#827. Exploring Landforms

Social Studies, level: Elementary
Posted Sun Jan 31 18:35:02 PST 1999 by angela mostoller and sally howell (amostoller@excite.com sallyh@cybrtown.com).
Wynford Local School District, Bucyrus, Ohio USA
Materials Required: book collection on landforms, art supplies, internet web sites, etc.
Activity Time: week +
Concepts Taught: landforms

Title: Exploring Landforms

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