Y6 - Touring Texas

Date: 4th Oct 2022 @ 5:13pm

In year 6, we've been busy getting to grips with the continet of North America. Not only have we learnt about the countries that make up this vast continent, we have also mapped out the climate zones that stretch across its twenty-three countries!

Most recently, we have been focusing on the state of Texas. Do you know which country the state of Texas is in? That's right: the United States of America! Texas also features heavily in our reciprocal reading book at the moment: Holes. 

So far, we have identified some of the significant human features across Texas. This included some of the state's major cities - Dallas; Houston; Austin - as well as some significant buildings such as the Texas State Capitol building and the McDonald Observatory. 

Next, we looked at the physical feautes of Texas and identified how the land and terrain changed across the state. In doing this, we noticed that the major cities were never too far from a river. Many of us could confidently explain that settlements needed to be near water in order to get a water supply for drinking, washing and growing food. Importantly, we also noted how the terrain changed as you travelled across Texas. In the west, the land is well-populated with plants and trees; in the east, the land is dry and desert-like. Subsequently, we discussed land use and why cities and buildings are situated in the east while some buildings, such as the McDonald Observatory, prefer to be away from cities so they can observe the night sky away from the light pollution. 

Here we are working hard with two sources: atlases and the internet. Just look at the maps we produced!