Unit Description: Students will locate Needham on a map and research and examine the key social, economic,

and cultural characteristics of Needhams population. They will compare it to other locations and populations and grapple with why it is the way it is. They will analyze how the location of Newman, being in Needham, affects our school and the implications it has for our education. Description of class for which unit is intended: Second grade class at Newman Elementary school in Needham, Ma. A lot of the students are very artistic and theatrical. There are three special needs students and no English language learners. STAGE ONE - Established Goals Inherited Standards/Intended Learning Outcomes and Goals: Relevant State Standards: Writing: 7. Participate in shared research and writing projects (e.g., read a number of books on a single topic to produce a report; record science observations). 8. Recall information from experiences or gather information from provided sources to answer a question. Speaking and Listening: 1. 1. Participate in collaborative conversations with diverse partners about grade 2 topics and texts with peers and adults in small and larger groups. Relevant National Standards (NCSS, etc): 3. People, Places, and Things a. During their studies, learners develop an understanding of spatial perspectives, and examine changes in the relationship between people, places, and environments. b. Todays social, cultural, economic, and civic issues demand that students apply knowledge, skills, and understandings as they address questions such as, What are the key social, economic, and cultural characteristics of Needhams population and what are the corresponding implications? and How does the geographic location of Newman affect our school and our education? Relevant Common Core Standards: Writing: 7. Conduct short as well as more sustained research projects based on focused questions, demonstrating understanding of the subject under investigation. Speaking and Listening: 1. Prepare for and participate effectively in a range of conversations and collaborations with diverse partners, building on others ideas and expressing their own clearly and persuasively. Applicable School/Community Concerns and Expectations: The social studies curriculum for all 2nd graders at Newman includes location (absolute and relative), place (what is special, including natural and human characteristics),

relationships (how people relate to each other and to the land), movement (how people travel from place to place), and regions (natural and cultural). They do two major projects that incorporate these criteria. Teacher Goals: I really hope to make this a hands on AND minds on unit for my students. I want my methods to reflect what I know about their personalities, abilities, and learning styles. I hope to be able to collaborate with my cooperating teacher to make this a successful and relatable unit of study. Essential Questions: - What are the key social, economic, and cultural characteristics of Needhams population and the corresponding implications? - How does the geographic location of Newman affect our school and our education? Enduring Understandings (long-term take-aways): Students will understand - Each town has its own social, economic, and cultural characteristics due to its geographic location and proximity to other towns, cities, and natural resources. - Our geographic location has important impact on our lives, including our education because it affects how we function in our every day lives. Skills: Students will be able to. - conduct research about their community and compare it to other communities - interpret maps to locate their continent, country, state, town, and school. - write collaboratively to one another about their experience, their findings, and their questions. - present their findings and share their work with partners and in small groups. - represent a characteristic of Needham in the form of an illustration/drawing. - define Needham as a place. - discuss how Needhams characteristics affect our school and why Newman is the way that it is. - work together in small groups to create poster-sized travel brochures for Needham. - examine calendars, schedules, menus and other relevant data sources

Content Knowledge: Students will know. - social, economic, and cultural characteristics of geographic locations have implications on the community - specific characteristics about Needham and Newman Content Needing Uncoverage: Our school is privileged in many ways because our community is also privileged in many ways. It is not random. Not all schools have the same resources that ours does. These resources often help us to do our best learning.

Assessment

Now that we have learned all about our town and our school, we will break up into groups to create poster-sized travel brochures for Needham. Here is your checklist. You must have a title, labeled map, information about 3 characteristics, and images for each characteristic. They can be drawn or taken from magazines. Remember to work as a team! When we are finished, we will display them around the classroom. We will look at each others brochures and write about new and interesting things we learn from them. Handout for Students:

Checklist

Title

Labeled map

3 Characteristics

3 Images

Works well with others

STAGE TWO- Acceptable Evidence

Performance Tasks: Interview families about Needham, location Needham on map, engage in meaningful discussion in whole group, small group, and partnerships, illustrate characteristics and provide brief descriptions, write about experience, create travel brochures, work as teammates Other Evidence to be Collected: KWL chart, Anecdotal records and observations from class discussions and pair and shares. Student Self-Assessment and Reflection: Students are provided with checklist rubrics to keep track of their own work and assess whether it is fully completed, partially completed, or not completed at all. I will also collect these.

Lesson Plan 1 UNIT DESCRIPTION: Students will locate Needham on a map and research and examine the key social, economic, and cultural characteristics of Needhams population. They will compare it to other locations and populations and grapple with why it is the way it is. They will analyze how the location of Newman, being in Needham, affects our school and the implications it has for our education. AIM/EQ: Where is Needham located and what do we know about Needham? GOALS/OBJECTIVES: - Students will use maps to locate their continent, country, state, town, and school. - Students will collaboratively write to one another about their experience, their findings, and their questions. - Students will engage in meaningful discussion in response to the essential question. MATERIALS: Me on the Map by Joan Sweeny, maps, writing paper, writing utensils MOTIVATION/DO NOW: On individual world maps, circle the area where you think Needham is located. ACTIVITY & QUESTIONS: The lesson will begin with posting the world maps on the board so everyone can see them. We will come back to them later. We will fill out the first section of a KWL chart about where Needham is and what we know about Needham. Activate students prior knowledge about why we use maps. Explain that maps are miniature versions of places on the Earth. Wording taken from: http://education.nationalgeographic.com/education/activity/exploring-maps-andmodels/?ar_a=1

Next, I will read aloud Joan Sweenys book, Me on the Map, while the students are seated on the rug listening and looking. As a class, we will use maps to identify North America, the Unites States of America, Massachusetts, Needham, and Newman. Links for maps: http://education.nationalgeographic.com/education/mapping/interactive-map/?ar_a=1 http://geology.com/world/world-map.gif http://geology.com/world/the-united-states-of-america-map.gif http://www.ezilon.com/maps/united-states/massachusetts-counties-and-road-maps.html http://www.needhamma.gov/DocumentCenter/Home/View/3723 Once students have been provided this model, they will have hard copies of the maps and will go off and try this activity in partnerships. The students will write with their partners in their writing journals about their experience, their findings, and their questions. We will come back together as a whole class and compare and contrast where we thought Needham was when we did our do now activity vs. where we now understand it to be. We will fill out the W section of our chart. What do we want to know about Needham? Our chart will stay posted up for the remainder of the unit. ADAPTATIONS & MODIFICATIONS: One student who has some physical disabilities will use his iPad for the writing component of the lesson. Other students will be provided graphic organizers that have sentence starters that they can paste into their writing journals. One thing that worked well was

One thing that was challenging was

One thing I didn't know before was

One thing I found interesting was

One question I have is

If students are having difficulty understanding the maps, help them to think about looking at a place from above it. For example, show students a photo of a car that looks like the toy car. Then show a photo of the car from the top. Explain how we can look at things and also places from above, as if we were up high looking down. http://education.nationalgeographic.com/education/activity/exploring-maps-andmodels/?ar_a=1 SPONGE ACTIVITY: Students who have completed the activity early may look through and read other relative books and reading materials including Maps and Globes by Harriett Barton and others yet to be determined. APPLICATION/ASSESSMENT: I will use the do now activity to assess whether or not students could initially locate Needham on a map and then compare that data after the lesson by reading their writing assignments. I will also keep anecdotal records about who says what during the wrap up discussion. HOMEWORK/ASSESSMENT: Based on what we decided as a class that we want to know about Needham, I will combine the ideas and type them out into a handout. Students will be encouraged to go home and talk to their families and see what they can find out. Lesson Plan 2 UNIT DESCRIPTION: Students will locate Needham on a map and research and examine the key social, economic, and cultural characteristics of Needhams population. They will compare it to other locations and populations and grapple with why it is the way it is. They will analyze how the location of Newman, being in Needham, affects our school and the implications it has for our education. AIM/EQ: Now that we know where Needham is, what do we know about Needhams characteristics? Why should we care? GOALS/OBJECTIVES: 1. Students will think about what defines Needham as a place. 2. Students will consider characteristics of home and of community. 3. Students will represent a characteristic of Needham in the form of an illustration/drawing. 4. Students will participate in collaborative conversations with diverse partners and in small groups where they present their findings and share their work.

MATERIALS: chart paper, markers, white drawing paper MOTIVATION/DO NOW: Partner share about previous lessons homework assignment. What did you find out about Needham through talking to your families? ACTIVITY & QUESTIONS: Go back to KWL chart and what we want to know. Guide whole group discussion in such a way: Why should we care about Needham? Needham is our home. What are some characteristics of our home? What do we need to survive? Air, water, shelter, food, etc. What do these things look like in our community? Natural characteristics like plant life, animal life, weather and temperature, land and soil. Is Needham urban, suburban, or rural? What are the people like in our home? What language do they speak? What religion do they practice? How do the people get from place to place? How do we dress? What do we eat? How is money exchanged? What is our government like? Students brainstorm answers to these questions to help define Needham as a place. I write them on chart paper as they do so. We cull and combine the brainstorm to start filling in the L section of our KWL chart. Next, students pick one of the characteristics weve discussed and illustrate it. Afterwards, in small groups, students share their drawings with each other and tell their classmates what they represent and why they chose to represent that characteristic. Because I will not be able to be present while each student verbally shares, they will write a short description of this information at the bottom of their drawings. The why piece should relate back to why we care, how it is a characteristic of Needham, and we care because Needham is our home. I will display drawings in classroom to leave up for remainder of unit. Adapted idea from: http://education.nationalgeographic.com/education/activity/characteristics-ofplace/?ar_a=1 ADAPTATIONS & MODIFICATIONS: For students who need assistance with deciding on a characteristic and illustrating it, teaching aids can provide options/choices for them. They can print out pictures in advance that might be helpful to either cut and paste or use for concrete inspiration. SPONGE ACTIVITY: Students who finish activity early may illustrate a second characteristic. APPLICATION/ASSESSMENT: Have a class list and go around jotting down notes about what students are saying when they are sharing with their partners and in their small groups. Examine their illustrations. To what extent does the L section of our KWL chart meet the standards, objectives, EUs and EQs. Lesson Plan 3

UNIT DESCRIPTION: Students will locate Needham on a map and research and examine the key social, economic, and cultural characteristics of Needhams population. They will compare it to other locations and populations and grapple with why it is the way it is. They will analyze how the location of Newman, being in Needham, affects our school and the implications it has for our education. AIM/EQ: Now that we know Needhams location and defining characteristics, how does this information affect us and affect our school? GOALS/OBJECTIVES: - Students will discuss how Needhams characteristics affect our school and why Newman is the way that it is. - Students will work together in small groups to create poster-sized travel brochures for Needham. - Students will examine and interpret calendars, schedules, menus and other relevant data sources. MATERIALS: chart paper, markers, school lunch menu, school calendar, daily schedule, poster boards, scissors, glue sticks, magazines MOTIVATION/DO NOW: Students check off on chart paper whether they take the bus, walk, drive, or bike to school. ACTIVITY & QUESTIONS: Use the do now activity as a springboard for a whole class brainstorm/ discussion about how we get to school (kids check off bus, car, walk, or bike), what we eat for lunch (look at monthly lunch menu), what language we speak (kids write on chart paper), what time our day starts/ends (look at schedule), when our school vacations are (look at yearly calendar), what kind of technology and resources we have access to (compile list), our demographics, what we study/learn, etc. are all reflections of the community we live in. Imagine if we all ate the same thing for lunch everyday or didn't have fruits and vegetables. Imagine if we didn't have school vacations or if we went to school at night instead of during the day. Imagine if we wore school uniforms. Imagine if we didn't have computers, Smartboard, writing utensils, etc. Imagine if we didn't have music, art, or P.E. Discuss how school would be different and what the positives and negatives would be. Links: http://fcw.needham.k12.ma.us/Food.Nutrition/ELEMENTARY%20MENUS/FOV1001142C7/ http://smartdb.smartedu.net/smartcalendar/needham.cfm Break students up into groups to create poster-sized travel brochures for Needham. Provide checklists/rubrics that include title, labeled map, information about 3 characteristics, and images for each characteristic whether drawn or gathered from magazines. When they are finished, they will be displayed and students will have the opportunity to look at their peers projects. I will structure this so that each group moves

together in a clockwise direction. I will use a timer so that they have 3 minutes at each brochure. Students will be held accountable for writing about 1 different characteristic/1 thing new they learned at each station. Adapted from: http://education.nationalgeographic.com/education/activity/exploringcharacteristics-places/?ar_a=1 Wrap up: Come back together as a whole group and fill in the rest of our L section of our KWL chart. ADAPTATIONS & MODIFICATIONS: For certain students, checklists will be color coded and broken down into various steps. They will focus on only one aspect at a time. The paper will be folded into sections so that they don't unfold and see the next section until they have completed the first.

Checklist

1. Title- Unfold when done.

2. Labeled map- Unfold when done.

3. 3 Characteristics- Unfold when done.

4. 3 Images- Unfold when done.

5. Works well with others

SPONGE ACTIVITY: Go beyond the required 3 characteristics and add more. APPLICATION/ASSESSMENT: Assess travel brochures based on criteria provided to them on checklist. Check to what extent does the L section of our KWL chart meet the standards, objectives, EUs and EQs.