Cathy Argyros, Jackie DePietro & Minda Kauffman
mkauffman@ps124.org
PS 124 Yung Wing School
40 Division Street
New York, NY 10002
5th Grade Social Studies
| About the Grant: |
About
Students will spend several weeks studying the geography and physical features of the Western Hemisphere and exploring how the geography shaped the cultures
and traditions of the people who lived there. They will use maps, short informational texts, folk tales, the Internet, and other classroom resources to make inferences and develop
critical thinking skills. Following the 5th Grade scope and sequence for New York City this unit begins by introducing students to plate tectonics and leads them to understand
how the continents moved to their current locations.
In the next lesson, students will explore the peopling of the Americas and various theories about human migration in the Western Hemisphere. Then
they make a giant physical map of the western hemisphere, familiarizing themselves with the physical features of each region. Finally, they explore a native culture of the Western
Hemisphere and examine how this culture was influenced by the geography of the region in which they lived.
The students will complete a final project focusing on a culture native to a particular region of the Western Hemisphere. In groups of four, they will
research a culture - Maya, Inca, Hopi, Iriquois, Inuit, etc. - and examine how the geography of the region influenced affected the cultures that developed. Finally,
they will synthesize their learning into a Power Point presentation which will be posted on our class web site.
Technology will play a critical role in this unit. Students will demonstrate Internet research skills and an ability to use MS Word and Power Point. In
our school, students were introduced to these programs in third and fourth grades. This unit gives them a chance to refresh their skills and build upon them in fifth grade.
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| How This Grant was Adapted: |
The 5th grade teachers at PS 124 collaborated to develop this unit that addresses the needs of all learners. The technology
specialist used her knowledge to implement the technology components. The ESL teacher helped adapt the lessons to meet the needs of English Language Learners. The art teacher used her creativity
to help develop the overall design of the final project. |
| Objectives |
What will students be expected to know once the project is complete? Please include 4-8 learning objectives for your unit.
- Students will understand the different geological processes that shaped the physical
environment of the Western Hemisphere.
- Students will create a physical map of the Western Hemisphere that
includes a map key and symbols.
- Students will identify the physical features of the Western Hemisphere,
such as landforms, vegetation, climate, and natural resources.
- Students will understand how a region's physical features and natural resources
affect the culture that develops there.
- Students will learn to use a variety of sources (atlases, books, the Internet) to research
and report information about the Western Hemisphere.
- Students will synthesize their research and learn to use Power Point to present their
findings to the class.
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| Websites Used |
www.worldatlas.com
Folk tale from a Native American culture http://www.americanfolklore.net/ee.html#2
Native American Folklore
http://www.native-languages.org/legends.htm
Ice Age for Kids
http://www.athropolis.com/links/iceage.htm
History for Kids
http://www.historyforkids.org/learn/environment/landbridge.htm
http://www.science-art.com/image.asp?id=51&search=1
National Parks Service for Kids
http://www.nps.gov/bela/forkids/index.htm
www.pbs.org
www.nationalgeographic.com
www.factmonster.com
www.askjeeves.com |
| Standards Addressed: |
Social Studies Standard 3-Geography
Students will use a variety of intellectual skills to demonstrate their understanding of the geography of the interdependent world in which we live local,
national, global - including the distribution of people, places, and environments over the Earth's surface.
ELA Standard 1
Students will read, write, listen and speak for information and understanding.
ELA Standard 3
Students will read, write, listen and speak for critical analysis and evaluation.
Technology Standard 2
Know and use technical vocabulary
Technology Standard 3
Understand basic computer operations
Technology Standard 4
Be able to manipulate file basics
Technology Standard 6
Be responsible when using computers
Technology Standard 9
Use word processing
Technology Standard 10
Create products
Technology Standard 13
Use the Internet
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| Lesson 1: |
How did the continents get to where they are today?
Objectives
- Students will be able to draw conclusions and make inferences based on a map and reading passage about Pangaea.
- Students will be able to identify the continents on a map of Pangaea and use them to create a map of their current locations.
- Students will be able to explain continental drift and how it affects the geography of the world.
Materials
- Pangaea text and map (one for each student) and a transparency for teacher modeling.
- Chart paper
- Overhead Projector
- Social Studies Notebooks for children
- World maps
- Glue, scisors
Procedure
- Teacher introduces the Social Studies notebook and how it will be utilized for the unit.
- Teacher shows unlabeled map of Pangaea and asks students to turn and talk, making observations about the map.
- Teacher charts observations that students made about the unlabeled map.
- Partners take a copy of the unmarked map and identify the continents using their prior knowledge and world maps.
- Students label, cut, paste the continents to make a present-day map.
- Teacher and students come together to share and chart their conclusions.
- Teacher reads aloud a shared text on continental drift.
Homework
Students write a paragraph theorizing how they think the continents moved to their current locations.
Assessment
Teacher informally observes students creating their own map. |
| Lesson 2: |
Why did people migrate to different areas of the Western Hemisphere?
Objectives
- Students will be able to identify the Bering Strait
- Students will develop an understanding of the theories of why people migrated from Asia and populated the Western Hemisphere.
Materials
- Transparency of "North America During the Last Ice Age"
- Text "Ice Age Land Bridge"
- Chart paper
- Overhead Projector
- Social Studies Notebooks for children
Procedure
- Teacher shows students transparency and thinks aloud with the following question: How can I use this map key to help me understand this map?
- Teacher asks students to make observations with a partner about the map.
- Teacher guides discussion focusing on the reasons for human migration throughout the Western Hemisphere.
Homework
Students read Ice Age Land Bridge Text and find key terms and big ideas about human migration.
Assessment
Teacher informally assesses students during turn-and-talk and class discussion. |
| Lesson 3: |
Physical Features of the Western Hemisphere
Objectives
- Students will be able to identify the physical features (mountains, rivers, grasslands, deserts, etc.).
- Students will be able to create a physical map of the Western Hemisphere with a key.
- Students will compare and contrast the topography of different regions.
- Students will theorize as to how the topography of different regions may have impacted human migration.
Materials
- Outline map of Americas for students, Atlases, Internet access, colored pencils, notebooks
Procedure
- Teacher leads class discussion about what physical features are.
- Students work in partnerships, using classroom resources to identify the physical features of the Western Hemisphere.
- Students create a physical map.
- Teacher leads class discussion on how these physical features may have impacted human migration.
Homework
Students create a three column chart comparing the physical features of North America, Central America / Caribbean, and South America.
Assessment
Teacher evaluates student maps.
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| Lesson 4 |
How did geography influence the development of culture and tradition?
Objectives
- Students will demonstrate an understanding of how geography influenced the development of cultures and traditions of different groups of people.
- Students will be able make inferences about a culture's way of life based on their reading and understanding of a folk tale.
Materials
Procedure
- Class identifies the geographical location of where the folk tale originated and discusses the physical features of that region.
- Students sit next to turn-and-talk partners and teacher reads aloud a folk tale, stopping to ask students focus questions about the geography, culture,
and traditions displayed in the text.
- Teacher charts observations.
- Students work with a partner, reading various folk tales from different cultural groups across the Western Hemisphere. They make inferences about the
culture based on the text.
- Students share their ideas with the class.
Homework
- Students
respond to the question: What did you learn about the cultural traditions of the people in your folk tale. Use at least three specific details from the text.
Assessment: Teacher assesses student homework. |
| Lesson 5: |
Technology-Based Culminating Research Project (Western Hemisphere)
Objectives
- Students
will demonstrate a knowledge of Internet research skills using various Web sites to gather information about their topic.
- Students
will demonstrate knowledge of MS Word by copying and pasting information from various sites during research.
- Students
will enhance their knowledge of the MS Word toolbar features and shortcuts such as: bold, italics, bullets, numbering, spell check, thesaurus, clip art, save file, and word art, etc.
- Students
will be able to use PowerPoint to present their research project to their classmates.
Materials
- Computer lab/laptops, Social Studies notebooks, LCD projector
Procedure
- Students will identify a native culture of their choice to research. Their project must address the question: How did the geography of the region affect
the culture and traditions of the people who settled there?
- Teacher will use LCD projector to model using search engines to find information on the Internet and take notes in MS Word while citing sources.
- Students work in groups to gather information on the Internet and take notes in MS Word. (This will take several class periods. Teacher will observe
student progress and plan lessons according to student need.)
- Teacher shows students how to synthesize and organize research into categories and subcategories for the Power Point presentation.
- Teacher will revisit past Power Point skills learned in Multimedia class.
- Students will take information from MS Word and organize it into a PowerPoint slide presentation. (This will take several class periods.)
- Students will draw their own maps and scan them for use in the Power Point presentation.
- Teacher will demonstrate how to add additional slideshow features including, sound effects, animation, voice recordings, images, and special effects to
make their presentation more interesting.
Assessment
Teacher will assess how well student project answers the overarching question: How did the geography of the region affect the culture and traditions of the
people who settled there?
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All About Us
We are 5th grade teachers at PS 124. Each bringing our own strengths, we collaborated to develop a unit that will target the needs
of all learners. Cathy Argyros worked as a technology cluster for two years and used her knowledge to implement the technology components. Minda Kauffman is an ESL teacher
and helped adapt the lessons to meet the needs of English Language Learners. Jackie DePietro, an artist, used her creativity to help develop the overall design of the final
project. We are excited to share this new Social Studies unit with a technology component that prepares students to compete in a global society where technical knowledge is
increasingly important.
http://www.esd.ornl.gov/projects/qen
/nercNORTHAMERICA.html
http://www.science-art.com/image.asp?id=51&search=1
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