| Our Seven Continents |
PURPOSE:
The purpose of this unit is to introduce students
to the seven continents of the world. This will help familiarize
students with geographic locations and sizes of the continents.
By
the end of two weeks, students should have a general idea of where each
continent is located, important facts about each continent, and correct
spellings of continents and their corresponding countries.
CONNECTION TO THE NATIONAL
STANDARDS
FOR GEOGRAPHY:
1. Know and Understands how to use maps, globes,
and other graphical tools to acquire, process, and report information.
4. Knows and understands the physical and human
characteristics of places.
14. Knows and understands how the earth's
physical
and human systems are connected and interact.
The reason for choosing these National Standards
for Geography is because this gives students the basic knowledge that
they
will need in the subject of Geography. These standards cover the
basis of all the major topics they will learn and study in the future.
APPLICABLE TEXAS ESSENTIAL
KNOWLEDGE
AND STANDARDS:
Seeing The World In Spatial Terms Places and
Regions Environment and Society.
OBJECTIVE LIST:
Students will demonstrate their ability:
1. To identify continents by their shapes and
sizes.
2. To master correct spellings of countries and
continents.
3. To match countries with the correct continents.
4. To better understand their geographical
locations.
5. To find information and analyze an Internet
site.
OVERVIEW OF THIS
PRESENTATION:
This project is to help introduce first grade
students to continents of the world. This is a general and basic
lesson because of the grade level. The main purpose of this
project
is to introduce not only continents to these students, but the world as
well. They will have a chance to explore places they never knew
about.
The activities provided in this unit focus on basic facts about our
continents
but hopefully will be things they can carry with them forever.
PROCEDURES:
Day One:
Sponge Activity: To begin our
unit
on continents, the first day the students will be provided with a word
search which will include all seven of the continents. Students will
work
on this individually when they first enter the classroom. This
will
be a challenging activity for first graders because the words are long
and unfamiliar to the students.
Opening: During this time, I will
explain to the class what we are getting ready to study. I will write
the
word continent on the board and give them a chance to guess what they
think
that might mean. With help from the teacher, we will come up with a
class
definition of continent. I will then use a world map and point out the
different continents to the class and explain that those where the
words
they were looking for on their word search.
Guided Practice: After introducing
the unit and the names of each continent, I will have a student write
the
names of the seven continents on the board under our definition of
continent.
The first day we will familiarize ourselves with all the continents and
their locations. Then each day for the following two weeks we will
spend
a day on each continent. I will pass out a world map and together we
will
label the continents. I will also pass around a globe for students to
look
at as well. We will discuss the different shapes and sizes of the
continents
and helpful ways to remember each.
Independent Practice: Because this
is the first day to work with continents, they will work on their
activity
in groups. Each group will be given a blank map. They are to
discuss
and decide which continents they have according to the descriptions
given
earlier in the class period. After they decide which continent
they
have, they are to label it, color it, and then have one person from the
group tape his on the board for the class to see. Each student in
the group will have his own map to label and color and keep for later
use.
After all groups have completed this activity, you will have a bulletin
board with all seven continents labeled to refer to throughout the two
week period.
Day Two:
Sponge Activity: For the
following
seven days, when students come into the classroom in the morning, there
will be a blank world map on their desk. It will be labeled by
numbers
one through seven on the continents. Today they will color the
continent
labeled #1. I will teach the continents in alphabetical order so
#1 will be Africa.
Opening: Today's focus will be on
the continent Africa. We will read A Is For Africa, by Ifeoma
Onyefulu
to begin class. This is a story about life in Africa and is told
in alphabetic form. (Example: I is for Indigo) After reading the
story we will discuss Africa by exploring the pictures in the book.
Guided Practice: Write AFRICA on
the board and have students tell you what they might already know about
this continent. Make a list of the things you just
discussed.
Use the maps they colored for the bulletin board the day before to
identify
Africa.
Independent Practice: Have students
write down one thing they learned about Africa and share it with the
rest
of the class. After sharing time, we will put the interesting facts in
a bucket for later use. Take turns in groups working on Internet
worksheets.
Day Three:
Sponge Activity: Color in #2 on
their
world map. This will be Antarctica.
Opening: Identify Antarctica on
the bulletin board. Review for a few minutes the continent you
studied
yesterday.
Guided Practice: Use Antarctica
to talk about climate and weather. Talk about this being a cold place
to
live and discuss how you would have to dress warmer. Explain that
this continent is in the south and discuss directions.
Independent Practice: Have students
write and share something they learned about Antarctica. Add the
facts to the bucket. Have students pretend they are going to
visit
Antarctica
and have them write a letter to their parents describing where they are
going and what they need to take with them.
Day Four:
Sponge Activity: Color in #3 on
their
world map. This will be Asia.
Opening: Identify Asia on the
bulletin
board. Review the other two continents you have covered.
Use
clues in bucket and have students guess which continent it describes.
Guided Practice: Use the book Asia and
Australasia for reference in your discussion. Talk about
countries
in Asia students might recognize such as China. Talk about how
Asia
has one of the largest populations and explain to students population.
Independent Practice: Have students
write and share facts about Asia and add to the bucket. Have students
draw
a picture to describe the continent. Allow time to share at the end of
class.
Day Five:
Sponge Activity: Color in #4 on
world
map. This will be Australia.
Opening: Identify Australia on the
bulletin
board. Use facts from the bucket to review.
Guided Practice: Read through Asia
and Australasia. Use this continent to talk about animals such as
the Koala Bear. Talk about the things Asia and Australia have in common
and things different.
Independent Practice: Have students add
Australia facts to the bucket. Break into groups and pass out a
Venn
Diagram for compare/contrast. They should refer back to the
things
presented in class discussion. It also gives parents a
chance
to see what their child had been working on at school.
Day Six:
Sponge Activity: Color in #5 on the world map which
will
be Europe.
Opening: Identify Europe on the bulletin board.
Use the bucket game to review.
Guided Practice: To introduce the continent of Europe,
discuss several of their countries such as England and Scotland.
To help the students grasp where these countries are located, we will
talk
about people from these countries such as Queen Elizabeth.
Independent Practice: Assign each child a pen pal from
Europe. They will spend this time writing a letter to a child in
Europe telling who they are and where they are from.
Day Seven:
Sponge Activity: Color in #6 on the world map which
will
be North America.
Opening: Identify North America on the bulletin
board.
Spend more time today with the bucket game since the list has grown.
Guided Practice: Use globes and have students point out
the continent they live on. Talk about the United States and the
state and city they are from.
Independent Practice: Break into groups and each group
will have a question to answer.
- What continent do I live in?
- What country do I live in?
- What state and city do I live in?
Each group will present their question and answer to the class using
a globe (the Odessy Electronic Globe could be used here) to identify
their
answer. Then they will individually fill out a worksheet with the
same questions. Add facts to the bucket game.
Day Eight:
Sponge Activity: Color in #7 on the world map which
will
be South America.
Opening: Explain that this is the last continent to
study.
Identify it on the bulletin board and spend time reviewing with the
game.
Make sure they can still identify each map on the board.
Guided Practice: Use the same procedure from day 5 and
compare/contrast North and South America.
Independent Practice: Have students add South America
to their game. Spend the rest of the time making sure everyone
has
a map for each continent, a list of facts for each, and all the
activities
from the past seven days. Have each child assemble their papers
together
to make a book. With construction paper, have them make a cover
titled
"My Little Book of Continents." Be sure and include a page of
vocabulary
words and also add the extended activities to the book. They
should
have several pages to their book that they can use as a review for
their
test on the last day. This is a good way to get students to take
their work home and have parents review with them. It also gives
parents a chance to see what their child had been working on at school.
Day Nine:
Sponge Activity: Have students
share
with each other their completed books.
Opening: Make this a discussion
time. Let students know tomorrow they will be tested over what we have
studied the past two weeks. Allow time for questions and catch-up
time for those who may have been absent.
Guided and Independent Practice:
For review, I will have students work in centers. They will have
four centers to work through and should work in the same groups they
have
had throughout the unit.
Center 1: This will help review
maps. There will be several blank maps on the table for students
to label, color, cut out, and glue onto a world map.
Center 2: This center is to review
vocabulary words. I will have flash cards made with pictures on
one
side and the word to match it on the other side.
Center 3: I will have a hyperstudio
set up that review continents. They will click each continent on
a world map and it will talk about it.
Center 4: This will be a game
center.
There will be two games for them to take turns playing. The first
will be a guessing game. Have half the students in the group read
clues describing a continent (use clues from bucket game) and have the
other half write their answers on the board. The second game will
be a matching game. You would play this the same way you play
memory
by matching two pictures for a winning pair. Make sure students
take
home the book they made to study for test.
Day Ten:
Sponge Activity: Review maps on
the
bulletin board one last time and then take them down before the test.
Opening: Take up all the books they
should have completed yesterday.
Evaluation/Assessment/Feedback:
For their assessment, have students match words to pictures of maps and
have them write a paragraph about what they learned this week.
You
have taken up their books that should have every activity from the unit
in it. You can now go through that and evaluate and grade them on
this as well.
CLOSURE: To finish up the unit, have students share their paragraph they wrote and put them on display by the maps in your room for them to look at and remember throughout the year.
MATERIALS: Use of classroom bulletin boards and school computers required.
APPENDIX: Includes maps, Internet worksheets, and word search.
EXTENSIONS:
I would expand this lesson plan for teaching math, art, and
spelling/writing.
Math - Have cutouts of all the continents
in various colors and sizes for students to sort and match
correctly.
You could also use the cutouts for word problems. Example:
There are four blue continents and three red continents. How many more
blue continents are there than red?
Art - Color the maps or use the continent
book as an art activity.
Spelling/Writing - Use the words from
the maps and continents as spelling words. Continue to write to
your
pen pal. Use the flash cards from the center to review and
practice
vocabulary words.
BIBLIOGRAPHY:
Lye, Keith. Asia and Australasia. Illustrated
by Ron Hayward. Aladdin Books. 1987.
A book describing the locations, cultures, and
economy of these two continents.
Onyefulu, Ifeoma. A Is For Africa.
Illustrated by Ifroma Onyefulu. Cobblehill Books. 1993.
The author, a member of the Igbo tribe in
Nigeria,
presents texts and her own photographs of 26 things from A to Z.
Ferguson Consulting, Inc. Puzzlemaker.
1998. http://www.puzzlemaker.com
(May 2, 1998) Internet site where obtained word search. There are other
puzzle formats and links to others.
Africa Online, Inc. 1997. http://www.africaonline.com/AfricaOnline/kidsonly/map.html
(May 2, 1998) Internet site where there is a map and a short quiz.
INTERNET WORKSHEET:
http://www.africaonline.com/AfricaOnline/kidsonly/map.html
There are 55 countries on or associated with
the continent of Africa.
Before we can decide where to go we should know
what our options are.
How many countries in Africa can you name ?
Which country is number 26? A.
Togo
B. Ghana C. Guinea D. Niger
Match the number on the map to the correct
country.
__Algeria __Angola __Benin
__Botswana __Burkina __Faso
__Burundi __Cameroon __Canary Islands
__Cape Verde __Central African
Republic
__Chad __Comoro __Congo
__Cote D'Ivoire __Djibouti __Egypt __Equatorial
Guinea __Eritrea __Ethiopia
__Gabon __Gambia __Ghana
__Guinea
__Guinea-Bissau __Kenya __Lesotho
__Liberia __Libya __Madagascar
__Malawi
__Mali __Mauritania __Mauritius
__Morocco __Mozambique __Namibia
__Niger __Nigeria __Rwanda
__ Sao Tome & Principe __Senegal
__Seychelles __Sierra Leone __Somalia
__South Africa __Sudan __Swaziland
__Tanzania __Togo __Tunisia
__Uganda __Western Sahara
__Zaire
__Zambia __Zimbabwe
Click HERE
for the answers. How many did you answer correctly?
Created 5-10-98