And this is true to the extent that people either passionately love Texas or passionately hate it Rich, poor, Panhandle, Gulf, city, country, Texas is the obsession, the proper study and the passionate possession of all Texans. Then have students write an explanation of the quote and give reasons why they agree or disagree with Steinbeck.
Possible Activities Throughout Geography Unit Economic Categories: Organize the class into groups and have each group list the following headings on a sheet of paper: a) financial or insurance centers; b) manufacturing, high-tech, or industrial centers; c) agricultural or agribusiness centers; d) distribution or shipping centers; e) educational or medical centers; and f) petroleum or petrochemical centers. Then tell students to look through Section 1 to find the Texas cities that have been or are centers for each of these economic activities. Remind students that many cities have more than one kind of activity.