UNIT TITLE: "THE GREATEST PLACES ARE EVERYWHERE"

TEACHER:
KERMIT A. SIMONS
MUNFORD MIDDLE SCHOOL
100 EDUCATION AVE.
MUNFORD, TENNESSEE 38058
(901) 837 - 1700
[email protected]

OVERVIEW: - YEAR LONG INTEGRATION

- ENRICHMENT TO STANDARD CURRICULUM

- EMPLOYING THE GEOGRAPHIC STANDARDS

- REAL WORLD BASED

- BOTH ON AND OFF CAMPUS FOCUSED

- CLOSE CO-OPERATION WITH SUPPORTING MUSEUM

- EMPHASIZING HIGH LEVEL THINKING AND PROBLEM

SOLVING TECHNIQUES

- CROSS CURRICULUM BASED

- UTILIZING INQUIRY AND AUTHENTIC STRATEGIES

GRADE LEVELS: 6-8 MIDDLE SCHOOL BASED BUT SECONDARY IN DESIGN

THEMES: - MAJOR EMPHASIS ON REGIONS, THE SEARCH FOR

SIMILARITIES

- ALLOW STUDENTS TO EXPLORE AND DISCOVER THE

INTERRELATIONSHIP OF ALL FIVE THEMES

- HIGHLIGHT GEOGRAPHIC DIVERSITY

IMPLEMENTATION - THIS WILL BE A WHOLE YEAR CURRICULUM COMBINING THE STRENGTHS OF THE STATES STANDARDS WITH THE OPPORTUNITIES "THE GREATEST PLACES" IMAX PRODUCTION. IT WILL INCLUDE ALL ASPECTS OF THE GEOGRAPHIC STANDARDS FOR LIFE. WHILE I SHALL INCLUDE SOME OF THE ACTIVES I PLAN TO UTILIZE IT WILL BY NO MEANS INCLUDE ALL OF THE ONES I WILL USE. I CURRENTLY PLAN TO TAKE ALL STUDENTS TO A OVERNIGHT AT THE SAINT LOUIS SCIENCE MUSEUM TO COMPLETE THE STUDENTS FIRST STAGE IN A LIFELONG EXPLORATION OF THE EARTH’S GREATEST PLACES.

GREATEST PLACES KICKOFF

ACTIVITY ONE : WORLD GEOGRAPHY CLASS

START OF SCHOOL YEAR

TIME REQUIRED : 1 (50 MINUTE) PERIOD

OBJECTIVE: THE LEARNER WILL WORK WITH GEOGRAPHY FOR LIFE

STANDARDS FOR LIFE 2,3,4, AND 5

MATERIALS: - VCR PLAYER

- GREATEST PLACES ANIMATIC VIDEO

- PAPER AND WRITING IMPLEMENT

PRIOR KNOWLEDGE: FIVE STEPS OF GEOGRAPHIC INQUIRY

LESSON: - WATCH VIDEO WITHOUT SOUND

- AFTER WATCHING THE VIDEO HAVE STUDENTS, USING THE

FIVE STEPS OF GEOGRAPHIC INQUIRY, WRITE DOWN

THEIR IMPRESSIONS AND ASSUMPTIONS.

- COLLECT AND HOLD FOR FUTURE USE WITHOUT

DISCUSSION

ASSESSMENT: - STUDENTS EFFORT AND ENGAGEMENT

- STUDENTS PAPER

LETTER TO EMBASSIES

ACTIVITY TWO: ENGLISH AND WORLD GEOGRAPHY CLASSES

START OF SCHOOL YEAR

TIME FRAME: 4 (50 MINUTE) PERIODS

OBJECTIVES: - THE LEARNER WILL DEMONSTRATE THEIR KNOWLEDGE OF

PROPER LETTER FORMAT, PUNCTUATION, AND

WRITING SKILLS.

- THE LEARNER WILL USE RESEARCH SKILLS TO LOCATE

ADDRESSES OF THE SEVEN COUNTRIES OF THE

GREATEST PLACES

MATERIALS: - WORLD ALMANACS AND EMBASSY LISTS

- PAPER AND WRITING IMPLEMENTS

PRIOR KNOWLEDGE: - SOME RESEARCH SKILLS

- BASIC WRITING AND LETTER FORMAT SKILLS

LESSON: *GEOGRAPHY - ASSIGN EACH STUDENT A COUNTRY

- EACH WILL RESEARCH THEIR COUNTRY AND

LOCATE IT’S EMBASSIES ADDRESS

*ENGLISH - WRITE LETTER A REQUESTING INFORMATION

ON THE COUNTRY, AND A LIST OF

SCHOOLS, TEACHERS AND OR

STUDENTS THAT WOULD WANT TO SHARE

INFORMATION WITH US

ASSESSMENT: - PARTICIPATION AND EFFORT IN GEOGRAPHY

- SUBJECTIVE GRADING IN ENGLISH

MUNFORD "GREATEST PLACES" DISCOVERY BOX

ACTIVITY THREE: GEOGRAPHY, SCIENCE, MATH, AND ENGLISH CLASSES

DURING THE FIRST SIX WEEKS

TIME FRAME: 1 DAY PER WEEK FOR THREE WEEKS

OBJECTIVES: THE LEARNER WILL THROUGH TEAMWORK AND

EXPLORATION DISCOVER THE GREATEST PLACES IN

THEIR AREA

MATERIALS: - CAMERAS VIDEO AND STILL

- A SHOE BOX

- AN IMAGINATION

- ITEMS FROM LOCAL AREA

PRIOR KNOWLEDGE: THE LOCAL AREA

LESSON: *GEOGRAPHY

- GROUP DISCUSSION ON WHAT A GREAT PLACE IS AND

IS NOT AND COVER THE PURPOSE OF THIS

EXERCISE, WHICH IS TO DETERMINE WHAT ARE

THE GREATEST PLACES IN LOCAL AREA.

- DO VIDEO ON THE GREATEST PLACES AT THE SCHOOL

AFTER THE STUDENTS MAKE UP THE SCRIPT

- GIVE THEM PHOTO ASSIGNMENTS AROUND THE AREA

- STUDENTS SELECT THOSE ITEMS THAT TO THEM SAY

WHAT MUNFORDS GREATEST PLACES ARE.

*MATH

- STUDENTS CREATE A SURVEY OF THE FAVORITE

THINGS FOR THE STUDENTS AT MUNFORD

MIDDLE SCHOOL

- CONDUCT THE SURVEY AND TABULATE THE RESULTS

- CREATE A DATA BASE

- CONSTRUCT GRAPHS AND CHARTS FROM THE DATA

- STUDENTS SELECT THE BEST

*SCIENCE

- COLLECT AND LABEL EXAMPLES OF THE LOCAL

ECO-SYSTEM

- USE ACTUAL SAMPLES, PHOTO, AND DRAWINGS

- CLASS CHOOSES THOSE ITEMS THAT BEST REPRESENT

THE AREA’S GREATEST PLACES

*ENGLISH

- DISCUSS THE PRO AND CONS OF PEN PALS

- MAKE UP BRIEF INTRO’S FOR POSSIBLE PEN PALS

- CONSTRUCT A PERSONAL BROCHURE ON THE

GREATEST PLACES IN THE LOCAL AREA

*GEOGRAPHY

- COLLECT THE RESULTS AND LET THE STUDENT’S

DECIDE THE CONTENTS OF THE MUNFORD

MIDDLE SCHOOL’S GREATEST PLACES

DISCOVERY BOX

ASSESSMENT: - STUDENT’S PARTICIPATION AND EFFORT

- EACH SUBJECT WILL CONSTRUCT THEIR OWN GRADE

FORMAT

ACTIVITY FOUR: GEOGRAPHY, SCIENCE, MATH, AND ENGLISH CLASSES

DURING THE STUDY OF THE GEOGRAPHY OF THE UNITED STATES

TIME FRAME: 1 WEEK

OBJECTIVES: THE LEARNER WILL THROUGH TEAMWORK AND

EXPLORATION DISCOVER THE GREATEST PLACES IN

THROUGH OUT THE U.S. AND THEN CONSIDER THEIR

DIVERSITY AND COMMONALITY WITH EACH OTHER

MATERIALS: - THE GREATEST PLACES DISCOVERY BOXES FROM AROUND

THE ENTIRE U.S.

- A VCR

- TABLES TO EXAMINE THE BOXES

PRIOR KNOWLEDGE: A GENERAL AWARENESS OF THE ENTIRE NATION

LESSON: *GEOGRAPHY

- GROUP DISCUSSION ON WHAT A GREAT PLACE IS AND

IS NOT AND COVER THE PURPOSE OF THIS

EXERCISE, WHICH IS TO COMPARE

THE GREATEST PLACES THROUGH OUT THE U.S.

- WATCH THE VIDEOS AND COMPARE

- COMPARE AND CONTRAST CONTENTS

*MATH

- STUDENTS COMPARE SURVEY QUESTIONS AND

ANSWERS

- COMPARE SURVEY METHODS AND RESULTS

- EXAMINE THEIR DATA BASES, CHARTS, AND GRAPHS

*SCIENCE

- EXAMINE DISCOVERY BOXES SAMPLE AND COMPARE

AND CONTRAST THEM

- WRITE OUT YOUR OBSERVATIONS AND CONCLUISONS

*ENGLISH

- DISCUSS THE PRO AND CONS OF PEN PALS

- CHOOSE A PEN PAL

- WRITE A PEN PAL

*GEOGRAPHY

- COLLECT THE RESULTS AND LET THE STUDENT’S

USE GEOGRAPHIC INQUIRY METHODS TO JUSTIFY

THEIR FINDINGS

ASSESSMENT: - STUDENT’S PARTICIPATION AND EFFORT

- EACH SUBJECT WILL CONSTRUCT THEIR OWN GRADE

FORMAT

GREATEST PLACES REVISITED

ACTIVITY ONE : WORLD GEOGRAPHY CLASS

START OF MUSEUM VISIT WEEK

TIME REQUIRED : 2 (50 MINUTE) PERIODS

OBJECTIVE: THE LEARNER WILL WORK WITH GEOGRAPHY FOR LIFE

STANDARDS FOR LIFE 2,3,4, AND 5

MATERIALS: - VCR PLAYER

- GREATEST PLACES ANIMATIC VIDEO

- PAPER AND WRITING IMPLEMENT

PRIOR KNOWLEDGE: FIVE STEPS OF GEOGRAPHIC INQUIRY

LESSON: - WATCH VIDEO WITH SOUND

- AFTER WATCHING THE VIDEO HAVE STUDENTS, USING THE

FIVE STEPS OF GEOGRAPHIC INQUIRY, WRITE DOWN

THEIR IMPRESSIONS AND ASSUMPTIONS.

- RETURN THEIR ESSAYS FROM FIRST WEEK AND HAVE THEM

COMPARE AND CONTRAST THEIR TWO ASSESSMENTS

- HAVE CLASS COMPARE THESE GREATEST PLACES WITH

OTHER THAT WE HAVE STUDIED AND DISCUSS THEIR

OPINIONS

- MAKE UP THEIR OWN LIST WITH THEM JUSTIFING THEIR

CHOICES

- HAVE CLASS MAKE UP THEIR LIST OF THE SEVEN GREATEST

PLACES

ASSESSMENT: - STUDENTS EFFORT AND ENGAGEMENT

- STUDENTS PAPERS

GREATEST PLACES CLOSURE "I CAN NAME THAT PLACE IN ??? CLUES

ACTIVITY ONE : WORLD GEOGRAPHY CLASS

END OF SCHOOL YEAR

TIME REQUIRED: 1 OR 2 (50 MINUTE) PERIODS

OBJECTIVE: THE LEARNER WILL DEMONSTRATE A SOLID WORKING

KNOWLEDGE OF THE WORLD’S LOCATIONS AND PLACES

BOTH THE GREATEST PLACES THOSE NOT SO GREAT

MATERIALS: - TIMER

- DRY WIPE BOARDS

- CLASS SET-UP FOR GROUP WORK

PRIOR KNOWLEDGE: WORLD GEOGRAPHY

LESSON: - DIVIDE CLASS INTO ABILITY GROUPS OF THREE TO FOUR

- GIVE A SINGLE GENERAL CLUE THEN THE TEAMS BID ON

HOW MANY CLUES THEY WILL NEED TO NAME A

"GREATEST PLACE"

- LOW BIDS GET FIRST CHANCE TO ANSWER WITH THE # OF

CLUES THEY BID, IF WRONG THE NEXT LOWEST AND

SO ON

- IN CASE OF TIES IN BIDS BOTH WRITE THEIR ANSWERS

DOWN AND DISPLAY THEIR ANSWERS AT THE SAME

TIME

ASSESSMENT: - EACH TEAM WILL BE GRADED BASED ON TEAM SCORES

- ANY TEAM MEMBER WHO DOESN’T CONTRIBUTE IN THE

TEACHERS’ OPINION CAN LOOSE POINTS