Wittenberg University

Education Department Adopted Lesson Plan

Witt Student Name

Date

EDUC 323

Course Name

Clinical Faculty (CF) Name

Instructor
CF Approval (Initial)

n/a

Grade Level First Grade

Subject Area(s) Literacy/Social Studies

LESSON TOPIC Characteristics of D.C.

Type of Lesson

Small Group

X Whole Class

Confidential Information:
IEP Goals and 504 Plans addressed for identified students (first names only):
-----

The Lesson Plan Format document can be downloaded from the Wittenberg website at the following address: http://www5.wittenberg.edu/academics/education/resources.html
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Materials & Resources:

Where did you get your lesson ideas? Provide APA citations for origin of lesson (e.g., original, textbook, internet URL, etc.)
Ohio Department of Education. (2015, June 15). Social studies. Retrieved April 29, 2016, from http://education.ohio.gov/Topics/OhiosLearning-Standards/Social-Studies
Sunny daze. (2014). Washington DC Suitcase Activity Book. Retrieved April 29, 2016, from
https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Washington-DC-Suitcase-Activity-Book-690399

List and attach copies of handout(s), workbook pages(s), notes, etc. at end of plan
DC Passport
Computer and Projector
http://dctripvirtual.weebly.com
What technology and how are students using it for this lesson?
Projector/Smart Board for students to interact with the website
If Smart Board is not available, the students will use the computer to interact
iPads would allow students to follow along with the teacher on their own, already opened to http://dctripvirtual.weebly.com and
locked on the site so they cannot wander and play games etc.
The Big Idea / Enduring Understanding and Essential Question
Human and physical systems influence each other and themselves.
What are physical and human systems?
Ohios New Learning Standards (ACS) / Common Core State Standards (CCSS):
Educational Standards

(for math and science include practice standards)

The Lesson Plan Format document can be downloaded from the Wittenberg website at the following address: http://www5.wittenberg.edu/academics/education/resources.html
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Ohios New Learning Standards:

First Grade: Social Studies: Geography Strand-5
Places are distinctive because of their physical characteristics (landforms and bodies of water) and human
characteristics (structures built by people).
First Grade: English Language Arts: Speaking and Listening Comprehension and Collaboration-2
Ask and answer questions about key details in a text read aloud or information presented orally or through other
media.
Anticipated Prior Knowledge
I expect students to have an understanding of physical and human characteristics from previous studies in class. They have been
working with maps and understand how to locate places on a map given instructions. They are also able to write full sentences
using proper capitalization and grammar, as well as correct spelling for many frequently used words. They are used to being asked
to ask and answer questions about information presented to them, and will be on the lookout for physical and human characteristics
as we have been working closely on them lately.

Lesson Objectives
Assessment Guidelines

3-part measurable objective

(include scoring key, rubric, etc.)

Students will be able to compare physical and human characteristics of different places, shown by writing and sharing
one physical and one human characteristic that can be found in Washington, D.C. based on the information shared
with them today.

Student work will be collected

at the end of class in order to
check for one physical and one
human characteristic on their
Passport to D.C.

Instructional Procedures (identify steps in sequential order)

Differentiation
( including IEP goals being addressed)

A. Engage and Explore

The Lesson Plan Format document can be downloaded from the Wittenberg website at the following address: http://www5.wittenberg.edu/academics/education/resources.html
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First, we will locate Washington, D.C. on a large map of America. The students will be asked first
which area of the country it is on (N, S, E, W) and we will go from there. This will activate student
knowledge of maps and get them thinking about the geographical location of maps, as will
prompting questions to be asked along with this. Ask questions such as, has anyone been to
Washington, D.C., can anyone tell me where it is located? What else can you tell me about
Washington, D.C. What types of buildings and people are there? When you think about
Washington, D.C., what or whom do you think of? What does D.C. stand for? Students may or
may not have background knowledge on D.C., but check to see what they might know.
Be sure to find and point out DC on the map and discuss any physical or human characteristics
they know of, but if they do not come up with any let them know that we are going to discover
some today.

If students with speech

impediments ask to share,
provide them with ample time
and ensure that the class stays
quiet. Only call on them if their
hand is raised.
For students who share
unrelated information ask them
before they share if this is a
direct answer to your question.

B. Explain and Discuss

Pass out the passports to your students. Explain to them that we are going to be going on a field
trip to Washington, D.C., but since it is so far away (about 6 hours!) we are going to have to go to
our field trip online. Explain that they will be asked to look for distinctive characteristics of the
places that we visit, and today we are going to get a better look at the entire District of Columbia.
Open up the website (http://dctripvirtual.weebly.com) on the projector, and have students open
their iPads, which have been opened to the page.
Read the I can statements to them and explain that we did the map part very quickly for DC, and
now we are going to work on finding distinctive characteristics of DC, human and physical, and
they are going to answer two questions about what they learn today. Tell the students to flip to the
second page of their passport, which it titled Washington, D.C. and read them the two questions
they will answer today: One distinctive physical characteristic and One distinctive human made
characteristic. Have them notice that D.C. is highlighted in red on the map of America, where they
found it earlier.

For students who are likely to

get sidetracked on the tablet,
be sure to engage them with
questions and monitor their
use.

Ask if they are ready, and have them say Lets Go! and have a student come up to click on the
LETS GO button (have them do the same).
Read them the first page and stop periodically to ask questions, such as when you get to the
parts about the Potomac River, ask if this type of landform is familiar to them. Ask if they think
Washington D.C. is kind of funny shaped. Explain that the land President Washington picked out
was a perfect diamond, and for a while this was the shape of DC. Virginia took land back from
DC, and now the district is bordered by the Potomac River. Ask where they think the land was
The Lesson Plan Format document can be downloaded from the Wittenberg website at the following address: http://www5.wittenberg.edu/academics/education/resources.html
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taken back from. (the Western edge of DC)

Go through each of the 5 structures that are listed and ask if these are human or physical
characteristics of DC. Discuss each briefly based on the information provided on the site, and
ensure them that we are going to go through each later on. You cant see DC in a day!
Answer any questions that you can or ask if students have other questions that you can find the
answer to for tomorrow.
C. Closure
Ask students to bring their passports back out. They can leave the site pulled up on their iPads.
Remind them of the two questions they need to answer: One distinctive physical characteristic
and One distinctive human made characteristic.
Have them work silently to fill out this page of their passport, and to bring it up to be stamped
when they are finished. Once all, or most, students are finished, ask if anyone would like to share
what they put. Allow several students to share and explain why they chose that feature.

Check in with students with

speech impediments before
asking students to share to
make sure that they are
prepared if they would like to
share.

Explain their homework: tonight I would like for you to find one human and one physical
characteristic in our local community, and be ready to share it with the class tomorrow. These
might be similar to the ones we chose for DC today!
Ask one last time if anyone has any questions, then have students bring you their passports to be
returned to them for our next trip!
Homework & Home Connections:
Find one human and one physical characteristic in our local community and be prepared to share it with the class tomorrow.
Academic Language/Key Vocabulary: (Words and student-friendly definitions)
Human Characteristic: structures built by humans
Physical Characteristic: natural landforms or water ways, such as rivers or mountains
Washington, D.C.: the capital of the United States, kind of like Columbus is the capital of Ohio
River: a flowing, moving stream of water that feeds water into another body of water
Building: a structure (such as a house, hospital, school, etc.) with a roof and walls that is used as a place for people to live,
The Lesson Plan Format document can be downloaded from the Wittenberg website at the following address: http://www5.wittenberg.edu/academics/education/resources.html
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work, do activities, store things, etc.

Interdisciplinary Connections:
Literacy: students are expected to participate in reading and writing activities throughout this lesson
Science: students will be discussing landforms, both human and natural throughout this lesson

Lesson Reflections (Reflection to include supporting evidence)

Which instructional practice(s) work well in your teaching and why; which need to be changed and why?

Describe the performance of your class/group; reflect on how your students did on each learning objective and your next teaching steps.

Based on individual student performance, what are your next steps?

The Lesson Plan Format document can be downloaded from the Wittenberg website at the following address: http://www5.wittenberg.edu/academics/education/resources.html
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The Lesson Plan Format document can be downloaded from the Wittenberg website at the following address: http://www5.wittenberg.edu/academics/education/resources.html
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