Pre-planning
Lesson Title
Landforms of the Planet Earth
Standards
NYS K-8 Social Studies Framework: 3.1
- Landforms describe all the different irregularities of the Earth’s surface. Any unevenness of the Earth’s surface is a landform that has a height, area, and shape.
- 3.1b (Content Standard): Examine a variety of maps for at least two of the selected world communities, looking for structural features of the map such as title, legend or key, compass orientation, author, date, grid, and scale.
- 3R3 (Literacy Standard): In informational texts, describe the relationship among a series of events, ideas, concepts, or steps in a text using language that pertains to time, sequence, and cause/effect.
Connection to Larger Unit or Course Goals
This lesson provides the students with a well-defined understanding of what landforms are, how they are represented on the world map, and how the communities living there adapt or transform them for living. It contributes to the student’s comprehensive understanding of the variety of life conditions and the unique features of each landform that, subsequently, affect the communities that live there. The students will learn the definition of the word “landform,” what types of landforms can be found on Earth, what their specific features are, and how people adapt to each landform. They will be taught to identify, describe, and explain the essential qualities of each landform in connection to economic, historical, and social background. The purpose of this lesson is to teach the students to analyze the information drawn from a map and a globe and apply it in their practical studies. Through a variety of interactive learning methods, students will learn to recognize the specific differences between various landforms and understand how these differences apply to the communities that live there. The lesson incorporates flashcards, pictures of different landforms, maps of the US and the world, study guides, and choice boards to create a fulfilling and varied learning environment. Discussions and independent work will be offered to students to engage with the teacher and with each other, as they will be prompted to share their knowledge about landforms and their respective communities.
Connections to Prior Learning and Data
To understand and engage in this lesson, students will require the knowledge of geography and social sciences obtained during the previous study sessions. This lesson builds upon students’ comprehension of basic geographical terminology, vocabulary, and concepts, such as “mountains,” valleys,” “slopes,” and others. The terms and concepts from social studies the students have already learned are also incorporated in the lesson, as students will engage in discussions about different communities of the world, their historical, economic, and social backgrounds, and their connection to the landforms on which they exist. Prior knowledge of how to understand and operate a map (of their state and country) will be necessary for progressing with this lesson, and students will employ their skills in comprehending photos, videos, flashcards, and images. Reading and text comprehension skills that are adequate for the student’s grades will also be applied, as well as academic writing ability with proper punctuation, grammar, and sentence structure for 3rd grade. This lesson will expand the student’s knowledge of the different states of land people of the world are living on and provide them with the necessary vocabulary to discuss landforms in more depth.
Resources
During the lesson, the students will first be provided with all necessary information about landforms and examples of communities living on them, which they will then use for subsequent learning activities and discussions. The students will be asked what types of landforms they know exist in the US and in their state, how they differ from each other, and what specific features of them they can note. Using flashcards, illustrations, study guides, and choice boards, students will engage in active learning about landforms and their communities. Through discussions, the students will be able to incorporate new knowledge into their active memory and learn to strengthen their opinions with facts from readings and learning materials. Finally, the students will be required to choose one landform they are the most curious about and, using a 4-square writing strategy, write a descriptive essay about this landform and one community living there.
Resources:
- CCSS Landform Definitions for 3rd Grade, Teacherspayteachers.com;
- 3rd Grade Landforms Matching Cards, Teacherspayteachers.com;
- Landform Choice Board, Teacherspayteachers.com;
- Printouts of photographs of different communities living in different landforms, Google Images;
- A map of the state, a map of the US, a map of the world;
- YouTube video Exploring Communities and Geography.
Materials:
- Chromebook (per student);
- Teacher’s Chromebook;
- Headphones (per student);
- Paper (for students to share);
- Pencils (per student);
- Colored Pencils/Crayons/Markers (per student or for students to share)
- White Board;
- Dry-erase markers;
- Classroom carpet;
- Student desks/tables (per student).
Sources:
- CCSS Landform Definitions for 3rd Grade, Web;
- 3rd Grade Landforms Matching Cards, Web;
- Landform Choice Board, Web;
- Google Images;
- YouTube video Exploring Communities and Geography, Web.
Questioning and Scaffolding of Questions
Essential Question: What are the landforms, and how are they different?
Focus/Guiding Questions:
- What types of landforms are there, and what are their features?
- How are certain landforms, such as valleys and plains, similar, and how are they different? What about other landforms?
- What types of landforms are there in our state? In our country?
- How can communities live on each landform?
Assessments
The student’s progress will be measured through an independent learning activity in the form of a descriptive essay about their chosen landform and one community that lives on it. They will need not only to apply the knowledge and concepts they have learned throughout the lesson but also execute their research skills to compose an essay supported by factual and scientific information appropriate for 3rd grade. Seeing as the learning target for this lesson is to build knowledge about landforms and communities that live on them, this activity will help students summarize and add to the information they have learned. This formative assessment will be given to the students as homework and is to be presented during the next lesson in the form of written work to the teacher and a short speech to their peers. It will allow the students to show how well they have understood the concepts of landforms and if they are able to identify and emphasize specific features of the communities living on them. The teacher will also use the discussions as a pre-assessment tool – students will be asked to answer the teacher’s questions, identify specific landforms’ features, and explain their thought processes. With this pre-assessment, the teacher will be able to identify how the students understand the topic, as well as which students are struggling with the material and require additional support.
Differentiation/Specially Designed Instruction
Groups
The teacher will offer the students with special needs in groups to identify one landform they are the most familiar with and point out only three specific features of it in total for the whole group. If the students will be able to come up with more, they will be welcome to share it further. The flashcards, choice boards, and matching cards will benefit these students the most as they will be provided with a visual presentation of each term.
Individuals
Individuals with special needs will require more attention from the teacher. Again, flashcards, marching cards, and choice boards will be helpful in communicating with and engaging these students. However, the teacher will need to provide these students with a list of vocabulary in their native language, as well as allow them to use translators throughout the whole lesson. Extended time to work on the essay will be provided to certain students, and those who are uncomfortable with presenting their essay as a speech will not be required to do so.
Connections to IEP and Assessment Goals
English Language Learners and Students with disabilities that have visual representations listed in their IEP Goals/SDI
The teacher should ensure that disabled students and English Language Learners are as engaged in the learning process as others and provide them with the means to do so. Differentiated instructions that vary for different groups of impaired students should be applied in the classroom, and additional teaching and learning assistance tools should be implemented. Zhang and Zou (2020) state that digital technologies have been widely used to enhance learning, especially in a foreign language. Introducing them in the classroom helps facilitate engagement, promote practical skills, engage students, and diversify teacher’s methods (Zhang & Zou, 2020).
Apple iPad comes with built-in accessibility apps related to vision, hearing, mobility, and learning disabilities. The first example is the Safari Reader program, which helps reduce the chances of sensory overload for a student by removing possible distractions. It also allows the student to modify the reading space in a way that would work best for them – set the needed screen contrast or invert the colors on screen. Secondly, there is the Dragon app that transcribes the words of verbal speech for a hearing-impaired student to easily read them on their iPad.
For visually impaired students, the BrailleTouch program would be helpful – it uses a specifically set six-key Braille keyboard for typing out the text. Dragon and BrailleTouch apps would provide the best assistance in the classroom for disabled students. Dragon app can be used by students with hearing disabilities and English Learners to record the teacher’s speech and make notes during a class without losing any valuable information. BrailleTouch, on the other hand, would help the visually impaired students type out the assignments and exercises they need to accomplish in the class.
Connecting Theory and Practice
Differentiated instruction is very important for a successful teaching process. Watson (2020) states that teachers need to create a variety of entry points to ensure that students’ differing abilities, strengths, and needs are all taken into consideration” p.. 2). An assortment of assessment practices is also a crucial point in creating a healthy and supportive learning atmosphere in the class. Moreover, non-repetitive instructions and assessment methods ignite students’ interest in the subjects and allow them to demonstrate their creativity. Watson (2020) also provides another insight: “Recognize and pull students who need some additional support together to help move them along the learning continuum” (p. 10). It is crucial for an educator to give more challenged students a way to learn more efficiently and pursue their interests in a productive manner.
A flipped classroom can also be very effective for students with disabilities, as well as English Language Learners, if implemented correctly. The student would benefit from this method because it allows them to work at their own tempo and with the tools that are most comfortable for them (Akçayır & Akçayır, 2018). The teacher constructs their lectures and practice in such a way that each student in the class gets an assignment according to his or her abilities and needs (Akçayır & Akçayır, 2018). In a flipped classroom, a disabled student or an English Learner would no longer feel the pressure of needing to be on par with their classmates who are used to traditional learning methods.
A real-world application of skills and knowledge a student learns from video instruction is an essential part of flipped classroom methods. During the class, the students learn how to use the information they gained from video lectures practically, and the teacher guides them through this process. The video format allows the teacher to preserve a personal approach to each student as if the new material is being taught just for them and not for the whole class. With this approach, all lesson time is devoted to practical exercises: seminars, laboratory and test works, colloquia, and discussions.
Technology Integration
Chromebooks, iPads, Dragon, and BrailleTouch Applications
Lesson Planning
Opening
Introduction of New Material
Language Development
Guided Practice
Independent Practice
Last Five
Reflection
This lesson expanded on the student’s knowledge of geography and its interrelations with various communities. The students were able to gain new knowledge on the topic of landforms and developed the skill of reading and interpreting maps. They actively engaged in discussions and answered each others’ questions with my assistance. I saw that certain students were more fluent in interpreting information from maps and incorporating it into their opinions. Moreover, some students came from different countries, and with my help, they were able to describe specific features of their communities. Thus, the lesson provided the children with new understandings and concepts, as well as facilitated their analytical and descriptive skills.
References
Akçayır, G., & Akçayır, M. (2018). The flipped classroom: A review of its advantages and challenges. Computers & Education, 126, 334–345. Web.
Watson, S. (2020). Differentiated Instruction and Assessment. ThoughtCo. Web.