“Sea to Shining Sea”

1. Geography is the study of the earth and its people. You are learning about geography when you study where places are located or how people live. Geography also includes the mountains, rivers, oceans, and other features that make up the earth’s surface.

Based on the above passage, what is geography?a.The study of animals that live in the ocean.b.The study of earth and its people.c.The study of plants found in the mountains.d.The study of the sun and other planets.

Major Rivers and Mountains of the

United States

I can identify the major rivers of the United States of America: Mississippi, Ohio, Rio Grande, Colorado,

and the Hudson. I can identify the two major mountains ranges in the

United States of America: Appalachian, and the Rocky Mountains.

The Mississippi River runs from the state of Minnesota to the Gulf of Mexico. It is the second-longest river in the United States. The Mississippi River is one of the most important rivers in U.S. history. It allows travelers and good to travel back and forth between the Gulf of Mexico to the central United States. Many major cities are located along the Mississippi. The River serves as a dividing line between the eastern and western United States.

The Mississippi River runs through 10 states. The Mississippi River runs through Minnesota, Iowa, Missouri, Arkansas, Louisiana, Wisconsin, Illinois, KY, TN, and Mississippi.

The Ohio River runs from Pennsylvania to Illinois. It is a tributary of the Mississippi River. For many years, the Ohio River served as a boundary between the British Colonies and Native American territory. It also served as a boundary between slave states and free states. The Ohio River played an important role in trade and commerce. People used the river to travel and ship goods from eastern cities to western territories.

The Ohio River borders West Virginia, Ohio, Kentucky, Indiana, and Illinois before meeting up with the Mississippi River.

The Rio Grande River separates Texas from Mexico. It begins in Colorado and runs to the Gulf of Mexico.

The Rio Grande River runs from Colorado to New Mexico and then along the border between Texas and Mexico.

The Colorado River runs from the state of Colorado to the Gulf of California in Mexico. Over missions of years, the river’s flow has created the Grand Canyon.

The Colorado River runs through seven states. Major river of the Southwestern United States

The Hudson River runs through eastern New York. It meets the Atlantic Ocean in New York City. Native Americans and early Europeans used the river for travel and trade.

The Hudson River runs through New York and then forms the border between New York and New Jersey.

Facts to know:The Missouri is the world's 15th-longest river at 2,341 miles. The Missouri River begins in

the Rocky Mountains of southwestern Montana. …

Draw the Major Rivers on the correct section of the United States map.

The 2 major mountain ranges of the U.S. are the Rockies and the Appalachians (the ones outside our door).

Rocky Mountains• The Rocky Mountains are located in the western United States.

They run from the state of New Mexico to western Canada.

Appalachian Mountains • The Appalachian Mountains run from Georgia to southern

Canada. Many explorers crossed this mountain range.

Draw the major U.S. mountains on the correct section of the United States map.

Cut and Paste:Look at your copy of the blank U.S. map. Decide where the rivers and

mountains are located. Cut out the names of the rivers and mountains and paste them on the map in the

correct section of the map.

Complete the U.S. Major rivers worksheet.

Latitude and LongitudeHow do we find places on

maps?

Latitude

What is Latitude?

• Lines of Latitude run horizontally

• Latitude is measured in degrees.

• The Equator is 0 degrees Latitude.

• Lines of Latitude locate places North or South of the Equator.

Think East and West!

Longitude

• Lines of Longitude run vertically.

• The Prime Meridian is 0 degrees Longitude.

• Lines of Longitude locate places East or West of the Prime Meridian.

Think LONG!

Longitude lines run North and

South.

Equator – an imaginary line that separates the Northern Hemisphere from the Southern Hemisphere.

Primer meridian - an imaginary line from north pole to south pole. 

Hemispheres are “half-spheres” and show us half of the earth at a time.

The earth can be divided into 4 hemispheres. The equator divides the earth into the northern hemisphere and the southern hemisphere.

The prime meridian divides the earth between the Western and the Eastern Hemisphere.

Complete the hemisphere worksheets.

Activity

Use the drawing of the globe to label the hemispheres.

1.Which river on the map is the Mississippi River?

a.River Ab.River Cc.River Dd.River F

A

B

C D

EF

2. Which river on the map is the Ohio River?

a.River Cb.River Dc.River Ed.River F

A

B

C D

EF

3. Which river on the map is the Rio Grande River?

a.River Ab.River Bc.River Cd.River D

A

B

C D

EF

4. Which river on the map is the Colorado River?

a.River Ab.River Bc.River Cd.River D

A

B

C D

EF

5. Which river on the map is the Colorado River?

a.River Cb.River Dc.River Ed.River F

A

B

C D

EF

Major U.S. Mountain Ranges

Appalachian Mountains

Rocky Mountains

6. Use the map of the United States to answer the question below.

Which mountain range is the Appalachian Mountains?

a. Ab. Bc. Cd. D

AB

C

D

7. Where are the Appalachian Mountains located?

a.Northern United Statesb.Southern United Statesc.Eastern United Statesd.Western United States

AB

8. Where are the Rocky Mountains located?

a.Northern United Statesb.Southern United Statesc.Eastern United Statesd.Western United States

AB

9.

Which letter represents the Rocky Mountains?

a. Ab. Bc. Cd. D

AB

C

D

10. What would be the best title for the list below?

• Hudson River• Colorado River• Mississippi River

a. Major mountain ranges in the United Statesb. Cities in the United Statesc. Major rivers in the United Statesd. Places to buy fish

11. Jane loves the outdoors. She lives in Georgia. The closest activity would be to

a. sail on the Hudson Riverb. hike in the Appalachian Mountainsc. snow ski in the Rockiesd. swim in the Mississippi River

12. Which geographic feature does the map show?

a. Colorado Riverb. Hudson Riverc. Rio Grande Riverd. Mississippi River

TexasTexas

13. Which of the following is true?

a. The Ohio River runs from New Mexico to Canada.b. The Ohio River is the longest river in the United

States.c. The Ohio River is a tributary of the Colorado

River.d. The Ohio River runs from Pennsylvania to Illinois.

CO

TX

14. Which river divides the eastern and western United States?

a. Hudson c. Colorado

b. Mississippi d. Rio Grande

15. The study of the earth is called

a. history. c. geography.

b. latitude. d. meridian.

Which is which?

16. Which Earth shows lines of latitude?

A. B.

Which is which?

17. Which Earth shows lines of longitude?

A. B.

18. The equator divides the globe into:

A. Northern and southern hemispheres

B. Eastern and Western hemispheres

C. The United States

D. Lines of longitude

19. The imaginary line which runs north-south around the middle of the earth is the:

A. Prime meridianB. EquatorC. LatitudeD. longitude

20. A______ is half of the globe, created by the prime meridian or the equator.

A. SphereB. EquatorC. Prime meridianD. hemisphere