The Big Idea Activity

How do people adapt to where they live?

Create a Poem About a Place

Student working on the Activity


Create a poem about regions in California. Think about what makes each region special. California Standard 3.1 Students describe the physical and human geography and use maps, tables, graphs, photographs, and charts to organize information about people, places, and environments in a spatial context.

Research RoadmapPrint the Research Roadmap. Use it to take notes and hand it in to your teacher when you make your presentation.

 

Topic Finder

Need help finding a topic? Explore these ideas for research...California Destinations.

Case Study

Here's an example of a topic you could choose for the Big Idea Activity: Did you know that there are more than 270 state parks in California? The parks include beaches, deserts, forests, and even a castle! Find a state park. Look at the photo of the park you found. What would you see at the park? What would it smell like? What sounds might you hear?

Fun Facts The tallest tree in the world is a sequoia tree. It is almost 300 feet tall. It grows in Humboldt Redwoods State Park.

 
 

How many people lived in your state in the year 2000? Compare your state to other states. Look up the states of Wyoming, Florida, Alaska, and Ohio. Look at the population figures for the year 2000 for each state. How do these states compare to California? Make a bar graph that compares the population of these five states.

California Fun Facts

Fun State Facts

 
 

Life in Communities

Aquarium of the Pacific

Learn about fish and plants that live off the coast of Long Beach. Explore the Southern California/Baja exhibit.

Long Beach Transit History

Learn about the history of public transportation in the community of Long Beach.

Kids and Community

Learn how city planners create communities.

The Geography of Communities

Patterns of the Land

Take a guided tour of California's landform regions.

Oil & Gas in California

Learn about California's oil and natural gas resources in this slide show.