Your name: Kelley Giovannangeli

Elementary Inclusive Lesson Plan

!
!

Lesson title: Landforms and a Legend on a Map

Grade/age level: 3rd Grade

!
!
Learning Objective(s)
!!

SWBAT understand the purpose of a legend on a map. They will become familiar with
six common landforms: rivers, ponds, lakes, ocean, mountains, desert, hills, plains,
valley, and coast.

SWBAT analyze the effect that landforms have on decisions we make and our movements
as humans.
Evidence for
assessment

As a class, students will help the teacher finish an anchor chart about landforms, but
providing the definitions.

Students will complete a worksheet demonstrating that they can correctly label different
landforms, following the mini-lesson.

Students will work together to make a map of an island. Maps should include at least four
landforms. Their map should reflect logical placement of landforms, based on the
definitions created earlier.

Students will write directions, explaining to someone new how to navigate the island.
These directions should refer to the landforms and how to find the treasure in spite of the
different landforms (i.e. the river needs to be crossed, the mountain needs to be climbed
or gone around, etc.). Writing should reflect the students thinking about how to approach
and traverse these various geographic obstacles.
Rationale

!!

Before students can look at the evolution of communities around the world, they need to
be aware of one of the most powerful forces at work in shaping where communities
develop: geography. Students need to know how to identify different landforms, as well
as recognize their characteristics. Landforms will be connected to maps in this lesson
through the idea of a legend, or key, and using symbols to represent landforms when we
draw maps of places. Finally, the last activity about buried treasure on an island is a sneak
peek into the fact that landforms have a direct impact on us, as humans, and how we live
our lives. This will build into the idea that community growth was shaped, in large part,
but geographic features and natural resources.

Standards:
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.3.2 Write informative/explanatory texts to examine a topic
and convey ideas and information clearly.
3.2 The location of world communities can be described using geographic tools and
vocabulary.
3.3 Geographic factors often influence where people settle and form communities. People
adapt to and modify their environment in different ways to meet their needs.
Prerequisite
Knowledge

!!

When this lesson is taught, students should be becoming familiar with maps. Hopefully,
they have had some experience with different landforms before - either through personal
experience or at least pictures in books.

Learning Experience
Starting It

!!

Doing It

Assessment

What will you look/listen to/for?

Students should read about different

geographical landforms in their social
studies textbook. (As an alternative, watch
the Brain Pop Jr. movie on Landforms.) As
a class, have students volunteer definitions
for the landforms listed on the illustrated
anchor chart.

!
!
Students should be able to accurately
describe what the different landforms are,
how to recognize them, and what makes
them unique.

Students will fill out a quick worksheet

Landforms should be correctly labeled.
which will ask them to label the appropriate
landforms on a map.
Bring the class together to discuss the role
of a legend on a map. Point out how
symbols can show people the locations of
different landforms in their country or
community. Sometimes the symbols are
obvious, but other times they arent as clear
so we always include a legend, or key, so
people know what they are looking at.
In pairs (or individually, if preferred),
students will work together to design a map
of an island. The island needs to include
four of the six landforms, as well as buried
treasure. Students should consider the
landforms on the island when they choose a
place to bury their treasure. Maps must
include a legend, identifying the symbols
used to mark the landforms.

!
!
!
!
!
!

Students should work collaboratively with

their partner. Students should choose an
interesting and appropriate variety of
landforms. Treasure placements should be
thoughtful and logical according to the
layout of the island.

Finishing It

Individually, students will now draft a

message in a bottle. The pirate who
buried the treasure on the island is trying to
give directions to find the treasure to
someone who has never seen this island
before. What kind of directions would s/he
write? How would s/he help someone
navigate the island and find the treasure? If
there is not enough time, writing can be
finished as homework.

Accessibility

If the students have poor reading abilities, the teacher should use the video instead of a
text to introduce the concept.
Some of the activity could be done orally, for students who really struggle with writing.

Materials Needed

- Text (or brain pop video) on landforms

- chart paper with the six major lanforms written out, possibly with pictures already
drawn, but with adequate space for writing definitions.
- pencils, paper
- Empty island map handout

- prepared worksheet where the students fill in the names of various landforms