flag

Creating a Physical Map of the United States

flag

The Physical Map should show the following:

Plateau: The Ozark Plateau, Columbia Plateau, and Colorado Plateau

Basin: The Great Basin

Plains: The Interior Plains, The Central Plains, The Great Plains, and The Coastal Plain

Desert: Death Valley

Mountains: The Appalachian Mountains, The Rocky Mountains, The Sierra Nevada Mountains, Cascade Range, and Coast Ranges

Oceans: The Atlantic Ocean, The Pacific Ocean, and The Gulf of Mexico

Lakes: Lake Michigan, Lake Superior, Lake Huron, Lake Erie, Lake Ontario

Rivers: The Mississippi River, The Ohio River, The Missouri River, The Colorado River, The Hudson River and The Columbia

Material: Soda cardboard box

Procedures:
Inside the soda box draw an outline of the United States. The outline should be the size of the bottom of the soda cardboard box.
Use the following colors to represent the rivers and lakes and the different land forms:
Green: Plains
Brown: Mountains
Blue: Rivers - Lakes
Yellow: Desert
Red: Plateau
Label each land form, river, desert, plateau, mountain, lake, and ocean.
Decorate the outside of the box.
In the inside of the soda box should be
a Compass Rose and
Map Key
On the outside of the soda box should be
your Name

Grading Criteria:
The land forms, rivers, lakes, and oceans were placed in the right location.
The proper colors were used.
Each land form, river, lake, plateau, desert, and ocean were labeled.
Creativity
Conclusion:
For this project one will earn points in the subject area of Social Studies.

 

Suggestions: Use brown craft paper to form a mountain, cotton to show snow on the mountains, blue yarn to create a river, red construction paper to form a plateau, and a lid from a McDonald’s soda cup to form a basin. Don’t be afraid to be creative.