Date: _________

Grade Level: 1
Subject Area: Social Studies
Topic: Exploring Landforms

Technology Used: iPad & Projector

Time Frame 1 to 2 Day Lesson

Objectives: Students will gain an understanding of Landforms by watching a BrainPop Jr. Video and
then by identifying specified landforms via exploration and searching with the Google Earth iPad App.
Materials/Resources: Student & Teacher iPads with Headphones, Internet Access, Classroom Video
Projector and Audio Amplifier. iPad Apps used are Google Earth, Keynote, Camera & Photo Album.
GPS Standards: Geographic Understandings SS1G2 The student will identify and locate his/her city, county,
state, nation, and continent on a simple map or a globe. SS1G3 The student will locate major topographical
features of the earths surface.
a. Locate all of the continents: North America, South America, Africa, Europe, Asia, Antarctica, and Australia.
b. Locate the major oceans: Arctic, Atlantic, Pacific, and Indian.
c. Identify and describe landforms (mountains, deserts, valleys, plains, plateaus, and coasts).
Procedures:
1. Teacher will lead students in an activity that will introduce them to Landforms by showing
them a BrainPop Jr. Video on the subject.
2. Video: http://www.brainpopjr.com/science/land/landforms/
3. Additional BrainPop Jr. Background Information and Activities can be found here:
http://www.brainpopjr.com/science/land/landforms/grownups.weml
4. The teacher will then help to further reinforce the Brain Pop Video and Background
Information by displaying their iPad on the ActiveBoard and by demonstrating the Google
Earth App. Make sure to show the kids the search feature found in the app.
5. Distribute a Landform Locator Worksheet specifying the exact locations you wish them to
locate/identify using the Google Earth App. The Worksheet can also be found in the First
Grade iPad Lesson Folder.
6. Have the students rotate through their learning centers and engage with utilizing iPads to
identify/locate the specific landmarks you have chosen.
7. In addition to having students locate the specific landmarks, they will need to take a
snapshot/screenshot of each landmark to save in the Photo Album of the iPad.
8. Circulate around the room as a guide to assist students with this project.
9. The ultimate goal for your students will be to use the Keynote iPad App to create a
presentation using the landform pictures they have saved in the iPad Photo Album.
10. As a fun additional activity, have the kids create a shape poem about a hill or a mountain.
Click http://www.brainpopjr.com/science/land/landforms/activity/ to print out a shape poem
template document.
11. Choose students via Popsicle stick to share their poem(s) with the class.

Assessment/Evaluations of Objectives: The learning center should be staffed by the Teacher (student to
teacher ratio will be 6:1 or less) who will monitor student success and will provide immediate
intervention where necessary. Students will use the pictures gathered through Google Earth to create an
informational text about landforms. The text must contain at least 2 pictures from the Google Earth app.
Closure: Wrap up with a Keynote Presentation displayed on the ActiveBoard depicting some of the
various Landforms that you have selected.