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Plan

Latin America Unit

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Unit Plan Latin America 6th Grade Social Studies

Essential Question: How does spatial inequality affect Mexicos citizens? Chapters Covered Latin America Mapping Lab Chapter 9-Spatial Inequality in Mexico City Mayan DBQ Chapter 12-Land Use conict in the Amazon Rainforest

Standards (Provided by Grand Rapids Public Schools, common Core Standards have been scaffolded and

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provided to all sixth grade social studies teachers within the district) 1 paragraph summary of a specic text (RH.1) Differentiate between issues based on fact and opinion (RH.1) Be able to write according to the patterns of writing (DDI/Quick shots/Journaling) (RH.6) Can distinguish or differentiate between documents (similar and different interpretations of the same topic, such as primary v. primary, primary v. secondary, secondary v. secondary) (RH.1) Continue to build grade level uency in readying of social studies texts (RH.10) Use domain specic language (circle, bubble, bridge) (RH.4) Be able to answer questions about author technique and word usage (tree) ( RH.6)

Rationale
This unit covers Mexico and the indigenous culture of Mayan people, focusing specically on those areas located within Latin America. Particularly, students are educated about Mexico today and the indigenous cultures to the geographic region in present day Mexico, the Mayans. Students will focus on the geographic terms as listed in their textbook, which highlight the key terms of chapter 9. Rural decline, spatial inequality, standard of living, and urbanization are all important terms to focus on during chapter 9, titled Spatial Inequality in Mexico City: From Cardboard to Castles. It is important for students to rst focus on spatial inequality occurring in Mexico City due to an array of happenings in the country, such as urbanization, rural decline, and what those situations lead to such as pollution. By focusing on these issues specically, students can identify the causes of what is happening and Mexico City, and realize how things such as rural decline causes urban migration. Students will complete various activities catering to their learning techniques, such as watching videos, completing geoterm worksheets, answering questions, all while focusing on the learning goal and language goal of each day. A majority of the students in my classroom are of Mexican descent and will be able to easily identify with this chapter. At the end of the chapter they will complete a formative assessment in the form of a quiz.

Lesson ! Plan

Latin America Unit

As sixth graders, it is important for them to learn more specically about how civilizations past experiences connect to present day, and how they apply to life today. Learning about Mexico City is important for a few reasons. First, it focuses on how a once prosperous area has succumbed to present day spatial inequality, pollution, and urbanization. Students are able to connect how civilizations in the past failed to how Mexico City is failing its citizens today. Students then can connect the urbanization, pollution, and inequality on a global scale. While there are many other countries the students could focus on, Mexico City allows many students to relate to the lessons on a personal level, as well as focus on the fact that the country of Mexico is not far away from where we live in Michigan.

It is also important to focus on great civilization such as the Mayans, and how they failed. However, the students can also learn about how the civilizations functioned on a day to day basis, study family life, tradition that is upheld today with Maya descendants. We will focus on the Mayans by using a Data Based Question packet, provided by the DBQ project. Students can connect the Mayan civilization to other indigenous groups trying to preserve their culture such as the Navajo people, as well as other indigenous groups on a global scale. The DBQ packet acts as differentiated instruction. It allows students to answer various questions upon analyzing primary documents, reading informational articles, and will complete the packet by writing an essay on the mayans.

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More so, the students will be learning about the rain forest. They will be studying various issues that occur in the rainforest, and completing a project on one aspect of the rainforest that interests them.

Mexico Day 1: Mapping lab #1 and #2 Day 2: Mapping lab #3 Day 3: Analyzing a eld photograph Day 4:Geoterms foldable Day 5: Globe Trekker Video Day 6: Cloze reading activity Day 7:Neighborhood visit #1 Day 8: Neighborhood visit #2 Day 9:Neighborhood visit #3 & #4 Day 10: Writing a postcard Day 11: Vocabulary quiz/nish postcard

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Lesson ! Plan

Latin America Unit

Day 1: Mapping Labs #1 and #2

Learning Goal: I will begin to understand the physical and political geography of Latin America Language Goal: I will label a physical and political map of Latin America
Warm up >> 10 minutes Students will create a mental map of the Latin America. They will need to label: A compass rose The equator bodies of water that they think lie N/S/E/W Areas they think have the least and greatest population. This will allow the students to create a mental map of the region, while demonstrating what they have learned in previous chapters about geographical skills. Lesson >> 45 minutes -Video of the day: a video highlighting Latin American music, as well as pictures from latin America. Use as a hook to get students interested in the next region we are studying -Current events for TOPS tickets introduction/reminders of classroom procedures -Students will spend the remainder of the hour completing the rst part of mapping challenges 1 & 2. The challenge consists of the students using the textbook to locate physical features as well as political boundaries, and then they will label them on their own maps. This will allow the students to familiarize themselves with various areas in Latin America as a hook before we begin to study the topic more in depth. Instructional Strategies: Map skills, textbook familiarization

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Latin America Unit

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Day 2: Mapping lab #3

Learning Goal:I will begin to understand the physical and political geography of Latin America by completing the third mapping lab challenge. Language Goal: I can write a complete sentence describing the location of various places in Latin America.
Warm up>>5 Minutes Students will use the political map provided in their textbook to look up what the capital of Mexico City is. We will be staring Mexico City next week, so it will be good to familiarize the students with the geographical location that they will look at next week. Lesson>>50 minutes Video of the day: Latin American food Students will stay in their groups to answer questions from challenge 3. I will do the rst question with them as a class. I will then allow them to work within their groups with a partner to pair/share the answers to the questions. The questions will be on cards that I will provide for them at their tables. They must answer the questions in full sentences for full credit. The students will work on this for the rest of the hour. If they nish, they may refer back to challenge #1 and #2 if they are not nished. Instructional Strategies: Pair/share, group work, differentiated instruction

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Latin America Unit

Day 3: Analyzing a eld photograph

Learning Goal:I will begin to understand the physical and political geography of Latin America by analyzing a photograph. Language Goal: I will write down 3 inferences about a picture I will analyze.
Warm up>>5 Minutes Students will look at the Economic activity map on pg. 569, and list the two most common types of land use in South America. This will again, familiarize the students with Latin America. Lesson>> 50 minutes Video of the Day: Students will analyze the photograph on board which depicts Latin Americans carving out a wooden boat in a rainforest . The students will be provided with a worksheet for the them to ll out. The rst 2 minutes, which will be timed using an online timer will be to study the photograph for 2 minutes. They will then talk about it with a partner for 1 minute. Next, the teacher will divide the picture in quadrants, showing 1/4 at a time. The students will then list people, objects, or activities that they observe in the 4 quadrants of the picture. This will allow the students to look closer at the picture to make inferences. Finally, the students will write what questions the photograph raises in their mind,and where they could nd the answers to the question. If needed, the students may nish the remainder of their mapping lab if they need time, and it will be handed in for a grade. They will also be provided with some extra credit sheets if they have their mapping lab fully completed and handed in. Instructional Strategies: Pair share, differentiated instruction, analyzing a picture, questioning

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Lesson ! Plan

Latin America Unit

Day 4: Begin Chapter 9-Mexico City Spatial Inequality: From Cardboards to Castles

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Learning Goal: I can recognize my key vocabulary for chapter 9 Language Goal:I will complete the KW of a KWL chart on Mexico
Warm up>>6 minutes Complete the KW portion of the KWL chart on the back of warmup Lesson>>49 Minutes -Current eventsStudents will share a current event every monday for a TOPS ticket. It must be legitimate news and the student must be able to give me detailed information and where they heard it from. This will only be every monday to keep the students informed about their community. -Students will watch short video showing a boy living in a garbage dump highlighting spatial inequality. I will then show a few pictures of afuent neighborhoods in Mexico City as well as pictures and denitions of their geoterms from the textbook. Geoterms are their vocabulary words provided by each chapter.! -Spatial Inequality -Standard of Living -Rural Decline -Urbanization! -Students will then create a ip book with their geoterms. They will fold a paper in half (the long way, hot dog style), then create 3 cuts in the front ap of the paper. On the front of the paper the students will write the geoterm, on the inside top ap they will write the denition in their own words, and on the bottom ap they will draw a picture illustrating that word. If the students do not nish with the ip book it will be homework, and the geoterms will be provided on a half sheet of paper if they do not have access to the internet.
Instructional Strategies: visual/audible learning, familiarization with community, foldable (learning assessment tool)

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Latin America Unit

Day 5: Chapter 9-Mexico City Spatial Inequality: From Cardboards to Castles Learning Goal:I will put on my geographers hat and begin to understand what life in Mexico City is like Language Goal:I will complete a Cloze reading activity on the history or Mexico City
Warm up>>5-10 minutes Analyze the political cartoon. The cartoon depicts the recent tensions between Mexico and the United States borders as well as immigration. The students will be asked to analyze the political cartoon at a voice level 0 (V-0) and answer the questions:
What do you notice rst? What people and objects do you see? Whats happening in this cartoon?

Lesson>> 40 minutes -Students will rst watch a short video of the Aztecs to coincide with the reading for section one in Chapter 9. The chapter begins by talking about the citys history, including the Aztecs. http:// www.history.com/topics/aztecs/videos** 2nd and third hour will get a new seating chart before the video is shown. The video (hopefully) will calm them down!** -They will then view a very short slideshow highlighting a few key points from section 9.2. !
-Tenochtitlan -The Plaza of Three Cultures (showing how great cities have formed around old cities

-Spatial Inequality -Rural decline graph!

-They will then complete the Cloze reading activity on section 9.2 in their textbook to introduce them to the history of Mexico City, as well as the chapter itself. Exit Slip>> 5 minutesTweet about todays lesson: students will be able to answer 1 of these three questions on exit slip
1) Who were the rst settlers in the Valley of Mexico? 2) Did the people of Tenochtitlan have a low or high standard of living? If so, how? 3) In the past 50 years, what has increased in Mexico City?

Instructional Strategies: >>

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Latin America Unit

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Day 6: Globetrekker video-Mexico City Learning Goal:I will observe what life in Mexico City is like Language Goal: I will complete notes on the video we watch in class
Warm up>>Target Tabs 5-7 minutes.choose 4 boxes to complete Lesson>>Show globe trekker: Mexico City with Justine Shapiro video with questions in class. -Stop to ask various questions about what the hostess is doing (Would you eat one of the bugs she's eating? How many people have been on a bike taxi? How many of you have been to a bullghting match?etc) -Fast forward from 19:00-22:00 minutes in to skip tequila segment -The last ten minutes of class, stop the video. Go around the room and give students a grade using the check system to make sure they were following along and answering the questions. -Read aloud the scenario on their sheet, and have them answer the three questions in complete sentences to check for understanding of the geoterms Instructional strategies>>Use of visuals, check for understanding, formative assessment

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Lesson ! Plan

Latin America Unit

Day 7: Neighborhood visit 1

Learning Goal: I will learn more about spatial inequality and standard of living Language Goal: I will complete marzanos vocab on 2 of my geoterms and listen to interviews describing different neighborhoods in Mexico City

Warm up>> Think of a city that you have lived in, such as Grand Rapids, and list 2 good things and 2 bad things about this city Lesson>> -Read daily goals (Chant the rst one, ask for volunteers for the second) -Marzanos Vocab Spatial Inequality and Standard of living. Students are having a difcult time recognizing the differences between the two words so we will go over them together as a class. Ask students to think of a way to describe the word, and have them draw a picture. Ask for volunteers to see if they would like to draw their picture on the board and explain it. Sometimes it sounds better coming from one of their peers versus a teacher! -Show graphic of standard of living and picture of spatial inequality to the class from the powerpoint. Discuss as a class. -Have them put away their warmups and marzanos vocal and have them get out the packet that they should have grabbed when they came into class. If a student did not pick up a packet have them raise their hand and you will bring one to them. -Go over the note taking procedures and explain that rather than taking notes they are answering the questions in the packet. The answers will be issued through direct instruction. -Introduce the interview segment. -Play introduction interview and then play Interview #1. Explain to students that they can listen the rst time, then answer the questions the second time. I will be playing the interview twice because it goes quickly. After the rst interview have them discuss with their table for 1 minute. Timer on board. -When nished discuss questions as a class. They do not turn this in yet. Intructional strategies>>Direct instruction, Marzanos, SIOP, listening for comprehension, questioning

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Latin America Unit

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Day 8: Neighborhood visit #2 **Friday=focus friday=shortened class times Learning Goal:I will learn more about life in Mexico City Language Goal:I will watch a short presentation on section 4 and listen to the second interview

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Warm up>> Analyze the wordle. When nished with warmup, make a pile in the middle of your table and I will come in and collect them to hand in. Lesson>>Survey for Dr. Garner on iPads -Notes for section 4 -Interview for neighborhood visit #2 -If time, continue with Marzanos vocab: Urbanization and Rural decline Instructional strategies>> technology, Direct instruction, Marzanos, SIOP, listening for comprehension, questioning