POWERFUL SOCIAL STUDIES LESSON PLAN OUTLINE

JMU Elementary Education Program: ELED 434 ALL SECTIONS

The following information should be included in the header of the lesson plan:
Emily Hall
Ms. Hieshman Peak View Elementary School
Second Grade
Lesson Date: 11/13 Lesson Time: 2:00 pm
Submitted to CT by Monday 11/6

(Include ONLY the title of each of the following sections in your written plan.)

A. TITLE OF LESSON: Maps

B. CONTEXT OF LESSON
What pre-assessment did you do that tells you the students readiness, interests, and/or learning preferences? Why is this an appropriate
activity for these students at this time? How does this lesson fit in the curriculum sequence? How does this lesson fit with what you know
about child development? Cite theorists whose work supports your understanding of these aspects of the lesson where appropriate. Use data
collected during your seeing student thinking assignment to support your decisions.

Students have not learned about maps formally in school. In looking at previous year SOLs, talking with my students, and talking with my CT,
I realized my students know very little about geography and the world. Some students have some familiarity with compasses and cardinal
directions. Most students are able to explain that they live in Virginia and the United States, but they do not yet understand the concept of living
on a continent. Student are familiar with maps and globes, but they do not yet understand why or how to use either tool.

We will be doing an activity which teaches students map vocabulary in an explicit way and then allows them to practice using the vocabulary.
This is appropriate for second grade students because it encourages some problem solving and exploration. This fits into the curriculum
sequence of social studies because they finished have just finished a unit on citizenship, and maps is their next unit.

This lesson relates to Ericksons psychosocial stages of development (1963). At this point in life, second grade students are in the industry vs
inferiority stage. In this stage, students want to accomplish tasks and assignments, but if they are unable to, they might feel inferior. This lesson
will give students information, but also allow them to work independently and as groups, accomplishing the assignment. The assignment is
challenging, so they will feel accomplished, but it is not too difficult.
 C. RATIONALE: 1-Double-spaced page that justifies what you are teaching and why it is important for students to develop a deep understanding
of what is being taught. Be sure to emphasize how it contributes to students development as citizens and to their lives beyond school. Explain
why it matters in terms of its meaning to students, the value of the subject content, opportunities for inquiry and its importance to the
community and to society. The rationale should not be that the lesson fits within the state or school curriculum.

There are several topics students learn with in social studies throughout second grade including geography, citizenship and basic history

units. While there may be many specifics students learn in second grade social studies, overall students are learning life skills which make them

more productive citizens.

In this lesson, students will be learning about geography, the seven continents and global features. This is an introduction lesson into their

unit on maps. Throughout their unit on maps, students will learn the seven continents, 5 oceans and many American geographical features. These

skills are all necessary for the rest of their history and social studies classes and education. In order to have a firm grasp on significant historical

concepts and events, students must be able to geographically place these events.

Away from social studies and history education, map skills are important when looking at current events. As the students grow older and

begin to follow current events, they will need to be aware of the location of these events. Through beginning to learn maps and continents,

students will have the opportunity to learn how to find countries on a map. In order to learn specific countries, students need to first learn about

the big picture.

Maps are also a good life skill to have. We use maps for transportation and getting around. While I know my students are nowhere close to

driving age, it is important for students to begin to have a concept of where in the world they are located, and what they leave near. As students

progress throughout school, they will learn more about maps, but continents and oceans are a great place to start.

D. RELATED VIRGINIA STANDARDS OF LEARNING (and related NATIONAL STANDARDS)

2.1 The student will demonstrate skills for historical thinking, geographical analysis, economic decision making, and responsible
citizenship by
b) using basic map skills to locate places on maps and globes to support an understanding of American history.
2.6 The student will develop map skills by using globes and maps of the world and the United States to locate
 a) the seven continents and the five oceans;
b) the equator, the Prime Meridian, and the four hemispheres; and
D2.Geo.3.K-2. Use maps, globes, and other simple geographic models to identify cultural and environmental characteristics of places.
E. LEARNING OBJECTIVES
Understand what are the broad Know what are the facts, rules,
generalizations the students should specific data the students will gain
begin to develop? (These can be through this lesson? (These knows
difficult to assess in one lesson.) must be assessed in your lesson.)
The student will understand the The student will define the
spatial location of the seven equator, Prime Meridian, and four
continents in order to identify the hemispheres.
location of past and current events.
The student will list the 7
continents.
F. ASSESSING LEARNING:
What will your students do or say, specifically, that indicate every student has achieved your objectives? Rememberevery objective must be
assessed for every student!
Task: Diagnostic features:
What learning tasks have you organized What
that can be used for assessment? features will you
look for in
student responses
or products from
the task(s)?
What criteria
will you use for
assessment?
Do what are the specific thinking
behaviors students will be able to do
or practice as a result of this lesson?
(These will also be assessed in your
lesson.)
The student will identify the
equator, Prime Meridian, and four
hemispheres on a globe.
The student will locate and name
the 7 continents in different forms
of maps.
The student will list one new fact
about each continent.
Support:
What resources can you draw upon
(or adaptations can you make) to
be certain you are actually
assessing the objectives youve set
for this lesson? Some children may
still be developing the basic skills
needed to complete your
assessment, but it does not mean
they have not learned the
 objectives for your lesson. How will
you support these students?

The student will have a checklist of items I will not be working I know some students will very
to identify on the globe including the 7 directly with students quickly identify vocabulary terms
continents and vocabulary terms. In for this activity, but I and continents, while some
addition, they will have several large, well will have a checklist students may take a longer period
known countries in each continent to also of student names. I of time. At the end of my lesson, I
point out. expect them to am having students choose one
correctly identify 7 new fact they learned to write on
items (countries, an index card. If they are able to
continents, or vocab successfully write a NEW fact (so, a
words). While I am new vocab word or fact about the
walking around the continents), I will know that they
classroom, I will look learned some of the objectives of
for each student to the lesson.
point out and
verbally state what
they are identifying.
The student will label and identify the One of the stations Student may not have time to
seven continents on a paper map. allows students to completely finish coloring. If they
color the 7 do not finish, they can hold on to it
continents based on and finish it the end.
name and color.
Students will work
independently or as
their group on this
assignment. Each
child will complete a
map. Once they finish
their map, they will
turn into the white
basket. I will check
 and see at the end if
each child correctly
colored the
continents. I am not
looking for high
quality coloring, but
rather correct color
and continent
correlation.
The student will record new information Students will be Students will have the chance to
about the 7 continents such as famous working at the iPads share information they learn about
countries and geographic monuments. for this section on an the continents when we come back
interactive website. together as a group. When sharing,
This exercise will I will make sure most students get
allow students to a chance to contribute to the
become more conversation, instead of letting one
familiar with the student take over the conversation.
continents and relate
the continents to
past information they
already know. For
example, I have a
student who is from
Egypt, so I want him
to connect Africa and
Egypt to where he
was born.

G. MATERIALS NEEDED
List all books, materials, and other resources that will be needed to teach this lesson.
Who will be responsible for securing each item?
Provide bibliographic references for all trade books and, if applicable, textbooks used in your lesson. Use APA style for this list when
appropriate.
Worksheets (me)
iPads (classroom)
 powerpoint (me)
H. PROCEDURE
(Use this graphic organizer if it is helpful for you. If you create your own format you must include each aspect listed below, in the column
headings). NOTE: You are not required to include 4 learning events if your lesson will not include this many! The extra events are only
included for the sake of demonstration.
Activity Element Procedures and management
& Time (in minutes) Step-by step procedures including
questions and main points visualize
what you are going to say to the
students. It might be helpful to script out
what you are going to say, although
during the lesson you do not need to use
this language verbatim.
Introduction This lesson is the start of a unit. So, we
will be doing lots of introduction
4 minutes activities. First, I will ask students Where
do we see maps? I have a powerpoint
with a slide with lots of different types of
maps, so after students list places they
see maps, we will also use the
powerpoint as a supplement.
Examples: road map, USA map, mall map,
public transportation map, treasure map,
amusement park map, globe
Event 1 We are going to begin by talking about
Students
Describe what the students will be doing
as a result of your instructions
Students will be seated on the carpet in
front of the smart board. They will raise
their hands and be called on to list
examples of where they see maps.
Students will be participating in
Academic, physical, social &
linguistic differentiation,
resources, and support
How will you support ALL
students by differentiating
aspects of your lesson based
on readiness and interest, and
according to content, process,
and product? It isnt always
necessary to include
differentiation in logistical
aspects of the lesson such as
transitions.
Some students will be able to
list lots of examples of maps,
and some may not know any. If
a student cannot think of an
example, because this is just an
introduction, it fine.
Some students will have
difficulties raising their hand
and waiting to be called on. For
these students I will make sure
to give them extra attention
and remind them to wait to be
called on.
Students will visually see the
 some map vocabulary. We have 5 the discussion of each vocabulary words on the power point and
6 minutes different vocabulary words we are going word. I originally was going to have audibly hear the words.
to talk about. Were going to talk about them fill out a worksheet, but I think
each word as a group. for this class it will be better to just
talk about the words.
1. Land the solid surface of Earth
2. Continent a large body of land
on Earth (Does anyone know any
examples of continents? Or how
many there are?)
3. Equator an imaginary line that
divides the Earth into Northern
and Southern Hemispheres
(DEMONSTRATE WITH BALLif
this is the Earth, what shape is
the Earth? Sphere. If we divided
the Earth in half, into north and
south, we would be the Equator.
The equator is like a belt that
goes around the Earth)
4. Prime Meridian an imaginary
line that divides Earth into the
Eastern and Western Hemisphere
(DEMONSTRATE WITH BALLthe
Earth is still a sphere, so lets
divide the Earth this time from
top to bottom.
5. Hemisphere - half of a sphere
(globe); created by the Prime
Meridian or the equator
Transition Turn to three friends and give them a
high-five.
Event 2 Next, we are going to do an introduction Students will list the continent Students will visually see the
to the 7 continents. So, when we were names as we go along. Because this is words on the power point and
5 minutes talking about our vocabulary words, we just an introduction lesson, I just audibly hear the words.
talked about the word continent. Who want to introduce the names and
can remind me the definition of locations of the continents.
continent? (Continent a large body of
 land on Earthalso talk about
surrounded by water)

There are 7 continents on Earth. We are

going to look at a map of the Earth and
talk about the name of each continent.

1. North America this is where we

live
2. South America South of us
3. Asia China
4. Europe
5. Africa
6. Australia
7. Antarctica

Transition

Event 3 Now, students are going to rotate
between different work stations to
5 minutes/ station, 1 practice different map skills. They will
minute transition time have a worksheet telling them what to do
30 minutes total at each station. Students will be divided
into 5 groups, with 4 to 5 students per
group.
At station one, students will work in
either pairs or 3s (depending on their
group size) to point out the Prime
Meridian, equator, hemispheres,
continents and major countries within
each continent. They will check of their
sheet as they identify each thing. See
attached worksheet.
Some students in my class
were born in other countries
(Mexico, India, and Egypt). I
think these students will be
very interested in learning
about the continents in
which they were born.

1) Globe and Map: At stations 2-4, students will research the When working at the maps
Prime meridian 7 continents. They will find out some station, I know some
Equator basic information such as major students may struggle to
Hemispheres countries, famous monuments, common focus. In order to help those
7 continents animals, and popular terrain. See students, I will put them in
7 continents attached worksheet. groups that will make them
Major Countries in each more successful.
continents
2) iPads 1 and 2 At station 5 student will work to color the
Continent Report: North America 7 continents worksheet. See attached
and South America worksheet.
 3) iPads 3 and 4 Students will be assigned groups. Each
Continent Report: Europe and station will have about 5 minutes.
Asia

4) iPads 5 and 6
Continent Report: Africa,
Australia, Antarctica

5) Printed Map without labels:

Coloring sheet of labeling
continents

Transition Flip lights, ask students to come back to

carpet.
2 minutes

Event 4

Conclusion: Students will come back to the carpet. I Students write on index card one thing
will give students an index card as an exit they learned during the lesson.
3 minutes ticket. On an index card, students will
write one thing they learned during the
lesson. This will be my lesson assessment.

I. DIFFERENTIATION:
Write a narrative explanation of two to three paragraphs describing how you have planned to meet the needs of all students in your classroom
with varied learning styles and abilities, English language proficiency, health, physical ability, etc. How will you support the learning of
children struggling with your objectives or those who find the content only minimally challenging? Draw from the examples you described in
the final column of the chart in the procedures section of your lesson plan.

I have one student in particular I am concerned about for this project. This student has ADHD and is not medicated, so he really
struggles to focus in class. For class instruction time, I will make sure this student sits in his special seat, which is a chair at the back of the
carpet. This helps this student get less distracted. In addition, I will put this student in a group with another student who he works well with.
I have one student with a disability who uses a wheel chair to get around the room. Within the classroom she normally does fine, but
getting up and down from the floor is sometimes difficult for her. So, I will make each station at either desks or tables. That way every station
will be easily accessible to this student.
 For my students who find the assignment minimally challenging, I will encourage them to explore the continents in greater detail. So,
at the map and globe station, I will ask them to locate less-known countries. At the iPads, I will encourage them to find more and lesser known
facts about the continents, to share with the class when we come back together.

J. WHAT COULD GO WRONG WITH THIS LESSON AND WHAT WILL YOU DO ABOUT IT?
Think about this! It may help you avoid an embarrassing situation. Look over the choices youve made for teaching this lesson. What
extenuating circumstances (based on what you know if your students, their schedules, and the context in which you teach) could potentially
derail your otherwise excellent plan? Identify at least 4 potential problems and thoughtfully describe your plan for addressing them when they
arise? IN other words, what are your contingency plans?

This lesson has a lot of moving parts which is good, but allows space for many things to go wrong. I am most worried about not having
enough time to complete the every station and have adequate time at each station. I am estimating that each station will need 5 minutes, but if
the stations need more time, I will add a few extra minutes onto the clock. If we run out of time and students cant go to every station, then I
will combine groups, so that every child gets a chance to color the continent maps page and work with the globe and map. A second thing that
could go wrong is that my students may not be able to grasp the concepts of equator and prime meridian. If they do not understand equator and
prime meridian bases on the definitions we talk about, I will model the 2 vocabulary words with a globe and on a map. Thirdly, in working with
the iPads, students may find it difficult to look up the information about the continents. In order to prevent students from finding this to be too
challenging, I will provide students with a link to a student friendly website that makes looking up information more kid friendly. Finally, I am
worried about a few of my students getting off topic and distracting their group. If students get distracted and do not focus, I will ask them to
focus. If they are not able to focus and are a distraction to their group, I will have them work independently on their coloring sheet and looking
up information about continents at the back table with the extra iPads. I would prefer for them to work as a group, as they can collaborate, but
if necessary, I will have them work independently

Lesson Implementation Reflection

As soon as possible after teaching your lesson, think about the experience. Use the questions/prompts below to guide your thinking. Be thorough in your
reflection and use specific examples to support your insights.

I. How did your actual teaching of the lesson differ from your plans? Describe the changes and explain why you made them.
I stuck to the lesson plan for the most part, but there were some minor differences. The most significant change I made was the amount of time students spent at
each station. I originally had planned for students to spend 5 minutes per station. This was not close to enough time. I ended up giving students about 10
minutes at each station, and instead of going to every station, students worked at a total of 4 stations. I wish they had time to go to each one, but there just
wasnt enough time in the lesson. If I were to do this project again, I would spread the lesson out over 2 days and have students go to 4 stations on day 1 and 4
stations on day 2. Another significant change I made was my closing activity. Instead of having students write an exit card, we just reviewed the fun facts
students learned about the continents. Again, there just wasnt enough time for to get everything completed.

II. Based on the assessment you created, what can you conclude about your impact on student learning? Did they learn? Who learned? What did they
learn? What evidence can you offer that your conclusions are valid?
The worksheet I had created for students was way too challenging, so the students were kind of confused by questions. But, my students were able to list the 7
continents and list a fact about each continent by the end of this lesson. Students also got a chance to explore information independently. I think this impact was
huge. Watching my students work together in small groups was really exciting. They all did a great job focusing and learning new facts about the continents.
Because I was not working with one specific group, I got to move around the room and talk with groups, and it was clear that the majority of them were on
task.

III. Describe at least one way you could incorporate developmentally appropriate practice in a better or more thorough way if you were to teach this
lesson again.

Again, making a worksheet/ discovery sheet for my students to fill out would have been so much more beneficial. In talking with my CT, she suggested making
a My Continent Book, in which students could color an outline of the continent and choose to write one fact about the continent. This would have been more
developmentally appropriate for my students.

IV. Based on the assessment data you collected, what would you do/teach next if you were the classroom teacher?

This was just an introductory lesson. So students were just introduced to the concept of a continent, map vocabulary, and the location of continents. If I were the
classroom teacher, I would continue with the discussion of continents, and then move into more map vocabulary. My students did not retain any of the map
vocabulary as we only talked about it once, so I think I would first continue with continents, and then reintroduce map vocabulary.

V. As a result of planning and teaching this lesson, what have you learned or had reinforced about young children as learners?

Writing and implementing this lesson plan has shown me that students like to learn and like to discover new material. My students were eager to use the laptops
and explore new information. While sometimes children get bored reading and answering worksheet questions, when material is presented in an exciting way,
students are more eager to answer questions. This reminded me that when I am forming my own lessons for my class, I need to keep the material challenging
and engaging.

VI. As a result of planning and teaching this lesson, what have you learned or had reinforced about teaching?

The worksheet I made for my students was a too difficult. I think my questions were too specific and a little too challenging. While the worksheet I made for
my students may have worked for older students, it was too difficult for 2 nd graders. This reminded me that I need to make assignments for my students that are
age and grade level appropriate.

VII. As a result of planning and teaching this lesson, what have you learned or had reinforced about yourself?

This is the first lesson I felt completely comfortable teaching. It was my third full class lesson, so I had already had a little experience working with the entire
group. But, this was the first time I wasnt nervous about correcting students behavior, keeping students on task, and actually teaching. One of my biggest
struggles in the classroom is classroom management, and this was the first time I felt comfortable managing the class.