Melanie Roth ED128/228 Social Studies Methods FINAL PROJECT Interactive Learning Center Subject: Social Studies Topic:

Geography- Me on the Map Grade: 2nd

Strand: People, Places, and Environments Students create spatial views of and geographical perspectives of the world. Students are using their knowledge of locations in which they live in to map them out, providing a perspective of their world. By researching their cities, states, and country with helpful resources, students are grasping an understanding for their environment in which they live in. Students are seeing the relationship of their perception of five specific geographical locations and the similar locations their fellow peers perceive. They do this by each completing the flipbook and demonstrating their perception through images and descriptions. Objective: Second grade students will be able to identify geographical locations that mean most to them. Furthermore, students will map out their bedroom, house, city, state, and country by using resources to encourage the level of detail used and the correct shapes and locations of cities, states, and country. Students will complete six pages including a cover page about themselves, a page of a map of their room, a page of their house and neighborhood, a page of their city or town, a page of their state, and a page of their country. Students are using their knowledge of locations they experience and live in to design a spiral map that starts from the inside of their house, out to the country in which they live in. Students will recognize the growth of the map, and how there are many different kinds of maps topic (city, state, country). Materials Flipbooks Completed example of Flipbook Colored pencils, markers, crayons Center Poster Board (With descriptions of each page of flipbook) Folders (completed flipbooks, blank flipbooks, and helpful tools) Stencils of country and states Container World Globe (Blowup) Books o Me on the Map by Joan Sweeney o Theres a Map on My Lap! by Tish Rabe o Smart About the Fifty States: A class Report by John Buller & Susan Schade o The Scrambled States of America by Laurie Keller

o The Amazing Pop-Up Geography Book by Kate Petty & Jennie Maizels o Kids Ultimate U.S. Road Trip Atlas by National Geographic Kids o 50 States All About America from Maine to Hawaii by Thomas J. Craughwell Procedures Students will look at the poster board as directions to filling out the flipbook Students may look at the completed flipbooks as examples before completing there own Students may then take a blank flipbook and begin by drawing a picture of themselves (or real pictures if possible) in the magnifying glass, as well as their name on the line They then may begin mapping out their room, house, city, state, and country When completing the state and country pages of their flipbooks they may use the resources including the books and world globe to see the shapes of states and countries, as well as details they may want to include on their pages (for example, regions, artifacts, land marks, national parks, bodies of water, etc.) For students who struggle, may find the helpful tools folder useful, in which they can use stencils to trace states and countries After completing their flipbook, students will leave the flipbooks in the completed flipbook folder so that their classmates can take a look, as well as the teacher as a form of assessment Modifications Extensions: Students may have difficulty completing the state and country pages of their flipbooks. There is a Need Help? Folder in which struggling students can find stencils to trace the state of their choice and the country in which they live in. The stencils are guides that will help students complete the entire flipbook. Struggling students do not need to include as much detail, for example, they may only draw a few items in their room, or do not include the street name of the location of their house. Struggling students must complete the flipbook, however, are not required to include detailed descriptions or drawings. Adaptations: For advanced students, they may be required to incorporate facts on each page of their flipbook. For example, students may use the resources to include specific details of their country the United States, by identifying major capitols, states, landmarks, national parks, rivers, the great lakes, etc. The students may also include informational facts on the back of their pages, such as the population of the city, state, or country, the flag of the city, state, or country, and the nickname of the state. Some of the informational facts are an extension of learning to research and connect expand their self-awareness of their locations. Assessment An assessment that would be most useful is ensuring that each student completed the flipbook by checking the completed flipbook folder at the end of the week, when everyone has been given a chance to visit the center. Each student must complete the flipbook by filling out each page with some images and descriptions of their maps. Depending on

modifications, some students flipbooks may look different than others, however, it may be graded specifically on participation points in which each student completed the flipbook to the best of their abilities. I would recommend that the flipbooks be out of twelve points, given that each page including the cover page is worth two points. The flipbook is an individual assignment where an assessment is not necessary. However, by sustaining an assessment it may impact the students learning and encourage students to complete it successfully. Relevance to Social Studies Education The Me on a Map Learning Center, provides students the opportunity to explore their own map. They do this by using their location in the world and mapping out their perception of their room, house, city, state, and country. This relates to social studies content, in which students are using geographical awareness and mapping skills to complete a personal map flipbook. Students are expanding their research skills and their knowledge of their community and bigger communities. The learning center is putting students mapping skills to work in a personal and engaging way. Reflection I was able to use the social studies learning center with two young girls I tutor. Taegan Burns is a fifth grader at Summit Middle School and Kealyn Burns is a second grader at Beavercreek Elementary School. Both Kealyn and Taegan found the learning center exciting and engaging. When opening the box they were excited to see a blown up globe of the world and immediately grabbed the books from the box. They began exploring the different books, laughing and pointing out interesting facts and images. After four minutes of exploring the girls, read the poster, and grabbed the Completed Flipbook folder to find my example. They then began their own flipbook. It was interesting to see how even though they are in different grade levels they both found the activity awesome and fun. Professionally, I was able to see my role in the learning center, which is very minimal. I was able to see how students perceived my activity and what adjustments I need to make in order for students to complete the center on their own. I learned that I must require a time limit on the center, due to the fact that Kealyn spent fifteen minutes on the My Room page and had to rush through the last pages in order to complete the book before our tutoring session was over. It is important that I ensure students are using the right amount of time on each page, which might mean I need to monitor the center. I also learned that by providing the girls an example of my own flipbook, they were excited to learn something about me (their teacher) and my locations. This also is a form of scaffolding even though I am not present during the learning center. Students begin by seeing example, then complete their own. Personally, I thought the activity was fun as an adult. I enjoyed thinking of the details that go into a map and discovering different resources that students would find useful. Me on a Map Learning Center is a great geography lesson that recalls personal locations and experiences, as well as expands research skills and geographical awareness.

Pictures of Geography Center:

Bibliography Boyer, C. (2012). National Geographic kids ultimate U.S. road trip atlas: Maps, games, activities, and more for hours of backseat fun. Enfield: Group UK [distributor. Buller, J. (2003). Smart about the fifty states. New York: Grosset & Dunlap. Chapin, J. R., & Messick, R. G. (1989). Elementary social studies: A practical guide. New York: Longman. Keller, L. (1998). The scrambled states of America. New York: Henry Holt. Petty, K., & Maizels, J. (2000). The amazing pop-up geography book. New York, NY: Dutton Children's Books. Rabe, T., & Ruiz, A. (2002). There's a map on my lap! New York: Random House.