I. Curricular Framework

Concept:

Organization
(Movement through Space)

Essential Question:

What are the characteristics of a good map?

Bridge:

Directions

Content:

Outcomes:

II. Standards Aligned

III. Instruction and Assessment

1. Connect: Connecting to the Concept Experientially

Objective: To stimulate students to think of a mystery as a challenge.
Activity: Put the students into small groups, and give them a written set of directions that are vague and incomplete. Stagger each group’s exit by a minute or so. This will keep the students from playing “follow the leader”. Post four or five helpers at various locations to assist the groups when they get frustrated. Eventually the students should find the treasure containing treats, homework passes, or small prizes.
Evaluation: Participation in the activity.

2. Attend: Attending to the Connection

Objective: To reflect and analyze the experience.
Activity: Guide students to reflect and analyze the obstacles they faced, how they dealt with frustrations, and the clues that helped.
Evaluation: Participation.

Assessment, Phase One, Level of Engagement, Fascination:

3. Image: Creating a Mental Picture

Objective: The students will use kinesthetic motions to give nonverbal directions to a specific place in the school.
Activity: Place students into groups of three. One of the students will draw a slip of paper that has a specific place written on it. Then the student will try to convey where the place is by using nonverbal kinesthetic motions (charades).
Evaluation: Participation in activity.

Assessment, Phase Two, Seeing the Big Picture:

4. Inform: Receiving Facts & Knowledge

Objective: To identify cardinal and intermediate directions, a legend, compass rose, serial views, and landforms.
Activity (Choices):
1. Use a globe and a map to show the location of the North and South Poles, equator, and prim meridian.
2. Draw a compass rose on the board to teach the directions.
3. Use a large map of the United States, or small individual ones, for oral repetition on directions. For example, ask them to tell you which state is north, south, east, or west of other states.
4. Play a game in the form of “Twenty Questions”. Select an object. The students should attempt to discover its location by asking questions such as, “Is the object west of the teacher’s desk?” All questions can be answered only by yes or no.
5. Discuss the importance of a legend. Draw a circle and a square on the board. Ask the students to list all of the things these two shapes could stand for on a map. After they have a chance to guess, explain that the shapes can stand for anything the cartographer chooses and are called abstract symbols.
6. Introduce land and water forms by showing films and filmstrips on the forces of nature.
7. Use a map with land and water forms identified on it. Write definitions for the forms. Students must match the definitions with the correct land or water form.
8. Place an object on a surface in view of all students. Ask them to sketch the object from their seats. Then have them stand on a stool and look down directly at the objective. Discuss the differences.
More Activity Choices:
1. Model using a compass by using an overhead projector and diagram. Teach compass parts, directions, and basic skills. Set up an orienteering course, then give students a compass and let them practice following directions.
Evaluation: Participation in activities.

Assessment, Phase Three, Success with Acquiring Knowledge:

5. Practice: Developing Skills

Activity (choices):
1. Give each student a piece of white drawing paper. Give the students written directions or read oral directions to the students as they follow them. Example: Draw a tree in the middle of the page. Draw a house northeast of the tree.
2. Give the students blank Bingo cards, and have them write the names of the cardinal directions in the spaces on the card. Make up a list of questions about things in the classroom or school. Example: What direction is the filing cabinet from the door?
3. Make a product map of Texas.
4. Have students draw a map of their bedroom. They should pretend to sit on the ceiling and draw the things they see on the floor.
5. Practice mapping skills with additional activities.
More Activity Choices:
1. Give students a piece of graph paper. Have them use the paper to make a scale drawing of their bedroom and its furniture arrangement. Then use another piece of paper to rearrange the furniture in the bedroom. Suggestion: Let _ inch graph paper equal one foot in actual size. It may be easier to cut out pieces of paper to represent the furniture. This would allow the students to move the furniture and see if it would fit in different areas of the room.
2. The teacher creates a treasure map by writing mysterious clues in a poem. The students must determine the treasure’s hiding place on the outline of an island by illustrating, labeling and connecting the landmarks from the clues in the poem.
Evaluation: Completion of task.

Assessment, Phase Four, Success with Acquiring Skills:

6. Extend: Extending Learning to the Outside World

Activity (Choices):
1. Create a map showing a volcano, two mountain ranges, three islands, two lakes, one river, two peninsulas, one isthmus and one bay.
2. Create an island without a legend. Include forms such as rivers, mountains and swamps. Finally, draw two pictures of the island, one from the view of a plane and one from the view of a boat.
More Activity Choices:
1. Given a list of twenty to thirty land and water forms, the students are to construct an imaginary island containing at least twenty forms. The island should depict a theme with all of the forms portraying it.
2. Divide the students into small groups. Give them a list of places such as a gas station, public library, newspaper stand, bank, and restaurant. They are to draw a map that shows the nearest relationship of the list of places to the school. They are to find the shortest route, without backtracking, from the school to all of the listed places. The maps should be detailed with 3-D figures.
3. Evaluation: Completion of maps.

7. Refine: Refining the Extension

Objective: To revise, refine, and share maps.
Activity:
1. Refine and self-assess the maps for accuracy, clarity and neatness.
2. Take a field trip in order to evaluate the accuracy of the neighborhood maps.
3. Share the map with the class and answer the essential question, “What are the characteristics of a good map?”
Evaluation: Quality and completion of task.

8. Perform: Creative Manifestation of Material Learned

Objective: To design a map and find a treasure.
Activity:
1. Divide students into groups. Each group is to plan a treasure hunt including a treasure, hiding place, and map. When all groups are finished, have them exchange maps and find a treasure.
2. Display island maps and treasure hunt maps.
Evaluation: Participation in activities.

Assessment, Phase Five,Performance, Creative Use of Material Learned: