ErinOuellette

Mrs.JoanKeeley,SpotswoodElementarySchool

LESSONPLANOUTLINE
JMUElementaryEducationProgram

A.TITLEOFLESSON:
MadeinVirginia

B.CONTEXTOFLESSON
Inthislesson,studentswilllearnwhatproductsaregrownandraisedinVirginia.Theywillalso
learnwhatregionstheseproductscomefrom.ThelessonwillbeginwithaTwoCorners
preassessment.Iwillshowstudentspicturesofdifferentplants/animalsonaPowerpoint
presentation.Studentswillhavetodecidedwhethertheythinkthatisgrown/raisedinVirginia.If
theythinkitisgrowninVirginia,theywillmovetotheYescorner.Iftheythinkitisnotgrownin
Virginia,theywillmovetotheNoCorner.Oncethepreassessmentportionofthelessonis
complete,studentswillparticipateintheVirginiaProductMapactivity.Studentswillbegivena
mapofVirginiashowingwhatregionstheproductsarelocatedin.Studentswillbegiven
picturesofdifferentVirginiaproductsandusingtheirmaps,theywillplacetheirpictureonthe
showercurtainmap.Theactivitywillbefollowedbyadebriefofthemap.Thenasawhole
groupwewilldiscussandrecordwhatproductsgrowninVirginia.

C.LEARNINGOBJECTIVES

Understand:
Whatarethe
broadgeneralizationsthe
studentsshouldbeginto
develop?

SOL2.8Thestudentwill
investigateandunderstand
thatplantsproduceoxygen
andfood,areasourceof
usefulproducts,andprovide
benefitsinnature.

Know:

Whatarethefacts,rules,

Do:

whatarethespecific

1)Theproducts/animals
grown/raisedinVirginia(i.e.
peanuts,cotton,soybeans,
evergreens,apples).
2)Theregionswherethese
specificproducts/animalsare
grown/raised(Valley&
Ridge,BlueRidge
Mountains,Piedmont,
CoastalPlain).

1)Thinkaboutwhatproducts
theybelieveagrownin
Virginiaandmoveto
correspondingsideofthe
room.
2)LookattheirVirginiamaps
toseewheretheseproducts
aregrown.
3)Placetheirpicturesonthe
showercurtainmap.
4)CreateamapofVirginia
productsandregions.

specificdatathestudentswill
gainthroughthislesson?

thinkingbehaviorsstudentswill
beabletodothroughthis
lesson?

D.ASSESSINGLEARNING:
StudentswillparticipateinthepreassessmenttoillustratetheirpriorknowledgeofVirginia
products.ThestudentswilleachhaveapictureofaproductgrowninVirginiaandmustplace
thatpictureinthecorrectareaontheshowercurtainmap(therewillbedoublesofthepictures
toshowthataspecificproductgrowsinmorethanonearea).Thiswillindicatethatthestudent
understandswherehis/herspecificproductingrowninVirginia.Iwillaskthemtotellmewhat
regiontheproductisgrownin,andthestudentshouldrespondwiththecorrectregion.Lastly,
studentswillcreatemapsofVirginiaProducts.Theywillcolorthedifferentregionsandcut/paste
picturesofVirginiaproductsinthecorrectregions.

E.RELATEDVIRGINIASTANDARDSOFLEARNING
(andNATIONALSTANDARDSif
required)

ScienceSOL2.8
Thestudentwillinvestigateandunderstandthatplantsproduceoxygenand
food,areasourceofusefulproducts,andprovidebenefitsinnature.Keyconceptsinclude
a) importantplantproductsareidentifiedandclassified
b)theavailabilityofplantproductsaffectsthedevelopmentofageographicarea

GeographySOL2.6
Thestudentwilldevelopmapskillsbyusingglobesandmapsoftheworld
andtheUnitedStatestolocate
c)majorrivers,mountainranges,lakes,andotherphysicalfeaturesintheUnitedStates.
(***ForthislessonotherphysicalfeaturesbeingtheregionsofVirginia.)

Notes:
SomeexamplesofplantsthatgrowinVirginiasgeographicregionsinclude:
CoastalPlains(Tidewater):peanuts,cotton,soybeans
Piedmont:apples,tobacco,cabbage
BlueRidgeMountains:evergreens,apples,corn
ValleysandRidges:evergreens,apples,corn
AppalachianPlateau:tobacco.
ShowerCurtainMap
AwhiteshowercurtainwithanoutlineofVirginiaandtheregionswithinthestate.
Theregionswillbelabeledandcolorcoded.

F.MATERIALSNEEDED
Preassessment
SmartBoardforPowerpointPresentationwillincludepictureswithnamesofproducts
SignforYescornerandNocorner
Activity
SetofVirginiaProductmapsfortheclass
PictureswithnamesoftheVirginiaproducts
Mapworksheetforstudentswithpictures
Colorpencils

 Scissors
Gluesticks
WrapUp
PosterofVirginiamap
Makertowritestudentresponses

G.PROCEDURE
(
Usethisgraphicorganizerifitishelpfulforyou.Ifyoucreateyourownformatyoumustinclude
eachaspectlistedbelow,inthecolumnheadings).NOTE:Youarenotrequiredtoinclude4
learningeventsifyourlessonwillnotincludethismany!Theextraeventsareonlyincludedfor
thesakeofdemonstration.
1. TwoCornerPreassessment(5minutes)
2. PassoutVirginiaProductmaptostudentsandexplainthemaptothem(2minutes).
a. Ithinkitwouldbebesttousepairsforthisactivity,so23studentswouldbe
sharingonemap.IcanusethepairsthatwesetupfortheSocialStudieslesson
thatItaughtafewweeksago.
3. Passoutpictureofspecificproducttoeachchildandexplainthattheyneedtofind
wheretheirpicturebelongsontheVAmap.
a. Instructstudentstotakethenext2minutestolookattheirmapswiththeir
partneranddecidewheretheirpicturebelongs.
4. Studentswillplacetheirpicturesonthemap.
5. Oncestudentshaveplacedtheirpictures,haveeachpersonsharewhattheirpicture
wasandpointoutwheretheyplaceditonthemap.Askthestudent,Whatregionis
_____grownin?
6. Onceeverystudenthasshared,recapforthestudentstheregionsandthedifferent
productsinthoseregions.
7. Explainmapworksheettostudentstheyneedtoshadeinthedifferentregionsand
cut/pastetheproductsintherightregions.
8. Breakstudentsoffintogroups(samegroupingsastheSocialStudieslesson).***Tables
willalreadybesetupwithcoloredpencils,scissors,gluesticks,etc.
9. Studentswillworkontheirmapsattheirdesks(15minutes).
10. Oncestudentsfinishwiththeirmaps,wewillmeetonfloor.Iwillaskstudents,Whatare
someoftheproductsgrowninVirginia?Astheytellme,Iwillrecordtheiransweronthe
Virginiamapposter.

H.DIFFERENTIATION

I. WHATCOULDGOWRONGWITHTHISLESSON
AND
WHATWILLYOUDOABOUTIT?

LessonImplementationReflection

I.Howdidyouractualteachingofthelessondifferfromyourplans?Describethe
changesandexplainwhyyoumadethem.
Theactualteachingofmylessondidnotdifferthatmuchfrommyplans.OnechangeI
madewaswhenthestudentswerecreatingtheirownmaps.Myteachertoldmetohavethe
studentscolorthemapsliketheVirginiaProductmaptheyusedinthefirstpartofthelesson.I
followedhersuggestionbecauseIfeltitwouldcreatecohesiontotheexampleandtheir
product.AlsoIfiguredthatifthestudentsreferencetheVirginiaProductmapslaterthematerial
wouldbeeasierforthemtounderstand.Alsoinsteadofstudentsusingcolorpencilsfortheir
maps,Iinstructedthestudentstousecrayons.Therewerenotenoughcolorpencilsinthe
colorsthatweneededfortheactivity.Usingcrayonsavoidedanypotentialconflictover
availableresources.Lastly,Ididnotpresetthetablesforthemapcreatingactivity.Students
alreadyhadtheirownsupplies(crayons,scissors,glue),soIdidnotneedtogatheranyofthose
materialsforthem.Thissavedmeonpreparationtime.

II.Basedontheassessmentyoucreated,whatcanyouconcludeaboutyourimpacton
studentlearning?Didtheylearn?Wholearned?Whatdidtheylearn?Whatevidencecan
youofferthatyourconclusionsarevalid?
Ithinkthestudentsreallyenjoyedthislessonandwereabouttolearnnewmaterial.I
thinkthebestevidenceofthestudentslearningwasinthelessondebrief/wrapup.Idrewofa
mapofVirginiaandaskedthestudents,WhataresomeoftheproductsgrowninVirginia?I
wasexpectingthemtoonlyremembertheproductsthatIhadthemworkwithonthemap(corn,
apple,dairy,soy,tomato,hog,hay,tobacco,Christmastrees,cotton,peanuts).However,the
studentsrespondedwithproductsthatwedidnoteventalkabout.Thisshowedmethatthey
weregenuinelystudyingthemapsandtakingintheinformation.Alsothemapsthestudents
createdillustratedthattheyunderstoodtheregionsofVirginiaandwherespecificproducts
grew.Allthemapsthatthestudentscreatedwereproperlycolored,andtheproductswere
placedinthecorrectregions.Lastlyduringtheshowercurtainactivitythestudentswereableto
tellmethenameoftheirproductandthecorrespondingregion.

III.Describeatleastonewayyoucouldincorporatedevelopmentallyappropriatepractice
inabetterormorethoroughwayifyouweretoteachthislessonagain.
Toincorporatedevelopmentallyappropriatepractice,Icouldhavesplitthisintotwo
differentlessons.Giventhatthisgroupofstudentsisonlyinsecondgrade,Ithinkthelengthof
thelessonwasalittletoolongfortheirattentionspans.Aftertheshowercurtainactivity,Icould
tellthatshowstudentswerelosingfocus.Ibelieveitwouldbemoreappropriatetohaveone
lessoninvolvingtheshowercurtainactivityandanotherlessonwherethestudentscouldmake
theirmaps.Ithinkthiswouldbeaneasywaytohelpreviewthematerialandpromoteretention.

IV.Basedontheassessmentdatayoucollected,whatwouldyoudo/teachnextifyou
weretheclassroomteacher?
Ithinkthestudentsdidagreatjobcreatingtheirmaps.Theywereabletocolorthe
regionsdifferentcolorsbyfollowtheVAProductmapasamodel.Theyalsowereableto
accuratelyplacetheproductsintheircorrespondingregions.IfIweretheclassroomteacher,I
thinkitwouldbebeneficialtotalkaboutwhatplantsprovide.Wecouldtalkasaclassgenerally
wantsplantsprovide(shelter,oxygen,food,othermaterials).ThenIthinkitwouldbegreattodo

aninquiryproject.Smallgroupsofstudentscouldallgetadifferentplant/animalandresearch
differentthingsthatitprovides.Theteacherwouldprovidebooks,articles,andpicturesforthe
studentstouseasresources.Oncestudentshavegatheredtheirresearch,wecould
compare/contrasttheplants/animalsasaclass.Iftheinquiryprocessistooadvancedforthe
class,theteachercoulddoaninquiryprojectthatinvolvedthewholeclass.Theteachercould
pickadifferentproducteachweekordayanddoalittleresearchasaclass.

V.Asaresultofplanningandteachingthislesson,whathaveyoulearnedorhad
reinforcedaboutyoungchildrenaslearners?
Thislessonreinforcedmyunderstandingofchildrenasvisualandkinestheticlearners.
ThestudentslovedbeingabletolookattheVirginiaProductmapsandtoexaminethemwith
theirpartners.Alsotheywereveryengagedduringtheshowercurtainactivitybecausethey
wereabletomovearoundandinteractwiththematerial.Thestudentsrememberedmore
productsthanIexpectedthemto,andIwassurprisedtoseethattheyknewproductsfromthe
mapthatwedidnottalkabout.Thisshowsmethatthevisualrepresentationwasapowerfultool
tohelpthemunderstandandrememberthematerial.
Teachingthislessonalsoreinforcedmyunderstandingofthedevelopmentoffinemotor
skills.Mostofthestudentswereabletocutthesmallimageswitheaseandgluethemtotheir
maps.However,afewstudentsstruggledtocutclosetotheimagebordersandglueingwas
difficultaswell.

VI.Asaresultofplanningandteachingthislesson,whathaveyoulearnedorhad
reinforcedaboutteaching?
Ithinkthemostsignificantlessonreinforcedwasthatteachingrequiresalotoftime
management.WhenIteachIstrugglewithhowcloselytofollowalessonplantimeline.Doyou
cutagreatteachingmomentshorttokeepwithinyourscheduledtimeframe?Duringthislesson
thestudentswerereallyengagedintheshowercurtainactivity,andIdidnotwanttolimittheir
time.Icouldhavecuttheactivityshortandmovedrightontothemapcreatingactivity.
However,Ifeellikethatwouldhaveaffectedtheirunderstandingofthematerial.Thislesson
reinforcedthatIneedtobeflexiblewhenteaching.Ineedtolearnwhenitisalrighttoexceed
timeframesandwhereIcancompensatetherestoftheday.Furthermore,thislessontaught
metothinkabouthowlessonsalignwiththecurriculum.MyCTaskedmeifIthoughtthelesson
wasbelow,at,orongradelevel.AswediscussedafterIfinishedteaching,Icametorealizethat
thislessonwouldhavebeenagreatenrichmentlesson.ItdidnotexactlyalignwithmyCTs
pacing.ThislessontaughtmethatIneedtoreallyanalyzemylessonsandmakesurethatthey
willalignwiththecurriculum.

VII.Asaresultofplanningandteachingthislesson,whathaveyoulearnedorhad
reinforcedaboutyourself?
IlearnedthatIloveteachingagriculturetoelementarystudents.SincecomingtoJMU,I
havedevelopedapassionforagricultureandenvironmentalscience.Ihavethoughtforawhile
nowthatIwouldliketogointothisareaofteaching.Iwouldlovetoworkforanonprofitand/or
educationalfarm.ThislessonjustconfirmedformethatIwanttopursuethatavenue.Ifelt
reallycomfortableteachingthislesson,soIlookforwardtoteachingmorelessonslikethis.Ijust
feltconfidentinmyabilitiestoteachthislessonwell.