Pre-reading
Chapter 2: Piney Hills and Coastal Marshes: The Geography of Louisiana
Name________________________________________________________________ Date ___________________________________
Anticipation Guide
Before reading Chapter 2, discuss each statement with your group and mark it True or
False. Share your responses as a class. As you read the chapter, check to see if your
predictions were correct or if they need to be changed based on the new information you
learned.
______ 1. With 3,600 square miles of water, Louisiana is the nation’s wettest state.
______ 2. The Mississippi River is the longest river in the world.
______ 3. Almost half of all Louisianians live in New Orleans and the surrounding
areas.
______ 4. Louisiana’s population is growing faster than the national average.
______ 5. Hurricane and typhoon are two different names used to describe the same
kind of storm.
______ 6. In the last 100 years, more than 65 hurricanes have struck Louisiana.
______ 7. The Florida Parishes receive more rain than any other region of the state.
______ 8. During the flood of 1927, one-quarter of the state was covered by water.
______ 9. About 375 billion gallons of water flow in rivers through Louisiana each day.
______ 10. The highest elevation in Louisiana is approximately 100 feet above sea
level.
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Chapter 2: Piney Hills and Coastal Marshes: The Geography of Louisiana
Pre-reading
Name________________________________________________________________ Date ___________________________________
Knowledge Rating Scale
Possible Sentences is a pre-reading strategy that helps you think about new terms and
concepts before you actually read the chapter. Here’s how to use it:
1. Choose two words from the list below. Using those two words, write a sentence that
might appear in the chapter. Be sure to underline the vocabulary words in the
sentence.
2. Using different words, create two more possible sentences.
3. Share your sentences with the class before reading the chapter. If other groups chose
some of the same terms, compare the different ways the groups used the words.
4. As you read these new terms in the chapter, check how closely your prediction
matches the way the words were actually used. Go back and adjust your sentences (if
needed) to reflect your new understanding.
Vocabulary Word
Know It Well
Have Heard/Seen It
No Clue
atmospheric pressure
canebrake
coastal lake
coniferous
cultural geography
deciduous
depression lake
distributary
ecosystem
geography
humid subtropical
climate
latitude
longitude
oxbow lake
physical geography
population density
raft lake
relief
reservoir
storm surge
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Pre-reading
Chapter 2: Piney Hills and Coastal Marshes: The Geography of Louisiana
Name________________________________________________________________ Date ___________________________________
Understanding Text Structure
Now that you’ve had practice filling out a web for Chapter 1, complete this one for
Chapter 2. Use bold-faced headings to identify the seven main ideas and their key
subtopics. Make bullets to show the subtopics. Gradually, we will explore how a web
connects to a more traditional chapter outline. Both methods show how ideas are related
and organized.
I.
II.
VII.
VI.
The Geography
of Louisiana
III.
V.
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IV.
© 2007 Gibbs Smith, Publisher
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Chapter 2: Piney Hills and Coastal Marshes: The Geography of Louisiana
Use with pages 20-21
Name________________________________________________________________ Date ___________________________________
State Symbols
How much do you really know about your home state? Can you name the official state
musical instrument? How about the official dog, vegetable, or drink? What other
official symbols and events are there? How and when did they come to be official
symbols for our state? Use your text, reference books, and internet sites recommended
by your teacher to become experts on five different state symbols or events. Organize
your work in the chart below, and share the results with the class.
Symbol/Event
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What I Know
What I Want
to Know
What I’ve Learned
27
Chapter 2: Piney Hills and Coastal Marshes: The Geography of Louisiana
Use with pages 22-24
Name________________________________________________________________ Date ___________________________________
Physical and Cultural Geography
Louisiana has 64 parishes. Your teacher will assign you one of Louisiana’s parishes, and
you will create a scale drawing of it. Use your textbook, reference books, and approved
Internet sites to learn about the parish. Your drawing should completely cover the back
of this paper. It should include ALL of the following:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
A legend that explains the icons or symbols used
The scale to which your map is drawn
A compass rose to indicate direction
The wards or districts within the parish
The parish’s four largest communities
Any rivers, important physical features, or landforms in the parish
Any state or national parks in the parish
Any natural resources used on a large-scale, commercial basis
The approximate latitude of the parish’s northern and southern boundaries and the
longitude of its eastern and western boundaries
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Chapter 2: Piney Hills and Coastal Marshes: The Geography of Louisiana
Use with pages 26-29
Name________________________________________________________________ Date ___________________________________
Natural Land Regions
1. When discussing natural land regions, what does the term relief mean?
2. In which of the natural regions is your community located? Describe the plants,
animals, and any special features a visitor might see.
3. What happened to Louisiana’s prairies?
4. Use your prior knowledge from Chapter 1, along with pages 26-29 in the text, to
complete the chart below.
Coastal Marshes
Floodplains
Uplands
Plant Life
Formation and
Special Features
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Name________________________________________________________________ Date ___________________________________
Rivers and Bayous Super Lotus
In the numbered circles surrounding the center box, write the sub-topics from pages 31-34 of your text (combine the two
bayou sub-topics). The first two are done for you. Describe each sub-topic in its own section of the diagram. Outlining each
of the areas in a different color helps you concentrate on one sub-topic at a time. Don’t worry if some cells are blank. Just
write one idea per box.
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Use with pages 31-34
Chapter 2: Piney Hills and Coastal Marshes: The Geography of Louisiana
Chapter 2: Piney Hills and Coastal Marshes: The Geography of Louisiana
Use with pages 36-38
Name________________________________________________________________ Date ___________________________________
Controlling Louisiana’s Rivers (page 1 of 2)
Part I.
Use the chart below to organize key information about various methods used to help
control Louisiana’s waterways.
Where and when
was it constructed?
How does it help
control water?
(Include a sketch)
How has
it performed?
Any problems or
drawbacks?
Levees
Old River
Control Structure
Bonnet Carré and
Morganza Spillways
J. Bennett Johnston
Waterway
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Chapter 2: Piney Hills and Coastal Marshes: The Geography of Louisiana
Use with pages 36-38
Name________________________________________________________________ Date ___________________________________
Controlling Louisiana’s Rivers (page 2 of 2)
Part II.
Carefully review page 37 of your textbook. As you visualize the
changes that have taken place to the three rivers over time, think
about their causes. Then put the following events in the correct
sequence, from right to left.
_____ _____ _____ _____ _____ _____ _____ _____ _____ _____
A. Atchafalaya Bay could fill in within the next 50 years.
B. The Atchafalaya River was once a small distributary of the Mississippi River. Because
of a large log jam, little water could flow down it.
C. During a 1973 flood, a new delta formed.
D. Over time, more of the Mississippi River flowed into the Atchafalaya.
E. The Atchafalaya grew much larger and muddier, and natural levees formed.
F. Once the log jam was cleared away, all the Red River’s water began flowing down
the Atchafalaya instead of the Mississippi.
G. In 1831, a short channel was cut to make it easier for steamboats to travel between
the Mississippi and Red Rivers.
H. Experts are concerned the Mississippi could change course and follow the
Atchafalaya to the Gulf because that route is shorter and lower than the current one.
I. Swamps and lakes were filled in, and a deciduous forest grew.
J. Six Mile Lake completely disappeared and so did most of Grand Lake.
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Lakes
Use the information from your text and Internet resources suggested by your teacher to create a comic strip that shows how
two different types of lakes form over time. Briefly describe what is happening in each step. Label the types of lake you
drew below your drawings.
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Use with page 39
Chapter 2: Piney Hills and Coastal Marshes: The Geography of Louisiana
Use with pages 40-41
Chapter 2: Piney Hills and Coastal Marshes: The Geography of Louisiana
Name________________________________________________________________ Date ___________________________________
Climate
1. What is weather?
2. What is climate?
3. How is Louisiana’s climate influenced by geography and landforms?
4. What is the official description of the Louisiana climate?
5. Describe two ways the climate impacts the state’s economy.
6. How does having a humid subtropical climate affect the way you and your family
work and play?
7. Choose a state that has a very different climate from Louisiana’s. Describe two
significant ways your life would be different if you lived there.
8. How would you describe fall and winter in Louisiana to an exchange student coming
to live in your state next year?
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Chapter 2: Piney Hills and Coastal Marshes: The Geography of Louisiana
Use with pages 42-43
Name________________________________________________________________ Date ___________________________________
Hurricanes
The potential for violent weather is present in nearly all regions of Louisiana. Use the
Venn diagram to compare and contrast tornadoes and hurricanes. List things unique to
each kind of storm inside the correct circles. In the center where the rings overlap, list
ways in which the two weather events are alike. As you complete your diagram, include
information on the following:
1.
2.
3.
4.
Where and how the storms form
Methods for measuring or rating the storms
The wind speeds at the lowest and highest measures on the scales
The areas of Louisiana most impacted by each type of storm
Tornado
Hurricane
Connecting to Life
How has weather affected you?
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Use with pages 44-46
Chapter 2: Piney Hills and Coastal Marshes: The Geography of Louisiana
Name________________________________________________________________ Date ___________________________________
Population
1. In the boxes below, show the population density for each area by making dots to
represent the average number of people per square mile.
Average population
density in Louisiana
is ______ people per
square mile.
Average population
density in Louisiana
without New Orleans
is ______ people per
square mile.
Average population
density in the U.S.
is ______ people
per square mile.
2. Describe Louisiana’s three cultural regions and the things that make each of them
unique.
3. Describe cultural influences in your neighborhood. Give specific
examples.
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Chapter 2: Piney Hills and Coastal Marshes: The Geography of Louisiana
Quiz
Name________________________________________________________________ Date ___________________________________
Chapter 2 Quiz
Part I. Multiple Choice
1. Which of the following are river control structures?
A. Tidal basins and flood plains
B. Spillways, locks, and dams
C. Depression lakes and bayous
D. Cheniers and barrier islands
2. Which term best describes Louisiana’s climate?
A. Semi-arid tropical
B. Humid subtropical
C. Humid temperate
D. Coastal tropical
3. What is a storm surge?
A. A wall of ocean water that is pushed inland during a hurricane
B. Brackish water that gushes up near salt domes when an oil strike is made
C. Rainwater that flows swiftly over a spillway after a sudden storm
D. A rapid change in temperature between a cold front and a warm front
4. What is cultural geography?
A. The study of the landforms and oceans
B. The study of weather and how it affects people
C. The study of tectonic forces that shape daily life
D. The study of how people have interacted with, changed, and adapted to living
on the earth
Part II. True/False
Mark each statement with a “T” if it is true or an “F” if it is false.
_____5. The Red River has a high salt content because it picks up salt as it flows over an
underground salt dome.
_____6. The Atchafalaya is a tributary of the Mississippi River.
_____7. Due to heavy sedimentation and pollution, the Atchafalaya River is no longer an
important ecological area for migratory birds.
_____8. The Mississippi River is more than 2,000 miles long.
_____9. Rivers from 43 states drain into the Mississippi River.
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Quiz
Chapter 2: Piney Hills and Coastal Marshes: The Geography of Louisiana
Chapter 2 Quiz (continued)
Part III. Short Answer
10. Going from east to west, name the time zones in the continental United States.
11. If it is noon in New Orleans, what time is it in the following cities?
______ New York City
______Chicago
_______ Denver
______ Los Angeles
12. Describe two significant ways tornadoes and hurricanes are alike and two ways they
are different.
Part IV. Matching
Match the definition to the landform.
13. ____ Oxbow lake
14. ____ Coastal lake
15. ____ Depression lake
16. ____ Raft lake
17. ____ Reservoir
A. This is a natural or artificial lake used for water storage.
B. This is a crescent-shaped lake formed when a river meander is cut off from the main
channel.
C. This lake forms when land along a fault sinks and then fills with water.
D. This lake forms when cheniers slow the flow of rivers into the Gulf, and large pools
of brackish water build up behind them.
E. This lake forms along the Red River due to a huge log jam that once prevented
bayous from draining into the river.
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Chapter 2: Piney Hills and Coastal Marshes: The Geography of Louisiana
Quiz
Name________________________________________________________________ Date ___________________________________
Chapter 2 Quiz (continued)
Part V. Essay
Use the blank space on the back of the test to write your answers.
18. Describe the three cultural regions found in Louisiana. Which one best represents the
area in which you live? What have you noticed about the architecture, language,
foods, and traditions in your neighborhood?
19. Choose one of the following, and describe how it works. Discuss its location,
effectiveness, and any problems associated with it.
Levees
Old River Control Structure
Bonnet Carré and Morganza Spillways
J. Bennett Johnston Waterway
Intracoastal Waterway
20. How is the population of Louisiana changing? Why is this trend a cause for
concern? What are some measures that could be taken to reverse the pattern?
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Chapter 2: Piney Hills and Coastal Marshes: The Geography of Louisiana
Answers
Answers to Chapter 2 Pre-reading Worksheets
Anticipation Guide
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
T
F
F
F
T
F
T
T
T
F
Knowledge Rating Scale
Discuss survey results as a class.
Understanding Text Structure
Answers will vary.
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Answers
Chapter 2: Piney Hills and Coastal Marshes: The Geography of Louisiana
Answers to Chapter 2 Worksheets
Natural Land Regions
1. Relief: the difference in elevation between the highest and lowest points of an area. How much the land
rises above and falls below sea level.
2. Answers will vary.
3. Agriculture and urban development have destroyed most of the natural prairie and animal life that lived
there.
Coastal Marshes
Floodplains
Uplands
Plant Life
• Grasses and plants
• Few trees
• Live oaks on cheniers
• Leafy deciduous
trees, like cypress,
oak, hickory, pecan,
magnolia, tupelo gum,
and cottonwood
• Canebrakes
• Rich agricultural land
• Deciduous trees
• Coniferous, or needlebearing, evergreen
trees more common
Formation and
Special Features
• Formed when
sediment collected
at the mouths of
rivers as they
entered the gulf.
• Low flat valleys
through which rivers
flow
• Includes swamps,
sloughs, bayous, and
lakes
• High elevation
• Formed when magma
pressure and
tectonic forces
pushed the land
upward
• Erosion washed away
soft material, leaving
rocky hills.
• Piney Hills
• Kisatchie Hills
• Dolet Hills
• Florida Parishes
• Driskill Mountain
• Ancient terraces
created by rivers.
Rivers and Bayous Super Lotus
Students may complete the Super Lotus individually or in small groups. Share contents of the cells
as a class since wording will vary.
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Chapter 2: Piney Hills and Coastal Marshes: The Geography of Louisiana
Answers
Name________________________________________________________________ Date ___________________________________
Controlling Louisiana’s Rivers
Where and when
was it constructed?
Levees are built along both
sides of a river.
Levees
The earliest ones were
built by the French in the
1700s.
How does it help
control water?
(Include a sketch)
The raised sides keep
water in the channel and
protect the outside from
flooding.
How has
it performed?
Any problems or
drawbacks?
If too much water is
confined during heavy
rains, the levee can break
and flood the surrounding
land.
They prevent sediment
deposits along the coast.
It was built in the 1960s
at the head of the
Atchafalaya River.
It lets half of the
Mississippi River's water
and all the Red River's
water flow into the
Atchafalaya River.
Old River
Control Structure
It has kept the Mississippi
from changing course.
It made the Atchafalaya a
larger river.
It increased sediment,
which created natural
levees.
Swamps and lakes filled in.
A deciduous forest sprang
up.
Six Mile Lake and most of
Grand Lake disappeared.
Bonnet Carré is on the
east bank of the
Mississippi, upstream
from New Orleans.
Bonnet Carré and
Morganza Spillways
Morganza is on the west
bank of the Mississippi,
upstream from Baton
Rouge.
It is on the Red River.
J. Bennett Johnston
Waterway
During floods, one-quarter
of the Mississippi's water
can be diverted through
the spillway into Lake
Pontchartrain.
It relieves pressure on the
state's levee systems.
Morganza protects the
levee system by diverting
water out of the
Mississipppi into the
Atchafalaya Basin.
It has five locks and dams.
It deepened the river so
barge traffic could reach
Shreveport.
It controlled flooding more
effectively.
It improved water quality.
It slowed the current, so
salt and sediment settled,
making the water cleaner.
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Chapter 2: Piney Hills and Coastal Marshes: The Geography of Louisiana
Answers
Name________________________________________________________________ Date ___________________________________
Controlling Louisiana’s Rivers (page 2)
Part II
B
G
D
F
E
I
J
C
A
H
Climate
1. Weather is temperature, wind, and rain on a daily basis.
2. Climate is the long-term weather pattern in a region. It is affected by latitude, altitude, and
nearness to large landmasses or large bodies of water.
3. The state’s southern latitude and nearness to the Gulf of Mexico gives the state a warm stable
climate.
4. Humid subtropical
5. Possible examples: favorable to tourism and agriculture; lower winter energy costs can help
make operating a business, school, or agency less expensive; certain plants and animals thrive
in this climate
7-9. Answers will vary.
Hurricanes
Answers will vary but should include:
1. Hurricanes start in the moist air over warm waters like the Gulf of Mexico or the Atlantic
Ocean. The hurricane season is June 1 through November 30. Tornadoes form over land and
are created by thunderstorms. They are most common during the spring when cold and warm
fronts collide.
2. Hurricanes are rated on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale. The categories range from 1 to 5,
depending on the storm’s severity. Tornadoes are also ranked from 1 to 5 using the Fujita
Scale.
3. The wind speeds for a Category 1 hurricane are 74-95 miles per hour. A Category 1 tornado
has wind speeds from 73-112 mph. A Category 5 hurricane has winds over 155 mph while a
tornado listed as a Category 5 has winds from 261-318 mph.
4. Northwest Louisiana experiences the most tornado activity. Southeastern Louisiana gets hit by
more hurricanes than any other part of the state.
Population
Average population
density in Louisiana
is 103 people per
square mile.
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Average population
density in Louisiana
without New Orleans
is 66 people per
square mile.
Average population
density in the U.S.
is 79 people per
square mile.
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Chapter 2: Piney Hills and Coastal Marshes: The Geography of Louisiana
Answers
2.
South Louisiana has a strong French culture. The Catholic Church is prominent, and traditional
Cajun foods, architecture, and music remain popular.
North Louisiana and the Florida Parishes are more like other parts of the Deep South. Those
areas were settled by English-speaking Protestants, and there is little French influence evident.
Western Louisiana has Spanish cultural influences dating back to settlers who began arriving in
the 1700s.
3. Answers will vary.
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Chapter 2: Piney Hills and Coastal Marshes: The Geography of Louisiana
Answers
Answers to Chapter 2 Quiz
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
B
B
A
D
T
F
F
T
F
10. Eastern, Central, Mountain, Pacific
11. 1:00 p.m., 12:00 p.m., 11:00 a.m., 10:00 a.m.
12. Both have high wind speeds, destructive power, and are rated on a 1-5 scale of severity.
Hurricanes form over water and strike coastal areas. Tornadoes are spawned by
thunderstorms and occur over land.
13.
14.
15.
16.
17.
B
D
C
E
A
18.
South Louisiana has a strong French culture. The Catholic Church is prominent and traditional
Cajun foods, architecture, and music remain popular.
North Louisiana and the Florida Parishes are more like other parts of the Deep South. Those
areas were settled by English-speaking Protestants, and there is little French influence evident.
Western Louisiana has Spanish cultural influences dating back to settlers who began arriving in
the 1700s.
19. Answers will vary.
20. The state attracts fewer immigrants than other states and is, therefore, becoming less
ethnically diverse. The growth rate is only 5.9 percent, which is less than half the national
average. The birth rate is dropping, and the state's population is aging. Louisiana offers few
jobs in high tech industries and difficult times in the oil and gas industries have caused
additional job loss. This has a negative impact on the state's economy and the quality of
education and services that can be provided to Louisiana's citizens.
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Pre-reading
Chapter 3: Making a Living in Louisiana
Name________________________________________________________________ Date ___________________________________
Possible Sentences
Possible Sentences is a pre-reading strategy that helps you think about new terms and
concepts before you actually read the chapter. Here’s how to use it:
1. Choose two words from the lists below. Using those two words, write a sentence at
the bottom of this page that might appear in the chapter. Be sure to underline the
vocabulary words in the sentence.
2. Using different words, create two more possible sentences.
3. Share your sentences with the class before reading the chapter. If other groups chose
some of the same terms, compare the different ways the groups used the words.
4. As you read these new terms in the chapter, check how closely your prediction
matches the way the words were actually used. Go back and adjust your sentences (if
needed) to reflect your new understanding.
Vocabulary Word
allocate
barter
capitalism
command system
competition
corporation
dividend
economics
global market
goods
inflation
interest
market system
proprietorship
regulatory agency
scarcity
services
specialization
stock
surplus
tariff
traditional system
unemployment rate
wages
Know It Well
Have Heard/Seen It
No Clue
1.
2.
3.
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