Landforms Lesson Plans
From: http://teachers.net/lessons/posts/827.html
Subject Matter Emphasis and Level :
Social Studies, Language Arts – Grade 2
Brief Description of the Lessson/ Unit :
This unit investigates several types of landforms. Students will explore and choose a famous landform to investigate and create a presentation on.
Goals :
Social Studies – World Interactions – The student will develop map skills and identify, describe, or construct representations of landforms, body of waters, and human features.
Language Arts – Structure – The student will read and speak with fluency and expression. The student will focus on a topic. The student will read, write/draw, listen, view and speak for a variety of assigned and self selected purposes.
Application – The student will use study skills effectively to locate, organize and categorize information from media sources; evaluate information, interpret maps, use computers and other technology. The student will follow oral and written directions involving multiple steps.
Multidisciplinary – The student will develop multi-media projects related to books and themes.
Content:
There are several types of landforms located around the world.
Landforms can include the rainforest, tundra, desert, forest, grasslands, oceans, waterfalls, canyons, reefs, mountains, and volcanoes, as well as others.
Each landform has unique characteristics, these characteristics can be found in all types of media.
Information can be found in a multitude of resources such as books, CD Rom, internet, encyclopedias, and magazines.
Students will choose a topic (one of the landforms) , then investigate and choose a famous landform to create a presentation on.
Prior Learning, Interests, Misconceptions, and Conceptual Difficulties:
Students may:
have prior knowledge about landforms.
have misconceptions about where landforms are located on a globe.
have limited knowledge about where information can be found.
be interested in landforms due to popular movies, books or T.V. shows.
Major learning activities:
Students choose a landform from a teacher prepared list. Fill out request form for that landform.
Explore the chosen and approved landform using various types of media.
Students investigate chosen well known landform and work on outline questions. (See question outline)
Conference with teacher about outline questions and choose project(s) from project list. (See project list)
Students work on project(s). (See project list)
Students present question outline and project. (See presentation assessment and project rubric)
Materials and Resources:
Books and other familiar resources:
Encyclopedias, book collection from the public library, art and project making supplies based on student’s choices
Community Resources:
Parent experts, Ohio State extension office, Soil and Water Conservation League
Technology Resources:
CD Rom encyclopedia, internet web sites, presentation software, printer, video equipment, overhead, scanner, digital camera
Useful Web sites:
http://pharos.bu.edu/Egypt/Wonders/Natural/Home.html (Natural Wonders)
http://www.mobot.org/MB ( Rainforest, Tundra, Forest, Desert, Grasslands)
http://www.greeceny.com/ls/grade4 (Animal Habitats for Arctic, Desert, Jungle, Sea)
http://www.yahooligans.com
http://www.volcano.und.nodak.edu (Volcanoes)
http://greatplaces.org
http://sunsite.Berkeley.EDU/KidsClick!/
Assessment:
Question outline will be graded using a ten point scale. (See question outline)
Project(s) and presentation will be assessed according to rubrics.
Students evaluate self by using student presentation rubric. (See student presentation rubric)
Management:
Students will work independently or in small groups, in the computer lab, in the classroom, and in free time to complete assignments. According to availability of computers, students may be put into groups for research. One group can use computers while one uses print resources. Students will work at different levels and different speeds. The choice of projects will allow for the differences in abilities.
Support Services and Special Teacher Notes:
Technology coordinator to assist with internet searches
Special Education staff to assist as needed
Exploring Landforms
Project Rubric
Student shows originality in project_____
Student correctly represent information _____
Student’s project is on chosen landform _____
Student shows effort _____
Students shows creativity in project _____
Total __________
3=Wonderful
2=Good job
1=I tried.
Exploring Landforms
Question Outline
Name ______________________________________
Type of Landform _____________________________
Name of famous landform __________________________________________
Location of famous landform ________________________________________
Five interesting facts about your landform
Project List
model of clay, newspaper article, book, drawing, poster, movile, game, shadow box, artifact box, chart, multi-media slide show, audio tape, puppet show, mural, video tape, trip ad, audio clip, web page, brochure….etc
Exploring Landforms
Presentation Assessment
Student reads and presents with fluency_____
Student presents with expression_____
Student stays focused on topic_____
Student effectively uses question outline and projects during presentation_____
Student completes project(s) neatly_____
5/5=5 on rubric (super)
4/5=4 on rubric (above average)
3/5=3 on rubric (average)
2/5=2 on rubric (below average)
1/5=1 on rubruc (project attempted)
Exploring Landforms
Student Presentation Rubric
5 Question outline complete, 3 projects complete
4 Question outline complete, 2 projects complete
3 Question outline, 1 project complete
2 Question outline or project complete
1 Question outline and project attempted
Landform Lesson Plan 2
Grade Level: 6 or 7
Time: 30-45 Minutes
Geographic Themes
Landforms
Overview
Students will begin with a warm-up card game reviewing the major landforms and definitions. The students will look at examples of these landforms from around the world. Next, the students will pair up to create three landforms on cardboard squares using goop (salt dough). Finally the students will present their landforms to the class and the teacher will read aloud a short story involving landforms.
Materials
warm-up card game with land forms and definitions *see procedure*
cardboard squares 5″ X 5″ (one square per pair of students)
paper towels
Goop (salt dough) *see procedure* either pre-colored or use markers and paint
flip chart with types of landforms or pull down wall chart with landforms and definitions.
short story about physical features.
Goals
From the Sunshine State Standard for M/J Geography
(2) Locate and describe geographic features and political divisions of the major regions of the world.
(2.04) identify the major physical features on each continent
From the Core Curriculum for Lakeland Middle Academy
(A-4) explain the relationships between location, climate, topography, and other interactions in physical geography (concepts of physical geography)
Objectives
By the end of the lesson the student will be able to:
review common landforms and definitions
recognize types of landforms throughout the world
create a model of three landforms using goop
work cooperatively with others
Procedure
Initiating Activity – Warm-up Card Game
Each student will receive an index card with a landform name on the front and a different definition on the back. All the students will stand in a circle. The student with the first card reads the definition. The person with the matching landform calls it out. That person then reads the definition on their card. This proceeds until all students have given their definition. The last definition should go on the back of the beginning person’s landform.This works well as a review tool. The teacher must make sure that the students’ answers are correct.
Strategies – Examples and Goop
The teacher will review landforms and definitions with the students using a flip book. The book has examples of the landforms from around the world.Students will form pairs with guidance from the teacher (usually the students they are sitting beside). Each pair will receive a piece of cardboard, three landforms to create (written on a sheet of paper), paper towels, and pre-bagged goop. Goop Recipe
Ingredients
2 cups table salt and 2/3 cup water (mix)
1 cup cornstarch and 2/3 cup water (mix)
Instructions
Stir the salt mixture in saucepan until it is well heated (3 or 4 minutes). Remove from the heat and add cornstarch mixture. STIR QUICKLY. If it does not thicken, return to low heat and stir until thick. It is hard to stir, but undercooking it leaves it sticky and too gooey! It should be soft, pliable mass that can be kept in a jar or baggie. It does not need refrigeration. This can be used to make 3-D models, as it dries hard. It can be colored with markers or tempra paint. Food coloring can be added while mixing to create pre-colored goop.
After handing out the materials, ask for questions, show an example of the finished product, and begin. Watch and guide the students as they work. They are usually very interested in this activity and will work with few problems. If the goop gets in the carpet, allow it to dry and then sweep it away.
Culminating Activity – Presentation and Story
Allow groups to clean up as they finish. Hands will need to be washed, either in bathroom or a handy spray bottle. Keep leftover goop in a baggie as it can last a year or two. Have each pair present their landforms to the class, explaining what they are and why they them like such.After presentations, the teacher will read a short involving physical features.
Evaluation
Completion of landform creation and presentation to the class. Landform definitions will be on eventual physical geography test.
National Standards
Geography Standard 4 Grades 5-8 Places and Regions
1. How different physical processes shape places
A. Analyze the physical characteristics of places
Resource List
Baerwald, Thomas J. and Celeste Fraser. World Geography Needham, Massachusetts: Prentice Hall, 1993. Carlson, Laurie. Kids Create! Charlotte, Vermont: Williamson Publishing Co., 1990.
de Blij, H.J. and Peter Mueller. Physical Geography of the Global Environment. New York: John Wiley and Sons, Inc., 1993.
Geography: Realms, Regions, and Concepts. 7th ed. New York: John Wiley and Sons, Inc., 1994.
Easterbrook, Donald J. Surface Processes and Landforms. New york: MacMilan Publishing Company, 1993.
Waugh, David. The Wider World. United Kingdom: Nelson, 1994.
