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Creating 21st Century Classrooms: Connecting the Dots II "Dots South"
 * Discovering the World Through Physical Geography

Dale Pecor & Shannon Walters** ** Unit Design Template ** Unit Title: Discovering the World Through Physical Geography Creator: Dale Pecor and Shannon Walters Topic: Social Studies Grade Level: 5th Grade Content Area: Geography Duration: 6 weeks  · All places have physical and human characteristics. · Places may be described by the way humans interact with the environment. · People live in different places but are connected in many ways. Essential Questions: Essential Questions: · What makes places unique and different? · What defines a region or area? · How does a region’s geography, climate, and natural resources affect the way people live and work? · What story do maps and globes tell? · What’s the best resource/tool to meet my need? Unit Overview: Students use geographical knowledge and images of various places to understand the present, communicate historical interpretations, develop solutions for the problems, and plan for the future. -- Vermont Framework of Standards 6.7 Geographical Knowledge Students will know: Hemispheres, continents, bodies of water, political geography (states, capitals, major cities); characteristics of the regions of the United States; conventions of maps. Students will understand: Every place on earth can be located exactly by the grid system (longitude and latitude). People interact with the place in which they live. Various locations interact and can be interdependent. Students will be able to: Students will be able to identify discrete locations on a map, including latitude and longitude points. Students will become familiar with and be able to use key terms and facts in their work to demonstrate understanding. Research and describe the characteristics of a particular place/region of the United States. Political boundaries identify areas of the world. Summative Assessment: Summary: You have recently been hired as an intern in your chosen state’s Office of Tourism. Your first assignment is to develop a tourism product (brochure, slideshow, glog, podcast/geocast, video, etc.) to post on the official State Web page to convince a prospective group of tourists from Vermont to spend their vacation in your state. Your task is to research and identify the key physical, historical, economic and recreational features of your state. Using this information, you will create your promotional product, develop a 3-5 day suggested itinerary, and a map. In addition to your promotional product, you must provide a rationale for selecting the sites you’ve chosen for inclusion in your product. Pre-Assessment: Pre-Assessment- geography terms, map identification, student free write, observation of information literacy and technology skills on test tasks. Special Considerations: Differentiation for struggling learners, grade-level learners and advanced students Vermont Standards and Grade Expectations Assessed: Using absolute and relative location, **identify** __major mountain ranges, major rivers, and major climate and vegetation zones.__ 21st Century Skills Assessed (including technology cross-referenced to new NETS-S):
 * VTDOE Grade Expectation H&S5-6:11 **
 * Identify ** characteristics of __states, countries, and continents__ using resources such as landmarks, models, maps, photographs, atlases, __internet, video, reference materials, GIS__ and mental mapping.
 * Observe, compare, and analyze ** patterns of state, __national, and global__ land use (e.g., agriculture, forestry, industry) to understand why particular locations are used for certain human activities.
 * Locate ** the physical and political regions of __the United States and the world (e.g., Plains, NE Coast, New England, South, West, etc.).__
 * __ Locate __**__ selected cities and countries in the world of historical and current importance using absolute and relative location __ (e.g., capitals, Boston, NYC, London, Iraq, etc.)
 * Locating information that is accurate, relevant, appropriate and identifying possible bias using a variety of electronic resources.
 * Communicating knowledge using print or multimedia tools
 * Selecting and justifying the appropriate tools and technology resources to address a task.

File Attachments: Lessons (list each lesson separately and estimate duration of each): 1. Key, compass rose, scale 1. Location, states encompassed, characteristics 6. Research Skills/Information Fluency- 5-8class sessions
 * 1) Hemispheres- 3-5 class periods
 * 2) Continents and oceans- 3-5 class periods
 * 3) Map/globe characteristics- 5 class periods
 * 1) Longitude and latitude- 5 class periods
 * 2) Regions of the United States-- 5 class periods