Download 1-5I SS 4th Unit Plan

St. Michael’s School
Unit Plan 1
Unit Title: The Land and Early People
Grade Level: 4th
Subject/Topic Area(s): Social Studies
Designed By: Mrs. Padilla
Time Frame/Date: August - October
Brief Summary of Unit: Students will learn about the geography of the United States. They will learn
about the environments in which various early Americans lived and how each group’s environment
influenced its way of life. Students at the end of this unit should have a clear understanding of how people
interact with their environment and how they are affected by it.
STAGE 1 – DESIRED RESULTS
Content Standard(s)/Benchmarks
1.1
Identify and describe early cultures and settlements that existed in North America prior to contact with Europeans. (Ch. 2)
1.2
Identify and compare historic Indian groups of the West, Southwest, Northwest, Arctic and sub-Arctic, Great Plains, and Eastern
Woodlands regions at the beginning of European exploration in the late fifteenth and sixteenth centuries. (Ch. 2)
1.3
Example: Compare their styles of housing, settlement patterns, sources of food and clothing, customs and oral traditions,
political and economic organization, and types and uses of technology.
Identify and compare historic Indian groups of the West, Southwest, Northwest, Arctic and sub-Arctic, Great Plains, and Eastern
Woodlands regions at the beginning of European exploration in the late fifteenth and sixteenth centuries. (Ch. 2)
Example: Compare their styles of housing, settlement patterns, sources of food and clothing, customs and oral traditions,
political and economic organization, and types and uses of technology.
The World in Spatial Terms
3.1
Demonstrate that lines of latitude and longitude are measured in degrees of a circle, that places can be precisely located where these lines
intersect, and that location can be stated in terms of degrees north or south of the equator and east or west of the prime meridian. (e.g., Ch.
1, p. 20)
Places and Regions
3.2
Name and locate states, major cities , major regions, major rivers, and mountain ranges in the United States. (Ch. 1)
3.3
Locate Native American Indian and colonial settlements on maps and suggest reasons for the locations of these places.
Example: near bodies of water, on lowlands, along a transportation route, and near natural resources or sources of power.
Physical Systems
3.4
Locate the continental divide and the major drainage regions of the United States. (Ch. 1)
3.5
Map and describe the characteristics of climate regions of the United States. (Ch. 1)
Example: Distinguish between the moist eastern regions of the United States and the drier mountain regions. Explain how
mountain ranges cut off moisture to specific regions.
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4.1
Describe the economic activities within and among Native American Indian cultures prior to contact with Europeans. Examine the
economic incentives that helped motivate European exploration and colonization. (Ch. 2 )
Essential Question(s)
Why is Geography important?
Why is necessary to identify the location of a region or state?
How do the geography and the climate of the United States differ from region to region?
What was the impact of early North American civilizations?
STAGE 2 – ASSESSMENT EVIDENCE
Performance Task
Students will make a chart comparing the characteristics of the different Native American Groups’ way of life
and surroundings. Include a map of North America with labels for each group in its region.
Key Criteria (for Performance Task)
-
All the requirements are met.
Map of North America is clearly drawn and properly labeled.
Characteristics of each Native American Group are clearly stated.
Other Assessment Evidence
Maps
Graphic organizers
Region Guide completion
Critical Thinking questions
Student Self-Assessment and Reflection
Brief Biography
Have students write a paragraph biography of someone they have studied who made responsible choices in his/her life.
Have students include how the person showed responsibility.
Or
Have students write about a family member who he or she considers to be the most responsible and why.
STAGE 3 – LEARNING PLAN
1. Discuss the big idea. People interact with their environment and are affected by it. Introduce the
chapter.
2. Lesson 1 – States and Regions, describe the relative location of the five regions of the United States.
Teach that the United States is a nation of 50 states (made up of the 48 contiguous states and Alaska and
Hawaii. Explain that the 50 states are often grouped into regions. (Maine, Massachusetts, New
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Hampshire, Virginia, New York, Pennsylvania, Connecticut, Philadelphia, Maryland, Delaware, North
and South Carolina, Georgia, Texas, California, Arizona, New Mexico).
3. Focus that the five regions of the United States have different plants, animals, landforms, bodies of
water, resources, and climates. How these factors affect the amount of people or population in each
region.) (pages 16-17)
4. Explain that the United States is located in North America, as are Canada and Mexico. H.W. Page 19
questions 4 and 5.
5. Map and Globe Skills. Use Latitude and Longitude to determine exact location. Complete pages 1 – 3
from practice book.
6. Lesson 2- Identify and describe the landform and regions of the United States. Locate the landforms of
North America on a map (Coastal Plains, Appalachian Mountains, Piedmont, Interior Plains, Rocky
Mountains, Great Basin, Sierra Nevada). Pages 22-29 restate the lesson’s key content TG 29. Answer
Reading Check questions in notebook. (Northwest, West, Northeast, Southeast, Middle East)
7. Lesson 3 – Identify and locate major bodies of water in the United States. (Mississippi River, Colorado,
Ohio River, Platte River, Rio Grande River, Hudson River, Delaware River) Explain why many cities in
the United States are located near rivers. Draw student’s attention to the map on page 32, answer
questions orally. Practice book pages 4 and 5.
8. Lesson 4 – What are the different climate regions in the United States? Describe the climate regions of
the United States. Discuss vocabulary and define in notebook. (P.B. page 6)
9. Lesson 5 – Describe ways that people use the land and affect the environment. Discuss pages 40-45,
complete reading check questions and discuss the effects of changing in the environment. Students will
write a short paragraph about what you can do to conserve natural resources. Complete compare and
contrast graphic organizer, page 45.
10. Chapter 1 Review complete pages 48-49 1-19 in class. Hw. Pages 10-11. Study for chapter test.
11. Go to the Ilab. Students will work in groups of 2 to complete the Region Guide worksheet. Region
Guide.doc
12. Introduce Chapter 2 – Native Americans, access prior knowledge. Identify possible explanations of how
people came to live in the Americas. Identify early ways of life. The students will use a graphic
organizer that they will complete in the Ilab for each Native American Group of the different regions.
Native American Groups Graphic Organizer.doc
13. Lesson 2 – Identify the people of the Eastern Woodlands, where and how they lived? Answer questions
orally and in notebook.
14. Lesson 3 – The Plains Discuss vocabulary and complete practice book page 17 in notebook. Complete
Graphic Organizer.
15. Lesson 4 – The Southwest and the west. Identify the lifeways of the people living here. Pages 76-80
16. Lesson 5 - The Northwest and the Arctic – Understand how the peoples of the Pacific Northwest
adapted to their environment and used the area’s resources to meet their needs. Understand how the
peoples survived in a cold climate with limited resources.
17. Virtual tour to the National Museum of the American Indian http://www.nmai.si.edu/
18. Answer questions after completing performance assessment. Chapter 2 questions.doc.
19. Complete Unit 1 questions 1-20 pages 94-95.
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