•
Landforms: Peninsula, island ( Michigan map)
•
Special Purpose Maps: Elevation
•
Landforms: Informational Text vs. a Chart
•
Sand dunes: Narrative Text
•
Bodies of Water: Labeling the Great Lakes
•
Informational Text and a Chart
•
Bodies of Water: Grand River, Tahquamenon Falls
•
Science Connection: Glaciers
•
Optional: Literature Connection: Stephen Kellogg’s Paul
Bunyan
Unit One: Lesson Three

To study a place geographers ask the question: What is
the place like?

To answer that question geographers study the natural
(physical) characteristics of the place.

Natural (physical) characteristics include landforms,
bodies of water, vegetation and climate.

Special purpose maps can be used to learn about these
natural (physical) characteristics.

Important landforms of Michigan include peninsulas,
islands, mountain ranges and sand dunes.

Important bodies of water include the Great Lakes,
inland lakes, rivers and waterfalls.
Geographers study a place by asking
questions and trying to find the answers to
the questions.
One of the questions is:
What is the place like?
To answer this question geographers study the natural
(physical) and human characteristics of the place.
different kinds of land on the Earth
Example: Mountains, hills and islands are
different landforms.
land surrounded by water on three sides
Example: Michigan is made up of two
peninsulas.
Upper Peninsula
Lower Peninsula
“Thumb”
 Leelanau Peninsula
Keweenaw Peninsula
a pieced of land that s surrounded by water
Example: Beaver Island and Mackinac Island
are important Michigan islands.
•Mackinac Island
•Isle Royale
•Beaver Island
maps that show characteristics of an area such
as landforms, climate, or forests
Example: Studying special purpose maps can
help you better understand a place.
 There
are many different kinds of
maps of Michigan besides the desktop
or paper map we have been using.
 Maps
called “special purpose maps”
tend to show just one type of natural
(physical) or human characteristic of a
place.
how high a place is
Example: A mountain has higher elevation
than a hill.
highest places with the color brown
medium high places are shown in tan
lower places are shown in green.
Source: Michigan Elevation Map. 30 June 2009 <http://www.iwr.msu.edu/edmodule/data/img/mielev.gif>
 The
highest parts of Michigan are found in the
western part of the Upper Peninsula.
 There
are two really high areas in the west part
of the Upper Peninsula.
 There
is a high area in the northern part of the
lower Peninsula.
 Along
 Most
most of the coasts it is low.
of the islands are low land.
a row of connected mountains
Example: The Huron mountains are a
mountain range in Michigan.

The Huron Mountains
◦ Our highest point is Mt. Arvon, which is part of this
mountain range.
◦ This mountain is about 2000 feet high, which would be
about 20 single story schools placed on top of each other.
◦ Although this seems high, it is a very short mountain
compared to many other mountains in the United States.

Michigan has another mountain range
called the Porcupine Mountains.
◦ Located close to Lake Superior in the far west part of
Michigan.
Landforms are natural characteristics of the
Earth. They include mountains, hills, valleys,
plains, plateaus, and islands. When you look
at a map of Michigan, the first landform most
people think about is a peninsula. That’s
because Michigan is made of two peninsulas,
the Upper and the Lower Peninsula.
Compared to states like Vermont and
Colorado, Michigan is not very mountainous.
Much of it is level with some rolling hills. The
Upper Peninsula does have two mountain
ranges, however. Mountain ranges are rows
of connected mountains. Michigan’s two
ranges are called the Huron Mountains and
the Porcupine Mountains. Michigan’s highest
point is Mount Arvon. It is located in the
Huron Mountains and is about 2000 feet
high.
Because Michigan has so much water it also
has a lot of islands. An island is a piece of
land that is completely surrounded by water.
More than 500 islands belong to Michigan.
Michigan’s largest island is Isle Royale, which
is located in Lake Superior. Isle Royale is
Michigan’s only National Park. Other
important islands include Beaver Island and
Mackinac Island.
Probably Michigan’s most famous landforms
are sand dunes. These are hills of loose sand
that have been piled up by the wind. Most of
Michigan’s sand dunes are found along the
shores of Lake Michigan. This area has the
largest amount of freshwater sand dunes in
the world. Sand dunes support many plants
and animals that cannot be found any place
else. Michigan’s most famous dunes are the
Sleeping Bear dunes.
ridges or hills of loose sand piled
up by the wind
Example: There are many sand dunes along
the shore of Lake Michigan.
◦ Michigan’s has the largest amount of fresh water dunes in
the world.
◦ The dunes support a wide variety of habitats from cool
forests of maple trees to the windy environment of open
dunes.
◦ Michigan sand dunes have many uses. People use them for
tourism, photography, nature study and recreation.
◦ Michigan sand dunes support many threatened and
endangered species.
◦ The state of Michigan and the United States government
work to manage and protect Michigan’s sand dunes.
Ojibwe legend explains the creation of the
sleeping bear dunes and the two islands near
the dunes.
Note: Legends are passed down from
person to person; different versions of
the original legend occur.

Note: Legends are passed down from person to person;
different versions of the original legend occur.
Bodies of water are another set of
very important natural (physical)
characteristics of Michigan.
oceans, rivers and lakes
 Huron
 Ontario
 Michigan
 Erie
 Superior
Five huge lakes located in the northern part
of the United States.
Example: Four of the Great Lakes border
Michigan.
a body of water that is partly
blocked off by land
Example: Michigan has many bays.
Two of Michigan’s nicknames are “The Great Lakes
State” and “Water Wonderland.” Both of these names
show the importance of water to the state.
Michigan borders four of the five Great Lakes.
These are Huron, Erie, Michigan and Superior.
Besides the Great Lakes, Michigan has over
11,000 inland lakes. The largest of these is
Houghton Lake, which is found in the
northern part of the Lower Peninsula. Other
big lakes include Lake Gogebic, Black Lake
and Burt Lake.
Bays are also an important natural
characteristic of Michigan. Bays are bodies of
water that are partly enclosed by land. Many
early towns in Michigan were located on bays.
Important bays include Saginaw Bay on Lake
Huron and Grand Traverse Bay on Lake
Michigan.
Rivers are large, flowing bodies of water that
usually empty into a large lake, sea or ocean.
Michigan’s rivers all empty into one of the Great
Lakes. Michigan has more than 49,000 miles of
rivers.
The longest river is the Grand River, which flows
through cities like Lansing and Grand Rapids.
This river is about 260 miles long. The Escanaba
River is the longest river in the Upper Peninsula.
Other important rivers include the Au Sable,
Detroit Muskegon River and Menominee Rivers.
Michigan is known for its many beautiful
waterfalls. These are formed when a river falls
steeply down. Most of Michigan’s waterfalls
are found in the Upper Peninsula. Two
famous waterfalls are the Upper and Lower
Falls of the Tahquamenon River. Many
tourists visit these waterfalls each year.
The Grand River
Tahquamenon Falls
website:
<http://www.exploringthenorth.com/tahqua/
tahqua.html>.
giant sheets of slowly moving ice
Example: Glaciers help create many of the
natural characteristics of Michigan.






Long ago in Michigan glaciers worked like bulldozers. They carried rocks,
pebbles, soil, and sand along in front of them.
Many of the soils in Michigan developed from these rocks, sand, and other
materials left behind by the glaciers.
Big boulders from the northern parts of the state were carried to southern
Michigan and left there.
Glaciers picked up the soil in northern parts of the state also. This soil was
deposited in the southern part of the state leaving this area with richer
farmland.
Glaciers carved out deep holes. As the glaciers melted these holes filled with
water and became Great Lakes.
The glaciers also helped form many of the inland lakes and rivers.

This author offers a very different explanation
of how the Great Lakes were formed.
Legends often have a regional connection. They are associated
with a particular event or person. Both myths and legends may
have religious content, but myths take place outside time, while
legends are rooted in a particular time and place. Legends do not
usually have the neat shape that folktales have, but they often
have a religious message. Legends may be transmitted orally or
written down.
Folktales are not connected to a specific time, place, or historical
character. While good characters are usually victorious over evil,
some folktales are immoral. In Jack and the Beanstalk, poor Jack
is the hero even though he foolishly sells his cow for a handful of
beans. When the beans grow into a giant beanstalk, he proceeds
to steal from the Giant, who has done him no harm. He chops
down the beanstalk, killing the giant, and causing great grief to
the Giant’s wife, who helped Jack. Jack winds up rich and happy,
but I wouldn’t want to have him for a neighbor.
1
2
3
1
2
3
1
2
3
 The Upper and Lower Peninsula
 Mountain Ranges (they may list the
Porcupine Mts. or the Huron Mts.
Landforms
 Mt. Arvon
 Sand Dunes
 Islands (they might list a specific island such
as Mackinac Island)
 The Great Lakes
 Inland lakes (they might list a specific lake such
as Houghton Lake)
Bodies of  Rivers such (they might list a specific river such
Water
as the Grand River)
 Bays (they might list a specific bay such as
Saginaw Bay)
 Waterfalls
 Glaciers helped form many of Michigan’s natural
characteristics.
 Sand dunes are a very special characteristic of
Michigan.
Other
important
things
 The Upper Peninsula has many different natural
characteristics than the Lower Peninsula.
 Tourists visit places like sand dunes and waterfalls.
 Because it is made up of two peninsulas Michigan is a
very special state.
Natural
Characteristics of
Michigan
Peninsula
Mountain
Range
Islands
Landforms
Natural
Characteristics of
Michigan
Peninsula
Waterfalls
Mountain
Range
Rivers
Bays
Sand Dunes
The Great Lakes and
inland lakes
Islands
Landforms
Natural
Characteristics of
Michigan
Bodies of
Water
Peninsula
Waterfalls
Mountain
Range
Rivers
Bays
Sand Dunes
The Great Lakes and
inland lakes
Islands
Landforms
How special
purpose maps
help us locate
them
Natural
Characteristics of
Michigan
Bodies of
Water
How glaciers
helped to
form them
Reflecting
Back to
Second Grade
Natural
Characteristics
Landforms
mountain
hill
plain
valley
Reflecting
Back to
Second Grade
Natural
Characteristics
Bodies of
Water
ocean
lake
pond
river