Lesson 1: Physical Characteristics of Our Community
Detailed Lesson Plan Preparation
Elementary Education
Title: Physical Characteristics of Our Community
Grade: 3rd Grade
Concept/Topic: Social Studies
Time Needed: 30 minutes
· Note: A detailed lesson plan is specific enough for another teacher to read and teach effectively. There should not be any question regarding what to do or how to do it.
Backward Design Approach: Where are you going with your students?
Identify Desired Results/Learning Outcome/Essential Question:
Essential Question for the Unit:
In what ways do human characteristics alter the physical characteristics of land and impact the environment?
Essential Question:
What are the natural features of our community?
Objectives:
NCSCOS/Common Core Standards:
3.G.1.2 Compare the human and physical characteristics of places.
Assessment Plan:
Students will work in pairs to think of physical characteristics of their community. They will describe the feature and draw an image of the feature.
Meeting the student where they are:
Prior Knowledge/Connections:
Prior to this lesson, students should understand the definition of a community. They should also have prior knowledge of humans interacting with the environment. Students will make connections to the physical characteristics of their community through the activity.
Lesson Introduction/Hook:
Boys and girls, today we are going to discuss the physical characteristics of our community. We are going to learn what physical characteristics are when we get started, but can someone tell me what the community is? (Call on student and restate). So the community is where we live and the environment that we interact with every day. What is our community? (Call on students). So we have different types of communities. One of our communities is Wake County, another one is Raleigh, and another is our school. So when we are talking about the physical characteristics in our activity later, remember that it is only for our community. By the end of this lesson, you will be able to provide a definition of each natural feature, and provide an example of each type of natural feature in our community.
Heart of the Lesson/Learning Plan:
Differentiation/Same-ation:
This lesson will demonstrate differentiation because students will be working in a heterogeneous pair to complete the assignment. This will provide extra support for low-achieving students, and it will also increase high-achieving students’ understanding of the topic. There is no individual reading involved in this lesson, so independent reading level of the students will not affect their understanding. Students who will be sharing will be asked before the time is up if they would mind sharing. This will prevent any nervousness.
Lesson Development: (Introduction). We are going to talk about physical characteristics today and tomorrow we will discuss the human characteristics. Physical characteristics are in a category called natural features. Who can tell me what a natural feature is? (Call on student). A natural feature is something that occurs in the environment naturally, and there are four types of natural features: landforms, climate, natural resources, and natural hazards. (Put a picture of each on the board). I am going to give everyone this handout, which is going to be a useful reference for us because at the top it asks for examples of landforms, natural resources, climate, and natural hazards. Before we talk about each of these natural features, let's complete a KWL chart for physical characteristics. (Work as a class to complete KWL chart on smartboard for physical characteristics). So we should probably go over what each of these features are in order to provide an example shouldn't we? What is a landform? (Call on a student). A landform is a natural feature on the Earth’s surface. Who can give us an example? (Call on several students and have class write three examples in the handout. Use an example handout on the document camera, so that students can see how to spell and do not need reminding). What are natural resources? (Call on student). Natural resources are materials that occur naturally. Who can give me an example of natural resources? (Call on a few students). What is climate? (Call on a student). The climate is the normal weather conditions of an area. Who can give me an example of climate? (Call on a few students and restate). What is a natural hazard? (Call on a student). A natural hazard is a naturally occurring event that can negatively impact the environment or people. Who can give me an example of a natural hazard? (Call on a few students and restate). Great, so now that we all know what natural features are, we are going to think of some examples of natural features around our community. I want you to work with the person next to you, and together come up with one example of each natural feature. After you write the name of your feature, you should describe the feature and create an image of that feature. You will have ten minutes to do this. (Circulate and help students think of ideas of each characteristic. Observe the features the students list and preselect which characteristic you want each group to share). You have two minutes left. (Continue to circulate). Okay, time’s up. (Call on each group of preselected students to share a specific feature). Everyone did a good job defining the natural features we talked about, and thinking of physical characteristics of our community. Tomorrow, we are going to learn how humans adapt to the physical characteristics of a community.
Specific Questioning:
New Vocabulary:
Concluding the Lesson/Closure/Debriefing:
To conclude the lesson, preselected groups will share one of their natural features in our community. If a student in the class is unfamiliar with that natural feature, the teacher will explain the feature. The teacher will explain that tomorrow we will discuss how people adapt to the physical features of their community.
Materials/Resources:
Teaching Behavior Focus:
Direct Instruction is Effectively Employed
Follow-Up Activities/Parent Involvement:
As a follow-up, the students could research the physical characteristics of another community. The students would then use a Venn-diagram to compare the physical features of the community they researched and their community. This will allow students to increase their understanding of physical features and their understanding of the diversity of physical features throughout communities.
Adapted from Teachers Pay Teachers "Communities Unit" by Teacher Trap.
Detailed Lesson Plan Preparation
Elementary Education
Title: Physical Characteristics of Our Community
Grade: 3rd Grade
Concept/Topic: Social Studies
Time Needed: 30 minutes
· Note: A detailed lesson plan is specific enough for another teacher to read and teach effectively. There should not be any question regarding what to do or how to do it.
Backward Design Approach: Where are you going with your students?
Identify Desired Results/Learning Outcome/Essential Question:
Essential Question for the Unit:
In what ways do human characteristics alter the physical characteristics of land and impact the environment?
Essential Question:
What are the natural features of our community?
Objectives:
- Students will identify the
physical characteristics of their community.
- Students will define
landforms, climate, natural resources, and natural hazards.
- Students will provide examples
of landforms, climate, natural resources, and natural hazards.
NCSCOS/Common Core Standards:
3.G.1.2 Compare the human and physical characteristics of places.
Assessment Plan:
Students will work in pairs to think of physical characteristics of their community. They will describe the feature and draw an image of the feature.
Meeting the student where they are:
Prior Knowledge/Connections:
Prior to this lesson, students should understand the definition of a community. They should also have prior knowledge of humans interacting with the environment. Students will make connections to the physical characteristics of their community through the activity.
Lesson Introduction/Hook:
Boys and girls, today we are going to discuss the physical characteristics of our community. We are going to learn what physical characteristics are when we get started, but can someone tell me what the community is? (Call on student and restate). So the community is where we live and the environment that we interact with every day. What is our community? (Call on students). So we have different types of communities. One of our communities is Wake County, another one is Raleigh, and another is our school. So when we are talking about the physical characteristics in our activity later, remember that it is only for our community. By the end of this lesson, you will be able to provide a definition of each natural feature, and provide an example of each type of natural feature in our community.
Heart of the Lesson/Learning Plan:
Differentiation/Same-ation:
This lesson will demonstrate differentiation because students will be working in a heterogeneous pair to complete the assignment. This will provide extra support for low-achieving students, and it will also increase high-achieving students’ understanding of the topic. There is no individual reading involved in this lesson, so independent reading level of the students will not affect their understanding. Students who will be sharing will be asked before the time is up if they would mind sharing. This will prevent any nervousness.
Lesson Development: (Introduction). We are going to talk about physical characteristics today and tomorrow we will discuss the human characteristics. Physical characteristics are in a category called natural features. Who can tell me what a natural feature is? (Call on student). A natural feature is something that occurs in the environment naturally, and there are four types of natural features: landforms, climate, natural resources, and natural hazards. (Put a picture of each on the board). I am going to give everyone this handout, which is going to be a useful reference for us because at the top it asks for examples of landforms, natural resources, climate, and natural hazards. Before we talk about each of these natural features, let's complete a KWL chart for physical characteristics. (Work as a class to complete KWL chart on smartboard for physical characteristics). So we should probably go over what each of these features are in order to provide an example shouldn't we? What is a landform? (Call on a student). A landform is a natural feature on the Earth’s surface. Who can give us an example? (Call on several students and have class write three examples in the handout. Use an example handout on the document camera, so that students can see how to spell and do not need reminding). What are natural resources? (Call on student). Natural resources are materials that occur naturally. Who can give me an example of natural resources? (Call on a few students). What is climate? (Call on a student). The climate is the normal weather conditions of an area. Who can give me an example of climate? (Call on a few students and restate). What is a natural hazard? (Call on a student). A natural hazard is a naturally occurring event that can negatively impact the environment or people. Who can give me an example of a natural hazard? (Call on a few students and restate). Great, so now that we all know what natural features are, we are going to think of some examples of natural features around our community. I want you to work with the person next to you, and together come up with one example of each natural feature. After you write the name of your feature, you should describe the feature and create an image of that feature. You will have ten minutes to do this. (Circulate and help students think of ideas of each characteristic. Observe the features the students list and preselect which characteristic you want each group to share). You have two minutes left. (Continue to circulate). Okay, time’s up. (Call on each group of preselected students to share a specific feature). Everyone did a good job defining the natural features we talked about, and thinking of physical characteristics of our community. Tomorrow, we are going to learn how humans adapt to the physical characteristics of a community.
Specific Questioning:
- Can someone tell me what the
community is?
- What is our community?
- Who can tell me what a natural
feature is?
- What is a landform?
- Who can give us an example?
- What are natural resources?
- Who can give me an example of
natural resources?
- What is climate?
- Who can give me an example of
climate?
- What is a natural hazard?
- Who can give me an example of
a natural hazard?
New Vocabulary:
- Natural feature is something
that occurs in the environment naturally.
- Landform is a natural feature
on the Earth’s surface.
- Natural resources are
materials that occur naturally
- Climate is the normal weather
conditions of an area.
- Natural hazard is a naturally
occurring event that can negatively impact the environment or people.
Concluding the Lesson/Closure/Debriefing:
To conclude the lesson, preselected groups will share one of their natural features in our community. If a student in the class is unfamiliar with that natural feature, the teacher will explain the feature. The teacher will explain that tomorrow we will discuss how people adapt to the physical features of their community.
Materials/Resources:
- Document Camera
- Natural Features of
Communities Handout
- Pencils
- List of Natural Features in the
Community (for teacher reference)
- Pictures of Natural Features
Teaching Behavior Focus:
Direct Instruction is Effectively Employed
Follow-Up Activities/Parent Involvement:
As a follow-up, the students could research the physical characteristics of another community. The students would then use a Venn-diagram to compare the physical features of the community they researched and their community. This will allow students to increase their understanding of physical features and their understanding of the diversity of physical features throughout communities.
Adapted from Teachers Pay Teachers "Communities Unit" by Teacher Trap.
Handouts | |
File Size: | 786 kb |
File Type: |
Heading image courtesy of Wikipedia.