Haley Mayer

EDUC:228

Geography Lesson

Title: Maps and Treasure Hunt

Grade Level: 2

Subject: Geography

Materials:

“Mapping Penny’s World” by Loreen Leedy Map of the world Map of the United States Map of Iowa Worksheets for students to label “School Map” for the treasure hunt Prize at the end of the treasure hunt- Blank map of Iowa and a treat For additional practice: https://www.youtube.com/watch?

feature=player_embedded&v=cfPcBTfP0fs

Standards:

Essential Concept and/or Skill: Understand the use of geographic tools to locate and analyze information about people, places, and environments. (SS.K-2.G.1)

NCSS Strand: III- People, Places, and Environments. After completing this lesson, students will understand maps, map features, and locations of continents and oceans around the world. They will work with the features on the map and geography terminology to develop a new sense of geographical information.

Objectives:

Students will be able to identify and locate the seven continents and five oceans of the world with 90% accuracy.

Students will be able to identify and locate given map features on a map with 85% accuracy.

Lesson Plan:

Introduction of topic (15-20 minutes):

Put up the maps on the whiteboard with magnets (world->US->Iowa). “Does anyone recognize any of these maps? (Call on a few students and ask where they have seen them before.) Today we are going to talk about the world map and continent (large land masses) names and oceans. Then we will narrow down our focus to North America and then specifically to Iowa. At the end

of the lesson, will we put all of our new knowledge to the test and go on a “treasure hunt” through the school using a map I made of the school.

To start, let’s look at the map of the world. There are 7 continents in our world. Does everyone know what I mean when I say the word “continent”? (Assess student’s background knowledge- some may need an explanation of the word.) Each continent has its own name, who can name one of the continents? (Call on students to name and place labels of continent names on the map). Great, now in between all of the continents is this blue area, what does this blue area represent on the map? (water/oceans). Right, our world is made up of mostly water (about 75%). Therefore, this completely blue colored area on the map is the ocean. There are five different oceans; can anyone name one of them? (Call on different students to name and label oceans on the map). Great, now it is your turn to label your own world maps. I have some black maps on the worksheet I will pass out. As you can see, it only has the shapes on continents on it. Your job is to color each continent a different color and label the continent with its name. You will also color the oceans and label them too. I will leave our labels up on this big map in case you want to check your answers or need a reminder. If you are stuck, you may also turn and talk with your seat partner to compare answers. If you have extra time at the end, you may color the continents and oceans with colored pencils. Give the students approx. 10 minutes to label the oceans and continents. When finished, place them on the class work-basket on the teacher’s desk to be reviewed later.

Activity (45 minutes):

Next, we are going to look at one particular continent, North America (point to it on the map). This is the continent we live on. The United States is this big shape, sort of in the middle of the continent. All maps have features that help us located different things or give us different information. For example, this symbol is called a compass rose. It lets us know which direction points which way on the map. Tell the students that the N stands for “north,” the S for “south,” etc. Point out the symbols on the walls in the classroom (the north wall, south, etc.) Tell students they will need that to remember information for the treasure hunt later. Also, point out the

legend on each map and its purpose (where we read the symbols and what they stand for), usually represents the capital of the state (Des Moines), the represents the location of a city, and - - - (dashes) show the border of the state. Is there anything else you see on the map that we could add to the key? (Rivers= blue lines). (Map features kid should know: compass rose, legend, capitals, cities, borders, and rivers).

Read the book “Mapping Penny’s World” as a whole group. Discussion questions throughout and after reading: Point out the different keys and symbols used in the various maps- what does this symbol stand for? Where is it located on the map? How are the maps in the story different from the maps we have on the board?

After reading, tell the students that you have made a map of a place that should be familiar to them (the school and grounds). This is our treasure map for today. We will work as a class/team to locate various spots in the building and playground to find the surprise. (Before the lesson, place stickers of various symbols throughout the school building that signify the next

location the students will need to go using the map.) The symbols used are listed on the map.

The starting symbol will be the symbol. This will stand for the nurse’s office and be on

the map in the location of the nurse’s office. At the nurses office, a will represent the gym. Students will have to use their knowledge of recognizing the symbol in the key and determine where the symbol is located on the map to find the route through the school. Continue for each clue until you arrive back at the classroom where the students will find their “treasure” (little rolled up maps of Iowa (exit slip) with a piece of candy in the middle.) During the “treasure hunt,” the teacher can also ask questions such as, according to the map, which direction are we going now? Which place does this symbol represent? Etc.

Closure (5 minutes):

After students have eaten their treats, tell the students that the map is a map of Iowa. The symbols are already on the map, but have no labels. Review the symbols of compass rose, legend, capital city, borders, rivers, etc.) They are going to complete their Iowa maps as an exit slip for the lesson.

Total Lesson Time: 65-75 minutes

Grouping: Students will work in large groups for a majority of the lesson- learning map features, read aloud, and treasure hunt. Students will work independently or with a partner, if needed, during the time spent labeling the world map and Iowa map. Additionally, if students are struggling they may be grouped together and work as a small group with the teacher at any point of the lesson.

Adaptations:

Gifted learners: Students with a higher ability may be given different world and Iowa maps that include other, more complex features such as elevation features, latitude and longitude, equator, and other specific features.

Struggling learners: Students will be given individualized instruction if needed during independent work times. These students may be grouped together or receive further information from the teacher regarding maps and their features. Struggling learners may also be given and electronic version of a map if available. The teacher also could use the “continent and ocean song” from YouTube (listed in references and materials) if students need additional assistance in learning the continent names and oceans.

Assessments:

Students will be assessed from the completion of the maps in class. Students will also be assessed informally during discussions and during the treasure hunt.

They will be assessed using the following rubric for each map:

MAP Beginning (1) Approaching Meeting (3) Comments: Total

SKILLS (2) Points:Map Labels and Features

0-2 map features are

present within the map and used majority used properly

3-5 features are present

within the map and used properly

5-7 map features are

present within the map

Neatness Map is messy and is unable

to be read.

Messy, but fairly easy to

read the labels, features, etc.

Clear, and fairly easy to

read the labels, features, etc.

Accuracy 0-2 features/labels are accurate

3-5 features/label

s are accurately

placed

5-7 features/labels are accurately placed on the

mapParticipatio

n in Treasure

Hunt

+1 point for participating appropriately

in the treasure hunt

-/10

Attachments:

World Map Worksheet:

Exit Slip Map of Iowa:

Iowa Map to display on whiteboard:

Map of North America to display on whiteboard:

World map to display on whiteboard:

Treasure Map example:

References:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=cfPcBTfP0fs

http://www.enchantedlearning.com/usa/states/iowa/

http://lessonplanspage.com/ssartediblephysicalanddirectionalstategeography25-htm/

Maps found on Google Image Search