Grade: 3-5
Subject: Geography

#4548. Using Social Studies in Five Shared Reading Lessons

Geography, level: 3-5
Posted Sat Apr 23 11:32:13 PDT 2011 by Jennifer (Jennifer).
Shared Reading Lessons
Elementary, Mamaroneck
Materials Required: Map It (book by Elspeth Leacock), chart paper, markers and post-it notes
Activity Time: About 15 minutes for each activitiy
Concepts Taught: reading nonfiction text features

Shared Reading Lesson Plan
Text: Map It!
Author: Elspeth Leacock
The following is an outline of five shared reading activities a teacher can use for grades 2-5. It uses the four components of literacy: listening, speaking, reading and writing.
Connection to theory: Shared reading is an important component of the Balanced Literacy theory. It allows teachers to read to children, read with children and have children read by themselves. According to the New York State standards, "all children should be reading fluently by the end of third grade." Shared reading is a strategic lesson concept which allows for interactive reading experiences and a place for the teacher to guide students through the reading process. According to Pacific Resources for Education and Learning, shared reading assists students in making connections between background information and new information. It also suggests that students all have an opportunity to feel successful during shared reading and helps students gain new vocabulary.
Lesson 1
Read the heading on page 2. Direct students' attention to the photo.
What do you notice in this photo? What kind of place do you think this is?
What building do you see in the center of the photo? Who lives in this building?
If you were standing on the lawn in front of the White House, would you be able to see as many things as you can in this photo? Explain your thinking. Turn and talk to a partner first. Listen to your partner's thinking. Then write down your answer in your response notebook. Share.
Now let's look at the drawing on page 3 and read the text together.
What is this drawing called? What do you notice on this map? What buildings do you see on this map? Why might a person need a map of Washington, DC? What other things do you think a map can show?
Let's compare and contrast the photo on page 2 to the picture on p.3.
Draw a Venn diagram and elicit information. Photo: photo, buildings and streets are not labels, includes cars and people. Map: drawing, building and streets are labeled, has no cars or people. Both: show a place, gives a view from above, and includes the White House.


Lesson 2
Read the heading on page 4. Tell the students that they are going to learn more about symbols on the next page. Direct their attention to the picture symbol of the Statue of Liberty. What do you notice in this photo?
Read the first sentence together on page 4 as the teacher tracks the words. Point to the map and have the students read the title aloud. Then have a volunteer read the second sentence on page 4. Have students answer the question by noting the Statue of Liberty on p.4. Have the students read each label on the map as the teacher points to the places to identify. How do people get to and from the island? What clues tell you that? Where might you find information about Liberty Island?
Direct students' attention to the map on page 5. Compare and contrast this map with the one on p4. Make a Venn diagram. Do these maps show the same places or different places? What clues on the maps tell you that?
Read the first sentence on p. 5 with the students. Turn to the glossary and have a volunteer read the definition of symbol. Ask: on a traffic signal, what is green a symbol for? Yellow? Red?
Have a student locate the map key on p. 5. Ask a student to read the labels for each map key. Why is this good symbol for the ferry? Why do you think map keys are important? On the map, what do you think the blue shape is a symbol for? How do you know? Why do you think maps sometimes use symbols? How do you know what the symbols stand for? What colors do you notice on the map?

Lesson 3
Read the heading on p. 6. Read the first sentence together. What are the directions? Turn to the glossary and have a student read the definition of direction. Have students then look at the picture on p. 6. What does this picture show (earth, globe, map)? Have students read the second sentence on the page as the teacher tracks the words. Invite a volunteer to indentify the North Pole. Indicate the four directions. What is located to the east of North and South America? What is located to the west of North and South America?
Have a volunteer read the last sentence on p.6. Ask the students to use the picture to respond. Why do you think the person who drew this picture used so many different colors on the globe? What does each color stand for?
Direct students' attention to the compass rose on p.6. What do you think the N in this drawing stands for? The E? S? W? What can we read to find more about the small drawing? Direct students' attention to the caption. Explain that authors often use words need a photo or drawing, called a caption. Have the students read the caption as the teacher tracks the words.

Lesson 4
Have students read the heading and the text on p. 8. Then turn to the glossary and read the definition of landform with the students. What are some landforms that you know of? What are their shapes? What map symbols have we learned about so far? What do they show? Point to the first photo on p.8. What landform do you see in this photo? Read the caption with the students as the teacher tracks the words. Why do you think the symbol for a mountain looks like this? Have students practice drawing the mountain map symbol. Repeat for the river and the lake. Direct students' attention to the map on p. 9. Read the map title together. What kinds of things do you notice on this map? Read the text on p.9 with the students and track the words. Have students use the compass rose to answer the questions in the text. What landforms are shown on the map key? What other things are included in the map key? Have some volunteers point out on the map each of the things indicated on the map key. Why do you think someone might need a map of Texas that shows landforms? Have students draw conclusions about each item shows on the map: landforms, rivers and lakes, outdoor activities, and other.

Lesson 5
On p. 10 read the heading together. Read the first two sentences together and look at the map on p. 11. What kinds of things do you notice on this map? What vehicles do you think people in Florida use to travel from place to place? Direct students' attention to the airplane drawing on p. 10. What does this picture show? What do you think the picture tells us about transportation in Florida? Look at the map key on p. 11. Why do you think this symbol was used to indicate an airplane? How many airports are shown on the map? Repeat the process for railways and roadways. Read the text together on p. 1. Invite the students to respond to the questions with a partner. Create a concept chart. As students reread p. 10-11 add additional information to the concept chart.
Word Work: Writ the words capital and capitol on the board. Recite them to students. In what ways are these words the same? Different? Many pairs of words sound the same, but have different meanings. Ask volunteers to locate the words on p. 11. Explain that capitol refers to the building and capital refers to the city. Have students think of other pairs of words that sound alike, but are spelled differently. You can make a minibook of homophone pairs.