Candidate Name: Chelsea Tramel Content/Grade: 6th Geography

Lesson Topic: Major Physical and Human Geographic Features CT:

Stage 1 – Desired ResultsGoals/Learning Outcomes: Students will know various landforms of Central America. They will learn about how it formed, and what is significant about it. TEKS: 3A(3)  Geography. The student uses geographic tools to answer geographic questions. (A) The student is expected to: pose and answer geographic questions, including: Where is it located? Why is it there? What is significant about

its location? How is its location related to the location of other people, places, and environments? Essential Questions:

What are the major landforms in Central America, and where are they located? Why/How are landforms significant/important to understand? How were the landforms in Central America created? How did the landforms on Earth form?

• Students will know … Students will be able to … Students will understand that … • Students will be able to label the countries and their capitals of Central America. • Students will be able to identify major landforms of Central America, and be able to identify the location of the landform (the specific

country). • Students will identify the significance of the landforms in Central America. • Students will understand Mexico is not part of Central America, it is part of Middle America. (Mexico and Central America make up Middle

America.)Stage 2 – Assessment Evidence

Performance Tasks:   Brief Description of Project: On this day, students will be continuing research over their given country (students broken up into groups, and become experts on a given country in Central America). They will specifically be researching about the countries resources and landforms. As a class we will go over the power point that describes these things for each country, then students are sent to work in groups to research further about their landforms and resources. At the beginning of each class, groups will present what they learned about their country the previous day, and the rest of the class will have to take notes over their presentation, because they will be writing a paper (final assessment) mapping out their travel route through each country in Central America, answering specific questions over all topics learned in each country, including what they would recommend doing and what they wouldn’t recommend doing.                                       

1 Materials: Smartboard, Macbooks, googledocs accounts, assignment tray, powerpoint over Central America, Group folders, Notes from previous class discussions (over Central America), student scrible account (a tool downloaded to the bookmark bar that helps them to mark the text)

2 Through what authentic performance tasks will students demonstrate the desired understandings?3 Students will be experts on their given country of Central America. They will demonstrate knowledge of landforms, resources, climates,

imports/exports, terrain, and borders of given country. They will also list a couple of things that they would like to do while they are visiting that country (canoe, go in caves, snorkel, etc.) 

4 By what criteria will performances of understanding be judged?5 Through student group presentation over specific country, students will be graded on how well they answered the questions on the

project overview. For example: what landforms and resources does the country have, what types of climate/climate changes does the country exhibit, what other countries surround the given country, what types of things will your group do while in the country, and what type of food will you eat? 

6 Through what other evidence (e.g., quizzes, tests, academic prompts, observations, homework, journals) will students demonstrate achievement of the desired results?

7 Students will demonstrate knowledge of material through the notes they fill out over other groups presentations. They will use information from other groups in order to plan their trip around Central America. The final assessment will be a paper detailing how they will travel (airplane, car, bus, etc.), their travel route, what they would like to do, what was their favorite fun fact about the country, and would they like to visit the country again (why/ why not)? 

8 How will students reflect upon and self-assess their learning?9 Students will reflect on their own learning by filling out the self assessment form over the project. They will fill out the group assessment

form for individual group members, and an audience feedback form after each groups presentation. Also, the teacher will grade through the presentation rubric, to see progress with students skills throughout the project. When students receive their final grades, all forms will be given back to them, so they may better research and presentation skills. 

Stage 3 – Learning Plan/ProceduresDescription:Overall project: Students will learn about different topics of Central America. They will be placed into groups of 4 or 5 and each group will be in charge of researching about their country. Class discussions will be held before students start researching about their given topics for that specific day. This is so all students will develop a general knowledge of each country. After the discussion, groups will get together, and research about the specific topic, and also create a media presentation to the class. The next class each group will have 5-8 minutes to present about their topics. Each student in the class must be taking their notes over the groups presentation. This is important, because they will be relying on each group to do a good job, because they will be writing a paper at the end of the project. After all topics have been gone over students will write a paper. The paper will include the students planning their own trip through Central America. They will plan their transportation and housing, what they will do, talk about resources and landforms, how long they will stay in each country, and their specific route. Each groups name will be the specific country they were given (Guatemala, Panama, El Salvador, Costa Rica, Honduras, Belize, Nicaragua). At the end of the project students will upload their papers into an issuu (www.issuu.com), their paper will have pictures, and maps showing route, and they will email the link of their issuu to the teacher.

TLAC: Students Become Experts, Students working in small groups, Active learning, Problem Solving Instruction "

Time Table: (5 min) Warm Up worksheet (25 min) Lecture(18 min) Project (2 min) Exit Ticket

Introduction: Students will come in and fill out the warmup worksheet. The worksheet will be a blank map (teacher will fill in A,B,C,D, etc., on the counties) over Central America that students will label the countries on another sheet of paper. This other sheet of paper will be attached to the map worksheet.

Developmental Activities: The class discussion will begin with students going to the prezi (http://tinyurl.com/SSPrezi18392). The teacher will go over different types of landforms (vocabulary). They will explain what classifies something as a landform, and the different types of landforms. Then they will pull up a map from (website), and cold call on students to answer exploratory questions. (students will come to the smartboard and point to where they believe each landform should be.) The teacher will then point to where the landform is located, show a picture of it, and students will draw its location on their warm up sheet. The students will draw mountain ranges for mountains, volcanoes for volcanoes, etc. A key will be made on the of the blank map, so they know what the image should look like. Also, students will put a number next to the image, and on the back of the sheet, will write the numbers with the specific names of the landforms (Examples of the types of names). Students might not realize it at the time, but they are making a study guide, they will be able to study this and quiz themselves for the potential warm up questions or quizzes they may have during the unit over this section. This will also help reiterate the previous day lesson, because it gives them a chance to make corrections if they got any of their labeling wrong in the warm up.

Questions to ask: 1. Where do you think the isthmus would be located?2. Where is the Pacific Ocean? 3. Where is the Gulf of Mexico? 4. Where is the Caribbean Sea? 5. Where are the volcanoes located? 6. Where are the plains located? 7. Where are the mountains located?

Conclusion: After discussion has concluded, students will begin to work on their project in their groups. The groups will research through the websites given by the teacher on their website. They will create a multimedia presentation, with pictures/maps, that explain: This activity will also be repetition of the days lesson, along with the presentations given in class the next day. The more times students see the information, it gets stored in their long term memory.

Questions to answer: 1. How was the landform formed? 2. Where is it located within its country? (middle, coast, boarder with another country)3. Are any threats that this landform possess towards the local people, or any significance of it? 4. Are there multiple landforms in the country? Is it unusual for this to occur? 5. What landform did you find most interesting, and why?

Exit Ticket: Students will need to answer the questions: What are two concepts in this lesson today, that you may need to know for the STAARS test?

Homework: Create a critical thinking question pertaining to todays lesson. (these questions will be used on warm ups and quizzes throughout the unit.) Also, color in the blank map of landforms (answer page shown).

Extensions: Students will begin to plan their trip around Central America. They will begin to write their final paper for the project, and begin by picking a country and writing the paragraph over it. They will begin to map out what order they visit each country, how they will get there, and where they will stay ( using one of the travel sites). For students who finish early most days they will have the extra assignment of making an expense sheet for each country and travel.

Expense Sheet to include: • Flight Price• Hotel Price• Site Seeing Costs • Food Price (ate at market, restaurant, etc.) • Souvenirs Costs • Extra Costs

Modifications: ELLs will be paired with other students that speak their language, or that they commonly communicate with. Groups are an extremely important for ELLs, also the instructor will be available for questions. ELLs that have problems with writing can come to instructor for help with vocabulary or revising, or use peers as an editing source. Also, ELLs that are at the beginning level will have the option of writing the paper (I would like for them to challenge themselves to do this), or draw a comic book ( still have to use vocabulary, but are able to draw pictures for difficulties with sentences, grammar, etc.). Special needs students will work with other students in groups like ELLs, but the instructor will monitor their progress more closely. They will also be given the option of writing the travel paper, but will work on it with the teacher in a small group or individually 10 -15 minutes before the end of class. There will be one class day dedicated to writing the paper, so they will also be working with the teacher or small groups to write their papers. These students should be done with their paper and not have to take it home, if they have to take it home, then the teacher will contact the parent about helping their child with the assignment.

Websites For Group Research: http://centralamerica.com/

http://worldlandforms.com/landforms/landform-links/

http://wiki.theplaz.com/w/images/Central_America_Landforms_Map.JPG

http://hannahigh.org/ourpages/auto/2010/10/1/53229382/wg%20ch%209%20sec%201.pdf

Countries & Landforms Please fill the alphabetical letters (A,B,C,D,E,F,G) with the countries and the numbers (1-7) with the landforms.

A.

" 1.

B.

" 2.

C.

" 3.

D.

" 4.

E.

" 5.

F.

" 6.

G.

" 7.

Countries & Landforms A. Guatemala

" 1.

B. Belize

" 2.

C. Honduras

" 3.

D. Nicaragua

" 4.

E. El Salvador

" 5.

F. Costa Rica

" 6.

G. Panama

" 7.

KEY FOR MAPStudents will create their own key. Draw a picture next to the word in which you will draw on your map.

Mountains:

Isthmus: Volcanoes: Panama Canal:

Ocean: Bay: Gulf: Lake:

Plateaus: Plains: Costal Plains:

Jungles

Peninsula: Lowlands:

Highlands: Rain Forests:

Students will have a blank map worksheet and color it in like this one. (Homework)

Resources:CentralAmerica.Com. (n.d.). CentralAmerica.Com. Retrieved April 30, 2012, from http://centralamerica.com/

Landform Links | Landforms | World landforms | List of landforms. (n.d.). Landforms | World landforms | List of landforms. Retrieved April 30, 2012, from http://worldlandforms.com/landforms/landform-links/

Landforms and Resources . (n.d.). Hannah High. Retrieved April 29, 2012, from hannahigh.org/ourpages/auto/2010/10/1/53229382/wg%20ch%209%20sec%201.pdf

The Plaz. (n.d.). The Plaz . Retrieved April 30, 2012, from wiki.theplaz.com/w/images/Central_America_Landforms_Map.JPG

Central america outline map . (n.d.). World Atlas including Geography Facts, Maps, Flags - worldatlas.com. Retrieved April 30, 2012, from http://www.worldatlas.com/webimage/countrys/namerica/printpage/camout.htm

Issuu - You Publish. (n.d.). Issuu - You Publish. Retrieved April 30, 2012, from http://www.issuu.com

Prezi - The Zooming Presentation Editor. (n.d.). Prezi - The Zooming Presentation Editor. Retrieved April 30, 2012, from http://www.prezi.com

"Buck Institute for Education." Buck Institute for Education. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 Apr. 2012. <http://bie.org>.