Welcome SW Explorers – this week we will EXPLORE the ANCIENT SOUTHWEST LANDSCAPE …… and build on your Southwest Vocabulary!……………..
For this week, we want to introduce you to some of the most amazing features in the ANCIENT SOUTHWEST LANDSCAPE. From deep canyons to wide open deserts, from forested mountains to prickly cactus, the Southwest Landscape shapes the lives of all that live there – people, plants and animals.
SW Explorers Team: . . . . Mon, Sep 23, 11:14AM PST (-0800 GMT)
DIG DISCOVERY #1 – There are 5 MAIN REGIONS that Camp Internet is studying this year as the SW landscape – what are they ? HINT: these are not the names of states or countries, they are the names of large bio-regions or geographic landforms that shape the Southwest region. Read carefully to find the answer at this button . Can you find these areas on a map ?
SW Explorers Team: . . . . Mon, Sep 23, 11:14AM PST (-0800 GMT)
DIG DISCOVERY #2 – Now that you know the 5 REGIONS, tell us what states or countries they are in today. Which of these do you live in ?
SW Explorers Team: . . . . Mon, Sep 23, 11:14AM PST (-0800 GMT)
DIG DISCOVERY #3 – Deserts are the most famous landscape in the Southwest, but not the only type of landscape. Yet even though they are famous, most people do not know what deserts are really like. For this project, you will need to select one of the words in this DESESRT VOCABULARY LIST below, research what the word means, and come back to this DIG and post a good, well written definition of what the word means. Pretend you are writing an entry in a dictionary, and start with the WORD you selected, followed by its definition (we will compile a student glossary of terms this year so your work will help other students in the future).
SW Explorers Team: . . . . Mon, Sep 23, 11:14AM PST (-0800 GMT)
DESERT VOCABULARY LIST ………..Students – select at least one of these words to research. Then write a 10-25 word definition of this word and post it to Camp Internet. We will combine your works to build an online student glossary so write your definition in a way that will help other students understand just what your word means.
………………………………
Aeolian erosion /
Alluvial fan /
Alluvial plain /
Arid /
Arroyo /
Ash /
Bajada /
Barometric pressure /
Basalt /
Caliche /
Canals /
Canyon /
Catalina Mountains /
Cave /
Chalcedony /
Cinder cones /
Clay /
Colorado Desert /
Colorado Plateau /
Colorado River /
Continental Divide /
Dam /
Death Valley /
Desert /
Detrius /
Diurnal /
Dunes /
Dust devils /
Dust storms /
Earthquake /
Earthquake fault /
Ecology /
Ecosystems /
Erosion /
Flash flood /
Flooding /
Fronts (weather) /
Grand Canyon /
Granite /
Gravity as an eroding agent /
Gulf of California /
Gulf of Mexico /
Humus /
Hurricanes /
Igneous /
Imperial Valley /
Inyo Mountains /
Jasper /
Joshua Tree National Monument /
Jurrasic Period /
Lava flow /
Lava tubes /
Lightning /
Limestone /
Mesozoic Era /
Metamorphic /
Mirage /
Mojave Desert /
Monsoon /
Nocturnal /
Oasis /
Obsidian /
Painted Desert /
Petrified Forest /
Petroglyph /
Playa /
Pluvial periods /
Prevailing winds /
Quartzite /
Rio Grande River /
Rocky Mountains /
Sand /
Sand dunes /
Sandstone /
San Jacinto Mountains /
Schist /
Sedimentary /
Shale /
Sierra Nevada /
Silt /
Slate /
Sonoran Desert /
Spalling /
Striated /
Talus slope /
Terrain /
Terrestrial /
Thermal low /
Thunder /
Tinajas /
Virga /
Volcano /
Whirlwind /
Wind /
Wind cave
SW Explorers Team: . . . . Mon, Sep 23, 11:15AM PST (-0800 GMT)
DIG DISCOVERY #4 – How many deserts are there in the Southwest and what are their names ? What desert is closest to you ? button
SW Explorers Team: . . . . Mon, Sep 23, 11:15AM PST (-0800 GMT)
DIG DISCOVERY #5 – Another very famous feature in the Southwest Landscape are the richly colored canyons.
button How old is the oldest rock in the Grand Canyon ? Where is the Rio Grande Rift ?
SW Explorers Team: . . . . Mon, Sep 23, 11:15AM PST (-0800 GMT)
DIG DISCOVERY #6 – Has the Southwest Landscape always looked like it does now ? What was it like 225 million years ago in the time of the dinosaurs ? And what was Pangaea ? button
SW Explorers Team: . . . . Mon, Sep 23, 11:17AM PST (-0800 GMT)
FOLLOW-UP ACTIVITY – We have a project that is great fun for students – they print out a sample newsletter about the continental changes on the earth, and then illustrate it. To access the newsletter go to this section button , study the model that is online at button , and then print out the pdf file located at button
Questions about Camp Internet--click here