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Draw the following example on the board to help you illustrate the map key
for a relief map.
Name
Date
Make a Relief Map
Connect each set of dots that indicate the same elevation. For example, draw a line
to connect all the dots labeled “450 and under.” Once you are done, color the land
according to the chart below.
Harris Campsite
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451–500 •
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450 and under
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Bald Hill
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Jonson's Well
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Land
450 and under
451–500
501–550
551–600
601–650
= 801– 900 Feet
= 701– 800 Feet
= 601– 700 Feet
= 501– 600 Feet
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Scale 1 Inch = 1 Mile
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Elevation
Color
green
brown
yellow
orange
blue
Purpose: To interpret directions to create a relief map
Master 14
B. Mountains and Mountain Ranges
Copyright ©Core Knowledge Foundation
e
il
t h Tr a
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501–550
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Sou
ak
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Old
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Rockytop Hill
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10/6/05
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CK_4_TH_HG_P087_242.QXD
Grade 4: History & Geography
Use Instructional Master 14.
Background
A mountain range is a series of connected mountains considered as a single system because of geographical proximity or common geologic origin.
Mountains are considered to have a common geologic origin if they formed at
the same time by the same set of geologic events.
A large mountain system, like the Appalachian Mountains in northeastern
Canada and the United States, may be called by different names in different
areas. For example, the Appalachians in the southern United States are called
the Blue Ridge, Great Smokies, Cumberland Plateau, and Black Mountains.
Cross-curricular
Teaching Idea
You may wish to teach the Science
section “How Mountains Are
Formed,” on pp. 497–498, prior to
introducing major mountain ranges.
South America: Andes
Name
Date
Major Mountains of North and South America
Study the map and use it to answer the questions that follow.
N
70
N
80
ARCTIC OCEAN
60N
Mt. McKinley
20,320 ft.
N
50
RO
K
CK
40N
OUU
MO
YY M
NORTH
PACIFIC
OCEAN
NORTH
ATLANTIC
OCEAN
NORTH
AMERICA
S
INN
AAI
NNTT
30N
APPALACHIAN
MOUNTAINS
S
20N
With an average height of 12,500 feet (3,810 m), the Andes are the secondhighest mountain range in the world. The Himalayas are the highest.
10N
0
Equator
AN
SOUTH
AMERICA
D
10S
E
S
SOUTH
PACIFIC
OCEAN
20S
MOU
N
W
30S
E
IN
S
N TA
Approximately 50–60% of Peru’s people live in the altiplano. About one-third
of the nation’s population live in the narrow lowlands between the Andes and the
Pacific Ocean. Because the Andes run north to south along the entire length of
Chile, most Chileans live in the Central Valley region between the Andes and low
coastal mountains.
S
0
40S
0
500
1000 miles
500 1000 kilometers
Mt. Aconcagua
22,834 ft.
SOUTH
ATLANTIC
OCEAN
50S
160W
140W
120W
100W
80W
60W
40W
20W
60S
Purpose: To read and interpret a map featuring major mountains of North and South America
The Andes Mountains were the home of Inca people, whom students in Core
Knowledge schools studied in Grade 1 and will study again in Grade 5.
Master 15a
Copyright ©Core Knowledge Foundation
The Andes Mountains are over 5,000 miles (8,046 km) in length, the longest
mountain system in the Western Hemisphere. The mountains begin as four ranges
in the Caribbean area on the northeastern coast of South America. In Peru and
Bolivia, the mountains form two parallel ranges that create a wide plateau known
as the altiplano. The Andes then form a single range that separates Chile from
Argentina.
Grade 4: History & Geography
Use Instructional Masters 15a–15b.
North America: Appalachians and Rockies
The Appalachian Mountains are the oldest mountain chain in North America
and stretch from Newfoundland to central Alabama. They are about 1,800 miles
History and Geography: World
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I. World Geography
Teaching Idea
Create overheads of Instructional
Masters 15–16, Major Mountains of
North and South America and Major
Mountains of Europe, Asia, and Africa,
to orient students to the location of the
major mountain ranges and the highest
mountains on each continent. Have
students answer the questions on each
Instructional Master after the lesson.
Name
The Rocky Mountains extend for more than 3,000 miles (4,828 km) from
Alaska to New Mexico. The highest point in North America is Mount McKinley
in Alaska. The major ranges of the Rocky Mountains are the Southern, Central,
and Northern Rockies in the contiguous United States, the Brooks Range in
Alaska, and the Canadian Rockies. The Rocky Mountains were more formidable
barriers to travel than the Appalachians because the Rockies are in general twice
as tall as the Appalachians. The major pass through the Rockies for travelers in
the 19th century was South Pass in Wyoming. The Oregon Trail took this route.
Date
Major Mountains of Europe, Asia, and Africa
Study the map. Use it to answer the questions that follow.
L
S
ARCTIC OCEAN
R
A
60°N
(2,897 km) long and range from 120 to 375 miles (193 to 604 km) wide. The
highest peak is Mount Mitchell in North Carolina, named for Maria Mitchell, a
19th-century astronomer. The Appalachians are divided into various ranges, such
as the White Mountains in Maine and New Hampshire; the Alleghenies in
Pennsylvania, Maryland, and Virginia; the Blue Ridge Mountains in Maryland,
West Virginia, Virginia, North Carolina, and Georgia; and the Great Smokies in
North Carolina and Tennessee. Major rivers that flow through the mountains are
the Hudson, Delaware, Susquehanna, Potomac, and Tennessee. The mountains
are rich in iron and coal deposits, but proved a barrier to westward movement in
the colonial era until Daniel Boone built the Wilderness Trail, also known as the
Wilderness Road, through the Cumberland Gap in 1775.
Of major topographical interest is the Continental Divide that runs north and
south through the mountains. Rivers to the east of this long, high crest flow to
the east toward the Arctic or Atlantic Oceans, and rivers to the west of the divide
flow toward the Pacific to the west. Lewis and Clark, whom students should have
studied in earlier grades, crossed the Continental Divide in 1805 as part of their
voyage of discovery.
U
EUROPE
ATLANTIC
OCEAN
Mont Blanc
15,771 ft. L P S
A
ASIA
40°N
AT
LAS
MTS
.
H
I M
Mt. Everest
29,035 ft.
A L
A Y A S
20°N
AFRICA
Mt. Kilimanjaro
19,340 ft.
0°
N
W
E
S
INDIAN
OCEAN
0
0
500
1000 miles
500 1000 kilometers
20°S
20°E
40°E
60°E
80°E
100°E
Purpose: To read and interpret a map featuring major mountains of Europe, Asia, and Africa
Master 16a
Copyright ©Core Knowledge Foundation
0°
Grade 4: History & Geography
Use Instructional Masters 16a–16b.
Teaching Idea
Students may enjoy hearing descriptions of mountain climbing adventures—and misadventures—such as
the story of how Hillary and Norgay
eventually conquered Mount Everest.
Such stories have the thrill of a good
“action” story but also reinforce important scientific and geographic information about mountains, such as the fact
that the air is very cold and very thin on
top of many mountains.
Asia: Himalayas and Urals
Running 1,500 miles (2,414 km) in length, the Himalayas extend across
south central Asia in India, Tibet, Pakistan, Nepal, and Bhutan. (Note that there
are two acceptable pronunciations of Himalayas: him-uh-LAY-uhs, which is the
more traditional English pronunciation, and him-ALL-ee-yuhs, which reflects the
Hindi/Sanskrit pronunciation.) The Himalayas are actually parallel ranges—the
Great Himalayas, the Lesser Himalayas, and the Outer Himalayas, which break
into smaller ranges in Kashmir, a disputed area in India. The Indus, Brahmaputra,
and Ganges Rivers all rise in the Himalayas.
The Himalayas are the highest mountain range in the world. Mount Everest,
the tallest mountain in the world, is located in the Great Himalayas, and 11 other
peaks in the Great Himalayas rise above 26,000 feet (7,925 m). The Tibetan
Plateau at the northern boundary is sometimes referred to as the “roof of the
world.”
For many years, no human being had climbed to the summit of Mount
Everest, though many had died, or nearly died, trying. However, in 1953,
Edmund P. Hillary and Tenzing Norgay finally reached the peak. Since 1953, hundreds more climbers have accomplished this most demanding of all mountain
climbing feats, and over 100 have died trying.
The Himalayas protect Tibet from the monsoon rains that batter the rest of
south Asia, but as a result, that area of China is dry and desert-like.
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The Urals are much lower mountains that form part of the border between
Europe and Asia. The Urals extend for about 1,500 miles (2,414 km) north to
south through Russia from the Kara Sea to Kazakhstan. Mount Narodnaya is the
highest peak, at 6,212 feet (1,893 m). The mountains are rich in minerals and
forests, and as a result, mining and lumbering are important industries.
Africa: Atlas
The Atlas Mountains rise in North Africa and extend for 1,500 miles (2,414
km) through Morocco, Algeria, and Tunisia. There are seven ranges within the
Atlas Mountains, and they run generally southwest to northeast and along the
Mediterranean coast. The highest peak in the Atlas is Mount Toubkal in Morocco.
It rises to 13,661 feet (4,164 m).
Europe: Alps
The Alps swing in a 650-mile (1,046 km) arc through France, Italy,
Switzerland, Germany, and Austria. The mountains are divided into a series of
parallel chains: the Western, Central, and Eastern Alps. Several important
European rivers—the Po, Rhone, and Rhine—rise in the Alps. The defining characteristics of the Alps are their tall, snowy peaks; glacially scoured valleys; beautiful lakes; and glaciers.
High Mountains
Teaching Idea
Use the following strategy in connection with the overheads of the major
mountains: Print the names of the various mountain ranges, highest peaks,
countries, and bodies of water on
index cards, one to a card. Then
place them in a container. Have students take turns pulling out a card
and reading a name. First, have the
student locate the place on a map.
Next, fellow students must think of an
interesting statement about that place
in relation to another place in the
region. For example, if the card with
Alps is pulled out of the container, a
response might be “The Alps are
located in Italy and serve as a natural
border of defense,” or “The Alps go
through France, Italy, Switzerland,
Germany, and Austria.”
To qualify as a mountain, a landform must be at least 2,000 feet (610 m) high.
Anything lower is considered a hill. Mountains also tend to be more jagged and
sharply pointed than hills, which are generally rounded and less steep. The
mountains listed here represent the highest on their respective continents.
The Native American name for Mt. McKinley is Denali. While McKinley is
the more familiar name, the national park in which the peak is located is called
Denali National Park and Preserve.
Peak
Height
Range
Continent
Comment
Everest
29,035 ft.
(8,850 m)
Himalayas
Asia
height has been
measured several
times and adjusted
upward from
29,002 ft. (8,840 m)
to the current listing
Aconcagua
22,834 ft.
(6,960 m)
Andes
South America
located on the border
between Argentina
and Chile
McKinley
20,320 ft.
(6,194 m)
Alaska
North America
named after the 25th
president of the United
States, William
McKinley
Kilimanjaro
19,340 ft.
(5,895 m)
15,771 ft.
(4,807 m)
Great Rift
Valley
Alps
Africa
an extinct volcano
with twin peaks, of
which Kibo is the taller
Europe
7.5-mile (12 km)
tunnel built through
the mountain in 1965
to allow cars and
trucks to pass through
Mont Blanc
Cross-curricular
Teaching Idea
Have students use the heights of the
mountain peaks listed on the table to
create a graph showing elevation.
Instead of using bars to graph, students can draw outlines of the mountains to show relative heights.
History and Geography: World
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