All Aboard!
!A Train Ride to the
Southwest
Train Rules
• Be an active traveler – ask lots of questions!
• Don’t bother the other passengers – hold conversations after the train has arrived at it’s final stopping point!
• Raise your hand when you want to speak to the conductor, Miss Stern
The Whistle is Blowing!!
• We will now be departing the rolling hills of the Midwest.
• Off we go…
• Our first stop is one of the Wonders of the World. Do you know what it is??
The Grand Canyon
Grand Canyon Interesting Facts
• The Grand Canyon was formed partly due to erosion. (wearing away of soil and rock)
• Many scientists think that the rushing water of the Colorado River helped dissolve and wear away the rock of the Grand Canyon.
• Rainwater also causes erosion.
• Wind plays a part in the canyon’s continued erosion as well.
Train Trivia Time!
• Would you expect wind erosion to create sharp or smooth edges on the rock walls of the Grand Canyon? Why?
• Was the canyon always as deep as it is today?
People of the Canyon
• The Pueblo peoples (Native Americans) still live in the canyon area today.
• They live in adobe, or mud brick, homes.
• John Wesley Powell named this natural wonder the “Grand Canyon.”
• In 1903, Theodore Roosevelt visited the Grand Canyon.
Fun Fact
• The Grand Canyon is about 277 miles long and about 6,000 feet deep at its deepest point. That is the height of four Sears Towers!!
Southwest Climate
• Let’s make some predictions...
• What do you think the climate of the Southwest region is like???
Adjectives to describe the climate• A variety (or mixture) of climates can
be found in the Southwest.• Desert• Arid – dry, but not a desert• Hot, humid• Humid and windy• Thunderstorms, blizzards, tornadoes (in
Oklahoma)
Meet a famous cactus…
Saguaro
A symbol of the Southwest
Saguaro Facts
• Arizona’s state flower
• Spreads its long, shallow roots to drink in the rainwater from the desert
• Can store enough water to stay alive through long, dry periods
• Provides shelter for animals
• Animals return the favor by eating insects that could hurt the cactus
Oil in the area
• By 1902, more than 500 Texas companies were doing business in Beaumont and other Texas towns.
• Oil is a natural resource, and it is nonrenewable.
• Anthony Lucas was an important mining engineer.
The Oil Process
• 1) Oil is pumped from the ground and sent to a refinery.
• 2) At a refinery, oil is heated so that it separates into different chemicals.
• 3) Groups of chemicals are made into products.
• Can you think of some products made from oil?
Products made from oil
Train Trivia Time!
•What effect did the discovery of oil have on Texas?
Technology
• Technology is important to the economy of the Southwest.
• Computers, radios, and calculators are produced in Texas!
• Albuquerque, Los Alamos, and Houston (important cities in the Southwest) all are important to technology.
Arrival!!
• We are now arriving in…
Austin, TexasEnjoy the warm weather!
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