US Physical Geography Deep Dive — Appalachians, Mississippi, Great Plains, Rockies, Great Basin, Pacific Coast

Pop quiz: name 2 mountain ranges, 2 rivers, the 5 Great Lakes (HOMES). Affirm.

• Affirm quick recall
• Identify any review gaps

Topographic profile of US east to west: Atlantic coastal plain → Appalachians (low, old, eastern spine, ridges, valleys) → Mississippi watershed (vast lowland, the Mississippi-Missouri-Ohio system drains 31 states + parts of Canada) → Great Plains (vast grassland, semi-arid) → Rocky Mountains (high, young, jagged) → Great Basin (interior drainage — rivers don't reach the ocean) → Sierra Nevada / Cascades → Pacific Coast. Continental divide runs along Rockies — west-of-divide rivers flow to Pacific; east-of-divide rivers flow to Atlantic/Gulf via Mississippi. Show how overland trails MUST navigate this profile: cross Appalachians, cross plains, find a pass through Rockies (South Pass for Oregon Trail, Lemhi Pass for Lewis & Clark), cross Great Basin, descend Sierra Nevada to Pacific. Geography determines route.

• Geography determines where trails START and where they GO. Landforms shape human movement.

  model These towns are on the WEST EDGE of US settlement at the time AND have river access (Missouri River). After Independence MO, settlers go WEST — across the Great Plains — without major river-water route. Independence MO was the launching point.

  prompt Why did all overland trails (Oregon, California, Mormon, Santa Fe) start from places like Independence MO or St. Joseph MO?

• What is the continental divide?
• Which is older, Appalachians or Rockies? (Appalachians, much older — they were once as tall as Rockies but eroded over hundreds of millions of years.)

Topographic profile is a constructed source — cartographers chose vertical exaggeration. Children notice this and discuss representation choices.

M-4-S-GEO-09-A Diagram

Cross-section diagram showing elevation profile from Atlantic to Pacific along approximately 40°N latitude. Labels: Atlantic coastal plain (sea level) → Appalachians (~2000ft) → Mississippi lowland → Great Plains (~3000ft gentle rise) → Rocky Mountains (~10000ft peaks; South Pass 7400ft) → Great Basin (~4000ft interior) → Sierra Nevada (~10000ft peaks) → California Central Valley → Pacific coast (sea level). Vertical exaggeration noted.

• Trace topographic profile west-to-east with fingertip on tactile MG-2; name 6 major landforms in order.

  scaffold Use east-to-west cross-section diagram as reference.
• Predict where overland trails would cross: where would you need to find a mountain pass? Place trail-preview cards on MG-2.

  scaffold South Pass is in Wyoming; Lemhi Pass is on Idaho-Montana border; teacher confirms.

M-4-S-GEO-09-B Map

MG-2 tactile-relief version with all 6 major landforms tactile. Children run fingertip west-to-east naming landforms in order. Trail-preview cards placed at predicted pass locations.

MG-2 Map

US 50-State Physical and Political Map (tactile-relief version available): full continental US plus Alaska and Hawaii insets; all 50 state outlines in faint gray with capital-city dots and state-name labels in 12pt; major landforms in raised-relief tactile version (Appalachians, Rockies, Cascades, Sierra Nevada, Coastal Range, Ozarks, Great Smoky Mountains); major rivers (Mississippi/Missouri/Ohio/Columbia/Colorado/Rio Grande/Hudson) in blue; Great Lakes labeled (Superior/Michigan/Huron/Erie/Ontario); Great Plains shaded; deserts (Mojave/Sonoran/Great Basin) shaded; climate zones lightly indicated via 5 color washes; 5 region-boundary lines overlaid (Northeast / Southeast / Midwest / Southwest / West) with Pacific Northwest sub-region and Alaska/Hawaii separately. Translucent overlay layer (removable): historic Indigenous-homelands map circa 1500 CE based on cartographic work by Native Land Digital (native-land.ca, used with permission) showing 100+ nation-names across the continent. Style: cartographic accuracy, child-readable labels, tactile-raised landforms.

• Name the continental divide and which mountain range it runs along.
• Why did overland trails start at places like Independence MO?

• Restate the geography-shapes-routes idea
• Preview tomorrow's Mexican-American War lesson

• Identify ONE landform in your state. What watershed does its water drain to? Use Google Earth or atlas. Record 2 sentences.