Misty Liner
3rd grade
Geography
Purpose:
The purpose of this lesson is to help students become more
acquainted
with Colorado. Through many different activities, the students
will
be able to take the facts that they learn and put them to use.
The
students will be able to remember different things about this state
because
of having to use their imagination on different subjects pertaining to
Colorado.
Connection to the National Geography Standards:
No.1 Knows and understands how to use maps, globes, and other
graphical tools to acquire, process, and report information.
Students
will learn exactly where some of the major landsites are in Colorado,
and
they will also learn how to report information on altitude and
elevation.
No.4 Knows and understands the physical and human characteristics
of places. Students will learn the characteristics in Colorado
that
make Colorado different than the state they live in.
No.6 Knows and understands that culture and experience influence
people’s perceptions of places and experience. The students will
connect to this standard because if any of them have visited Colorado,
or have family that lives there, their perception will be different
than
the other children’s.
No.18 Knows and understands how to apply geography to interpret
the present and the future. The students will learn about the
different
ways of living in the state and relate them to the way they live now.
Objectives list:
Students will demonstrate their ability:
1. To find information through the use of the globe and maps.
2. To use their imagination to create an appropriate atmosphere
for camping in Colorado.
3. To use their imagination to create art related projects from
materials given to them.
4. To find information and analyze an Internet site.
Overview:
This project is designed to help students understand more about
Colorado. Through the lessons provided, students will not only
gain
more knowledge on the subject, but will also be prepared for
vacationing
and camping if they ever visit the state. This project will
provide
interesting data that will assist the students in wanting to know
more.
There are many activities that the student will participate in that
will
aid them in interaction with the teacher and with the other
students.
They will also have an opportunity to use their imagination to help
them
gain confidence in their independent study. Colorado contains
many
historical facts that should be learned by the students. This
project
will give future educators a number of options on how to distribute
these
facts.
Procedure:
Day 1
Sponge Activity: When students are entering the room they should
take out their journals and list five things that they know about
Colorado.
Opening: After the students are through writing or listing the five things that they know about Colorado, they should tell the teacher what they listed and the teacher should make a list on the board. After the list on the board is made, the teacher should ask them specific facts about what they have listed.
Guided Practice: After the lists have been made, there should be enough facts where the teacher can expand on each. He or she can make many comparisons with the state they are teaching in. This is a great opportunity to ask the students to join in discussing the differences.
Independent Practice: After the group discussion, the teacher should have the students take time and go to the library and look at books and encyclopedias on the state of Colorado.
Day 2
Sponge Activity: The teacher should make a posterboard with the
state of Colorado in the background. There should be small
Post-it
notes all over it with areas of Colorado written on each of the Post-it
notes.( Ex. Pikes Peak, Cave of the Winds, Silverton, Durango,
etc.)
Have the students grab one of the notes as they walk in the door.
Opening Activity: The teacher should have the students write down what they think the Post-it note that they got stands for or what it means.
Guided Practice: The teacher should ask what the students wrote down for their areas. Next, the teacher should go over each area that the students picked and give them brief facts about them.
Independent Practice: The teacher should provide cans of Play-doh for the students. Have a huge map of Colorado drawn on butcher paper. The teacher should have the student create features out of the Play-doh for the area they chose. The students should then place the features on the map.
Day 3
Sponge Activity: The students should finish their created
features that they were making for Colorado.
Opening Activity: The teacher should tell the students that they will be discussing Pikes Peak today. The teacher should then tell them about personal experiences that they have had with Pikes Peak.
Guided Practice: The teacher should read the book, America the Beautiful, Colorado by Deborah Kent. This is the story of how Pikes Peak was discovered and who it’s named after. It is also about how Katherine Lee Bates wrote, "America the Beautiful" on top of Pikes Peak.
Independent Practice: The teacher should then ask the students to write their own story by using their imagination, on their adventure that they had traveling up Pikes Peak. This should include animals they saw, trees, birds, how the weather was, etc.
Day 4
Sponge Activity: The students should finish up their story on
Pikes Peak.
Opening Activity: The teacher should tell the students that they will be reading their stories that they wrote for the class.
Guided Practice: The teacher should provide a story that he or she has made up on Pikes Peak. This will give the students a head start and it will encourage them to tell their stories.
Independent Practice: The students should read their stories that they made up for the classroom. This will take up most of the period, so this will be the main activity.
Evaluation: The teacher should grade the students on their effort in writing the story.
Day 5
Sponge Activity: The students should take out their crayons,
pencils, erasers, glue, and scissors.
Opening Activity: The teacher should ask the students what they think of when they hear the word "goldrush."
Guided Practice: The teacher should read the book, Steamboat Up the Colorado: From the Journal of Lieutenant Joseph Christmas Ives, United States Topographical Engineer. During the reading, the students will learn about the goldmines and Silverton, where there was a main goldrush. They will also learn about Clara Brown, the first African-American to come to the goldrush.
Independent Practice: The students should then take their materials and create their own cart of gold with five golden nuggets inside. The nuggets should be made big enough so that they can write one word about the goldrush on each nugget. The students should then write their name on the cart and hang it in the room.
Evaluation: The teacher should grade the students on creativity and effort.
Day 6
Sponge Activity: The teacher should prepare different styles
of leaves so that the student can pick them up as they walk in the
door.
Opening Activity: The teacher should tell the students that they will be learning about the Colorado Blue Spruce Tree, Colorado’s state flower.
Guided Practice: The teacher should explain that the Colorado Blue Spruce tree grows seasonally in Colorado. The trees have been growing in Colorado for many years. The teacher should point out the fact that these trees grow along the Continental Divide. This is a great opportunity to show the kids on a globe where the Continental divide is located in other states and give a brief history on it.
Independent Practice: After the discussion, the teacher should have the students take out their leaves. Next, the students should each take their leaves and press them on an ink pad provided by the teacher. When the students press the leaf down on the ink pad, they should automatically put it inside a piece of folded paper. The paper should only be folded in half once. When the leaf is in the paper, the students should press the sides of the paper together to form a leaf print. This will relate the students to the lesson on the Blue Spruce Tree.
Day 7
Sponge Activity: Students can get their leaf prints and hang
them up on the wall with their names written on them.
Opening Activity: The teacher should tell the students that today they will be preparing themselves for camping with their families. The teacher should ask the students for previous camping experiences. An example of this would be backyard camping or previous family experiences. This will be a good activity for the girls to get involved with "guy" activities.
Guided Practice: The teacher should start the discussion by telling the students some weather facts. For instance, the average temperature is around 50 to 60 degrees. The nightly average temperature is from 30 to 40 degrees. Other facts include surrounding rivers, trees, precipitation, and food.
Independent Practice: the students should divide up into groups. There should be an equal amount of girls and boys in each group if possible. The assignment for the groups is to make a list of materials, a campground site, first aid materials, and clothing.
Day 8
Sponge Activity: The teacher should ask the students to get back
into the groups that they were in on the previous day.
Opening Activity: The teacher should tell the students that a major factor that goes along with camping is fire safety. The teacher should then tell the students that there are many forest fires, minor and major, every year in Colorado. The teacher should also tell them about different hazards that can occur from campfires.
Guided Practice: The teacher should show the students how to get to the web site on fire safety.
Independent Practice: The students should visit the web site, http://www.fs.us//amf//fire/standards.html. This web site is specifically designed through Colorado camping rules and fire safety tips. While individual groups go to the computer, the rest of the groups can read brochures on Colorado and cut out pictures of Colorado. These pictures should be kept in a safe place. As the students go to the computer, they should take down 10 safety tips that they learn from the web site.
Day 9
Internet Day
Sponge Activity: The students should get out their fire safety
rules that they wrote down and pass them in.
Opening Activity: The teacher should have the students read what they wrote down. This will take a little bit of time, but it’s important for the kids to be comfortable with working on the computer.
Guided Practice: The teacher should explain that the kids will be going to the school lab and that they will be answering the following questions from their web site: (1)What is Colorado’s state motto and what does it mean(2)What is Colorado’s state nickname(3)Why is Colorado the centennial state(4) Colorado was discovered by(5)What year did the General Assembly adopt square dancing as the state folk dance(6) The main range of mountains in Colorado is(7)The state song is(8) What is Colorado’s state bird(9)Why is one of Colorado’s nicknames the "colorful state"(10)The colors of the state flower are
Independent Practice: The students will visit the web site, http://colorado.com/regional.htm. Then, the students will fill out the questions on the worksheet provided.
Evaluation: The students should be graded on the correct amount of answers.
Day 10
Parent Day!!
Sponge Activity: The students should get the brochure clippings
that they had cut out on Colorado. They should also get supplies
such as glue, scissors, markers, and crayons.
Opening Activity: The teacher tell the students that they are going to color designs on their fire safety tips when they get them back. The teacher should also tell them that they will be making a collage.
Guided Practice: The teacher should now take time in explaining what a collage is and they should also have an example of one so that they can model theirs by something. The teacher should explain to the student that the collage is going to be made of the clippings, pictures they draw, and whatever else they want to put on their collage over Colorado.
Independent Practice: The students should now take time to work on the fire safety tips and their collages. This will take up the rest of the class time.
For Parent’s Day: Decorate the room in projects that you have assigned throughout the 10 days. Have souvenirs for the parents to take home as they leave the festive classroom. This is a great time to help the students show off their hard work and creativity.
Closure: The students will remember this instruction over Colorado forever. Through experiments that this lesson plan presents, the students will have had hands-on experience while learning about the state.
Materials:
Day 1
Books on Colorado
Encyclopedias
School library
Day 2
Posterboard
Post-it notes
Play-doh
Butcher paper
Day 3
Book, America the Beautiful, Colorado
Day 4
no materials needed
Day 5
Book, Steamboat Up the Colorado: From the Journal of Lieutenant Joseph
Christmas Ives, United States Topographical Engineer
Crayons
Erasers
Construction paper
Pencils
Scissors
Glue
Day 6
A variety of leaves
Globe
Ink pad
Construction paper
Day 7
no materials needed
Day 8
Scissors
Brochures on Colorado
LCD screen
Computer
Day 9
Computer(LCD screen)
School lab
Day 10
Posterboards
Markers
Glue
Scissors
Colors
Souvenirs
Appendix:
Internet Worksheet
http://colorado.com/regional.htm
1. What is Colorado’s state motto and what does it mean?
2. What is Colorado’s state nickname?
3. Why is Colorado the Centennial state?
4. Colorado was discovered by _______.
5. What year did the General Assembly adopt square dancing as
the state folk dance?
6. The main range of mountains in Colorado are the __________.
7. The state song of Colorado is ____________.
8. What is Colorado’s state bird?
9. Why is one of Colorado’s nicknames the "colorful state?"
10. The colors of Colorado’s state flower are ___________.
Bibliography
Ayelesworth, Thomas. The Southwest: Colorado, New Mexico, and Texas. Discusses the geographical, historical, and cultural aspects of Texas, New Mexico, and Colorado using maps, illustrated fact spreads, and other illustrated material to highlight the land, history, and people of each individual state. Abilene Public Library
Carpenter, Alan. Colorado. A book full of easy-to-read maps, illustrations, and other interesting facts. Abilene Public Library
Fradin, Dennis. Colorado. 64 pages of beautiful illustrations of Colorado along with facts about the pictures. Abilene Public Library
Ives, Joseph Christmas. Steamboat Up the Colorado: From the Journal of Lieutenant Joseph Christmas Ives, United States Topographical Engineer. Has a variety of maps showing the Colorado River and tells of many exploring expeditions. ACU Library
Kent, Deborah. America the Beautiful, Colorado. Introduces the fast-growing state of Colorado and tells many stories that go along with the state. Abilene Public Library
Fort Collins Interaagency Wildfire Dispatch Center." Fire Safety."http://www.fs.fed.us/arnf/fire/fire.html (April 16, 1998)
CTTA Revised April 06, 1998. "Colorado Regions."http://colorado.com/regional.htm
(April 16,1998)
Extensions:
music-the state song could be learned
math-comparing elevations and altitudes
Created April 16, 1998