Geography
Anna Frazier
3rd Grade
Geography
Purpose:
The purpose of this lesson is to teach the children about the state of Louisiana. They will know factual information such as the state flag, bird, tree, etc. They will hear about all the different people who came and settled in Louisiana. They will know geographical points in the state and understand what sets Louisiana apart from other states (festivals that are mainly celebrated in Louisiana).
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. The students will understand
what maps are used for and the many things that they can show (bodies of
water, cities). They will also know how to create a map using the information
they gather.
No.4. Knows and understands the physical and human characteristics
of places. The students will know the different types of land in the area.
They will know how people adjust to living in areas that are wet and areas
that are dry.
No.7. Knows and understands that physical processes shape patterns
on the earth’s surface. They will know about the bayous and ports that
make up Louisiana and the way that the rivers play an important role in
the transportation of goods.
No.9. Knows and understands the characteristics, distribution, and
migrations of human populations. The students will understand why people
who live in Louisiana do and why they may choose to live where they do.
No.14. Knows and understands how the earth’s physical and human
systems are connected and interact. They will understand what Louisiana
produces that helps us all live better.
Applicable Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills
Students will demonstrate their ability:
This project is designed for third grade. However, it could be adapted for many grades above and below. The purpose of this project is to give students an opportunity to learn about the state of Louisiana. In it, they will have the opportunity to investigate many topics on the history of Louisiana and at the same time make things that will help them understand the state. They will also be allowed to experience a festival that Louisiana celebrates, called Mardi Gras. This lesson plan will help students learn new information about a state, and the history that is in all states. Many of the activities that are used in this lesson can be adapted for any state.
Lesson Plans:
Day 1
Sponge: As the students come into the classroom, they will need to get a piece of paper with the state of Louisiana on it. They will go to their desk and cut it out. They will then need to paste it to a piece of construction paper. (This will be the cover page for the Louisiana book they will make.)
Opening: The teacher should introduce the state that we will be coving over the next two weeks. Begin by discussing what the class already knows about the state of Louisiana. These things should be listed on a large piece of paper titled. "What We Already Know About Louisiana". Once completed put it on the wall for the class to see as they talk about this state.
Guided Practice: Once we have completed our list of what we already know, the teacher needs to pull out some books about the state of Louisiana. As a class go through each book and discuss possible things that might be mentioned in the book on the state. This will help the students to understand that there is a lot to the state.
Independent Practice: Now the teacher should divide the class into groups. Each group will be given a book and a prediction sheet. The group will need to go through the book and complete the sheet. The purpose of this is to get the students interested in the topic. They will be told to look only at the pictures and bold type. They will need to do this so that they can make appropriate predictions about what will be talked about through this study. Once they have completed this, the teacher should look over the sheet to make sure that accurate predictions have been made, and then the prediction sheets need to be placed in the class library along with the book.
Day 2
Sponge: Have a large picture of the state of Louisiana with post-its all over it. On the post-its write the name and address of parishes in the state. The students will be instructed to come in and take a post-it and write a letter to that parish asking for information about that parish. The students will be provided with a format for the letter, an envelope, and a stamp.
Opening: Tell the students that these letters will be sent out today and that they need to be completed. Tell them that when they receive information back, we will place it in a folder that will be located in the class library. Explain to the students that all states have a history and that today we are going to discuss Louisiana’s history.
Guided Practice: Tell the students about that Indians were the first to live in Louisiana. Go over the names of the tribes. Discuss the explorers who explored Louisiana, what country the explorers represented, and why it was such an important area for them to claim. Tell the students where its name came from, when the U.S. purchased it, and how much it was purchased for. If a LCD panel for your overhead is available and access to the Internet is available, go to the site http://www.sec.state.la.us/brief-1.htm this site will show the students the ten flags that Louisiana has been under. Then go to http://www.crt.state.la.us/crt/profiles/history.htm this site shows the size of the Louisiana Purchase.
Independent Practice: Divide the class into groups. Allow each group to choose a tribe that they would like to be called. Tell them that this is what their group will be called for the next two weeks. Then have each tribe pick a fact about Louisiana to look up and find information about. The things that they will be looking up are: state bird, state dog, state flag, state flower, state tree, and state insect. Each group will have access to the books in the class library and a set of encyclopedias. They will need to come up with a picture of what they are looking for to be put on the "Louisiana Facts" bulletin board.
Day 3
Sponge: The students will need to get a piece of notebook paper and write down the facts about Louisiana that they found yesterday. They will need to include all the information that is on the bulletin board, and they will also need to draw pictures or decorate this page in some way. (This is the second page in their booklet.)
Opening: The teacher will tell the class that today we will discuss borders. Begin by discussing things that border the school. The teacher will need to draw a picture of the school on the board or overhead and a compass somewhere to show the direction. Let the class tell what is to the south, north, west, and east, and the teacher should mark it appropriately.
Guided Practice: The teacher needs to have a large map of Louisiana. This map should include the states that border it. Go over as a class and discuss each border.
Independent Practice: Each child will need to have a piece of paper with a small picture of the state of Louisiana on it. They will need to draw a compass on it and then label the states that border it. They will need to use mapping pencils to draw the borders accurately. Then they will need to write up what borders the state in paragraph form.
Day 4
Sponge: When the students come in, they will need to write about what they would want to do if they went on a trip to Louisiana. This will be another page in their Louisiana book. Encourage them to decorate it.
Opening: Today the class time will be spent in the computer lab. The class will need to plan on sitting in their tribes, because they will work on a work sheet together.
Guided Practice: Once the class is settled, the teacher will need to lead the class to the proper web site, http://www.sec.state.la.us/facts-1.htm. The teacher will remind the class of the things that they made to go on the board and point them out in this site. This site will help the students see Louisiana.
Independent Practice: The students will work in their tribes to complete a worksheet on this website. They will need to have much of the class time to complete this, because of the amount of information that is provided on this site and because of the pictures that are available to look at.
Day 5
Sponge: When the students come in they will need to pick up a picture of the state of Louisiana and cut it out. They will need to paste it to a piece of construction paper. They will then need to grab a magazine and cut out as many pictures as they can find that they think have something to do with Louisiana. Many of their ideas of what to cut out might come from what they saw during the Internet activity yesterday.
Opening: To begin the class the teacher will need throw out several words: lakes, rivers, and bayous. The teacher should ask the students what they know about these bodies of water. As a class, web this information on the board.
Guided Practice: The teacher will need to go through and explain each of these types of water. The teacher may also use pictures found in several of the books to show the students. This is when the teacher should show the rivers that make up the boundaries of Louisiana. The teacher should refer to the book America the Beautiful Louisiana as a reference for information on this topic.
Independent Practice: The students need to pull out their Louisiana cut out and draw the rivers that border the state. They need to be marked with mapping pencils.
Evaluation/Assessment/Feedback: The students will be given a worksheet that asks them several questions about their state. They will need to use a large map of the state. It will need to include names of cities, highways, rivers, and parishes. You may need to provide several maps to include all this information. They will need to individually fill this out, and place it in a basket. Once all the students have completed it, they will need to go in pairs, get their sheets out of the basket and check their work. Each partner will verify the others answers. This activity will have many correct answers and therefor the students will extend his or her learning.
Day 6
Sponge: When the students come in they will be allowed to go to the front of the classroom in pairs and paste the pictures that they found at the beginning of the last class period onto a large outline of the state of Louisiana. While the other students wait their turn to paste their pictures, they will be working on a Louisiana Fun Fact Sheet. This will help bring them back into the topic of Louisiana from the weekend. While they are working on this, have Louisiana music playing.
Opening: Ask the students what they thought about the music that was playing. Give them a chance to respond. Then play several other types of music (country, rock, and opera) and ask them what this music makes them feel like and where do they think that type of music came from. Have a map of the world and have them point on the map where they think other types of music come from.
Guided Practice: Read to the students the passage on music in the book, Louisiana Portrait of America. This passage will introduce the students to three types of music: Jazz, Zydeco, and Blues. Again let the student listen to the three types of music. Then show the students the pictures in the book Cajun Music and Zydeco so that they can see what instruments are used in the different types of music. Be sure to include that all of the people who came to Louisiana made a contribution to Louisiana music.
Independent Practice: Let the students listen to clips of each type of music. Have them choose the one that they like the best and then have them write about it in their journals. They need to include what culture it originated from, why they like it, and how it makes them feel. This should be about one page. It should be turned in and checked for the historical background that the student included.
Day 7
Sponge: Hopefully, today some of the information that the students sent off for will have come in. Have all the information, still in the envelope it was sent in, in box at the front of the class. Each student needs to find his or her parish that he or she wrote to and pick it up. Then have those students look through the information that he or she received, and make a table of contents and write a short paragraph about that parish and paste it to a piece of construction paper. This will serve as a title page for the information packet that should be put together.
Opening: Read the first two passages in the book Mardi Gras! Then ask the students to reflect on what they thought about Mardi Gras.
Guided Practice: Create a web on the board to show what the students have learned about Mardi Gras from the reading. Discuss with the students about krewes and what part they play in Mardi Gras. Show the students pictures of Mardi Gras from the book.
Independent Practice: Have the class divide into their tribes. Tell them that for the next day or so, you will be discussing Mardi Gras. Have each tribe come up with a new name. This time their name will be the Krewe of ___________. They will then need to decide on what kind of float they want to have in the mini parade that will take place on Friday. Allow them to use books about Mardi Gras to come up with ideas.
Day 8
Sponge: When the students come in they will need to write about their Krewe. They will need to include information about what the krewe's job is and what their theme for the parade will be. The will also need to draw a picture of what they think their float will look like.
Opening: Read the book, Mimi and Jean-Paul’s Cajun Mardi Gras!
Guided Practice: Discuss with the students about the costumes, masks, and parades. Show them pictures from the books you have on Mardi Gras and have them get into their groups.
Independent Practice: Allow the students to decorate a medium sized box as their float. Let them use construction paper, glitter, feathers, and buttons, anything that they like to decorate their box. Give them a lot of the class time to complete this. (This will more than likely take them two sessions to complete.)
Day 9
Sponge: Allow the students to come in and continue working on their projects from yesterday.
Opening: Keep the class in their krewes and play a Louisiana Jeopardy game. This is to prepare them for the test tomorrow.
Guided Practice: Play Jeopardy! Be sure to go over any answers that give the students trouble and show pictures for all that you can.
Independent Practice: Give the students a review worksheet. Have them go through it and answer what they can. Then give them time to get into their groups and discuss the correct answers.
Day 10
Sponge: When the students come in they will prepare to take the test.
Evaluation/Assessment/Feedback: Pass out the test.
Closure: Because for the past few days the class has been discussing Mardi Gras, it is only right that they be able to experience some of this. The room needs to be decorated with Mardi Gras stuff and there should be a table set up displaying the floats that each Krewe made. There should also be a food table that will allow the students to sample food such as gumbo and king cake. Another added touch would be to have a variety of Louisiana music playing in the background. Basically today is a day to celebrate!
Materials:
Day 1: Sponge: Outline of Louisiana on piece of paper
Scissors
Glue
Construction Paper
Opening: Butcher paper
Guided Practice: Books listed in bibliography
Prediction Sheet
Day 2: Sponge: Outline of LA on a large piece of poster paper
Post-its with parish addresses on it
Example of letter format on board
Guided Practice: LCD screen
Overhead
Day 3: Guided Practice: Large map of LA with surrounding
borders
Independent Practice: Handout with outline of Louisiana on it
Day 4: Independent Practice: Worksheet for website activity
Day 5: Sponge: Outline of Louisiana on regular paper
Scissors
Glue
Construction Paper
Magazines with pictures
Guided Practice: Book America the Beautiful: Louisiana
Evaluation/Assessment/Feedback: Worksheet
Day 6: Sponge: Large outline of LA on
poster paper
Glue
Louisiana Fun Fact Sheet
CD/Tape Player
Louisiana music
Opening: Several other types of music
Map of the world
Guided Practice: Books: Louisiana Portrait of America
Cajun Music and Zydeco
Day 7: Opening: Book Mardi Gras!
Day 8: Opening: Book Mimi and Jean-Paul’s Cajun Mardi
Gras!
Independent Practice: Medium size boxes
Stuff to decorate with
Day 9: Opening: Series of questions for Jeopardy
Day 10: Evaluation/Assessment/Feedback: Test
Closure: Mardi Gras Decorations
Table with all the floats on it
Louisiana food
Louisiana Music
CD/Tape Player
Appendix:
A. Outline of the state of Louisiana: This outline is used on the
following days:
1,2,3,5,6.
B. Prediction sheet: This sheet is used on day 1 with the books on
Louisiana.
Each group needs one copy.
C. Website Worksheet: This sheet is used on day 4. Each tribe needs
one copy.
D. Individual Worksheet: This sheet is used on day 5.
Each student needs a copy.
E. Louisiana Fun Fact Sheet: This sheet is used on day 9. Each student
needs a copy.
Extensions:
Spelling- Use some of the new words as spelling words
Math- Find the distance from one city to another
History- History of the state
English- Journal
Art- Making Mardi Gras masks, floats, etc.
Bibliography:
"A Brief History of Louisiana Under 10 Flags." Louisiana Department
of State.
<http://www.sec.state.la.us/brief-1.htm>
(27 April 1999).
Capstone Press Geography Department. Louisiana. Mankota, Minnesota:
Capstone Press, 1996.
Coil, Suzanne M. Mardi Gras!. New York: Macmillan Publishing
Co.,
1994.
Feibleman, Peter S. The Bayous. New York: Time-Life Books, 1973.
Gould, Philip. Cajun Music and Zydeco. Baton Rouge: Louisiana
State University
Press, 1992.
Jones, Phillip J. "Louisiana History." Louisiana Department of
Culture, Recreation and
Tourism. 1994. <http://www.crt.state.la.us/crt/profiles/history.htm>
(27 April 1999).
Kent, Deborah. America the Beautiful. Chicago: Childrens Press, 1988.
Moore, Elizabeth and Alice Couvillon. Mimi and Jean-Paul’s Cajun
Mardi Gras.
Gretna, LA: Pelican Publishing Co., 1996.
"The Secretary of State’s Interesting Facts about Louisiana." Louisiana
Department of
State. <http://www.sec.state.la.us/facts-1.htm>
(27 April 1999).
Thompson, Kathleen. Portrait of America Louisiana. Austin,
TX: Steck-Vaughn,
1996.
Vidrine, Beverly B. A Mardi Gras Dictionary. Lafayette, LA: Sunflower Press, 1994.
