Nicole Kurz
Mary Kate du Laney
Sherrie Geyer
Jennifer Burris
Oceans and Continents
Target Grade/Subject: Heterogeneous second grade class.Ê Students have knowledge of and efficiency in Microsoft PowerPoint in the tasks of dragging and dropping embedded objects and moving between slides.Ê Students are comfortable working in the computer lab.Ê
Developmentally, children in second grade are shifting from preoperational to concrete operational based on Piagetâs stages, indicating that they are learning to solve hands-on problems and can classify and seriate information into such categories as oceans and continents.Ê A lesson with clearly defined answers and processes is appropriate, because it supports their place developmentally of thinking logically.Ê According to Vgotsky, children at this age learn best through assisted learning and scaffolding.Ê The teacher must be a resource and expert to help guide students to understanding.Ê Therefore, direct instruction followed by guided practice fits their developmental stage (Woolfolk, 2001).Ê
Socially, Erikson places children this age in the stage of Industry versus Inferiority, proposing that when children face a new challenge they must cope with the possibility of failure. While it is important that students become independent learners, the primary grades are a time for assistance and guidance.Ê This allows the students to take risks in small steps and not feel that they lack support.Ê This lesson provides the opportunity to ask questions and have work checked before the final assessment (Woolfolk, 2001).
A lesson with hands-on activity as
well as constant teacher feedback and support is ideal for this age group.Ê The practice offered by the PowerPoint activity eases the stress of risking failure in the
final assessment.Ê It also offers a lot
of visual representation of topics that may be difficult to explain only
through words.Ê Rather than working with
only the classroom map, the students are offered a variety of maps with
different learning points on each page (i.e. plain map, puzzle map, maps with
animals).Ê This allows the teacher to
observe different student interests while not losing sight of the lesson
objectives.Ê For those students who
learn the concept straight from the group lesson, the PowerPoint activity can be practice.Ê For those who need more practice and visual
representation, the PowerPoint activity is an
important learning tool.Ê Finally, the
lesson incorporates the independence and challenge of manipulating computer
software similar to the actions in puzzle games
they have seen before.
ÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊ The students have expressed an interest in computers and
enjoy going to their weekly lab.Ê They
work well independently and all have grasped the operations of the computer,
such as using the mouse, opening files, adding text, and moving pictures.Ê
Standards: Virginia
Geography SOL (2.5)- The student will develop map skills by locating the seven
continents, and the four oceans on maps.
Objectives:
1. Students will listen attentively and actively participate with the teacher during the direct instruction lesson on the location of the seven continents and four oceans on maps.
2. Given a worksheet consisting of the seven continents, unlabeled, and a word box on the bottom of the page with the names of each continent, the students will correctly label all seven of the continents on the map.
3. Given a worksheet consisting of the seven continents, unlabeled, and a word box on the bottom of the page with the names of each ocean, the students will correctly write the location of each ocean on the map.
Materials:
-Large classroom map of the world with continents and oceans clearly labeled
-Small
individual maps, for each student, with continents and oceans labeled
-Computers
in computer lab, one for each student, preferably MacintoshÊÊÊÊÊÊÊ computers ÊÊÊÊÊÊÊ
-PowerPoint
activity, saved on each computer
-Paper
map quiz
-Computers
in classroom, two to three, for later practice for students who need further
assistance
-Monday afternoon: the teacher will begin a lesson on learning the continent names and locations, and also the oceans and locations on a world map.
-Begin by having all the children seated in their desks.
-Pull down a world map at the front of the classroom, and explain to the children they will be learning the names and locations of the continents and oceans this week.
-Distribute world maps for each
child to have at his or her desk.
-Explain the importance of using a map and ask children if they have they ever used a map, what a continent is, or has anyone ever been to another continent or ocean.Ê
-Then explain that we live in North America, and that Virginia is part of North America. Ê
-Ask if anyone knows the names of all seven continents.Ê
-Give students their own copy of a world map with the names of the continents and oceans written on it to follow along.Ê --Use the pointer to point to each continent and recite the name.Ê
-Students will join in the second time around, reciting the continent names while looking at their maps or the classroom map.Ê
-This will be done several times until students correctly identify all continents.Ê
-The teacher may point to continents and have individual students identify the continent names.
-Students will place their finger on the continent the teacher says, and the teacher can quickly scan to see if everyone is pointing to the correct place.
-Name the four oceans while pointing to their location on the map.Ê
-Ask students if they know which ocean is closest to them.Ê
-Point to the oceans again, saying the names aloud, and have the children recite as well.Ê
-After repeating this process several times, call on individual students to name oceans pointed to on the map.
-To further reinforce the oceanâs locations, point out the continents that surround each ocean.Ê
-To end Mondayâs lesson, one final time the teacher and students will recite the names of all the continents and oceans together as everyone points to the locations on their maps.
-Inform
the students that tomorrow they will be going to the computer lab to review
what they have learned
-Tuesday Morning: during computer time, the children will go to the computer lab to study the continents and oceans with a PowerPoint.
-The PowerPoint will consist of twelve pages, each relating to the continents and oceans.Ê
-Each child will move through the pages at their own rate, until finished.Ê A description of each page of the PowerPoint follows:
Page One: Picture of world map with names on each continent.ÊÊÊÊ States on the bottom of page, ãThis is a world map.Ê There are seven continents.ä
Page Two: Picture of world map with continent names covered up. States on bottom of page ã Place the names of the continents on the correct locationäÊ
-Boxes with names of continents will be on the bottom of the screen
-Children will click and drag the name of the continent to where it belongs
Page Three: Picture of continents all mixed up, with the names on each continent.Ê States on bottom of page ãPut the continents in the correct locationä
-Children will correctly place the continents in the right location, by clicking and dragging the continents
Page Four: Picture of world map with names of continents and oceans.Ê States on bottom of page, ãThis is a world map.Ê There are four oceans.ä
ÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊ Page Five: Picture of world map with names of continents.
States
on bottom of page, ãPlace names of oceans on correct locationsä
ÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊ -Names of four oceans in boxes on bottom of screen
-Children will correctly place oceans by clicking and dragging
Pages Six through Twelve: On each of these pages, there is a world map with all seven, NOT labeled continents.
-Each page will consist of the map and an animal associated with one continent
-There will be a brief statement about the animal with the format: This is an X (name of animal). It eats Y (what it eats). It lives in Z (name of continent). Put the X on Z., for example, ãThis is a kangaroo.Ê It eats grass, leaves, and roots.Ê It lives in Australia.Ê Put the kangaroo in Australia.ä
-Students will then click and drag the animal to the correct continent
-The pages with the animals are meant to be an activity for children to work on after they have finished the continent/ocean labeling and scrambling page.
-It is not necessary that the children finish the animal pages if they run out of time.
-This activity reinforces the location of the continents, and ties Science into the lesson by including animals and their eating habits.Ê
-After all the students have finished the PowerPoint activities, they will Ê return to the classroom.
-Tuesday Afternoon: during Social Studies, the students will be evaluated on their knowledge of the locations of the continents and oceans.
-Quickly review the names and locations using the classroom map.
Ê ÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊÊ -Two teacher made worksheets will be distributed to students.Ê
-The first worksheet will consist of the seven continents, without labels, with a word box on the page with the names of each continent.Ê Students will correctly write the names in each continent.Ê
-The second worksheet will have the same map, but on this one the word box includes only the names of the four oceans.Ê Students will use the word box to correctly write the names of the oceans.Ê
-Once all students have finished, the teacher will collect and grade the worksheets.
-Throughout the week: Studentsâ who do not demonstrate 100% accuracy on the teacher made worksheets, will work with the teacher until mastery is achieved.Ê
-During centers time, any students who did not master the worksheets will go to the class computers with the teacher to practice with the PowerPoint activity again.Ê
-Guide these children through the pages and help students when needed.Ê
-These students will then have another chance to complete the worksheets accurately.Ê If mastery is still not achieved, they will continue to have individual instruction with the computer and class maps, and will also have the opportunity to keep completing the worksheets until Friday.
-It is expected that every child will have learned the locations of the seven continents and four oceans by Friday.
Evaluation:
Students will pay attention during whole class instruction, while the teacher is introducing the world map, seven continents and four oceans.Ê This will be demonstrated by the students responding to the questioning by the teacher, eye contact, and following along with own map.Ê If it is clear that a student is not paying attention, the teacher will use a checklist to mark off each childâs name that is not behaving appropriately.Ê
Students will complete map exercises in PowerPoint for extra reinforcement on the continents and oceans.Ê Students will complete paper map exercises, placing the names of the seven continents and four oceans on the correct location on world map, with 100% accuracy.
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