Where are communities located? Mrs. Martin Grade 3

Why do communities start and grow in certain places?  Communities have different physical environments. People adapt to their environment, and they change it to meet their needs. Location and natural resources help communities grow.

Vocabulary  These are the words/thoughts that you will need to know in order to understand this unit.

landform  Shape or part of the Earth’s surface  for example a mountain

region  A large area of land that has special features. We live in the Northeast region of the United States.

Physical environment  The landforms and climate of a region.

weather WWhat is happening outside from day to day. IIs it rainy or sunny, hot or cold, snowy or windy?

climate TThe kind of weather a place has over a long period of time FFor example the climate of places near the Equator is hot, and tropical all year long TThe climate of the North Pole is cold all year long

adapt  To change the way you do something so that you may survive in your environment For example:  in the winter we heat our homes and dress in warm clothing  in the summer we wear summer clothing and use air conditioners and fans to cool our homes.

Natural resource  Items that we use that are NOT man-made but are found naturally on Earth.  For example; water, trees, soil, oil

scarce  In short supply, not enough

conserve TTo use less of something so that it will last longer

recycle  To use something again  Sometimes items are used again but in new ways

Line graph AA graph that shows change over time GGraph has dots that are connected by lines. The rising and falling of the lines shows the change.

Where do communities grow? CCommunities grow where there are natural resources for people to use. What resources you have depends on the environment around you. MMost communities were started where there was water. Water is a natural resource that can be used many different ways and is necessary for life.

Natural Resources DDifferent communities in different environments have different natural resources. ((Different things are found in different places.) WWe use natural resources for many things: BBuilding our homes MMaking clothing EEating/drinking PPowering our cars/engines GGrowing our crops

Conserving Natural Resources  Sometimes our natural resources become scarce or in short supply.  In order to stop this from happening or to help the supply grow when it is scarce we must conserve.  Conserving natural resources means to use less so that we can save what we have.

adapting  Depending on where a community is located people need to adapt to their environment.  In cold weather, people protect themselves with warm clothing, and by heating homes and buildings.  In warm weather, people adapt by dressing in cool clothing and using fans or air conditioners.

Adapting – changing the environment AAnother way people adapt to their environment is by changing it. FFor example when people need room to farm or build their home they may cut down trees. PPeople also change the environment by building railroads, roads, and cities.

Climate  Where your community is located also decides what type of climate you will have.  In some places the weather changes with the seasons. In other places the weather stays about the same all year.  Remember weather is what happens day to day, climate is the weather over long period of time. (How hot or cold and how much rain/snow).

Using line graphs  Line graphs are often used to show how temperature or rainfall amounts change over time.

Line graph