Why does the Columbia Basin

have the GEOGRAPHIC features it does?

Directions: Read to find out what happened to shape the land of Eastern Washington and what created the Columbia Basin and a unique land feature like a place called Dry Falls? Summarize what you read about the Ice Age Flood and be ready to share what you understand with your classmates. 

Learning Target: I can write a summary the explains the unique geography 0f Easter Washington.  Geography means the human and physical features of a region including the climate, elevation, vegetation, land use, boundaries, population and how they interact and what makes them different from others areas

Guiding Question:  What event made Eastern Washington's geography unique?  What was the effect of that event the first time and over time?

SITES TO START WITH:

• Washington Map - Where is Washington?

• COOL MAP of the Floods - Where did the flood waters come from?  What is an ice dam?

• Photographs that show evidence of the Floods - What does the land of the flood area look like today?

RESEARCH SITES:

• Lake Missoula

http://www.answers.com/topic/glacial-lake-missoula?cat=travel

• The Grand Coulee

http://www.kidscosmos.org/kid-stuff/kids-canyons-g-coulee.html

• The Missoula Floods

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Missoula_Floods

• How did these floods happen?

http://www.iafi.org/aboutfloods/howfloodshappen.html

• Mystery of the Mega Flood

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/megaflood/fantastic.html

ADDITIONAL SITES TO VISIT

• Montana National History Center

• Ice Age Floods Institute

• Pictures of the Land

• The Ice Age Trail

Can you answer these questions after your research.  You may want to uses these during your search to better guide your learning.

1. What caused the floods?
2. Describe the flood water pour into the Columbia Basin?
3. What evidence did the flood leave behind that shows the floods really happened?
4. What are the scablands and why do they look as they do?
5. What kinds of land features were carved by the flood water?  Name several.
6. What areas besides the scablands were formed?
7. How much water came from Lake Missoula?
8. How was Lake Missoula formed?
9. What time in history did this occur?
10. Where is Lake Missoula?

Add more questions and answers to collect facts on the fact collection organizer.