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What does the shaded area on the map above represent?
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Explain, using a specific example from the map above, how heavy rains in Iowa might lead to flooding in St. Louis.
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Should the people of New Orleans be concerned with what the companies along the Arkansas River might be
dumping into the local waterway? Explain your response with a specific example from the map above.
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Nebraska is a plains state known for growing a lot of corn and corn crops require enormous amounts of water. How
might nearby states be affected if Nebraska starts somehow growing even MORE corn?
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Name ____________________________________________ Date ________________ Period ___________
Purpose:
In today’s lab you will investigate the relationship between the shape of the landscape and surface water. A
watershed is an area of land that collects and drains all precipitation that falls over the area.
Material:
● Paper template
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Marker
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Spray bottle
Setup:
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Take 1 template paper and crumple it up
Gently unfold the paper, it should still be a bit crumpled, showing small ridges (high points) and valleys
(low points).
Observe the relief of your landscape, record your observations below. Use the quadrat numbers and
compass directions to help describe your landscape
Imagine that this paper is a section of land, and find the ridgelines (the tops of the fold-lines)
Use a washable marker to gently color along the ridgelines on your “land.”
Hypothesis:
You are going to “rain” on your landform. Answer the following questions to make your hypotheses before
conducting the experiment.
1. What do you think will happen to your land when it “rains?”
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2. What will happen to the blue ridge lines you colored?
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3. Where will the “rainwater” travel?
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Procedure:
● Use a spray bottle of water to create a “rainstorm” over your land.
● As your “rainfall” accumulates, observe the pathways where the excess “rainfall” travels.
Observations:
Which section of your map shows the highest relief and the lowest relief? Use the compass directions and
labeled sections to help you describe each location. For example you might answer that the lowest relief is
found in the north area of section 3.
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In the space below, record your observations about what happened during the rainfall (Use words and pictures
if you wish).
Post-Lab Questions:
4. Review questions 1-3 in your hypothesis, explain how your hypotheses were or were not accurate.
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5. How did the “rainfall” travel over your land? Use the directions and labeled sections to help you describe
each location. For example you might say that the rainfall in section 4 flowed south.
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6. Where did the water collect? Use your sections labels and directions. Why do you think it happened this
way?
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7. Find the largest area on your land where water collected. This is a lake, and you get to name it!
My lake is named:___________________________________________________________
Tell me where to find your lake using the directions and section numbers.
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8. Look for a major stream running into your lake. Name this stream as well.
My stream is named: ________________________________________________________
Tell me where to find your lake using the directions and section numbers.
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9. Find location A on your land. A is a factory that produces and dumps toxic waste into the nearby land. Will
your house at B be affected by this toxic waste? Use a claim and evidence model to support your answer.
Claim:_____________________________________________________________________________
Evidence:__________________________________________________________________________
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9. Define the word “watershed''.
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Turn and Talk:
View your neighbor’s watersheds. How are they different from yours? Write down your observations below.
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Talk to your partner, how did they define watershed?
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