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!