4th grade
Geography
PURPOSE:
Students will learn about the history, features,
activities, and economy of this national park. The students will also learn
about the importance of the park to the state of Maine. Students will also
be taught about the state of Maine and they will learn about cities surrounding
Acadia, ex. Bar Harbor.
CONNECTION
TO THE NATIONAL GEOGRAPHY STANDARDS:
No. 1, How to use maps and other geographies representations, tools, and technologies to acquire, process, and report information from a spatial perspective. Students will be analyzing park maps and acquiring information to plan an imaginary trip to the park.
No. 4, The physical and human characteristics of places. Students will be able to identify that this park has mountains, the ocean, rivers, lakes, and other physical characteristics that make it a diverse park.
No. 7, The physical processes that shape the patterns of Earth’s surface. The harsh winter weather, the wet summers, glaciers, and the ocean all form this park. This is a concept that the students will become more familiar with during the lesson.
No. 11, The patterns and networks of economic interdependence on Earth’s surface. The students will learn about the economy of Maine, tourism is their number one money maker. Acadia National Park is very important to Maine’s economy. Fishing, and seafood make money foe the state and draw people to the state.
No. 15, How physical systems affect human systems.
The seasons are very important to the growth, and visitation of the park.
The park survives differently in the different seasons. The students will
learn about seasonal activities the park offers.
APPLICABLE
TEXAS ESSENTIAL KNOWLEDGE AND SKILLS:
The student uses geographic tools to collect, analyze and interpret data.
Apply geographic tools including grid systems, legends, symbols, scales, compass roses, to construct and interpret maps.
The student understands the concept of regions.
Describe a variety of regions in Western Hemisphere, such as, political, population, and economic.
Describe a variety of regions on Western Hemisphere,
such as, landforms, climate, and vegetation regions that result from physical
characteristics.
OBJECTIVES
LIST:
Students will demonstrate their ability:
To write a travel planner.
To learn how to add tax to purchases.
To find Acadia and Maine on a map.
To use the internet to gather information needed on the trip and on worksheets.
To
search out new activities and record them in their travel planner.
OVERVIEW
OF PRESENTATION:
This lesson will go well with other lessons about National Parks. This subject will teach students about a national park they might want to visit one day. The first day of the lesson the students will be introduced to Acadia. They will find its location and hear about the history of the park. All of the information provided to the students will help them with their project. The project they have to create is a 6 night, 5 day trip to Acadia. They will make daily plans and activities, they will state were they will stay, and they will give a budget of how much they will spend on the trip.
DAY ONE:
Pre-lesson:
Students will be informed that they will be working on a project for the next week. They will have to plan a vacation for 6 nights and 5 days to Acadia National Park. All information the students will receive in the five days will help them with the project. Project packets will be passed out at the end of this day and discussed then.
Sponge activity:
Students will find a map of Maine at their desk. They will find a X marked on the spot where Acadia is located. On the top of the sheet a question will be written, "What do you think is at the location marked by the X?" Students will have five minutes to write on the back of the sheet what they think is there. Tell the students to be very imaginative! A discuss will then follow on what the students thought was at this location.
Opening:
In this part of the lesson the students will learn that there are many national parks in America. The one that they are going to learn about is called Acadia National Park. The students will learn that Acadia is at the location that they used in the sponge activity.
Guided Practice:
The teacher will use maps that show Acadia, get maps from a national park guide. Facts about Acadia will be introduced in a small lecture. Facts can be found at the web site (http://www.nps.gov/acad/home.htm). George B. Dorr spent 43 years of his life, energy, and family fortune to preserving the Acadian landscape. In 1916, Sieur de Monts National Monument was created with 6,000 acres of land donated by individual landowners. In 1919, it became Lafayette National Park, the first national park east of the Mississippi River. In 1929, the name was changed to Acadia National Park. Today, Acadia preserves about 40,000 acres of Atlantic coast shoreline, mixed hardwood and spruce/fir forest, mountains, and lakes, as well as several offshore islands It’s highest peak is Cadillac Mountain which stands at 1,530 feet. It is the highest point on the North Atlantic coast.
A park map will be shown on an overhead. It will show trails, campsites, and mountains. After all these have been introduced the facts of the four seasons will be talked about. To get these facts go to the site (http://www.nps.gov/acad/plactiv.htm ). The students will see what activities go on during winter, fall, summer, and spring.
Independent Practice:
Students will have a copy of the park map without a legend. They will first make the legend for the map. After this they will count up how many trails, campsites, mountain peaks, towns, horse stalls, restaurants, scenic sites, bathrooms, beaches, climbing spots, and parking lots. This will give the students a feel for the park. If students finish early then they can get a flyer for Acadia, provided from the teacher, that the students can look over. Using park flyers the students will then pick an activity that is offered at Acadia. They will then see what season that activity is offered in and when a good time they should visit the park. This should be kept and logged into the travel packets.
After-lesson:
The teacher can discuss project packets and content.
Assessment:
Make sure that each student receives two checks
on their work. One check on park map, the second, on the preferred activity
sheet.
DAY TWO:
Sponge:
Hand out a worksheet that explains good computer lab behavior. The students then need to follow directions on this sheet on how to log into Netscape. After they have completed the work sheets directions they are asked to sign the sheet and put it a box.
Opening:
The teacher will tell how there are a lot of Acadia sites on the internet. These sites are helpful with information for travel plans and for contact information. Have a printout of one internet site for each student. A site that can be used is (http://www.acadianationalpark.com/). Have them read over information and how to access that site.
Guided Practice:
Have the whole class put "Acadia National Park" in the search line of a search engine. Have the class go to one of the sites. Go over it together. Before they independently search have them go to this site, http://www.llbean.com/parksearch/parks/html/7965gd.htm.
Independent practice:
Have students fill out an internet worksheet on the above web site. After the students must find two more sites on the net and give summaries on them.
Assessment:
Have the students add sites to project packets. Have them add activities to their sheets.
DAY THREE:
Sponge:
Have a sheet of paper on each student’s desk. On the top of the sheet there will be two categories. One will be places to eat and the other places to stay. Under each category the students will list as many places as they can. Answers will vary.
Opening:
Talk about different types of lodging and food. We will learn how to make a budget in this class period.
Guided Practice:
A worksheet with different types of lodgings and prices will be handed out to the students. We will go over what services you get for how much you pay. Park prices will also be included. The class can add to the list the expenses that will occur on this trip. Prices and hotel/food information can be found at this internet site (http://www.acadianationalpark.com/acadia/hotels.htm or http://www.acadianationalpark.com/acadia/resta.htm ).
Independent Practice:
Students will come up with a budget. This budget will be recorded in their travel packet.
Assessment:
The teacher will check off the student’s work
in their packets.
DAY FOUR:
Sponge:
Students will one at a time write something they spend money on, on the board.
Opening:
Teacher will explain that when you spend money you are helping a community. Having a lot of spending helps the economy.
Guided Practice:
The economy of Maine depends on tourism. The more tourist that come to the state the more money the state gets. Acadia National Park brings in 4.6 million tourist in a year. Therefore, Acadia helps Maine’s economy. A transparency will be used to show other ways Maine makes money. The students will then learn that Maine has a 6.9% sales tax. A worksheet will be provided for each student. The worksheet will have 5 items that the students could purchase in Bar Harbor, a great place to shop. The students will be shown how to add tax to the item that they purchased.
Independent Practice:
Students will buy items for their trip. They will be added to their vacation package but they must remember to factor in the tax to their items.
Assessment:
Again the students must have the work recorded
in their packets. The teacher will later check the work.
DAY FIVE:
Sponge:
Every student will get a baby food jar. They will follow instructions written on the board. They will read as followed:
1- Fill your jar half way with water.
2- Put blue food coloring in water.
3- Put lid on jar and shake.
4- Add oil to the water and fill to the top.
5- You’re done.
The students now have their own mini ocean.
Opening:
A discussion about the importance of the ocean will happen now. That fishermen get fish out of it and tourist/residents eat the fish.
Group:
Have charts showing different types of fish native to Maine waters. Have students identify these fish by having the class in two groups competing in a memory game made up by the teacher.
***Maybe a live lobster could be purchased and brought into the room for show and tell.
Independent:
Students again will work on their vacation packets. They will plan a seafood dinner that they will pick what to eat, and how much it cost (add tax). The second activity they will work on is to plan a bay cruise. They can choose a lighthouse tour, a mansion tour, or a whale watch. They must get prices and times and add them into their vacation.
Assessment:
The students will have extra, if needed, to finish packets. But they must pass in vacation packets for a grade.
CLOSURE:
Students will be able to share their trips with the class in a brief summary. They will receive travel awards in a small ceremony showing their accomplishments.
MATERIALS:
LCD screen, computers (in room, and the lab),
over head, transparencies, travel packets (made by teacher- shown below),
brochures from Acadia, park maps, search engine on computer, netscape on
computer, blue food coloring, baby food jars, oil, Bulletin Board on Park,
Seafood pictures and information, a live lobster, blank map of Maine, Maps
of Maine and Acadia, worksheets (provided below), calculators, game for
seafood, prices for items.
APPENDIX:
PROJECT PACKET (page by page)
1st page: Title of packet and a place for student to put name.
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2nd page: Map of Maine and Acadia (from day one)
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3rd page: (Activities page) (done on day one)
What is your activity?
What time of year can you do this activity?
Does your activity cost money?
How long would you do this activity?
(Record in your daily log)
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4th-10th pages: (Daily logs)
Night activities:
Where did you stay:
Activities for day:
Money spent:
(copy page six times)
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11th page: Internet site search (Day three)
Internet site address:
Summary:
Internet site address:
Summary:
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12th page: Hotel/food
Lodging:
What?
Where?
How many nights?
Cost?
Food:
Day one:
Breakfast:
Lunch:
Dinner:
Day two:
Breakfast:
Lunch:
Dinner:
Day three:
Breakfast:
Lunch:
Dinner:
Day four:
Breakfast:
Lunch:
Dinner:
Day five:
Breakfast:
Lunch:
Dinner:
Total cost of food?
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13th page: Budget
How much money do you need for your trip?
Lodging?
Food?
Gas?
Equipment?
Tour expenses?
Souvenirs?
Total?
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14th page: TAX (Day four)
You will buy five items. They will be . . .
This is how you do it.
Take the item’s price, times it by .069, then add that number to the item’s price.
For example. $9.99*.069= .69 .69+9.99=10.67
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15th page: Seafood dinner (day five)
You are going out to dinner to eat seafood.
Pick one seafood dish and plan your appetizers, salad, side dishes, and dessert.
Calculate the cost for this dinner and add tax.
**you can provide a pre-made menu or you can have the class make a menu for selections.
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EXTENSIONS:
MATH- Work with tax. Add it to items bought. Also you could use the budget as a way to work math into the lesson.
SCIENCE- Talk about glaciers forming the park.
HISTORY- Research history of park.
GOVERNMENT- See how the park services are run.
ENGLISH- Find Maine written children’s books (example: Maynard the Moose) that could be relevant to Acadia.
ART- There are plenty of pictures and paintings
about Acadia. Show these works to the students and have them create their
own art.
BIBLIOGRAPHY:
Beccue, Shirley, ed. Acadia National Park. 1-22-99. http://www.nps.gov/acad/home.htmCreated (3-28-99).
Frome, Michael. National Park Guide. 15th ed. Chicago: Rand McNally, 1981.
GPI Communications. Welcome to Acadia National Park. 1998.
http://www.acadianationalpark.com/ (3-28-99).
Insebuetson, Mark. "Acadia." Better Homes and Gardens April 1989: 176.
L.L.Bean. "Park Search." http://www.llbean.com/parksearch/parks/html/7965gd.html (3-25-99)
Popkin, James. "The Pleasures of a Big Park on a Small Island." U.S. News and World
Report 8 May 1989: 78.
Review some of the lesson plans prepared for GEOG 354 in 1998 at:
http://www.acu.edu/~armstrongl/geography/plans98.htm
Return to Lesson Plans and Research Papers 1999