National Parks Webquest

http://www-tc.pbs.org/nationalparks/media/pdfs/tnp_lesson_plan_mapping_the_national_parks.pdf Geography is the study of Earth and its features. Geographers also study the distribution of plant and animal life on the planet, including people and cities. It s helpful to look at geography through these fi!e themes: "#$%&I#' ( )here is it* &he term can refer to absolute location, such as an address or geographic coordinates. It can also refer to relati!e location, or where something is in relation to something else. +"%$E ( )hat is it like* &his term refers to the characteristics that make a place uni,ue. &hose characteristics can be physical, such as landforms and !egetation. &hey can also be human, referring to an area s culture, economy and go!ernment. E!ery place has a special combination of physical and human characteristics. -./%'-E'0I1#'/E'& I'&E1%$&I#' ( )hat is the relationship between the en!ironment and humans* &he term refers to ways that humans adapt to an en!ironment, how they change it, and how they depend on it. 2ridges and dams are e3amples of ways that humans ha!e interacted with the en!ironment to meet their needs. /#0E/E'& ( -ow ha!e people, goods or ideas mo!ed from one place to another* E3amples of mo!ement include %merica s westward e3pansion and the Internet. 1EGI#'4 ( )hat characteristic is shared by a group of places* +utting places into regions allows us to organi5e our knowledge of the world. % region can be defined by specific boundaries, such as a county or the .nited 4tates. 2ut a region such as the 61ust 2elt7 or 6&ornado %lley7 can also be based on our perceptions of places. )atch the clip 6/apping the 'ational +arks7 8ollowing the segment, answer the following ,uestions: a. %ccording to the segment, what is a park s purpose* &o preser!e the natural beauties nature has to offer. b. )hat types of en!ironments were among those shown and described in the segment* /ountains, lakes, !olcanoes, ca!es, the Grand $anyon, and !alleys.

c. In what ways do those en!ironments compare to your idea of a 6park7* /y idea of a park is a large area with trees, it9s fairly mellow and it9s a great place to walk around and en:oy nature, so the en!ironments talked about are pretty similar to my idea of a park. d. )hich of those en!ironments would you like to know more about* &he en!ironments I would like to know more about are the forest parks. APES: Land and water Use Unit +%1; +1#8I"E %merica s national parks represent a wide !ariety of en!ironments, from glacial ice to fiery !olcanoes and dry deserts to deep f:ords. &o e3plore a specific park, start with the )eb site of the 'ational +ark 4er!ice at www.nps.go!. .se the site s 68ind a +ark7 tool to locate your park. &hen research its dedicated pages for facts about the park that you can share with others. #rgani5e your information using the following table. LOCATION State and Region !or"al or in!or"al# P$%SICAL C$ARACTERISTICS Park borders area# Si&e o! t'e (ark a)res# Cli"ate Land!or"s *egetation Wildli!e <osemite 'ational +ark, $alifornia E3tends from =>>> feet to more than ?@>>> feet abo!e sea le!el $o!ers about AB?,=BB acres It stays pretty cool year round, hottest months are Culy-4eptember staying in the high D>s. $oldest months are Eecember and Canuary in the high F>s &he landforms include rock formation, waterfalls, !alleys and meadows and bodies of water. 0egetation 5ones range from scrub and chaparral communities at lower ele!ations, to sub alpine forests and alpine meadows at higher ele!ations. <osemite supports more than F>> species of !ertebrates including fish, amphibians, reptiles, birds, and mammals. %bout o!er @,>>>,>>> people per year. )aterfalls, cliffs, wildlife, trees and plants Established on #ctober ?, ?DG> it9s the nation9s third oldest national park. &he park was established for the purpose of preser!ation of the resources that contribute to its uni,ueness and attracti!eness.

$U+AN C$ARACTERISTICS *isitors (er ,ear +ost (o(ular -isitor sites $istor, o! de-elo("ent "o-e"ent# C'anges in lands)a(e o-er ti"e 'u"an.en-iron"ent intera)tion#

)ilderness is a place unchanged by people. <ou will find no cars, no roads, no electricity, no modern con!enience. 'early GHI of <osemite is congressionally designated as wilderness.