PTR Social Studies Lesson Plan

Maps: Day 1

Your name: Carly Kleinfeld

School’s name: Standing Stone Elementary School

District’s name: Huntingdon Area School District

Grade level: Grade 2

Date of teaching: April 16, 2013

Time frame (in minutes): 40 minutes

RATIONALE

· Why are you teaching this topic and the related content?

I am teaching this topic and the related content because my students do not ordinarily receive any social studies education. After reading several articles and educating myself on the importance of maps and creative activities that help children learn about maps, I concluded that selecting maps as my teaching topic was practical. The children in my classroom may not have another opportunity to work with maps until later grades when social studies is more prominent in the curriculum. However, maps and their uses extend into everyday life and personal connections can be made on a variety of different levels. Maps multifaceted uses will benefit my students both inside and outside of a school setting. Reading maps and understanding their purposes is a skill that will be built upon and utilized throughout their lives.

· Why are you teaching this topic and the related content in this way?

I am teaching my lessons on maps in an inquiry-based manner. Since this topic (and social studies in general) is new and unfamiliar to my students, I want them to be able to construct their own knowledge. Through a series of productive questioning and activities, students will access prior knowledge and use personal experiences and educational resources to construct knowledge about maps. Students will participate in exploration, analysis, and evaluation in order to approach these lessons in a constructivist manner.

SECTION ONE: Standards and objectives

Standards:

· 7.1.2.A: Identify how basic geographic tools are used to organize information

· 7.2.2.A: Identify the physical characteristics of places.

Objectives:

· Students will be able to explore the map of Pennsylvania and verbalize their observations

· Students will be able to analyze the difference between a picture and a map

· Students will be able to compare and contrast the components of a picture to the components of a map

· Students will be able to participate in class discussions and collaboratively come up with a list of potential items to incorporate on a map of the classroom

· Students will be able to identify and list appropriate components necessary to incorporate on a map of a classroom

SECTION TWO: Methods of assessment

· Pre-assessment: For the pre-assessment I will pass a map of Pennsylvania out to each student in the classroom. I will instruct students to make observations about what they see. I will then ask them a series of questions in order to probe them and determine their prior knowledge. I will ask them questions regarding how maps help people, different kinds of maps, what maps represent, and what maps are used for.

· Formative assessment: While I am presenting my lesson, I will observe students to see if students appear to be engaged and paying attention. After I finish thoroughly explaining what I expect students to do, the class will be responsible for brainstorming a list of items needed in order to draw a map of the classroom. Students will do this in a think-pair-share manner. After taking a minute to think about necessary items/objects on their own, students will be asked to turn to a partner and take turns discussing their ideas. While this is happening, I will walk around the classroom in order to assure that conversations are on topic in addition to getting a sense of what students are thinking. After a few minutes students will share their thoughts and a list will be compiled on a flip chart in the front of the classroom. I will encourage students who need clarification to ask me questions. My observations during this time will demonstrate to me what the students have learned/are learning.

· Summative assessment: The summative assessment is the final product, which in today’s case is the list of brainstormed ideas the class compiled on the flipchart. These ideas will be revisited on day 2.

SECTION THREE: Learning activities and instructional strategies

· Essential question:

· What are maps used for?

· Lesson details:

1) Introduce the topic of maps to the class (5 minutes)

“Today we are going to learn all about maps. I am aware that this topic may be new an unfamiliar to many of you, but upon completion of the next two lessons, you will have a solid understanding regarding maps, their uses, what comprises them, how to draw them, and how they are applicable to everyday life. “

Question: “Why do we use maps?”

Predicted Answers: “To tell us how to get places” “When we travel” “So we do not get lost”

“Those are all excellent responses! Maps help people navigate from one place to another. People use maps to go from city to city, state to state, and even from one building or classroom to the next. As we continue with today’s activities, I am hopeful that you will uncover these reasons and more.”

2) Pass out the maps of Pennsylvania (5 minutes)

“I have passed out a piece of paper and we are going to discuss it for a little bit in order to see what the class knows.”

Question: “Who can tell me what this is?”

Predicted Answer: “A map”

Question: “What is this a map of?”

Predicted Answer: “Pennsylvania”

Question: “How did you know that this was a map of Pennsylvania?”

Predicted Answers: “It is labeled Pennsylvania” “I recognize it because we live here”

Question: “How can this map help us?”

Predicted Answers: “It can help us get to different places” “It can help me get to my house because I live here”

Question: “I noticed you said that it can help you get to your house. Do you see your house on this map? Can you see all of what you see on the map when you look outside of your window?”

Predicted Answer: “No and no”

Question: “Well if you cannot see all of this when you look out of your window, then how do you know it is there?”

Predicted Answer: “I don’t know” “Because the map tells us” “Because it just is”

“The state of Pennsylvania is a really big place. In order to display all of Pennsylvania on a map it is necessary to shrink everything down and highlight the important features and places. If we want to get more specific, such as finding a route to get to someone’s house as was suggested earlier, we must zoom in and look at neighborhood maps. We are going to read a book that will help clarify all of this.”

3) Call students to the carpet and read the book Me on the Map by: Joan Sweeney (15 minutes)

“I would like all of you to quietly make your way over to the carpet. I am going to read you a book titled, Me on the Map by: Joan Sweeney. By the end of this book, I am hopeful that your understanding of maps and their many purposes will be strengthened. Lets begin.”

Read pages 2 and 3. Stop to ask guided reading questions.

Page 2: This is me in my room

Page 3: This is a map of my room. This is me on the map of my room.

Question: “What similarities and differences do you observe between the picture of the room and the map of the room?”

Predicted Answers: “The map is a drawing” “The picture and the map have similar things in them”

Read pages 4 and 5. Stop to ask guided reading questions.

Page 4: This is my house. This is a map of my house. This is my room on the map of my house.

Page 5: This is my street. This is a map of my street. This is my house on the map of my street.

Question: “Think about some of the similarities and differences you noticed on the previous pages. What observations can you make about the picture of the house and the map of the house”

Predicted Answer: “You can see the rooms inside of the house on the map but not in the picture” “

Question: “Can the picture of the house help me find my room?

Predicted Answer: “No”

Question: “If the picture wont help me, what will?”

Predicted Answer: “The map of the house”

Question: “What observations can you make about the picture of the street and the map of the street?”

Predicted Answers: “You can see the houses on the other side of the street in the map” “There are street names and house numbers on the map but not in the picture”

Read pages 6 and 7. Stop to ask guided reading questions.

Page 6: This is my town.

Page 7: This is a map of my town. This is my street on the map of my town”

Question: “What observations can you make about the picture of the town and the map of the town?”

Predicted Answers: “All of the same things are on the map as in the picture” “The map has street names on it”

I will finish reading the book and upon completion, I will ask a few more questions.

Question: “What did we learn about maps after reading this book?”

Predicted Answers: “There are a lot of different kinds of maps” “You can find where you live by looking at different maps” “Maps have labels on them” “Maps can help you find things”

4) Send students back to their seats and have them think-pair-share about necessary items/objects to be included on a map of the classroom (10 minutes)

“Please quietly return back to you seats. We are now going to brainstorm a list of items/objects that we would include on a map of the classroom. This will help us with an activity that we are going to do later this week. I would like all of you to take a couple of minutes to think to yourselves about some items/objects that you would include on your map of the classroom. Also keep in mind why you would include these items/objects. After you have several ideas in your head, I would like you to turn to a partner and share your thoughts. Once everyone has had time to discuss their ideas with a partner, we will come together as a class and collaboratively make a list of potential items/objects that we would include on a map of the classroom.”

5) Collaboratively make a list of items/objects on a flipchart at the front of the classroom (5 minutes)

“I am going to call on students to share ideas with the class. I will document your responses on the flipchart so that we can refer back to them at a later time.”

Question: “What are some items/objects that you would include on a map of the classroom?”

Predicted Answers: “Desks” “Chairs” “Book shelves” “The door” “Our mail boxes” “Mrs. Kidd’s desk” “The reading carpet” “The pencil sharpener” “Windows” “Our cubbies” “The computers”

· Transition(s):

· Begin with all students at their desks

· Call the class over to the carpet for the read aloud

· Send students back to their desks so that they can participate in the think-pair-share activity

· Explain to the class that we will continue to work with maps. “On Thursday we will continue our work with maps. I would like everyone to take out their reading folders and wait quietly for Mrs. Kidd to begin her lesson.”

· Materials:

· Maps of Pennsylvania (20 copies)

· Me on the Map by: Joan Sweeney

· Flipchart paper

· Marker

· Technology integration: No technology was used during this lesson

· Special accommodations: No special accommodations needed to be made for this lesson

Reflection on Lesson:

What went well? Overall, this lesson went very well. Since the students in my class do no receive social studies education due to the heavy emphasis that is put on math, reading and writing, they thoroughly enjoyed the map lesson. They were able to make many personal connections to the state of Pennsylvania, which they currently reside, in addition to their primary classroom. Everyone loved exploring their maps of Pennsylvania and were extremely eager to find places they recognized.

Planning Reflection: Planning for this lesson was quite difficult. As I previously mentioned, there is no time scheduled each day for students to learn social studies. I had to be very cautious of time. Luckily, my mentor teacher is very flexible and allowed me to teach my lesson in its entirety because she feels that understanding maps and their uses is an important skill/concept for students to understand. The time that I designated to each aspect of my lesson when I wrote my lesson plan accurately depicted the amount of time it took to teach. My thorough, detailed, organized lesson plan helped me execute my lesson so successfully. Another observation that I made was that my predicted answers were very similar to actual student responses. Students were able to accurately answer the majority of the questions that I asked, which complimented the constructivist style of teaching that I implemented.

Teaching Reflection: I executed this lesson very well and I am extremely proud of myself. Teaching in a constructivist manner is not something that I am used to doing with my class because often times, they have difficulty thinking for themselves. Instead of letting them work through problems and find solutions on their own, I usually have to spoon-feed them information. During this lesson however, I stuck to my lesson plan and pushed students to really think. To my surprise, students were able to come up with outstanding answers to questions that I predicted they would have trouble coming up with answers to. One reason why I believe my teaching was so successful was because I incorporated the think-pair-share strategy. Students in my classroom have never utilized this strategy before however, they loved being able to think on their own and then share their answers with a partner. It appeared that they felt empowered because their thoughts were being heard by their peers and then being shared with the entire class. It really got their minds flowing. I will definitely use this strategy in future lessons!

Student & Evidence: The students in my classroom learned the many uses and purposes that maps serve. The evidence that I have to support student learning is the accurate responses given to my questioning during the read aloud and the brainstormed list of items/objects that they would include on a map of the classroom. Additionally, students were able to make reasonable personal connections to maps and willingly shared their thoughts.

Improvements: The largest challenge that I faced during this lesson was classroom management during the pre-assessment. Once the students had the maps in their hands, they were very distracted, which made it difficult to ask them questions and probe their prior knowledge. I wound up being flexible with my plans and had the students look at the maps and make observations. Then I collected them and had the student’s answer the questions that I planned to ask them. If I were to teach this lesson again, I would first hold up an enlarged picture of the map of Pennsylvania and ask them the necessary series of questions. After getting a feel for where the class stands, I would then pass out the maps and allow students to explore. Exploration is an important part of this activity, however the children’s interest in the maps took away from the pre-assessment.

PTR Social Studies Lesson Plan

Maps: Day 2

Your name: Carly Kleinfeld

School’s name: Standing Stone Elementary School

District’s name: Huntingdon Area School District

Grade level: Grade 2

Date of teaching: April 18, 2013

Time frame (in minutes): 55 minutes

RATIONALE

· Why are you teaching this topic and the related content?

I am teaching this topic and the related content because my students do not ordinarily receive any social studies education. After reading several articles and educating myself on the importance of maps and creative activities that help children learn about maps, I concluded that selecting maps as my teaching topic was practical. The children in my classroom may not have another opportunity to work with maps until later grades when social studies is more prominent in the curriculum. However, maps and their uses extend into everyday life and personal connections can be made on a variety of different levels. Maps multifaceted uses will benefit my students both inside and outside of a school setting. Reading maps and understanding their purposes is a skill that will be built upon and utilized throughout their lives.

· Why are you teaching this topic and the related content in this way?

I am teaching my lessons on maps in an inquiry-based manner. Since this topic (and social studies in general) is new and unfamiliar to my students, I want them to be able to construct their own knowledge. Through a series of productive questioning and activities, students will access prior knowledge and use personal experiences and educational resources to construct knowledge about maps. Students will participate in exploration, analysis, and evaluation in order to approach these lessons in a constructivist manner.

SECTION ONE: Standards and objectives

Standards:

· 7.1.2.A: Identify how basic geographic tools are used to organize information

· 7.2.2.A: Identify the physical characteristics of places.

Objectives:

· Students will be able to recall ideas brainstormed during the previous map lesson

· Students will be able to apply and justify their acquired knowledge about maps to their own map drawings

· Students will be able to create and label a map of their classroom

SECTION TWO: Methods of assessment

· Pre-assessment: For the pre-assessment I will have the class revisit the chart of brainstormed ideas from the previous lesson. It is necessary for the class to recall/add items to the list in order to be successful in creating their own classroom map in a later activity.

· Formative assessment: As the class works on recalling/adding ideas to the previously brainstormed list, I will circulate around the room and make sure that students are listening and paying attention. I will thoroughly explain what I expect students to do/accomplish during the creation of maps activity and will be available to answer any and all questions that may arise. While students are independently working on creating their own maps of the classroom I will walk around and observe their progress. My observations during this time will demonstrate to me what students have learned thus far.

· Summative assessment: The summative assessment for this lesson is the maps of the classroom that students create. Students will have an opportunity to share and explain their maps to the class. While each student presents, the rest of the class with remain attentive and engaged.

SECTION THREE: Learning activities and instructional strategies

· Essential question:

· What are maps used for?

· Lesson details:

1) Revisit the brainstormed list of items/objects that can be used on a map of the classroom (5 minutes)

“Last time we discussed maps, we created a list of items/objects that we would consider incorporating on a map of the classroom. We are going to revisit our list in order to refresh our memory. If anyone has new additions, raise your hand and I will gladly call on you.”

Question: “Who can recall some of the items/objects that we brainstormed last time?”

Predicted Answers: “Desks” “Chairs” “Book shelves” “The door” “Our mail boxes” “Mrs. Kidd’s desk” “The reading carpet” “The pencil sharpener” “Windows” “Our cubbies” “The computers”

Question: “Would anyone like to add items/objects to the list?”

Predicted Answers: “The chalkboard” “The shared reading table” “The cabinets”

2) Introduce the map creating activity (5 minutes)

“I am sure many of you are wondering what we are going to do with the list of items/objects that we brainstormed. Each of you are going to draw a map of the classroom. You may choose which items/objects you wish to include, but make sure you can justify why you chose to include those items/objects. First, I would like you to sketch your map in pencil so that if you make a mistake it can be easily fixed. Next, I would like you to label your maps- tell me what the items/objects are. Once you are satisfied with your map, you may add color using your craft supplies.“

3) Allow students time to design, draw, and color their classroom maps (25 minutes)

“I will be circulating around the room while you draw and color so if you have any questions, please feel free to ask.”

4) Have students share their maps with the class (10 minutes)

“It looks like everyone is just about finished making their maps. I am going to call on students to share their classroom map one at a time. If you are not sharing your map, make sure that you have your listening ears on and are being respectful to the presenter.”

I will ask students to share and justify the items/objects that they chose to include in their classroom maps.

I expect each map to be a little bit different.

5) Split the class up into teams of 4 and have them go on a “treasure hunt” using their maps (5 minutes)

“I am going to split you up into groups of 4 and give each team a copy of the classroom map that I drew. On the map, I drew a numbered trail. At the end of the trail there is a piece of “hidden treasure.” Bring the piece of “hidden treasure” to me when you find it in order to prove that you understand how to successfully read the map.”

Question: “How do you know where to start?”

Predicted Answer: “We have to start at number 1 and number 1 is by the door on the map so we have to start by the real door”

Question: “What is helping you determine where to go next?”

Predicted Answer: “The things on the map are labeled so we follow the numbers on the map and look around the classroom for the items that match the map”

“I am glad that you are recognizing the importance of labels on a map”

Question: What would happen if the map I gave you was not labeled?

Predicted Answers: ”We wouldn’t know where to go” “We wouldn’t know which symbols on the map stood for which classroom items”

6) Bring everything full circle (5 minutes)

“As many of you have already noticed as you were sharing, maps of the same thing can vary depending on the person who is drawing it. Additionally, we have uncovered many ways that maps can help us. We know they can help us find things like our room, house, street, town, country, etc. We also learned how to design a classroom map in order to help us (or someone new) navigate the room. Now that you are aware of the many different uses that maps have, you can apply your knowledge both inside and outside of school.”

· Transition:

· “I hope everyone enjoyed learning about maps. We are now going to put all of our supplies away and prepare for reading. Please take out your reading book and wait patiently for the lesson to begin.”

· Materials:

· Flipchart paper with brainstormed ideas

· Drawing paper (21 pieces)

· Pencils, markers, crayons, and colored pencils

· Technology integration: No technology was used during this lesson

· Special accommodations: No special accommodations needed to be made for this lesson

Reflection on Lesson:

What went well? Day 2 of the maps lesson went very smoothly. The class loved revisiting and adding to the list of items/objects that they had previously brainstormed. It was obvious that they had been thinking about things to add since the first lesson. Their favorite part of this lesson was very distinctly the map drawing activity. I have never seen my class so focused before. Each student carefully planned out, drew, and colored their own version of a classroom map and was eager to share their designs with everyone. The “treasure hunt” was also a success. It truly demonstrated to me that student knew how to use a map. Their answers to my questions also showed me that they understand the many purposes that maps serve/can be used for.

Planning Reflection: This lesson was fairly lengthy because the drawing and sharing processes were very time consuming. I would not eliminate or adapt this lesson because I feel that the student engagement and focus that occurred was productive and worthwhile. Once again, the time that I allotted to each aspect of this lesson accurately reflected the amount of time it took to implement in the classroom. Additionally, my detailed lesson plan helped keep me on track while I taught.

Teaching Reflection: I think I did the best job possible teaching this lesson in a constructivist fashion. Although students were drawing the majority of the time, I was able to ask productive questions during the pre-assessment, student presentations, and the “treasure hunt.” Typically students in my classroom would work, present, and be done. Instead, during this lesson, I pushed them to justify their responses. Although they were frustrated with me at first, by the end of the lesson, I feel like that the constructivist approach that I used helped maximize student learning.

Student & Evidence: The students in my classroom learned more about the many purposes/uses of maps. The evidence I have to support student learning is their answers to my questions in addition to their final map products. The students ability to present their maps and justify them using information from the book and discussions reinforced that they took significant information away from this lesson.

Improvements: An improvement I would like to make to this lesson is the addition of more questioning. Since my class spent the majority of the time diligently working on their maps, there was limited questioning taking place. One way to combat this if I were to teach this lesson all over again would be to ask individual students questions as I circulated around the classroom.

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