Unit 4:  Landforms and Topography

Activity 4:  Ooh, What A Relief It Is (SI GLEs: 13, 14, 19; ESS GLE: 21)

CC:  Introduce the topic of elevation with a relief map. Discuss and review the basic landforms of mountains, plains, and plateaus and a similar feature of these landforms-rivers. Challenge student groups to make cross-sectional profiles. Using a relief map, introduce the use of contour lines.

Suggested websites for the activity:

Topographic Map Symbols - What is a Topographic Map?

http://permanent.access.gpo.gov/websites/ergusgsgov/erg.usgs.gov/isb/pubs/booklets/symbols/

Topographic Map Symbols

http://www.dugcaves.com/more/topokey.htm

Topographic Map Symbols-Reading Topographic Maps

http://mac.usgs.gov/isb/pubs/booklets/symbols/reading.html

TopoMap.com - links to topographic map examples which illustrate symbols commonly used on maps for cultural and natural features.

http://www.csus.edu/indiv/s/slaymaker/Archives/Geol10L/topomap.htm

Introduce the use of contour lines:

http://raider.muc.edu/~mcnaugma/Topographic%20Maps/contour.htm

Some additional websites for this activity:

Worldbook online  

http://www.worldbookonline.com

Gale Group   

http://infotrac.galegroup.com/tweb/lak.12rpa

United Streaming  

http://www.unitedstreaming.com

Geography Basics: Globes, Maps, and Graphs (20:00)

Graphic/Physical Relief Maps (00:41)