Physical and Human Geography
What is the term for a naturally raised area of land, higher than its surroundings, often found in the Mountains and Basins region?
What is a mountain?
Which Texas region contains major cities such as Houston and Corpus Christi and lies along the Gulf of Mexico?
What is the Coastal Plains?)
What map feature helps you determine the direction from one Texas region to another?
What is a compass rose or cardinal directions?)
Which Texas region is generally the flattest and closest to sea level?
What is the Coastal Plains?)
Which region would you visit to see beaches and coastal wetlands?
What is the Coastal Plains?
ame one economic characteristic that might help describe Texas coastal plains (examples: major city, historic landmark, or cultural region).
: What is a major city / historic landmark / cultural region? — accept any valid human characteristic)
: If you are in Amarillo or Lubbock, which Texas region are you most likely in?
What is the Great Plains?)
On a thematic map showing rainfall, which Texas region would typically show the highest precipitation?
What is the Coastal Plains?
Compare climate: which region is typically drier, the Great Plains or the Coastal Plains?
What is the Great Plains?)
If tourists want to visit Big Bend National Park, which Texas region are they touring?
What is the Mountains and Basins region?)
Which Texas region is known for its desert landscape, high mountains (including Guadalupe Peak), and basin valleys?
What is the Mountains and Basins region?
Name a major waterway found in Texas that would be included when locating places of importance.
What is the Rio Grande / Red River / Brazos River / Colorado River? — accept any major Texas river)
When creating a map that locates the North Central Plains, Mountains and Basins, Great Plains, and Coastal Plains, what symbol could you use to show major cities?
What are dots or city icons?)
Which region is best known for cattle ranching and wide open prairies during the 19th century?
What is the Great Plains / North Central Plains? — accept either with explanation)
Name a city in the North Central Plains that students might visit to learn about Texas cattle history.
What is Fort Worth?
: Give two physical characteristics that distinguish the Coastal Plains from the Great Plains.
What are flatter lowlands and higher rainfall (Coastal Plains) vs. flatter to rolling plains with drier climate and higher elevation (Great Plains)
Identify one historic landmark in Texas and state which region it is located in (example: Alamo — Coastal Plains/Central).
What is the Alamo in the Coastal Plains/San Antonio? — accept other correct pairings)
Which map element shows the distance between cities and helps compare sizes of regions?
What is a map scale?)
Explain one reason population density is higher in the Coastal Plains than in the Mountains and Basins
What is access to waterways, milder climate, and economic centers like ports and cities?)
Which region’s landscape would most likely include canyons and desert views appealing for eco-tourism?
What is the Mountains and Basins?)
Explain how human activities (such as farming or urban development) change a physical region and provide one positive and one negative consequence.
Response should explain modification — e.g., irrigation enables farming (positive: increased crop production); habitat loss or soil depletion (negative).
Describe how political and cultural regions differ and give an example of each in Texas.
Political region = defined by government boundaries (example: counties); cultural region = shared cultural traits (example: Hispanic cultural influence in South Texas)
Create (describe) a simple legend for a map that displays elevation (low, medium, high) across the four Texas regions
A legend with color gradations — e.g., green = low elevation (Coastal Plains), yellow = medium (North Central Plains), tan = higher (Great Plains), brown = highest (Mountains and Basins).
Analyze how natural resources vary among the four regions and give one example for each region
Coastal Plains — oil and ports; Great Plains — ranching and wind potential; North Central Plains — agriculture and grazing; Mountains and Basins — minerals and limited agriculture.)
Plan a short day trip itinerary that highlights one physical and one human feature in the Great Plains.
Example itinerary: visit Palo Duro Canyon (physical) and a nearby ranch museum or town (human).)