Page 349 - Powerful Social Studies for Elementary Students 4th Edition

6. Even in our country and in the Alps, heavy snows and bitter cold make it impossible (or even if pos- sible, economically unfeasible) to keep certain roads or mountain passes open in the winter. Except for ski resorts, mountain communities and national parks that host a great many visitors in the warmer months do not see many outsiders in the colder months.
7. Mountain regions are not heavily populated even today. A major exception is Mexico City—the larg- est city in the world—that is located in a “bowl” high in the mountains of central Mexico. There are also a few large cities in mountains areas of the United States that have grown because they are regional marketing and service centers, most notably Denver. However, even the cities in moun- tain areas tend to be small, and most mountain communities exist for the same economic reasons as in the past (principally mining, lumbering, and cattle or sheep ranching). The major recent addi- tion is tourism, notable in ski resorts (Aspen, Park City, and so forth) or tourism in towns located near national parks or other places of natural beauty (Jackson Hole, Lake Tahoe).
8. Large cities in mountain regions often suffer from cost-of-living and quality-of-life problems. Food and manufactured items often cost more because they have to be shipped greater distances to remote mountain locations. Local geographic factors some- times create air inversions or other conditions that limit air flow and thus magnify air pollution pro- blems. Mexico City has a terrible environmental problem and Denver is developing one.
9. Even though they are sparsely populated, mountain regions make important contributions to our national productivity and quality of life. In some areas, runoff from mountain rain and snow is col- lected in reservoirs and used to provide vital water supplies, not only for drinking but for irrigation of lands that otherwise would not support farming. The rich central valley of California is irrigated in this way. Mountain regions also supply significant proportions of the nation’s lumber and minerals, including some vital minerals that are not found anywhere else in the nation.
Additional Ideas Suggested for Optional Inclusion
1. Humans accustomed to living at lower elevations need to adapt when they visit or move to mountain
areas (shortness of breath accompanies physical exertion at high elevations; dry air on the lee side, the side of the mountain not exposed to the ele- ments, of mountains can lead to dehydration and skin irritation problems; daytime and nighttime temperatures may be much more variable).
2. Along with people who exploit the natural resources found in mountain regions, some people make a living in these regions through occupations that require specialized skills more than abundant raw materials. Many people living in villages in the Swiss Alps make watches or cuckoo clocks. In our country, some people living in mountain commu- nities are artists or crafts workers who make spe- cialized goods.
3. In many parts of the world, farmers cope with sloped land by reshaping it into series of step-like terraces so that soil and water are prevented from running down the slope.
4. People in mountain areas have learned to construct houses to maximize exposure to the sun, minimize exposure to wind, and cause snow to slide off of their roofs and pile up against the house so as to provide insulation.
5. Mountain climbers using special equipment have scaled many of the world’s highest peaks, including Mount Everest.
6. There are active volcanoes in our country, includ- ing many in Hawaii and Mount St. Helens in Washington (you might wish to develop a lesson on volcanoes if your curriculum treats this topic as part of social studies and rather than science).
7. Many of our highest mountain regions have been reserved as national parks (perhaps show photos or videos from some of these).
8. Some mountain ranges stretch along coast lines (most notably in western North and South Amer- ica). Often this creates favorable conditions for the development of communities along the coast. Travel between coastal communities is usually easy by land or water, but these communities may be isolated from inland communities on the other side of the mountain range. Some communities in places like Alaska and Chile are accessible only by air or sea.
Possible Activities
1. Start the unit with a story from children’s literature about mountain living or with brainstorming about what it is like to live in the mountains.
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