Chapter 2 Mountain Communities

Plains 3,ooo miles from north to south 700 miles east to west Summers hot Winters are cold

Plains Soil rich and dark Not a lot of rain Grows a lot of wheat Great plains stretch from Alabama to Texas

Questions What is the main crop of Great Plains? Describe the weather? Would you live here?

Growing the Wheat Prairies are large grassy areas Harvest is the gathering of ripe crops from the land where they were grown Combine is a machine used to harvest grain

Growing Wheat Look at your cereal, pancakes, waffles they are made from wheat Bagels, muffins are made from wheat

Questions What is the length of the Great Plains? Which region receives more rain-the Great Plains or the desert? What is one important crop grown on the plains?

Rocky Mountains Longest Mountain Chain North America Cover over 3,000 miles From Alaska to Canada and many western states What causes rivers to rise or what causes more rivers to appear?

Answer As the snow melts new rivers appear

Natural Resources Water Pine Forest Rocks-Gold,Silver, Copper, Gold,Coal A lot of wildlife…Bear, Deer,Hawks,mink, and mountain lion

Review Questions How long is the Rocky Mountains? Name three natural resources found in the Rocky mountains.

A Hard Place To Live Traveling can be hard Food can be hard to grow Weather can change quickly Native Americans learned how to live in the Rockies.

Questions Was living in the Rockies easy? Explain What natural resources can you find in the Rocky mountains?

Questions What are some animals that live in the forest? List some natural resources that can be found in rocks.

Gold Rush 1858 Gold was discovered Mines were discovered to dig gold Towns that were built around mines were called boom towns

Vocabulary Words Mine- A hole dug in the earth to dig out natural resource, such as gold Boom Town- a town that starts suddenly

Developing New Resources As gold ran out, silver became a natural resource Railroad line was built Tunnel through the mountains were built

Denver Today How do we use natural resources today? Lumber companies( houses, playgrounds) Ranching Mining (gold) Recreation ( fun activities) Touristists (Ski,hiking)

Desert Communities Sonoran desert is hot and dry You will see rocks and cactuses Phoenix, Arizona located here 2 million people live here

Living in the Desert Plants are cactuses Animals are coyotes, owls, rabbits, skunks, tarantulas and lizards

Questions In what state is Sonoran Desert located? What large city is located in the desert? Name a plant in the desert. What are some animals found in the desert.

Getting Water Hohakam Indians lived in the desert They built ditches to carry water They grew corn, cotton, and squash.

Solving problems Explorers came to Phoenix in 1860’s, they used what the Indians left behind. In 1911 the Roosevelt dam was built Dam creates a lake where water is stored and released when needed

questions What is a dam? How did the Hohokam Indians grow crops? How did the explorers solve the problem of growing crops?

Modern City Phoenix grown into large city People come to find jobs Come on vacation 138 parks

Questions Why do people visit the desert? What type of plants will you find in the desert? What type of animals will you find in the desert?

Great Plains Covers from Colorado to Texas to North Dakota Summers are hot Winters are Cold, not a lot of rainfall

Great Plains Soil is Very Rich Main crop is wheat Harvest-a gathering of ripe crops from the land where they were grown

Growing Wheat Prairies- large grassy fields Harvest- a gathering of ripe crops from the land where they were grown

Questions What do you eat that is made out of wheat? What is the length of the Great Plains? Which region receives more rain- Great Plains or the desert?

Questions What is one important crop grop on the plains? Is all flour made of wheat? What is the climate of the Great Plains?