THE WORLD

THE WORLD:

(With an emphasis on the United States)

Tessa Whitaker
Grade 4
Geography

PURPOSE:

The purpose of this series of lessons is to make students more familiar with the world. This series will help the students to recognize the different continents. Students will also be introduced to longitude and latitude and how to find locations using these measurements. This series will end with an emphasis on the fifty sates of the United States and their capitols.

CONNECTION TO THE NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC STANDARDS:

No. 1 Knows and understands how to use maps, globes, and other geographical tools to acquire, process, and report information.
This applies because the students will have a lesson on locating places on a map and the globe.

No. 2 Uses mental maps to give spatial perspective to the world.
The students will need to have an idea of the location of the places that we are discussing in class.

No. 7 Knows and understands that physical processes shape patterns on the earth’s surface.
The students will have to describe places that they are familiar with and have some knowledge of the differences between places.

APPLICABLE TEXAS ESSENTIAL KNOWLEDGE AND SKILLS:

2) Acquire data through the senses. The student shall be provided opportunities to:
(a) observe science models;
3) Classify, order, and sequence data. The student shall be provided opportunities to:
(a) classify matter and energy, organisms, actions, and events from the environment according to similarities and differences.
4) Communicate data and information in appropriate oral and written form. The student shall be provided opportunities to:
(a) obtain science information from varied resources;
8) Apply defined terms based on observations. The student shall be provided opportunities to:
(a) state relationships among objects, organisms, and events using operational definitions;

OBJECTIVES:

1. To classify items according to similarities and differences.
2. To recognize locations on a map or globe.
3. To become more familiar with maps and globes.
4. To know the fifty states and their capitols.
5. To find information on the Internet and complete a worksheet for a web site.

OVER VIEW OF THE PRESENTATION:

This project was designed to help students to become familiar with the world and its elements. The students will be able to attain information on the continents. The students will spend the majority of the time on the United States and the fifty states. The students will research information on the states and their regions. The students will practice locating places according to the latitude and longitude.

Day 1

Length: 90 minutes

MATERIALS:
Index cards, handout #1, encyclopedias, the Internet, and other reference materials.

OBJECTIVE:
Students’ awareness of basic geographic and demographic data will increase and students will learn the ordering of the continents based upon certain criteria.

PROCEDURE:
1. Sponge Activity – the students will receive a handout with all of the continents on it and they will receive cards with the names of the continents on them. The students will have 10 minutes to put the name cards on the correct continents.
2. Opening- Begin the class with a brief review of the continents with the students, writing the names of the continents on the board in alphabetical order. Ask how the names were ordered and follow this by requesting other ways that the list could be ordered, recording them on the board.
3. Guided Practice - Now ask the students to predict the order of the continents in terms of total land area. After they get in order, provide the students with index cards with the actual areas on them and ask them to rearrange the cards themselves. Repeat this process for other categories such as population, population density, annual growth, etc.
4. Independent Practice – Allow the students to use encyclopedias, atlases, almanacs, and the Internet to find the actual statistics for these criteria, to check their predictions for accuracy.

EXTENSION:
The students could color the continents different colors and glue the continents onto a blue balloon to make a globe.

Day 2

Length: 90 minutes

OBJECTIVE:
Students will utilize the Internet to gain information about the 50 states.

MATERIALS:
Pencils, crayons, computers with Internet, 4-6 maps of the U.S. states.

PROCEDURE:
1. Sponge Activity – Have the students take out a piece of paper and write the name of one of the states on it. Ask the students to write as much information as they can about that state.
2. Opening Activity – Introduce the lesson by discussing a state in which the students reside. Locate the state on the map. Encourage the students to name the surrounding states.
3. Guided Practice - Ask students if they have lived in any of those states. Make a list of all the states the students have lived in before. Create a graph of those states on the board. Explain to the students that there are 50 states in the United States.
4. Independent Practice – Divide the class into as many groups as you have computers with Internet access. (5 groups are ideal). Assign each group 10 states and have them locate information on their states http://www.50states.com. Each student should have his or her turn looking at the information on the computer. Each group should complete an Internet Guide Sheet for each of the states they were assigned.
5. Assessment – At the end of the class period have the groups share their findings with the rest of the class.

EXTENSION:
Students could learn to use the Internet for other items that they may want to find more information on.

Day 3

Length: 90 minutes

OBJECTIVE:
Students will locate data on a particular state for a report.

MATERIALS:
Handouts, pencils, crayon, paper, reference materials, computer with the Internet.

PROCEDURE:
1. Sponge Activity – Have a handout for the students that ask them to match the capitols with the correct state.
2. Opening Activity – Play the Fifty Nifty United States song for the students. Ask if someone can say the fifty states and capitols.
3. Guided Practice - Explain that each state has a special song, bird, tree, etc. Write the name of a state on the board and write its "specials" underneath it. Hand out the State Report page to the students. (See attachments). Use the state that you have discussed to do an example of the State Report page.
4. Independent Practice – Explain the necessary information needed and where it can be located. Have the students draw 2 states, out of a hat, and let them work on the State Report page.

EXTENSION:
Students could locate and send an e-mail to a school in the state their report is on.

Day 4

Length: 90 minutes

OBJECTIVE:
The student will research information about two states within a region, and work in a cooperative group to create a game about a specific region.

MATERIALS:
Duty/Instruction sheets (one for each group)
Materials suitable for creating a game (poster board, cardboard, index cards, timers, dice, pens, crayons, pencils, paper, etc.)

PROCEDURE:
1. Sponge Activity – Have the students trade State Report pages with the person across from them. Let the students read the information about the states that their classmate has found.
2. Opening Activity – Begin with a brief dialogue with students by asking them to share the types of board games they enjoy playing. You may want to discuss specific games that students have played in class.
3. Guided Practice – Explain to the students that they will be creating a game, which uses the facts they collected about the states. Divide the class into the regions and pass out instruction sheets for each group to plan their strategy for design. This sheet should also include a place for each student to sign up for a group job.
4. Independent Practice – Instruct students to use 15 – 20 minutes to decide on the objective, rules, and artistic design to be used for the game, and to spend the remainder of the hour fulfilling their group duties and completing construction. 5.Assessment – Have each group play their game once through, then play the game of another group. Request that each group create a feedback sheet for the other groups which addresses questions such as:
    a.Was the game fun to play?
    b.How much do you think you learned about the region you were playing?
    c.Were there any problems encountered while playing? If so, what happened?
    d.List some suggestions for how you might improve the game.

EXTENSION:
Students could further research the history of their regions.

Day 5

Length: 90 minutes

MATERIALS:
Large world map, globe, handout with coordinates in latitude and longitude.

OBJECTIVE:
Students will be able to find a location on a map using longitude and latitude, and they will be able to provide the coordinates of a location.

PROCEDURE:
1. Sponge Activity – Hand the students cutouts of the continents and ask the students to place the continents on their desk like they would appear on a map.
2. Opening – Prompt the students’ interests with questions such as how do airplanes know how to land and how do ships know where to navigate? Explain that longitude and latitude play a role in these processes.
3. Guided Practice – Demonstrate the procedure for finding a location using latitude and longitude.
4. Independent Practice – Place the students in pairs and provide each pair with a map and the coordinates of ten or so important areas of the world. Make sure that you include areas around the globe and areas that are important to other cultures to support multiculturalism. Ask the students to find the coordinates on the map and record what area (city, state, nation, etc.) is located there. If time allows, have the students state the coordinates of their hometown, Washington D.C., and other areas that ma be relevant to what they are currently studying.
5. Assessment – The same activity could be repeated after students have had a chance to learn how to locate areas. This time it could be graded on its accuracy.
6. Closure – Students will work on this unit for five days. To classify items according to similarities and differences. To recognize locations on a map or globe. To become more familiar with maps and globes. To know the fifty states and their capitols. To find information on the Internet and complete a worksheet for a web site.

EXTENSION:
Students can use their knowledge about locating places with the longitude and latitude to learn about locating a point on a graph.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Educational Insights. 1995. GeoSafari Multimedia Game. Carson, CA

Internet ® Netscape. http://www.50states.com

Internet ® Netscape. http://www.acn.net/

Clouse, N.L. (1990). Puzzle Maps USA New York: Henry Holt and Co.

Jasmine, G. & Nader, L. (1995). Cooperative learning activities for social studies. Huntington Beach, CA. Teacher Created Materials, Inc.

Internet Guide Sheet(handout #1) List/Find the following:
1. The name of the state.
2. The state flower.
3. The state bird.
4. The state tree.
5. The state capitol.
6. The states that surround that particular state.
7. The state song.

My State Report Outline(handout #2)

1. Page 1, Draw a picture of your state and color. Label the capitol city, 5 largest cities, and 4 other interesting cities on the map in the correct locations.
2. Page 2, Draw and color the state Flag correctly.
3. Page 3, Draw and color the state seal, bird, and flower correctly.
4. Page 4, Write about the types of landform that are in your state.
5. Page 5, List some of the tourist attractions, festivals, monuments, and when they best can be seen.
6. Page 6, Write your name, date, and state name and nickname, in the middle of the page. At the bottom of the page write one good sentence why someone should visit your state using the information from your report.

Instruction Sheet(handout #3)

1. The game should include facts about the region of the United States.
2. The game should have pre-determined rules.
3. The game should use fact cards and a game board.
4. The game must include a way for every player to have a turn, and a way to finish the game.

Decide on a name:

Assign group duties:

Game board designers:

Card Makers:

Artists:

Answer the following questions:
1. How does the game work?
2. What are the rules of play?
3. Was it fun to play? Why or why not?
4. Did the game help you learn about the region?
5. How would you improve the game (after playing once)?