Alaska Studies Assignment Guide and Key Points
Part 1 "Alaska A Landscape in Motion"
Lesson 1 "Focusing in on Alaska"
Turn to pages 3-6 and look through the table of contents.
Glance at pages 7-8 and see what maps and diagrams you will find in the book.
Read the short "Forward on Page 9"
If interested find out who is responsible for creating this great textbook on pages 11-12
Look through page 13 for some notes on using the book.
See if you can find your location on the maps on pages 14-15
Glance through pages 17-21, Look for words that are in purple. These are key vocabulary and will be on the test. Study their definition from the glossary in the back of the book.
Look at the pictures and read the captions on pages 17-21
Read pages 17-21
Do you know the vocabulary words? (See Key Points below for help)
Take the quiz on Lesson 1 "Focusing in on Alaska" (You may use the book, notes and Key Points for help on the quizzes. NOT ON TESTS!)
Review answers on the quiz and print it out. Retake the quiz as many times as you like. This will be very useful when you are studying for the test.
Lesson 1 Key Points
Vocabulary Terms
Geography - the study of the earth and the living creatures on it.
Did you learn these Objectives?
Lesson 2 "Alaska's Climates"
Glance through Pages 22-27; look for key vocabulary words in purple. Learn the meanings of these words. Use the glossary in the back of the book if necessary.
Look at the pictures and read the captions with those pictures from pages 22-27.
Figure out what information each diagram is trying to share with you from pages 22-27.
Look at the gray box on the top of page 24. Read about the tilt of the earth.
Read Pages 22-27 (take notes of important ideas)
Take the quiz on Lesson 2 "Alaska's Climates" (You may use the book, notes and Key Points for help on the quizzes. NOT ON TESTS!)
Review answers on the quiz and print it out. This will be very useful when you are studying for the test.
Lesson 2 Key Points
Weather - the state of the air outdoors at a particular time.
Climate - a description of overall weather conditions in an area over a period of many years.
Arctic climate zone - winters long and cold. Summers short and cool. Very little rain and snow.
Continental climate zone - Winters long and cold. Summers short, often hot. Not much rain and snow.
Transitional climate zone - Summers moderately warm or cool. Winters cold. Moderate rain and snow.
Maritime climate zone - Summers cool or moderately warm. Winters somewhat cold, often stormy. Lots of rain and snow.
Rainforests - areas where trees and plants beneath them flourish because of plentiful rain.
Lesson 3 "Permafrost"
Glance through Pages 28-29; look for key vocabulary words in purple. Learn the meanings of these words. Use the glossary in the back of the book if necessary.
Look at the pictures and read the captions with those pictures from pages 28-29.
Figure out what information the map of Alaska is sharing on the bottom of page 29.
Read Pages 28-29 (take notes of important ideas)
Take the quiz on Lesson 3 "Permafrost" (You may use the book, notes and Key Points for help on the quizzes. NOT ON TESTS!)
Lesson 3 Key Points
Permafrost - ground that is frozen all year.
active layers - the upper soil that supports vegetation.
ice-wedge Polygons - patterns of cracks in the ground caused by permafrost under the ground
pingos - ice mounds covered with sol that grow several feet high
Can you use guide words to find information?
Lesson 4 "Tundra"
Glance through Pages 30-32; look for key vocabulary words in purple. Learn the meanings of these words. Use the glossary in the back of the book if necessary.
Look at the pictures and read the captions with those pictures from pages 30-32.
Figure out what information the diagram on the top of page 31 is trying to share.
Read Pages 30-32 (take notes of important ideas)
Take the quiz on Lesson 4 "Tundra" (You may use the book, notes and Key Points for help on the quizzes. NOT ON TESTS!)
Lesson 4 Key Points
tundra - the cold, treeless landscape found in northern regions.
camouflaged - a disguise - often a color or pattern - that an animal uses to hid from or fool another animal
predators - an animal that hunts other animals for food.
alpine tundra - tundra found in the mountains above tree line
Lesson 5 "Mountains"
Glance through Pages 33-37; look for key vocabulary words in purple. Learn the meanings of these words. Use the glossary in the back of the book if necessary.
Look at the pictures and read the captions with those pictures from pages 33-37.
Figure out what information each diagram is trying to share with you from pages 33-37.
Look at the gray box on the top of page 35. Read about Alaska's Floating Plates.
Read Pages 33-37 (take notes of important ideas)
Take the quiz on Lesson 5, "Mountains" (You may use the book, notes and Key Points for help on the quizzes. NOT ON TESTS!)
Lesson 5 Key Points
volcanoes - a crack in the earth's crust from which steam and melted rock erupt.
eruption - the explosion of gases, ash, and molten rock from a volcano
mantle - the layers of hot, molten rock that lies between the earth's hard outer crust and its hot, inner core
tsunamis - a wave or wall of water caused by an earthquake.
Lesson 6 "Rivers, Valleys, and Plateaus"
Glance through Pages 38-41; look for key vocabulary words in purple. Learn the meanings of these words. Use the glossary in the back of the book if necessary.
Look at the pictures and read the captions with those pictures from pages 38-41.
Figure out what information the map is trying to share with you from the bottom of page 38.
Read Pages 38-41 (take notes of important ideas)
Take the quiz on Lesson 6, "Rivers, Valleys, and Plateaus" (You may use the book, notes and Key Points for help on the quizzes. NOT ON TESTS!)
Lesson 6 Key Points
plateaus - a broad, flat area of land that is 1,000 or more feet higher than sea level.
boreal forest - the forest found in the earth's colder regions. This forest has only a few varieties of trees. Spruce are the typical coniferous, or needle-leafed, trees; and birch are the typical deciduous, or broad-leafed, trees. In summer the area may have many forest fires.
muskeg - flat, boggy ground that has thick layers of peat or decayed plants underneath. Usually small ponds and stunted evergreen trees are scattered throughout.
spawn - the process of producing, laying, and fertilizing eggs, especially in fish.
Can
Lesson 7, "Lakes"
Glance through Pages 41-43; look for key vocabulary words in purple. Learn the meanings of these words. Use the glossary in the back of the book if necessary.
Look at the pictures and read the captions with those pictures from pages 41-43.
Read Pages 41-43 (take notes of important ideas)
Take the quiz on Lesson 7, "Lakes" (You may use the book, notes and Key Points for help on the quizzes. NOT ON TESTS!)
Lesson 7 Key Points
thaw lakes - shallow lakes formed by the melting of ground ice. They are usually round or oblong in shape.
Lesson 8, "Glaciers, Rivers of Ice"
Glance through Pages 43-47; look for key vocabulary words in purple. Learn the meanings of these words. Use the glossary in the back of the book if necessary.
Look at the pictures and read the captions with those pictures from pages 43-47.
Figure out what information the map is trying to share with you from the bottom of page 44.
Read Pages 43-47 (take notes of important ideas)
Take the quiz on Lesson 8, "Glaciers, Rivers of Ice" (You may use the book, notes and Key Points for help on the quizzes. NOT ON TESTS!)
Lesson 8 Key Points
moraine - piles or mounds of stones, sand, and soil left behind by a glacier
Lesson 9, "Islands"
Glance through Pages 47-51; look for key vocabulary words in purple. Learn the meanings of these words. Use the glossary in the back of the book if necessary.
Look at the pictures and read the captions with those pictures from pages 47-51.
Read the short article about the Island Legend on Page 48.
Read the short article about being In the Pits on Page 50.
Read Pages 47-51 (take notes of important ideas)
Take the quiz on Lesson 9, "Islands" (You may use the book, notes and Key Points for help on the quizzes. NOT ON TESTS!)
Lesson 9 Key Points
Plate tectonics - movement of the floating plates, or pieces, of the earth's crust.
Lesson 10, "Oceans and Seas"
Glance through Pages 51-57; look for key vocabulary words in purple. Learn the meanings of these words. Use the glossary in the back of the book if necessary.
Look at the pictures and read the captions with those pictures from pages 51-57.
Figure out what information the maps are trying to share with you from the bottom of pages 51 and 53.
Figure out what information the maps are trying to share with you from the tops of Pages 54-55.
Read The article about the tsunami from page 56.
Are you able to Complete the Math Challenge from the top of page 52.
Read Pages 51-57 (take notes of important ideas)
Take the quiz on Lesson 10, "Oceans and Seas" (You may use the book, notes and Key Points for help on the quizzes. NOT ON TESTS!)
Lesson 10 Key Points
peninsula - land that is surrounded by water on all but one side
pack ice - sea ice that is floating free and may be moved by wind and currents. It grows lager in winter and smaller in summer, but some always remains in the Arctic Ocean.
ice floes - a large piece of floating ice several feet to a few miles across.
continental shelf - gently sloping land at the edges of continents that is covered by shallow ocean water. Most of the ocean plant and animal life is found here.
prey - an animal that is hunted by other animals for food.
Lesson 11, "Geography, Climate, and Natural Extremes" from Alaska's History, The People, Land, and events of the North Country
Glance through Pages 91 - 105 of the Alaska's History book; look at the pictures and read the captions.
Read the short article, "One Land but Many" pages 92-93.
Read the short article, "Arch of Fire: Volcanoes of the Great Land" pages 94-95.
Read the short article, "Earthquakes and Tsunamis" pages 96-97.
Read the short article, "Mountaineers and Denali" pages 98-99.
Read the short article, "Sydney Laurence and the Northern Landscape" pages 100-101.
Read the short article, "New Deal Agriculture: The Matanuska Experiment" pages 102-103. This is a must if you are from the Matanuska area.
Read the short article, "Sled Dogs and the Iditarod" pages 104-105.
Take the quiz on Lesson 11, "Geography, Climate, and Natural Extremes" (You may use the book, notes and Key Points for help on the quizzes. NOT ON TESTS!)
Preparing for Part 1 Test
Review the questions from the quizzes in Chapter 1.
Review all the vocabulary words from the sections 1-10 above. Make sure you know them.
Take the Chapter 1 Test "Alaska, A Landscape in Motion"
Review the answers then print the results for your records.