Lesson Plan Share

Individual Unit Design: U.S. Geography– 6^th GradeDanielle Long

Core Knowledge:	Enduring Ideas: Geography is a foundation for understanding economy, population growth/demographics, and global studies. U.S. geography was unique in origin and natural resources. Student Activities/interests vary depending on what region they grow up in.
Essential Questions: In what ways does geography affect how we live? Why are demographics an important lens in which we view the world? How can understanding U.S. Geography helps us understand global geography? What sports do children in the North value that children in the South or the West coast do not?	Assessment:End of the unit Project:Students will work in groups to present a music piece of their own identifying important places linked to U.S. Geography.. The piece may be a commercial, a music video, a live rap, or an interpretive piece with art and motion as a focus with key vocabulary represented. Other formal and informal assessments: Students will have to orally or write all 50 states. Higher-level students would have to also name capitols. Lowest leveled kids should memorize the song provided on sheet music to help them recall information. They can sing or just say the words
Primary Source Documents:Yale Law School Library – http://avalon.law.yale.edu/subject_menus/wwii.asp HUAC Hearings – http://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Brecht_HUAC_hearing_(1947-10-30)_transcript History Wiz – http://www.historywiz.com/primarysources/coldwarprimary.html	Student websites for research: Web Quests:http://www.auburn.edu/~howeljb/index_files/page0003.htm http://www.greece.k12.ny.us/ath/library/ColdWarWebQuest.htm http://www.historyteacher.net/AHAP/WebQuests/WQ-ColdWar/WQ-ColdWar-student-titlePage.htm http://students.umf.maine.edu/~ouellecr/coldwarwebquest/ http://www.k12.nf.ca/roncallips/projects/global_issues/index.htm http://www.sjc.edu/rchatel/webquests/webquests/coldwar/szwsmi.htm
Literature to support the unit: (title, author, and genre of books – Read alouds, book clubs, independent reading, shared reading) Year of Impossible Goodbyes by Sook Myul Choi. This is a story of a North Korean woman who tries to escape to South Korea after Japanese and Russian occupation. The Butter Battle Book by Dr. Seuss. This story depicts two opposing groups as they struggle to one-up the other group. It alludes to Soviet relations and US during the Cold War. The Wall: Growing Up Behind the Iron Curtain written and illustrated by Peter Sis. This is a story about the author’s life growing up in Communist Czechoslovakia. The presentation is elaborate and includes diary entries, family photos and drawings.	Multi-cultural/political perspectives to be considered:The Seoul Times - Korean point of view http://theseoultimes.com/ST/?url=/ST/db/read.php?idx=8466 April 2009 - A Modern Point of View (Obama) http://pov-mentarch1.blogspot.com/2009/04/cold-war-deja-vu.html August 2008 - A Modern Point of View (George W) http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/16/world/americas/16iht-16assess.15343703.html

Field trip possibilities: Students will travel to the Museum of Modern Art to explore from the Great Migration. Students will compare the Great Migration to their own family’s journey in life.

Learning Activities: All Learning Activities are written in-depth on a separate Unit Plan sheet that accompanies this document.

Art integration: In order to integrate art into Geography unit, the class will analyze and discuss art panels from the Great Migration featured at the MoMA After deconstructing the images and intention/message of the panels, students [ideally in art class] will choose a topic and draw their own panel. As a written component students should attach a paper identify why they choose to recreate that panel.

Social action component:

Students write pen pals that are on opposite sides of the Unite States. These students vary in social economic status, living environment, interests, and activities than the students they each write.