Lesson Plan

Alana Sullivan

Unit Topic: Geography (learning about the world in which we live)

Grade Level: 5^th grade

Lesson Topic: The major countries and key landmarks within these countries

Objectives:

1.     Students will be able to understand where some of the major countries in the world are located on a map.

2.     Students will be able to understand some of the major landmarks and key facts about some major countries.

Instructional Techniques:

 1. Lecture

 2. Class discussion

3.     Interactive website to test what they have obtained from the lesson

Instructional Materials:

1.     Access to computers and internet to use the website

2.     A pull down map to review some of the main countries in our world

3.     Chalk board/ white board to write notes on for your students to copy down

4.     Image of American flag

5.     Picture showing northern Ireland along with the rest of Ireland

Theoretical Perspective:

This lesson is important to students understanding because it teaches them about some of the worlds major countries. Students will need to learn where these countries are located and important facts about these countries. Students should be able to decipher the differences between different countries based on location, and other key facts. This lesson will hopefully increase interest in international travel and learning more about the countries of the world.

Procedure:

1)    Introduce the activity

a)     When the class is about to begin, the teacher will tell the students to take out their notebooks and a pen so they can take notes on some of the major countries.

b)    Then the teacher will then hand out a blank world map (which can be found as a link on the website)

c)     The teacher will then proceed by pulling down the big pull-down map

d)    This will be followed by the teacher showing the students the following countries and allowing the students time to fill in the map

i)      USA, France, India, China, Japan, Canada, Italy, Russia and Spain

ii)    Allow enough time for students to fill out map and come up to the front of class and take a closer look at the big map, if needed

iii)   While students are filling out the map, the teacher should go around the room and make sure the students are filling out the map properly

2)    Pre-test

a)     Have the students log in to the website and attempt the quiz before the lesson

i)      Observe the students while they take the quiz

ii)     Have them mark how many tries it takes for the student to get the question correct

3)    Lecture

a)     USA

i)      Show location on map

ii)    The United States is located in North America

(1)  Explain how it is located more north on the map and how south America is more south

(2)  Teach the saying so the children remember the directional on the compass: never eat soggy worms

iii)   Show image of American flag

(1)  The American flag is red, white, and blue

(2)  It consists of 50 blue stars representing the 50 states

(3)  The 13 stripes represent the 13 original colonies.

(4)  The white stands for innocence or purity

(5)  The red stands for the bravery of the people who fought for our freedom

(6)  The blue stands from justice, perseverance, and vigilance.

iv)   One of Americans favorite sports is baseball

b)    France

i)      Show location on map

ii)    The capital of France is Paris

(1)  The Eiffel Tower is located in Paris, France

iii)   In France, they speak French

(1)  Which is known as a romantic language

(2)  French comes from Latin

(3)  is today the second most studied language after English

(4)  This is spoken by more than 300 million people around the world as first or second language.

c)     China

i)      Show location on map

ii)    Is one of the largest countries in the world

iii)   In China, most schools in China run from about 7:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., allowing a two-hour break for lunch and uniforms are typically required.

iv)   Since 1979, China has had a one-child policy. Families are allowed to have only one child. If a family has more than one child, they are put at risk of paying steep fines to the government.

d)    Greece

i)      Show location on map

ii)    The capital of Greece is Athens

iii)   No one in Greece can choose to not vote. Voting is required by law for every citizen who is 18 or older.

e)     Japan

i)      Show location on map

ii)    Its the worlds 10th largest population with over 127 million people.

(1)  Since it is so overpopulated, Japan is not taking in any immigrants

iii)   70%of Japan is made up of mountains

f)     Canada

i)      Show location on map

ii)    One of Canadas favorite sports is Hockey

iii)    Canada has two of the biggest lakes in the world

(1)  Great Bear Lake and Great Slave Lake.

iv)   Niagara Falls is one of Canada's biggest tourist attractions

(1)   This was formed in the last Ice Age.

g)     Ireland

i)      Show location on map

ii)    Back in the 1800s, all of Ireland was under British rule but in the 1800s Ireland decided to separate from British rule and control themselves but a little section known as Northern Ireland stayed under British rule.

iii)   Northern Ireland is still under British rule today

iv)   Most Irish people speak English as a first language but they are also taught Irish, which is called the Gaelic language or Gaeilge, in schools. Gaelic is mostly spoken in western regions of Ireland and is spoken throughout the country with some minor differences.

h)    Spain

i)      Show location on map

ii)    Spain is one of the top three most visited countries in the world.

iii)   Over 98% of the Spanish population are Roman Catholic.

4)     Post-test

a)     Have children sit at a computer

b)    Observe children while taking the test

c)     Have them mark down how many tries it takes to get the problem correct on the worksheet

d)    Then have the children fill out the map placing the countries discussed in todays lecture on the map

5)    Closure

a)     Tell children average score on pre test compared to post test

b)    Tell students how they improved and how well they did

c)     Ask if there are any questions

Adaptations for Different Learners:

Some students may struggle to keep up with the notes. As a teacher you can slow down for this student or if the student is holding up the rest of the class while the other students are taking the test you can sit down with that student and help them fill in all the missing key facts from their notes. Allow the student to take the test at another time.

Evaluation:

Objectives:

1.     Students will be able to understand where some of the major countries in the world are located on a map.

2.     Students will be able to understand some of the major landmarks and key facts about some major countries.

The objects listed can be completed and evaluated through the students filling out the work sheet of the map and template attached on the home page, expressing how many answers they got correct.