Social Studies (grade 4) Sample Lesson

California: A Golden State

Where in the World is California? | From Desert to Ocean | Towns and Cities | Summary

WHERE IN THE WORLD IS CALIFORNIA?  
CCSTD GR4 History 4.1.1., 4.1.2.

This map shows the planet Earth. Earth is divided into sections using imaginary lines. This is so that people can measure distances on Earth.
 
Look at the line that runs through the middle of Earth, from one side to the other (east to west). This line is the Equator. The Equator is a very important line. It divides Earth exactly into two halves. The top half of Earth is the Northern Hemisphere. The bottom half of Earth is the Southern Hemisphere.
 
The Equator is at 0° (degrees) for the north and south measurements. If you travel north of the Equator 25 degrees, you will be at 25° N. If you travel south of the Equator 24 degrees, you will be at -25° S. Anything south of the Equator is shown with a minus sign before it.
 
On the Equator, the sun is right overhead at noon on the two equinoxes. These happen near March and September 21st.
 
Two other very important lines run east to west. Look at the map again. The big line above the Equator is the Tropic of Cancer. The big line below the Equator is the Tropic of Capricorn. These happen around March 20 (vernal), and September 23 (autumnal).
 
The tropics are important because the sun is directly above them on the two solstices. These happen around June 21st (summer), and December 21st (winter). It is the beginning of winter in the Southern Hemisphere. On December 21st, winter begins in the Northern Hemisphere. At the same time, summer begins in the Southern Hemisphere. So while the United States, which is in the Northern Hemisphere, has summer, it is winter in Australia, which is in the Southern Hemisphere.
 
Now look at the map again. The Prime Meridian is the line that divides Earth from top to bottom. It is at 0° East or West. Anything west of the Prime Meridian is shown with a minus sign in front of it.
 
The lines that run from top to bottom (north to south) are lines of longitude. To remember this, think of up and down as being long—longitude. These lines measure how far a place is, east or west, from the Prime Meridian.
  
The lines that run from side to side (west to east) are lines of latitude. They measure how far north or south a place is from the Equator.
 
At the very top of Earth, farthest from the Equator, is the North Pole. At the bottom of Earth is the South Pole.
 
Now look at this map: 

 
This map shows the United States in white, except for California, which is red on this map. California is on the west side of the United States. It is next to the Pacific Ocean. California is bordered to the north by Oregon. It is bordered to the east by Arizona and Nevada. These are all states in the United States. The country of Mexico borders California to the south.
 
California is 770 miles long and 250 miles wide at its most distant points. It is the third largest state. Only Alaska and Texas are bigger.
 
From north to south, California falls into these lines of longitude: 114° 8' W to 124° 24' W. From east to west, California falls into these lines of latitude: 32° 30' N to 42° N. You can find out where a city in California falls by taking two steps. First, count across the degrees of longitude. Then, count down the degrees of latitude. Look at the map below.


 

 
This map shows the northern half of California. The numbers at the top of the map show the degrees of longitude. The numbers on the left side of the map show the degrees of latitude.
 
Sacramento, the capital of California, is marked with a red dot. Find out where Sacramento falls. First, count over the degrees of longitude at the top of the map until you are directly above Sacramento. Can you see that it is almost at 122°? This means that it is almost 122° west of the Prime Meridian.

Now count down using the latitude numbers on the left side of the map. You can see that Sacramento is between 40° and 38°. It is actually exactly 38.58° north of the Equator. You can use these steps to find the location of any place on Earth.

FROM DESERT TO OCEAN
CCSTD GR4 History 4.1.3., 4.1.4.

California is a very large state. It is made up of mountains, desert, valleys, and coastline. These four types of areas are called regions. Each region has its own climate, landforms, tourist attractions, and wildlife.

Coastal Region

The coastline runs along the west side of the state. It is 1,264 miles long. Much of the coastline of California is very beautiful. Because of this, many tourists visit the coast.

Over half of the state’s population lives in the coastal region. Most of these people live in big cities. These cities grew up around harbors in the San Diego Bay, the San Francisco Bay, and the Los Angeles Basin.

Some of the first people came to California over land, but many came on ships. The harbors were busy places. The ships carried people and supplies. The California coast has many natural resources. There are plants, insects, reptiles, fish, birds, and mammals.

Mountain Region

Mountains cover most of California. The two main ranges are the Sierra Nevada Mountains and the Coastal Mountains. Many different Native American tribes lived in these mountains. They had learned how to adjust to the land. However, for people trying to get to California, the mountains were a big challenge.

Snow tops many of the taller mountains. Forests of fir, pine, and cedar trees can be found in lower parts of the mountains. California’s mountains have much wildlife. These include many kinds of birds, mammals, and insects. Coal and gold are natural resources of these mountains.

Valley Region

The Central Valley lies between the two main mountain ranges. Many fruits, vegetables, nuts, and grains are grown in the Central Valley. In fact, over half of the United States gets its produce from the Central Valley. When the first Europeans came to California, they found beavers in the creeks and rivers of the valley. They hunted them for the beaver pelts (fur), which are very valuable. Other important resources of the valley are oil and natural gas.

The Sacramento River runs through the Central Valley. It is one of the largest rivers in the state. Cities and towns along the river were supply towns for pioneers.

Desert Region

In southeast California lies a large desert triangle. It is made up of dried lakebeds, sandy valleys, and mountains. The pioneers found the deserts very difficult to cross.

Some of California’s most famous deserts are the Mojave, the Colorado, and Death Valley. The Mojave is the largest desert in the state.

An irrigation system brings water to the Colorado Desert. Because of this, crops like lettuce, alfalfa, cotton, and sugar beets can grow there.

Death Valley is the most famous desert in California. It was named Death Valley because so many gold seekers died trying to travel through it. Borax is a valuable mineral that can be found in Death Valley.

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