| LU Title: Let's Make a Map | Author(s): Rosemary FitzSimons |
| Grade Level: 2 | School : West Canada Valley Central School |
| Topic/Subject Area: Mapmaking/Social Studies | Address: Box 360 Newport, New York |
| Email: rosfit@wcvelem.moric.org | Phone/Fax:315-845-8074 |
LEARNING CONTEXT
The purpose of this mapmaking unit is to introduce and reinforce student mapmaking skills that will enable students to understand what maps are and how maps are used in their lives. It also introduces students to group work strategies that they will continue to develop throughout the year. The unit is designed so that each experience builds upon knowledge learned in the previous experience, although the process remains the same each time. The digital camera is used with each activity as a learning tool and as a reflection strategy.
LEARNING STANDARDS
Social Studies: Standard #3: 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 and global - including the distribution of people, places and environments over the Earth’s surface.
English Language Arts Standard #4: Students will read, write, listen and speak for social interaction.
ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS
Declarative Knowledge
At the end of this unit students will know/understand…
Procedural Knowledge
At the end of this unit, students will have the ability to…
INITIATING ACTIVITY
Take the students to your school playground for recess. While they are having fun, use a digital camera to take pictures of the playground. Be sure to include all parts of the playground. Once back inside, have the students draw a picture of the playground. Then have them think about how well their picture depicts the playground. Pair up to share their ideas through their pictures. This is a good introduction to this Think-Pair-Share activity. Hang the pictures in the classroom.
LEARNING EXPERIENCES
LE ONE
Playground Map
Before the next day, make a slide show of the digital camera playground pictures. Including students in pictures will heighten student interest as they view the show. Have students compare their pictures from the previous day to the actual playground pictures. Present students with their first challenge. As a whole group decide on what would be needed to make the perfect picture or map of the playground. Assign jobs to small groups of students so the class can make this map. Assign basic group jobs such as facilitators, checkers, janitors, reporters and recorders. Possible additional jobs might be playground equipment makers, fence makers, tree and shrubbery makers etc. These people will make paper representations of the objects on the playground. Size, shape and color of objects should be considered. Together decide where these should be positioned. Use the slide pictures to check the map for accuracy and then have these pasted these appropriately. Use the rubric to assess their effort. If the teacher has time during the mapmaking, taking pictures of the class at work and then making these into a slide show will help them to assess their individual and group effort. It is important to use the slide show to develop positive group work skills that will focus on the good effort shown. Each person should then be able to share his or her role in making the map perfect. This self-assessment can be oral or written.
LE TWO
About a week later, have students do a Think-Pair-Share of what they learned about maps from their playground map. Each student thinks and then pairs up to share their thinking with someone else. Have a class discussion of this. Then student groups are formed either through teacher or random selection. Groups are presented with the following challenge.
West Canada Elementary Map Challenge
Names of Group Members: ________________________________________________
Question: What does a map of our school look like?
Challenge: Your group will work together to plan and draw a map of one section of the school. The map needs to be accurate, neat and labeled with correct spelling. Use the rubric to guide your work. Each section of the school is a different color, include this in your map.
Group Plan: Each person in the group needs to choose jobs that will help the group meet their goal. Jobs might include a recorder, reporter, director, materials person, accuracy checker and janitor. The group also needs to plan how they will show the hall colors, rooms, etc. Then you will need to decide who will cut these out of paper and place them on the map.
The students will need to go on a walking tour of their section of the school in order to make a first draft of their map. If the teacher wishes, she/he can take a walking tour with the digital camera and make a slide show to guide students as they work on their maps. As the student groups are working, take digital pictures and make a slide show of their effort. When each group’s map section is done, take a walking tour to see if the class can find their way with the map. Use the rubric to score. Show the slide show and reflect on positive individual and group work seen. Have students fill in the self-assessment sheet. Then the map sections are put together to make the school map.
LE THREE
Have students do a Think-Pair-Share of what they learned about maps when making the map of the school. Students will think, then pair up to list and share their knowledge with the class. The teacher compiles the list of these facts on the board. Then the students and teacher compare the list to the school map. The discussion and comparison serve as a review of the group skills and mapmaking skills that they will need to complete a quality map of The Farmers' Museum village located in Cooperstown, New York.
EXTENDING AND REFINING MAP SKILLS
Using the same group process and a similar rubric, students will now build upon their knowledge to complete a map, during a field trip, of The Farmers' Museum village.
Day 1: Student groups are formed. Groups are presented with the following challenge.
Farmers' Museum Map Challenge
Names of group members: _____________________________________________________.
Question: What does the Farmers’ Museum Village look like?
Challenge: Your group will work together to plan and draw a map of The Farmers' Museum village. The map needs to be accurate, neat and labeled with the correct spelling. Buildings will be cut from colored paper. Sizes, shapes and colors of buildings should be noted and shown.
Group Plan: Each person in the group needs to choose at least two of these jobs facilitator, recorder, reporter and janitor. Additional group jobs are materials person, building cutters, building placers, accuracy checkers, labelers, gluers and coloring people.
Students should choose jobs that will help their group reach their goal of making a quality map of the Farmers' Museum Village. The recorder is an important job at this point. At the museum, this person will be drawing a first draft of the village with the assistance of the others in the group.
Day 2: The class takes a field trip to the Farmers' Museum. While on the village walk the teacher points out important places to include in their map. The teacher also uses a digital camera to take pictures of the village. Special thought should be given to taking pictures that include all of the village buildings and their place in the village. These pictures will be used back in the classroom to guide the mapmaking.
Have groups use the porch of Bump Tavern to view the village. Each group will work together to complete a first draft of their map. The porch provides a good vantage point for this. The teacher should take pictures of the groups at work. These pictures will be used later as part of a discussion on group work and each student's role in the group.
Day 3: Before day three, the teacher uses Photo Studio to make a slide show on the computer of the digital pictures taken at the village. As the groups plan and make their map of the village, they will refer to the slide show for verification of the location, types, color, size and shape of all of the buildings in the village.
The teacher takes more digital camera pictures of the groups working on their maps. These pictures, along with those taken of the groups at the museum, can be made into a slide show. Through the slide show and a discussion, students will be able to view their role in the group and how well the group interacted as a whole. This should be done in a way that will help students feel positive about their experience and learn from it. After the discussion, students fill out the self-assessment rubric.
CULMINATING ACTIVITY
Each group presents their map to the class. Each aspect of the rubric is discussed. With teacher guidance, the class evaluates and decides what each group's score should be. The teacher may wish to have the students view the slide show and reflect after the oral presentations, depending on the focus. If the playground pictures and maps from their first mapmaking experience are kept, students can compare these to their latest maps. This will help them to see how much they have learned from their challenges.
INSTRUCTIONAL/ENVIRONMENTAL MODIFICATIONS
This lesson lends itself to the diversity of students in many classrooms today. Attention should be taken to meet the IEP goals of inclusionary students.
Although many classes will not be traveling to The Farmers' Museum, most classes do take trips during the year. This lesson provides an opportunity to integrate technology with two important life skills. Any place the class goes on a trip, even if it's just to the playground can be a means to integrate the skills of mapmaking and group work.
TIME REQUIRED
This learning unit is done over several weeks with breaks in between each mapping activity. As the year progresses, we revisit mapmaking from time to time. We make maps of places found in literature, history, geography and science.
TECHNOLOGY RESOURCES
A digital camera
Photo Studio
If you wish to extend this map unit, Tom Snyder Productions "Neighborhood Map Machine" and the "Community Construction Kit" are good map making tools that further incorporate technology and mapmaking skills.
ASSESSMENT PLAN
It is important for students to have a part in assessing their work and the work of others. It helps them to develop a responsibility for their role in the product. It also guides them in the development of understanding quality and the importance of it.
Playground Map Rubric
4: Our class always worked together
All details of the playground were included
Clear and neat labels for everything
All words were spelled correctly
3: Most of the class worked together
Most details of the playground were included
Clear and neat labels for almost everything
Most words spelled correctly
2: Some of the class worked together
Some of the details of the playground were included
Some labels
Some words spelled correctly
1: Few people worked together
No map details
No labels
Most words misspelled
We think our group should get a ____because _________________________________.
Sign your names below to show that you agree.
West Canada Elementary Map Rubric
4: Group always worked together
All room doors were placed neatly and correctly
Clear and neat labels for everything
All words spelled correctly
3: Group usually worked together
Most room doors were placed on the map neatly and correctly
Clear and neat labels for almost everything
Most words spelled correctly
2: Group sometimes worked together
Some room doors were placed on the map neatly and correctly
Some labels for some parts
Some words spelled correctly
1: Group didn’t work together
Most room doors placed incorrectly or missing
Few or no labels
Few words spelled correctly
We think our group should get a ______ because________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________.
Sign names below to show that you agree.
Farmers' Museum Map Rubric
4: Group always worked together
Many extra details like walkways, markers, gardens or trees were included
All buildings were placed on the map correctly and neatly
Clear and neat labels for everything
All words spelled correctly
3: Group usually worked together
Extra details added
Most buildings were placed on the map neatly and correctly
Clear and neat labels for almost everything
Most words spelled correctly
2: Group sometimes worked together
Some details added
Some buildings were placed on the map neatly and correctly
Some labels for some parts of the map
Some words spelled correctly
1: Group didn't work together
Buildings were placed incorrectly with few details
Few or no labels
Few words spelled correctly
We think our group should get a_______ because __________________________________. Sign your names below to show that you agree.
Self Assessment of Our ______________ Map
My Name: __________________________
Date: ______________________________
I think our map is ____________ because ____________________________________.
Our group worked was__________ because ___________________________________.
My jobs were ___________________________________________________________.
I did a good job on _______________________________________________________.
Our group did a good job on ________________________________________________.
The next time I will improve _____________________________________________.