Lesson Plan

Title:  Cultural Connections: The Tapestry of Life Subject:  Social Studies Grade Level:  3 - 5 Overview: In this lesson young students will use a variety of media to explore culture as the sum of learned patterns of behavior, institutions, values, and belief systems. Students will learn how to identify, compare, and appreciate the cultural characteristics of different regions and people. Content Standards: Geography: Physical and Cultural Systems      Students develop a spatial understanding of Earth's surface and the processes that shape it, the connections between people and places, and the relationship between man and his environment. Civics: Citizenship and Government      Students develop an understanding of the structure and purposes of government, the foundations of the American democratic system, and the role of the United States in the world, while learning about the rights and responsibilities of citizenship. Economics: Interdependence and Decision Making      Students develop an understanding of fundamental economic concepts as they apply to the interdependence and decision making of individuals, households, businesses, and governments in the United States and the World. Benchmarks: G-1A-E2      locating and interpreting geographic features and places on maps and globes; G-1B-E1      describing and comparing the physical characteristics of places, including land forms, bodies of water, soils, vegetation, and climate; G-1B-E2      identifying and describing the human characteristics of places, including population distributions and culture; G-1B-E4      defining and differentiating regions by using physical characteristics, such as climate and land forms, and by using human characteristics, such as economic activity and language; G-1C-E2      describing and comparing the types of settlement and patterns of land use in local communities, the United States, and world regions; G-1C-E4      identifying and comparing the cultural characteristics of different regions and people; C-1C-E1      explaining that the world is divided into different nations and describing the major ways that these nations interact; C-1A-M2      describing the essential characteristics of various systems of government; E-1A-E6      describing how natural resources, human resources, and capital (human-made) resources have been used and are combined in the production of goods and services; E-1A-E10      identifying some of the economic institutions, such as households and banks, that make up the economy; E-1B-E5      identifying the major goods and services produced in the local community and state. Interdisciplinary Connections:   English/Language Arts : Standard One      Students read, comprehend, and respond to a range of materials, using a variety of strategies for different purposes. English/Language Arts : Standard Five      Students locate, select, and synthesize information from a variety of texts, media, references, and technological sources to acquire and communicate knowledge. English/Language Arts : Standard Seven      Students apply reasoning and problem solving skills to reading, writing, speaking, listening, viewing, and visually representing. Educational Technology Standards:   Use a variety of developmentally appropriate resources and productivity tools (e.g., logical thinking programs, writing and graphic tools,digital cameras,graphing software) for communication,presentation,and illustration of thoughts, ideas,and stories. Utilize search strategies employing keywords, phrases, and Boolean operators (and, or, not) to access and retrieve information. Use technology resources to assist in problem-solving, self-directed learning, and extended learning activities. Lesson Procedures: Select the link to view the entire MarcoPolo lesson plan http://www.nationalgeographic.com/xpeditions/lessons/10/g35/tapestry.html Accommodations/Modifications: Teachers must follow special needs studentÍs Individual Education Plan (IEP) or 504 Modification Plan. STUDENTS WITH ATTENTION/BEHAVIOR DIFFICULTIES OPENING: Students with attention/behavior difficulties can have a show and tell. Not only invite them to bring in artifacts and regalia that reflect their ethnic origins but allow them to tell about what they brought. Also throughout the lesson, allow students with attention/behavior difficulties to go view the artifacts and regalia that the other students brought in when they need to. DEVELOPNENT: Help students with attention/behavioir difficulties set up ñCultural Connectionsî notebook with tabs with the different elements of culture that you plan on discussing with the class. That way the student can better organize his/her notes. When challenging the students to answer the geographic questions that the lesson plan suggest, help the student decide where each question should go in his/her notebook that you set up earlier and cut and paste each questions to its corresponding tab. Allow the student with attention/behavior difficulties to have an answer buddy. (Someone assigned to him/her to help find the answers.) As the students do group work, allow the student with attention/behavior difficulties to focus on one topic to research. For example, if the group is suppose to research specific languages, beliefs, institutions, and technologies, have the student with attention/behavior difficulties just to focus on one of those topics and have the rest of the group focus on the others. CLOSING: Provide student with attention/behavior difficulties a checklist. That way as the group is working on the quilt/banner the student with attention behavior difficulties can check off the steps as the group completes each one. STUDENTS WITH SENSORY IMPAIRMENTS(HEARING) DEVELOPMENT: Assign preferential seating. Place student that is hard of hearing close to the front of the classroom so he/she can see the teacherÍs mouth when the teacher speaks. Use overhead or chalk board, and write down what you say so that the students with hearing problems will be able to see what you are saying. If available, use a voice enhancement system to amplify you voice. Additional General Classroom Accommodations found in ñHelpful Linkî.           ----- written by Troi Moore   Non Reader (Below Grade Level-Reader Writer) Opening: This is a great opening for the non-reader because it involves no reading. Development: 1. The non-reader may be assigned a peer student who can read the questions and record the non-reader's answers. 2. The non reader may use an assistive technology device such as a computer and the software Read Please or FreeReader to read for them the handout which has been scanned to the computer. They may then either answer the questions verbally or use a speech-to-text program to record their answers in a word-processing software program. 3. The non-reader should be placed in a team wich contains a strong reader. 4. The student may use a program such as "ReadPlease" with the Internet to research information and programs such as " ViaVoice", "Dragon-naturally Speaking', or MS Windows accessibility features to record notes for the research. 5. The non-reader may be assigned the task of speaking for the group. Closing: This is a great activity for the non-reader because it involves little amounts of reading. 1. The student can be assigned non-reading tasks in their team such as selecting fabrics, making sketches, finding trinkets, and constructing the quilt or banner. STUDENTS WITH PHYSICAL IMPAIRMENTS Opening: 1. A student who can not speak may use a communication board or device to explain their artifact and ethnic origins. Development: 1. The verbally impaired student may use a communication device during the discussion and while researching with the other team members. 2. The impaired student may dictate answers verbally or with a communication device to an aide or peer student for transferring their answers to a printed handout of the questions given. 3. The student may be assigned a peer student or aide to help manipulate the keyboard and mouse while doing research. 4. The student may use a specially designed keyboard which requires few keystrokes, or use a pointer to placed in their mouth to tap keys on the keyboard. 5. This student would be given extended time to complete the research. 6. The impaired student may be given tasks within the team presentation that do not require movement or speech. Closing: 1. The physicall impaired student may be assigned tasks relating to the class project which do not require movement such as "fabric selection, sugestions for slogans, locating trinkets, and enlisting help from outside the classroom. Additional General Classroom Accommodations found in ÒHelpful LinkÓ.           ----- written by Troi Moore   Non Reader (Below Grade Level-Reader Writer) Opening: This is a great opening for the non-reader because it involves no reading. Development: 1. The non-reader may be assigned a peer student who can read the questions and record the non-reader's answers. 2. The non reader may use an assistive technology device such as a computer and the software Read Please or FreeReader to read for them the handout which has been scanned to the computer. They may then either answer the questions verbally or use a speech-to-text program to record their answers in a word-processing software program. 3. The non-reader should be placed in a team wich contains a strong reader. 4. The student may use a program such as "ReadPlease" with the Internet to research information and programs such as " ViaVoice", "Dragon-naturally Speaking', or MS Windows accessibility features to record notes for the research. 5. The non-reader may be assigned the task of speaking for the group. Closing: This is a great activity for the non-reader because it involves little amounts of reading. 1. The student can be assigned non-reading tasks in their team such as selecting fabrics, making sketches, finding trinkets, and constructing the quilt or banner. STUDENTS WITH PHYSICAL IMPAIRMENTS Opening: 1. A student who can not speak may use a communication board or device to explain their artifact and ethnic origins. Development: 1. The verbally impaired student may use a communication device during the discussion and while researching with the other team members. 2. The impaired student may dictate answers verbally or with a communication device to an aide or peer student for transferring their answers to a printed handout of the questions given. 3. The student may be assigned a peer student or aide to help manipulate the keyboard and mouse while doing research. 4. The student may use a specially designed keyboard which requires few keystrokes, or use a pointer to placed in their mouth to tap keys on the keyboard. 5. This student would be given extended time to complete the research. 6. The impaired student may be given tasks within the team presentation that do not require movement or speech. Closing: 1. The physicall impaired student may be assigned tasks relating to the class project which do not require movement such as "fabric selection, sugestions for slogans, locating trinkets, and enlisting help from outside the classroom. Additional General Classroom Accommodations found in ÒHelpful LinksÓ.           ----- written by Kimberly Simms   Contact Information: National Geographic Xpeditions http://www.nationalgeographic.com/xpeditions/ MarcoPolo Education Foundation MarcoPolo Lesson:  Yes