Postcards from
A Unit on
Geography, Social Studies, History
And
Thematic Unit: California Postcards
Overview
The
geographic regions of our home state of California will be the focus of this 4th
grade unit for 7 weeks. Students will examine patterns that influence
population density in each region. Social
studies, science and math curriculum will be integrated to produce a class wall
map of California identifying the four distinctive regions of the state as a
final product of the unit.
Students
will work in groups doing on-line and library research to compile data, facts,
and anecdotes to produce a travel-guide magazine and post cards of their
assigned region to advertise the appeal of the region they are assigned. Individual work will consist of in-class
activities, class discussion contributions, journal reflections, and weekly homework
assignments. This unit will strengthen
students’ utilization of various methods to gather, analyze, publish and
present factual data. Integration of
these skills will give students real-world experience for future research
papers, projects, and projects.
Unit
Learning Goals: Content and Process
Content
I. The learner will identify
characteristics of the 4 major regions of California such as geography,
climate, landforms and waterways.
II. The learner will survey
maps, charts, and pictures to describe land use.
III. The learner will compare
major cities in each region and record, analyze and report on aspects of
population, use of land, and commerce.
IV. The learner will verify major facts about
California, such as its land size, populations of major cities, and
transportation routes.
V. The learner will connect how California
landforms, waterways, and vegetation affect population density and use of land.
Process
VI. The learner will
demonstrate collaborative research skills to produce 3 graded products.
VII. The learner will produce
individual notes, charts, and reflections.
California
Content Standard Connections:
History-Social
Science
4.1 Students demonstrate an
understanding of the physical and human geographic features that define places
and regions in California.
Earth
Science
5. Waves, wind, water, and ice shape and reshape
Earth's land surface.
a. Students know some
changes in the earth are due to slow processes, such as erosion, and some changes
are due to rapid processes, such as landslides, volcanic eruptions, and
earthquakes.
b. Students know moving
water erodes landforms, reshaping the land by taking it away from some places and depositing it as pebbles,
sand, silt, and mud in other places (weathering, transport, and deposition).
Mathematics
- Statistics, Data Analysis, and Probability
1.0
Students organize, represent, and interpret numerical and categorical data and
clearly communicate their findings:
1.1 Formulate survey questions; systematically collect and represent data
on a number line; and coordinate graphs, tables, and charts.
Mathematical
Reasoning
1.0 Students
make decisions about how to approach problems:
1.1 Analyze problems by identifying relationships, distinguishing
relevant from irrelevant information, sequencing and prioritizing information,
and observing patterns.
Instructional Overview
Many
people know very little about the state in which they reside. California’s climate, resources, and diverse
population make an attractive home for many.
As a study in social science, children will learn aspects about the
state that may have influenced their own parents to relocate here. In third
grade, children are taught about geography; in 4th grade that
knowledge is used as a scaffold to learn about California and its unique
geography. In this unit, the children
will have various experiences that will allow them to construct knowledge about
very common aspects of life, and apply them to understanding why so many people
visit or call California home.
The
unit will open with hands on concrete demonstration of the region’s
resources. Each work group of 5 students
will examine a kit of specific artifacts to symbolize each region. As they experience and record data and
thoughts from each kit, and go on to the other 3, I would be assessing prior
knowledge. Later that week, as a
homework assignment, I would provide each child with a KWL chart to formulate
at least 2 K’s and W,s for each region, which the class will use to form an
inclusive chart the next day’s lesson.
We would spend about 3 days the first week laying groundwork for the
differences of each region, by seeing a film, doing some internet research at
my history/language arts learning center, and library time. At the learning center, specific websites for
each region will be noted for students to do research on each region. Students will be given various opportunities
weekly to work in the learning center- on a sign up basis.
My first
lesson the second week would be a direct instruction lesson about California geography
and landforms. After a brief discussion
of what we experienced the previous week’s lessons, I will provide handouts
with important vocabulary and definitions, terms, and research resources for
each group. Each student would be given
a project booklet outlining what will be expected for completing all the
projects. I will set up additional time
after school and Saturday for students to meet with each other, or with me- to
work on the unit. Inside the project
booklet- a parent letter explaining (in Spanish and English) the unit will be
included – a tear off will be included to make certain they understand there
will be a take-home components, and to enlist their help. I will teach research skills – how to take
notes – and set up a sign up sheet for computer time –so each group will have a
fair share of time to work. The students
will be required weekly to write reflections on prompts related to the unit
that I will provide. I will collect and
review journals at specified times. I
will also have each member come speak to me individually about how the group is
working together.
Lessons
during week 3 would include data collection and creating graphs to show data on
population, commerce, and tourism. We
would review charts and maps listing populations of different California cities
– the class would be given hand outs to write notes on as well. We would discuss how data might be collected
– and pick a few cities in California to compare population, land area,
waterways, mountains, and recreational areas.
Week
four would be focused on analyzing compiled information. At this point, each group should have a good
amount of data about their region, and some comparative graphs. Each group will
work on what they want to include in their magazine, and contribute to the
class map. The students will also be
given the rubric for each project, to help them narrow down or embellish the
data and background they have found in their research. During a class period,
each group will share some of the information they have found so far and
receive peer feedback– and to form a subgroup from each work group to put
together our class map of California regions.
Each group will be given 15-20 minutes each day to work on their
magazine and put together information to send to the subgroup. I will spend 10 minutes daily with one or two
groups, sitting in and facilitating their group process.
Week
five’s lessons are preparing the children for final completion of their
projects to be presented in small groups the following week. As the children are formatting and
proofreading their work, I will have minilessons with each group on editing,
phrasing, punctuation, and layout. I
will pass out the individual post card creative component, which each student
will do and turn in before their magazine presentation. Both components have a written product
due. One is a group magazine, the other
will be a short post-card write up placed on back of their 8x10
“postcard.” Weeks 5 and 6 I will spend a
few evenings, and some time on Saturday, to help my students. Parents will be welcome to join us – in fact
about week 4, a letter will be sent home to remind the parents of the class
presentations, and to contact or come by to see me if they would like to help
in the classroom.
Week 6 I will teach a
lesson on presentation. I will have a
hand out on how to I will have taught a lesson on presenting and would have
allowed each group to present informally one aspect of their full
presentation. The class would critique
on a form and give feedback – which I will give to each group to use to improve
their final presentation during week 7.
Week 7 the group magazine
and presentation are due. We will put
together our class map before we present, possibly that Monday.
Assessment
Tools During California Postcards Unit
During
this unit there is a lot of group activity work. As hands – on proponent of learning, I cannot
give letter or objective grades for most of that work. Students will be given a
packet explaining the types of assessment tools and expectations throughout the
unit. The most important one during
group work will be informal assessment, which I will do by joining groups each
session, asking open ended and probing questions about lessons, research
gathered, and feedback being incorporated into practice by the students – for
this I will rely on anecdotal notes taken to provide a more holistic picture of
each child’s progress. I will give a
content, and participation point for journal entries- each prompt I give will
be graded for 0-2 points – for what each child responds to, and whether they
made a connection with the material and activity for the lesson.
I
send homework to reinforce content, and provide individual assessment opportunities
on conceptual knowledge and understanding, and also to determine which students
might need remediation. Homework will be
graded on a point system, with each task completed, and correctness given 0-2
points each. During week 4 I noted a
point system for the Language Arts /Writing assignment, which identifies
specific areas for assessment. I will
also use the sign in sheet process to use the computers as a point/assessed
opportunity- each child will be provided with opportunities, and must have a
specific (at least 5) research sheets with sources filled out and turned in at
a certain point (about week 5). I will be cross-checking what I find in their
journals to see if they are using the research time, or not.
The
postcard, magazine, and individual paper components of this unit will all be
assessed using a rubric. I include the
postcard rubric in the next page.
The individual postcard
creative component is an 8X10 two sided project to be completed on the card
stock paper I provide. Student will be
instructed to do all their planning on regular paper First. Student must take
some of the information they have gathered for their group project to create a
postcard celebrating the sights, sounds, favorite places, and regional and
geographical highlights of their region.
Student is not limited to items they researched for class, as long as
they are unique to their region.
Use of visuals, either drawn, cut from magazines, or from internet. Stress to not plagiarize the write up on the
back side of their postcard- it must be in their own words. Points will be given for neatness,
originality, inclusive of specific points in the rubric below.
Postcard Project Rubric
Scale
Required Components Reflection
Components
|
4 Beyond Average Performance |
1 Clearly States at least 5 facts about region. 2 Includes 1 graph about region 3 Names at least 3 cities/towns in region 4 Provides 1 interesting unknown fact about region 5 Colorful, neat, well planned artwork on postcard 6 Turned in on time |
Reflections for each component of post card should be found in
journal. One point for each mention of how student pulled info out to use for
postcard project from group work. |
|
3 Good Performance |
1 Clearly States at least 3 facts about region. 2 Includes 1 graph about region 3 Names at least 2 cities/towns in region 4 Colorful, neat, artwork on postcard 5 Turned in on time |
Reflections for each component of post card should be found in
journal. One point for each mention of how student pulled info out to use for
postcard project from group work. |
|
2 Adequate Performance |
1 Clearly States at least 1 fact about region. 2 Includes 1 graph about region 3 Names at least 1 city/town in region 4 Colorful, neat, artwork on postcard 5 Turned in on time |
Reflections for each component of post card should be found in
journal. One point for each mention of how student pulled info out to use for
postcard project from group work. |
|
1 Unacceptable Performance |
Anything less than above- including Turning in Late |
Speak with Teacher |
California Postcards Unit -Week 1 –
Lesson 1
Domain – History/Social Studies
Objectives:
Materials: Plastic Boxes for each region
containing artifacts:
Time: 45 minutes
Activity:
Procedures: Teacher will provide direct instruction consisting of an overhead and pictorial
lesson on the four regions. We will
discuss each regions physical make up, water availability, populations, and
some major cities in each region.
Students will be able to compare and contrast each region and identify
from pictures shown in class which region is shown.
Assessment: Teacher will give a prompt for
journaling about what they learned and give a point for each entry throughout
project based on the students’ ability to express in a reflection a concept
learned each lesson.
Extension: Each
child will use a KWL chart to formulate at least 2 K’s and W,s for each region,
which the class will use to form an inclusive chart the next day’s lesson.
Domain: Earth Sciences
Objectives:
Students will be able to describe erosion techniques.
Students will be able to identify the effect of ice on land.
Students will be able to identify the effect of wind on land.
Students will be able to identify the effect of water on landforms.
Materials:
Long box
lids, sand, water, containers or cups, newspaper, spoons, paper, and pencils.
Aluminum
foil, Modeling Clay, Ice Cubes
Time: 45 minutes
Activity: Students will work in groups with teacher
modeling first activity at one of the tables. The rest of the activities will
be done by the students. Teacher will
walk around class scaffolding knowledge and asking questions to focus students’
observations. For each set of activities, students will observe the outcomes
and note what happens in their science journal.
1 – Sand Dunes-Teacher will place sand in a
pile and blow gently from one side. Teacher will ask each work group to have a
volunteer do the same.
2- Windblown Deposits: Students will place the box lid on the center of the
paper. Then remove the lid from the sand and place it inside the box lid near
the center. Blow gently on the sand, increase the strength of your breath until
sand is being thrown from the lid. Continue blowing for 5 to 10 seconds at this
rate.
3-Water Weight Erosion: Find a spot of
bare dry earth. Pour a cupful of water on it. Repeat on the same spot, but this
time hold the cup from as high a distance as possible. Observe and note changes
when you poured your first cupful of water. Also note how the second cupful
from a greater height affected the earth.
4- Glaciers and Erosion: Taking a 12 inch
square piece of aluminum foil formed into a box shape with edges about 2 inches
high that was put it in a freezer overnight. Remove the block. Rub over some
clay. Note how the block of ice felt. Note what happened when you rubbed it
over clay.
5-Glacial Erosion: Press the ice cube
lightly on the flat surface of the modeling clay. Move it back and forth
several times. Note what happens to the clay and to the ice. Place a small pile on the surface of the clay.
Place the ice cube over the sand on the clay. Let it sit one minute. Pick up
the ice cube and look at the surface that had been on the sand. Note what you
see. Place the ice cube back in the same position and move ice back and forth
on the sandy surface of the clay a few times. Remove the ice cube and gently
wipe the excess sand off the surface of the clay. Describe the surface of the
clay when it was rubbed by the sand and ice.
6-Landslides: Build a sand castle. After
you have it shaped firmly, pour some water on it. Pour the water slowly and
gently. Keep pouring until the sand can absorb no more water. Note what
happened at first. Note final result.
Assessment: I will give a prompt for journaling
about what they learned for each experiment.
I will read their journals at various intervals throughout the
unit. I will give a point for each entry
based on the students’ ability to express at least one idea they understood
about each experiment
Extension: A
vocabulary list of terms and definitions will be given out. Each child will need to write a sentence
describing each term based on what they saw in class today. They may use their journal notes.
Remediation: During independent work time – I
will work independently with my English learners and children who have shown me
in past they need additional help. I
will use mostly visual representations of each erosion form. We will do the extension together.
References: Adapted from ERIC Lesson Plan #:AELP-PHY0016
California Postcards Unit -Week 3 –
Lesson 1
Domain: Math – Statistics, Data
Analysis, and Probability
Objectives: Students
will be able to:
1. Define and explain
the following terms: bar graph, line
graph, picture graph, pie graph,
vertical axis, horizontal axis
2.
Interpret data from a graph
3.
Create a graph from given data
Materials: One
sheet of poster board (18x24) with an X and Y axis; strips of different color
construction paper 2"x 12"; scissors for each group.
Activity
Procedures:
1. Groups of 5 students will be
assigned roles. (Leader, timekeeper, recorder, checker, reporter)
2. Teacher instructs the groups to predict how
many shoe eyelets are in the classroom without looking at the other students'
shoes. Teacher will remind the students there are 12 eyelets in running shoes,
and high tops and boots have approx. 24-and some have 0.
3. Teacher will
ask a volunteer to reiterate what the assignment is asking for.
4. Teacher will
ask students to make predictions of how many eyelets are in the classroom.
5. Students will
look at the shoes and count the eyelets of each member of "their group
only".
6. Paper monitors
will give each group a strip of construction paper (colored). One inch on the
strip will be equal to 100 eyelets. After the groups have gathered and
discussed their data they will cut the strip to the length equal to their
prediction.
7. A member of each group will bring their strip of paper up to the poster
board and glue the strip to the board.
Time:
1hour
Guided
Instruction:
Teacher will ask each group to give their count of their own group. Total
these figures to come up with the actual sum of eyelets in the classroom. Teacher
will ask the groups what methods they used to come with their predictions.
Teacher will take data from board- using overhead – show class how to
represent the data in a pie chart, bar graph, line graph, and picture graph. Teacher will provide a handout with the type
of graph, definition and components, and space for the students to add notes.
Teacher will end lesson with a recap and brief discussion on how we will
use these skills to analyze data on the internet at the learning centers – to
create graphs of California population for our projects. Later on in the week,
the students will be given data about 2 cities in each geographical region, and
compile, analyze and prepare data for charting.
Each group will work together to create at least 2 charts showing data
compiled.
Independent
Practice:
For a weekend homework project, each student will be given a sheet to
gather data around their neighborhood. I
would like them to identify common items, and then give me a rationale for why
they picked the data sources. This will
lead into a discussion next week on how to do research and analyze sources.
Assessment:
I will have each group hand in their findings- along with a copy of the
charts they completed. I will give up to 10 points for each aspect of the group
activity. The homework activity will be
given up to 5 points for their rationale, and the reasonable approach they took
to gather data and record.
California Postcards Unit -Week 4 –
Lesson 1 & 2
Domain: Language Arts/Writing
Objectives:
Materials:
Time: 45 minutes -2x this week
Procedures:
Directed Instruction: Students will read aloud a short article
from a magazine. The article will be on
a current event. Class will work together
to identify key points and discuss structure and method writer presented the
information to audience. I will discuss audience, and how to write ‘to’
them. Students will create a graphic
organizer of article – points and support data.
Students will walk teacher through drawing a small graph of any
numerical data given. Some students will be called on to interpret the data –
others will be called on to link the article information to the data. I will encourage peer feedback during both
processes – then we as a class will review the process for understanding.
Independent Practice: Pairs of students will work on new
topics which will be passed out, and repeat the process – this time the topics
will be related to our class project.
Students will not get the region they are currently working on. Details they need to complete this assignment
will be given with the article. Blank graphic organizers will also be
provided. Students will be asked to
write a concise 1 page paper (over weekend-begun in class today) reporting what
their article says- citing data, and facts.
During this class time, students may discuss with any other students of
their choosing.
Assessment: Points will be assigned for the
following:
0-6 points
– List at least 3 key points and a supporting statement from the article for
each
0-9 points
– An opening paragraph with a statement on the purpose of the article, author
of article, where it was published, date and volume (if applicable). At least 3 well written paragraphs with one
key point per paragraph. Good
punctuation, no spelling errors.
0-4 points
for a clear, tight conclusion.
0-1 point
for neat handwriting
Total of 15 points for assignment
Extension: Assignment will be started in
classroom, and completed at home.
Remediation: My students will additional needs
will sit with me at a group table to discuss and write, while the other
children are working on the independent practice here. I will send a sheet home explaining the
assignment for their parent/guardian.
California Postcards Unit -Week 5 –
Lesson 1-3
Domain- History, Social Science,
Language Arts
Objectives:
Materials:
Time: 1hour – 3X this week
Procedures: I will instruct the children to
review the materials carefully before starting. I will suggest they divide up
the tasks to make sure they have each step covered of the lessons for the
week. I will take a picture out of one
of the sets, and ask the group who is assigned this region to give me some
information about the population, commercial resources, climate, and any other
interesting information to begin to develop a concept map. On an overhead, I will show students how to
begin pulling together data and charts to make their 4 page magazine, by using
a concept map. Each group can begin
planning their magazine lay-out on the butcher paper- using cut outs from
magazines, markers, ect.
Independent Instruction: Groups will work for majority of
class lesson time to create their magazine mock up and compile information to
be given to the group representative to do our class map after presentations of
the individual groups’ magazines.
Assessment: In class work will be informally
assessed via teacher observations, and journal notes on the experience. All
children will be given points for collaborating with their group and the take
home assignment (Postcard) will be graded on a rubric. The final magazine, and
map contributions will also be graded on a rubric-which was given out in
project handbook at beginning of unit.
Extension: I will pass out the Postcard
assignment, which students will do at home for an independent grade. All of the research they have done so far
will give them ample information to make an 8X10 postcard on heavy paper, which
is provided with the packet for them to take home. Detailed instructions for student and parent
are included. The students will have to
take the notes home they have so far to complete the assignment. A rubric (attached) will be included.
Remediation: Has been done on a one-on-one basis
throughout project. At this point,
students check in with me by signing up on a space on board daily.