How did the Great Lakes form?
A massive sheet of ice, the last of the Ice Age glaciers, crept across the North American continent. It inched south, across the vast region that is now Canada. It glided heavily over what is today the northern United States. Finally, it slid to an icy stop near the present-day city of Chicago. All the while, the sheer weight of the huge glacier flattened mountains and reshaped the landscape.
After thousands of years, Earth began to warm. The vast blanket of ice began to retreat. It left behind high ridges and huge holes that the ice sheet had gouged into the land. As the ice melted, clear, fresh water filled the huge holes. In this way, the Great Lakes were born.
In your NOTES, answer the question "How were the Great Lakes formed?" using a Magic 3!
You could start it like this, The Great Lakes were formed during the Ice Age when...
Over time, a rich ecosystem developed on the land left bare when the glaciers retreated. An ecosystem is a community of all the living things in an area. It includes plants, animals, and the physical environment in which they live. Ecosystems can be as small as a lawn or as large as Earth. The Great Lakes make up the world’s largest freshwater ecosystem.
In your NOTES, include a definition for ecosystem. Also, include the last facts about the largest freshwater ecosystem.
PS - Ms. Wira told me that you know ALL ABOUT ecosystems!
Continue to the section on MAPPING!