TE404 Lesson Planning Format

Prepared by: Anna Bosworth

Date (lesson planned): October 31st
Length of lesson: 30 minutes
Date (To be taught): November 29th
University: Michigan State
Course Number: TE 404 Section 8
Grade level: 2nd Grade
Subject Area: Social Studies, Geography

Part I: Lesson Overview and Background Knowledge (25 points)

a). Lesson Title: Maps & Keys - Let's Unlock Your Community
b) Big Idea(s): Maps help us make sense of the world by showing the important features of our
communities and gives detailed labels to show where and what characteristics are around us.
c). Rationale: This lesson allows students to learn more about what communities are. It
increases students’ knowledge on maps and how maps are used in the world. This helps them
become a better citizen by enlightening them on the world around them and the resources in their
community, outside of school. The labels, symbols, and legend on the map show students what is
around them that is helpful to their lives. These symbols show natural resources, major buildings,
etc. that connect to their lives outside of school. The resources on the maps connect to how they
should take care of the environment around them to keep their community beautiful and
impactful. These foundations of geography prepare them for future understanding of regions by
exploring how their local community is part of a larger regions such as county, state, and
country.
d). Lesson Objectives:
1. Students will know the purpose of a map key “legend”.
2. Students will be able to use a map key or legend to find specific symbols and labels on a
map.
3. Students will be able to draw their own community map.

e). Grade Level Content Expectations (GLCEs): 2 – G1.0.1 Construct maps of the local
community that contain symbols, labels, and legends denoting human and natural characteristics
of place.
 f). Lesson Abstract:
During this lesson the students will be learning how to make a map of their own community or
neighborhood. They will learn that a map has a title, a key, and symbols. To begin the lesson we
will look at a map together and talk about the symbols on that map. We will then draw a map of
a neighborhood together adding in elements that the students come up with like roads, houses,
stores, and rivers. After we construct our map together, I will give instructions about how to
complete their own community map on a handout. The students will spend time thinking about
their communities and what should go on the map (i.e - apartment complex, park, lake). They
must use a key with 3 symbols and a title to complete their map. After this assessment is done I
will collect the papers and the lesson will be over.

Part II: Resources (10 points)

a). Resources, Preparation/Materials:
Materials for whole class:
A simple map to go over as a
class
A aisle in the classroom we
use to make a map together
as a class
Blank handout for students to
make their own map of a
community
Materials for groups:
No group work
Materials to accommodate
individual student needs:
(be sure to indicate how you
are going to provide
resources needed for diverse
student needs (i.e. emerging,
on level, advanced, ESL,
autistic)
I will be using a microphone
and adapter connected to
hearing aids to accommodate
the student with a hearing
impairment.
I will pay close attention to
students who are emerging
learners - asking them
questions about what they are
doing and making sure they
are on task,

b). Annotated Bibliography:

Brophy, J., Alleman, J., & Halvorsen, A. (2012). Powerful Social Studies for Elementary
Students (3rd ed.). Belmont, CA: Cengage. Chapter 6. 124-146.

This resource talks about how to teach geography powerfully in the classroom. It goes over the
five fundamental themes for geography and how to use each theme in the classroom. I feel this
resource to be helpful to teachers wanting to bring geography into the classroom. The text
supports the struggles teachers feel when trying to incorporate social studies. This resources uses
research done by their own writers, for example about generic characteristics students think
about geographic information, which could potentially be a biased study. This text helped me
start thinking about how students view geography and how much they could potentially know
already.
Ekiss, G.O., Trapido-Lurie, B., Phillips, J., & Hinde, E. (2007). “The world in Spatial Terms:
Mapmaking and Map Reading”. Social Studies and the Young Learner, 20, 7-9.

This resource addresses elementary age students’ mapmaking skills and prior knowledge. It goes
through examples of different kinds of maps and the elements that maps need to have. I found
this text very helpful with the illustrations of maps and even a student example. This text could
potentially have bias issues because it leaves out issues of students’ feelings of their
surroundings compared to other students. An example would be that one student lives in a big
house while another lives in an apartment complex. I used this text to pinpoint exactly what
criteria I wanted my students to include in their name. It says that first and second grade students
should have the elements of title, orientation, author (mapmaker), date, and symbols to make
their map complete.

Wood, D., Kaiser, W.L., & Abramms, B., (2006). “The multiple truths of the mappable world”
Seeing through maps: Many ways to see the world. (pp. 1-12). Amherst, MA: ODT.

This reading goes through truths and how perspectives can affect those truths. It then related that
to map making and how different perspectives of map makers can change what the map looks
like. I thought the quality of this content was high. It hit points about maps that dig deeper into
the everyday understanding of them. It potentially has room for bias when it talks about making
generalizations of maps and how maps can be characterized by that. This item helped me inform
my instruction by bringing in the idea of perspective and how as map makers we are in charge of
what we think is important to our map. I wanted the students to fill empowered to create their
own map of their community as map makers.

Part III: Knowing Your Students and their Learning Environment (15 points)
a). Who are my students?
This group of second graders span over a wide variety of learning levels. About four to five
students are in the low level (tier 3), five to six students are in the highest learning level, and the
rest fall in between. The students in the highest level participate frequently and love to share
their ideas. They stay focused and are always the first to finish their work. The lowest level
students get stuck on homework often and need help with reading words and word meanings.
These students rather not ask for help instead just copy a neighbor’s work or pretend they know
how to complete it. There is one student with a hearing impairment that is very shy and struggles
with instruction. Another student has ADHD and gets bored very often. He dislikes all
homework and struggles to keep on task but he is very smart once he gets to work. There are an
even mix of genders. The classroom is a majority White-Caucasian with 5 African American
students.

b). Linguistic, social and academic challenges, resources and supports.

I will be using a microphone and adapter connected to hearing aids to accommodate the student
with a hearing impairment. I will make sure the students in the lowest level are understanding,
participating, and paying attention by asking them questions and sparking their interest. I will
expect the student with ADHD to take longer on assignments but still feel engaged with the
material and show that he is doing his best. All students should be able to complete at least 1
symbol and picture on the map. Some students will finish much more or much less depending on
variables like distraction and interest.

Part IV: Lesson Procedures (25 points)

a) Lesson Procedures
Activity Procedures and Management Academic, Social &
Element Linguistic
& Time (in Adaptations,
minutes) Resources, & Support
Introduction Ask “Have you ever seen a map before?” and -call on a variety of
“what are they used for?” students to gauge where
5 mins their understanding is
Find out what students know about maps

Bring in example of a map with examples of

symbols, keys, etc. and ask what do you see on this
map?

“I love that this map includes the names of the

roads to that would help us know where to go.”
Discussion & Points: A map is a drawing of a place. It shows -show examples if
Lecture what you can see from above, like what birds can students are struggling
see from the sky. and ask questions if
5 mins they are catching on and
A map has a key that gives clues about important understand the different
things on a map. Pictures on a map are called parts
symbols. The key tell us what these symbols mean.
(Show example)

The symbols represent things that are in the

community. An example could be trees, houses,
rivers, etc.

What do these things tell us about the community?

(lots of trees--care about nature and beauty, lots of
houses--care about families)

What a mapmaker puts on a map shows us what is

important to them.
Transition Ask students for examples of pictures that could be -students may draw
on their community map. their own community, a
close family member,
school, etc
 **houses, apartment complex, roads, rivers, lakes,
stores, trees, playgrounds, etc
Activity 2 Use dry erase board to draw a map of a community -call on all students to
(neighborhood) together with the class gauge what they know
5 mins -make sure they know
I will draw the map that will include a title, a key there can be more than
(legend) with symbols, labels, and pictures to show just what we drew
what is on the map
Transition Give explicit instructions on how to do it by -show blank handout so
yourself. First you must have your name, then visual learners can see
think of a title for your community, then use your
key to think of three special symbols for elements
you want on your map.

Have materials manager pass out handout to

complete.
Activity 3 Have students spend time drawing a map of their -walk around room to
own communities answer any questions
15 mins and address the whole
Answer any remaining questions on what should class if needed
be completed

Make sure they are included the necessary

elements (name, title, key with 3 symbols, symbols
on map)
Conclusion: Collect handout to assess students understanding
of mapmaking

b) Assessment
Task: Diagnostic features: Support:
A map must ● I will look to make If students are overwhelmed by assessment,
include the map sure students have all we will lower the expectations of what to
maker's name, the parts I just listed. include - have them just draw a road from the
title, a key, and ● I will assess the task map perspective and houses with trees.
symbols in the by seeing how many
key and on the of the elements they If students do not understand what a key is
map. used. just have them draw a map first and work
● I will use their maps backwards to make the key after.
The students will to see how the
make their own understand If they still do not understand we will draw a
map using those mapmaking. map together on the board and they will copy
elements. it onto their assessment.
Assessment Document:

Part V: Post-Teaching Reflection (20 points)

a) Reflection:
While preparing and teaching this lesson I learned about the curriculum revolving map
making. I learned exactly what expectations second graders have when it comes to drawing their
own map. That involved the title, author, orientation, legend (key), date and symbols. I also
learned all the reasons map making is important and why it fits in so perfectly with the second
grade target of learning about communities. It builds their knowledge of the aspects of the world
around them and prepares them for using maps in the future. I learned that students enjoy being
able to bring their outside knowledge (what their community looks like) into the classroom.
Students have so much background knowledge when it comes to social studies topic so it is very
important to allow them to communicate that in the classroom. I also learned that it is important
to explicitly give out the instructions for handouts, especially since this seemed like a fun lesson
in their minds. I am glad I told them exactly what to do first (write your name), second (write a
title), and so on. Some students were distracted by the drawing aspect of the lesson that I had to
remind them what the first steps were in the map making process.
A strength of this lesson is the open-endedness of it. Students had the freedom to draw
their community the way they saw it. They were able to choose which symbols were in the key
and on the map, what title the map had, and overall what were the important features to them.
Another strength of this lesson is the organization. First I had students gather around me at the
group area of the classroom to go over the how to’s of map making with examples and a
demonstration. This set the students up with everything they needed to know about the handout.
After this was over the students were able to go back to their desks and build their map. A
weakness of this lesson is the lack of attention getters and the shift between raising hands to
answer and blurting. The students did very well, however, it is important to set the expectations
clearly in the beginning so the lesson runs smoothly. Another weakness I experiences was not
making sure each community was heard. I forgot to mention symbols like apartment complexes
and trailer parks to engage all students equally. This is a weakness that my mentor teacher
brought to my attention after the lesson was complete. My mentor teacher also offered me
comments about how to close lessons and it's important. That is something I would do differently
in the future. A check for understanding or final assessment question to end the individual work
time is important to hit the target objective.
Here is a few examples of students work. One shows a student who listened perfectly and
hit the objectives and expectations. Another is one where the student did not correspond his
thinking clearly and did not follow directions. His map is unclear to the reader. During the lesson
I worked with him and he wanted the image to be a sleigh but never fully developed his thinking.
Another is a very well done map but did not add symbols to his key. That was a major part of the
expectations but he hit all the other expectations. This student is very artistic and most likely got
distracted by the drawing aspect of the lesson and missed part of the target goal. Overall the class
did very well on the assessment task. A large majority of the students had each expectation on
their map (name, title, key with 3 symbols, orientation of bird’s eye view, and an organized
map). They even had road names and detailed, factual information. The objective was hit with
this group of students. Some students were distracted on the drawing aspect like the student I
mentioned above and lacked focus on the specific objectives they had. These student’s map
varied - some had symbols in the key, some just words, some had made up communities, and
some were not the correct orientation. This was only a small portion of the class.