Social StudiesChapters 1 & 2

Chapter 1 Vocabulary

• geography: the study of the world and its features

• landform: a physical feature of the earth’s surface, such as a mountain

• climate: the type of weather in a place over a long period of time

• conservation: the protection and careful use of natural resources

Ch.1 Voc. Continued

• region: an area with certain characteristics that sets it apart from surrounding areas

• economy: the system people use to produce goods and services

• trade: buying and selling goods• environment: the things that surround

someone, including water and land• ecosystem: a community of animals and

plants interacting with their environment

Important Landforms• North America is covered with large areas of

mountains and plains– Interactive Map

• Rocky Mountains- West part of U.S.• Appalachian Mountains- East part of U.S.

(extend from Alabama to Maine)

Important Landforms

• Great Lakes- Northeastern part of U.S. and surrounding Michigan (includes Lake Superior, Lake Michigan, Lake Huron, Lake Ontario, and Lake Erie)

Important Landforms

• Great Plains

Important Landforms

Mississippi River

Mississippi River

Natural Resources

• renewable resources: can be replaced or renewed– examples: wood, fisheries

• non renewable resources: cannot be replaced once used – examples: oil, coal, and copper

• flow resources: can only be used at a certain time or place– examples: wind, sunlight, and water

Other Resources

• capital resource: a tool, machine, or building people use to produce goods and services– examples: tractors, ovens, computers

• human resource: a person and the skills and knowledge he or she brings to a job– ex.: farmers, inventors, teachers, principals

• scarcity: a lack of something– causes people to have to choose what they

need more

Regions

• The U.S. is divided into regions– can be divided by climate, which is affected

by landforms and distance from the Equator

Regions

• Can also be defined by its resources– ex.: Appalachian Mountain region has many coal

mines

• Resources are important for the growth of a region’s economy

• People and businesses in different regions trade with each other to make more goods available to consumers (someone who buys goods and services)– Much trade occurs at U.S. ports

Question:

• How do you think the land affects people?– Consider location and resources

• People often live near resources such as water, transportation routes, or jobs. Why do you think this is true?– People settle in a place where they are able

to make a living and places they enjoy– Environment may sway a persons decision– Sometimes people effect ecosystems by living

in certain environments

Chapter 2 Vocabulary

• migration- movement of people or animals from one region to another

• civilization- a culture with cities, a government, and many different jobs for people to do

• nomad- a person who moves around and does not live in one place

• barter- to exchange goods without using money

Ancient Americans

• Scientists think the first Americans came to the U.S. over a land bridge that linked Asia and North America– This land bridge is known as Beringia.– People migrated over this land bridge to hunt large

animals.– Eventually the Ice Age ended and ice melted to form

water that covered the land bridge.– The people who migrated over spread across North

and South America and became known as the Paleo-Indians.

Civilizations Develop

• Paleo-Indians lived by hunting animals– These animals began to die off and they had

to start depending on agriculture (farming or growing plants).

– Started to raise crops such as corn, beans, and squash.

– This caused them to stay in one place and they began to build villages and cities, which began the growth of civilizations.

Civilizations Develop• Some ancient people began to build large,

complex villages that included mounds. – These people became known as Mound Builders.

• There were also people known as Ancient Pueblo peoples.– Lived in large buildings made of mud and stone with

many rooms.– Also built underground rooms called kivas, which

were used for religious ceremonies.

• Aztecs ruled in Central Mexico where they had built hundreds of buildings and roads. – Made their own calendar and built large temples

Pacific Northwest Indians• Coastal area that stretches from Alaska to northern

California• Hunted and gathered everything they needed

– Caught salmon, shellfish, whales, and seals

– Gathered berries and fern roots

– Hunted geese, deer, elks, and bears

– Used wood for canoes, large houses, and totem poles

Some Pacific Northwest Indians

• Tlingit (KLINK-it)– One of the largest American Indian groups in

Pacific Northwest– Built villages near the coast or rivers– Made clothing and blankets from bark– Divided into clans (a group of related families)– About 17,000 Tlingit live in southeastern

Alaska today where most fish or work in forests cutting wood

Southwest Indians• Region that includes all of present-day Arizona,

& New Mexico, and parts of Utah, Colorado, Nevada, Texas, southern California, and northern Mexico

• Region was very dry– Had to build their homes with sticks, stones and a clay

called adobe– Lack of rain made agriculture difficult, so had to use

irrigation (a way of supplying water to crops with streams, ditches, or pipes)

• The Hopi– Used irrigation to grow beans, squash, and corn– Thought of themselves as caretakers of the land– Held religious ceremonies

Plain Indians

• Great Plains lie in center of North America• Eastern Plains

– Pawnee and Omaha Indians were successful farmers because of the plentiful rainfall

– Built earth lodges (homes made of bark, earth, and grass)

– Spent Spring and Fall farming, but left during the Summer and Winter to hunt buffalo

• Western Plains– Dry land made farming difficult– Buffalo were an important resource– Used buffalo for food, tools, rope, covers, etc.– Nomads who followed the buffalo herds usually lived

in teepees

Some Plain Indians

• The Comanche– Nomads– Fierce warriors on horseback– Became one of the most powerful Plains groups, or

nations– Wealthy and strong people who owned many horses

and controlled a large area of the Plains– Divided into groups and each group had leaders

called chiefs– About 8,500 Comanche live in the U.S. today, mostly

in Oklahoma working as farmers and ranchers

Eastern Woodlands

• A large varied region that has hills, mountains and plains, but the whole area receives plenty of rain– Stretch from the Atlantic Ocean to the Mississippi

River, and from the Gulf of Mexico to the Great Lakes

• Hunted deer, bears, and rabbits for food• Did not rely on one single source for food, like

the Plain Indians did• Farmers

– Planted corn, beans, and squash

• Built different houses and made clothing for different climates

Some Eastern Woodland Indians

• The Haudenosaunee– Lived in what is now New York state– Separated into nations– Haudenosaunee League, made up of five of the

nations: Mohawks, Oneidas, Onondagas, Cayugas, and Senecas

– This league made decisions together, but only the chiefs had a voice

– Nations traded with other Woodland Indians– Bartered for goods – More than 50,000 Haudenosaunee live in North

America today

Review

• What does migration mean and how does it apply to the beginning of civilization in the U.S.?

• How do scientist believe the first Americans came to the U.S.?

• Name a group of Pacific Northwest Indians that we have discussed.

• Why did Southwest Indians use irrigation?• What one animal did the Plain Indians depend

greatly on?• How many Indian nations made up the

Haudenosaunee League?