Lesson Plan #3: Integrating Language Arts & Social Studies Grade: 4th Social Studies Strand: Geography

Submitted By: Deborah Thompson

EDEL 453: Teaching Elementary School Social Science Nevada State College Spring 2014 Instructor: Karen Powell

Lesson Plan #3 - Geography

B. Summary of the Lesson Plan:

submitted by: Deborah Thompson

This social studies lesson is for 4th grade students to learn about locations national monuments. This lesson will be completed using Integrating Language Arts and Social Studies textbook Strategy17 (p.118-130). C. Basic Information: Grade Level: 4th grade Time to Complete this Lesson: Approximately 50 minutes Groupings: Whole group discussion, partners for discussion, independent work for assessment

D. Materials: Postcards of Lakes, Mountains, River Index cards with Lakes, Mountains, River on each for group sort

E. Objectives: o o NV State Social Studies Standards G6.1.1 Sort and group pictures displaying geographic features. Student-Friendly Standards F. Vocabulary geographic features - are the components of the Earth (lake, canyon, forest) range- a line of mountains hill - a naturally raised area of land but not as large as a mountains G6.1.1 I can sort and group pictures displaying geographic features.

G. Procedure: 1. Review previous lesson on Communities Explain the list of categories the students will be sorting under. (Lakes, Mountains, River) Call students attention to the features of a postcard. Identify & discuss some geographic features close to Las Vegas (ask student to list some of the ones they have visited) Introduce vocabulary (geographic features, range, ) 2. Ask the following questions: What is the difference between a river and a lake? What is the difference between a hill and a mountain? 3. As a class have the students take turns sorting some of the pictures of the geographic features on the board. 4. In groups have the students complete the sort of the geographic features
Nevada State College EDEL 453 - Spring 2014 Karen Powell- Instructor page 2

Lesson Plan #3 - Geography

submitted by: Deborah Thompson

H. Assessment: What will you use to measure student understanding? I will have the students complete the Geographic Features Sorting Worksheet. ( see attached) Explain how you will know students understand the concepts from the lesson. Students must correctly sort all of the geographic features on the worksheet. I. Closure: Brief discussion about other geographic features not found in Nevada. J. Reflection: 1. Which part of the lesson do you think will be the easiest for you to teach? I think the easiest part to teach will be explain the vocabulary words 2. Which part will be most challenging for you to teach? I think the part of the lesson that me most challenging to teach would be getting the students to understand the difference between river and a lake. 3. How will you follow up or extend this lesson? For a follow up lesson I would have the students list other types of geographic features. 4. What can you do for students who dont grasp the concepts? For students who dont understand the lesson, I would review the lesson again and ask the students what are some of things they did over the weekend and ask them what their favorite places to go on vacation that is outside or in nature. 5. Which part of the lesson, if any, do you think might need to change? Having not completed the lesson I dont see anything that I might need to change. 6. When you were writing this lesson plan, what was the most difficult part? The most difficult part of the lesson was finding the correct NV State Standard for my lesson. 7. Explain the strategy from Integrating Language Arts & Social Studies that you included in this lesson plan. The Integrating Language Arts & Social Studies I included in this lesson was Strategy 17, where the students use postcards are used as a primary source of correspondence. After review of the state standards I decided to use the post cards in a different way.

Nevada State College

EDEL 453 - Spring 2014

Karen Powell- Instructor

page 3

Lesson Plan #3 - Geography

submitted by: Deborah Thompson

Geographic Features Sorting Worksheet Student will cut out pictuers and sort the features in the correct categories.

Carson River
Black Mountains Lake Tahoe

Pyramid Lake
Yucca Mountain Carson Range

Bull Run Mountains

Snow Lake Amargosa River

Kings River
Echo Lake

Lakes

Mountains

Rivers

Nevada State College

EDEL 453 - Spring 2014

Karen Powell- Instructor

page 4

Lesson Plan #3 - Geography

submitted by: Deborah Thompson

Nevada State College

EDEL 453 - Spring 2014

Karen Powell- Instructor

page 5