7th grade Advanced ESL students- Social Studies Children around the World

CONTENT OBJECTIVES
Understand human characteristics of a place
Understand children’s lives around the world as they differ from those in the United States
Use of maps
Use of research resources
Understand and participate in a panel discussion

TECHNOLOGY INTEGRATION
Use of interactive maps online
Use of computers for research purposes
Use of Power Point to share presentation with class

VOCABULARY WORDS
Research
Panel discussion
Culture
Plagiarism
Power Point

MATERIALS
Reference materials: Computer with internet connection
Go to school library to get books to use for references
Question sheet to guide student’s research
Notebook and pencil to take notes on research and to use in panel discussion
Name card with country written on it to represent group in panel discussion
Power Point technology

ACTIVITIES
1. Talk about families all over world and how they compare to those in the United States
2. Discuss cultures in different parts of the world (very briefly)
3. Ask students if they have any experience with families different from their own
4. Students research the role of children in different cultures outside the United States using
their assigned computers
5. Pull down the world map and point to places that students could research, such as
children in African tribes or in China or Japan.
6. Show students an interactive map online- have them use it on their own after a brief
introduction
7. Ask students to research questions such as, “What kind of education do the children get?”
“In what kinds of homes do they live?” and “What kinds of work and chores do they do
to help out their families?”
 8. Teach the students the basics of online research, such as writing in their own words
(Plagiarism), and writing down the source of the information (how to cite pictures,
written work, etc)
9. Students get into pairs or groups to work
10. Each pair or group will be a part of a panel discussion
11. Teacher gives brief introduction on Power Point and its pros/cons
12. Students use Power Point to make their presentation. Presentation must also include
pictures.
13. Teacher asks each group questions about their research and students are also able to ask
each other questions. Sit in a circle while having discussion, using name card with
country written on it to represent group. Presentations are given, using Power Point.
14. Students will play the role of the child from that area of the world, and speak as if they
are that child while in the discussion.
15. After the presentations, the students will upload their presentations to Google Docs for
grading/assessment by the teacher (they have had a previous introduction to Google
Docs)

TIME
Two class periods

METS…
Students use a variety of technology tools (e.g., dictionary, thesaurus, grammar-checker,
calculator) to maximize the accuracy of technology-produced products.

Students provide accurate citations when referencing information from outside sources in
electronic reports.

Students discuss issues related to acceptable and responsible use of technology (e.g., privacy,
security, copyright, plagiarism, spam, viruses, file-sharing).

GLCEs
7 – G1.1.1 Explain and use a variety of maps, globes, and web based geography technology to
study the world, including global, interregional, regional, and local scales.

7 – G1.3.2 Explain the locations and distributions of physical and human characteristics of Earth
by using knowledge of spatial patterns.

7 – G2.2.1 Describe the human characteristics of the region under study (including languages,
religion, economic system, governmental system, cultural traditions).
Here is the worksheet students will be given…

Guide Your Research…

Here are the questions to focus on. Include your sources at the end of this worksheet.

What kind of education do these children receive?

How much education do they get? (Kindergarten through 12th grade?)

Where do these children live? What are their homes like?

What kinds of chores do these children do?

What games do they play? Indoor games? Outdoor games?

My Sources…
 This lesson plan not only introduces the students to new ideas in social studies, but also
introduces them to some new technology used in the classroom. Using the internet for
research has become very popular. It is simple, and there is so much information available
for the student’s use. It is definitely important that they recognize they must cite their
information and avoid plagiarism. This is covered in the lesson. Power Point is also used
and this is a great way for students to present their findings in an organized way, in front of
the class. They can organize their information into categorized and organized slides that are
easy to understand. Power Point also involves bulleted points in the slides, which helps
students practice their public speaking skills. By only having bullet points, the students
thoughts are guided and must expand on those points in front of the class, with the slides to
look to for assistance. Finally, Google Docs will be used to upload the presentations. This is
an easy way for the teacher to spend more time looking at the presentations to further assess
them, and also a great way for students to see each other’s presentations. The lesson
combines important seventh grade material with useful and challenging technology
integration.