Lesson:  #4

Lesson Title:  Our Country’s Geography

Grade:  3rd

Duration:  45 minutes

Primary Discipline:  Social Studies

 

Aim:  What is our country’s geography?

 

Objective:

The learner will be able…

  • Identify our country’s geography.
  • Name our country’s landforms and other physical features.

 

NYS Standards:

  • SS Standard 3:  Geography

 

Integrated Standards:

  • The Arts Standard 1:  Creating, Performing, and Participating in the Arts
  • The Arts Standard 2:  Knowing and Using Arts Materials and Resources

 

Materials:

  • Smartboard
  • Large pull down physical map of the US
  • Vocabulary
  • Individual physical maps (student’s atlas)
  • Wax paper
  • Popsicle sticks
  • Pre-outlined maps (accommodation)
  • Blue icing (teacher made night before)
  • Dough: 2 cups sugar, ľ cup of butter, 2/3 cup of milk, 1 package of vanilla instant pudding, 2 ˝ cups of quick cooking oats, ˝ teaspoon of vanilla extract (teacher made night before)
  • Chocolate chips
  • M&M’s
  • Paper for map key

 

Procedure:

With students seated at their desks, the teacher will begin to motivate them for the lesson.

 

  • Motivation
    • To begin, the teacher will ask students to close their eyes and visualize different kinds of land and water in the United States.
    • The teacher will have them share stories or make comments about some of these natural areas where they might have visited, such as the beach or a mountain hike.
    • While students name places, the teacher will point them out on the map.

 

·         Key Questions

o       What is geography?

o       Which landforms are found in Elmont?  Long Island?  New York?

o       Why do we use physical maps?

o       What is the name of the mountain range in the West?

o       Can anyone name a river in the US?

 

  • Lesson Instruction
    • Using important vocabulary terms, the teacher will explain some of these natural areas located in Elmont, and then across the US.
    • Vocabulary:  geography, landform, plain, mountain range
    • Students will learn important geographical features such as oceans, plains, mountains, and rivers.
    • As the teacher introduces our country’s geographical features, students will each have a physical map at their desk so they too can locate geographical features themselves when the teacher calls upon them.
    • The teacher will use a map to help locate these geographical features for students, as well as make a list to keep track of them for the students’ activity.

 

  • Activity
    • Students will be asked to make an edible physical map of the United States.
    • Once the teacher hands out dough, students will shape the dough to represent the United States and lay it down on wax paper.
    • Once the dough is shaped, students will place the edible objects on the map.
      1. Blue Icing- Rivers and Oceans
      2. Chocolate Chips- Mountains
      3. Green M&M’s- Plains
      4. Red M&M– Country’s Capital

o       Students will write down the physical features of their maps on a piece of paper in order to make a map key.

 

Closure:

Once the maps are finished, students will leave them on their desks and walk around the classroom to look at each other’s edible maps.  Once all students have had the opportunity to see each other’s maps they can eat them!

 

Accommodations:

For students that have difficulty shaping their dough, a pre-outlined map will be provided for them to get the shape of the United States.

 

 

 

Assessment:

Students will be assessed throughout the lesson when the teacher asks them key questions on landforms.  The teacher will also observe the construction of the student maps and map keys.