Social Studies Lesson Plan

Grade/Class/Subject: Second Grade / Social Science Teacher: DukHee Lee

Time/Duration of the lesson: 50+ minutes in total

English Language Proficiency of Students: Bridging

Standards:
HSS 2.2 Students demonstrate map skills by describing the absolute and relative locations of
people, places, and environments.
HSS 2.2.1. Locate on a simple letter-number grid system the specific locations and geographic
features in their neighborhood or community (e.g., the map of the classroom, the school).

Unit/Theme: Our Communities

Lesson Topic: Using letter-number grid system to locate different areas in our community.

Objectives:

Content: Students will learn to create and use the letter-number grid map using classroom
and schools. They will also be able to identify the locations using the letters and the
numbers.

Language: Students will demonstrate their knowledge of the letter-number grid map by
using the key vocabulary and identify where objects are located on the map verbally.

Assessment:
Students will be able to create letter-number grid map by using any of the locations and explain
where people, places or others are located.

Key Vocabulary:
- Letter-number grid system
- Map
- Location
- Columns
- Rows

Supplementary Materials:
- Collection of maps from different locations such as theme parks, malls, and school
- Large grid paper labeled with letter and numbers (one in the front of the classroom and
three for the game)
- Letter-number grid worksheet
 - Class object words on a paper that matches the size of the large grid paper and another set
for the regular worksheet.
- Strips of papers with questions such as
o What is in square ____?
o What square is the ___________ located?
o How many classrooms are on the map of the school?
- Black and red circle cutouts (approximately 1-inch x 1-inch)

Technology in Support of Learning: None

Anticipated Misunderstandings/Difficulties: Students may get confused with differences

between column and rows or mix up the letter and number order. Encourage students to say the
location in for practice.

Element Rationale
Describe what will happen. Why did you choose to do it this way?
Introduce the Lesson:

To introduce the lesson, the teacher will ask what
can be found when we go to the big malls, theme
parks such as Disneyland, Universal Studios or
county fairs. Give students time to respond.
Guide students to give response related to maps.
The teacher will ask another question about what
students' parents use when they're looking for
directions. Students will response with maps, cell
phones or google maps.
This introduction will give students their
background knowledge about the map
usage. Students are most likely to have
experiences with maps from the theme
park and the navigation system in the car
or on their parents' cell phones. They
may be familiar with the maps by
playing games that use maps like Super
Mario or Pokémon. By introducing the
maps with familiar things, they may
assist students to grow interests and think
about the time they used it on their own.

Teachers can use this opportunity to

assess how much students have a concept
of the map.

Develop Understandings (Instruction):

After the introduction to the map and its use,
explain students that we can also make our own
maps using our classrooms or school with the
letter-number grid system.
On the board, have a large letter-number grid of a
school. Explain the grid to the students describing
the columns and the rows and how it's going to
This is an opportunity for students to
create their letter-number map using their
immediate surroundings such as
classroom or school. Since students are
already familiar with the area, they will
know where to put classroom objects on
the map.
help to locate things by using the letters and the
numbers.
Before taking student volunteers, locate an area in
a school together with the whole class and model
how to say the specific location. Some of the
questions prepared are:
- What is in square ____?
- What square is the ___________ located?
- How many classrooms are on the map?
After modeling for students as a whole group and
taking volunteers, give students worksheets with
the letter-number grid. Provide papers labeled
with classroom materials such as teacher's desk,
bookshelf, rug, whiteboard, sink, counter, table,
etc. Students can work with partners or in a small
group to complete the grid map of the classroom.
The teacher should walk around to check the status
of the students.
When the worksheet is complete, students can
discuss about where the classroom object is
located on each other’s grid map. Facilitate
students to use the letters and numbers to identify
the location. Some maps may vary depending on
the spacing students used between the objects.
Practice/Application:
Once the students are done with the classroom grid
map, divide the students into three groups. Each
group will be far away from each other so the
other groups cannot see or hear the other groups'
discussions.
Provide the students with a large paper with letter-
number grid map. Give students labeled papers of
classroom objects. This is the same list from the
introduction, but it is a larger version. Students
will create their own classroom grid map which
does not look like the current classroom using the
materials provided. Once all things are labeled,
and when all the groups are ready, each group will
be in each corner of the room facing the other
groups. The large grid maps will be facing away
By working together as a whole group,
students will have a chance to look at the
school map and locate where places are.
As teacher takes volunteers to answer the
questions with the letter and number, it
will also give students to practice finding
the location.
After identifying the location on the grid,
students will learn to create their own
map using the classroom besides
identifying places.
When students are comparing the map by
the number and letter to see where
objects are located, teacher's getting a
chance to assess if the students have a
complete understanding of utilizing and
creating the letter-number grid map.
The concept of this activity is the game
Battleship. With incorporating games
that may be familiar to students, it is
usually easier to gain their attention to
bring them to understanding.
The class was divided into three groups
before creating their classroom grid
maps. When students are working
together, they can share ideas and help
each other to place the object on the map.
This will also create teamwork and
responsibility to their team.
As students call out the letter-number,
each group will locate it on their map and
from other groups so others cannot peek. Each identify what is on that specific location.
group will be provided with black and red dots. If a student did not quite understand the
concept from the instruction, this would
After the setup, the teacher will give the directions be their chance to learn the concept again
to the game: with the help of their teammates.
- Students will do rock, paper, scissors to decide
which team goes first. The order will be in
counterclockwise from the winner of rock, paper,
scissors.
- Each group will call out the letter and the
number on the grid. The other groups will put the
black dot on the grid that was called. However, if
the grid called landed on the classroom object, it
will be marked with red dots.
- When the group has all of the classroom
objects covered with the red dots, the group lost
the game.
- The group with the most classroom object left
on the map wins the game.

Wrap-up:

Once the game is over, debrief the activity. Ask
students how they felt about using the grid map
locating the objects. Students can also discuss
how the grid map can be utilized at another
location. Restate the reason behind the activity
and the goals that were pursued with today’s
lesson.
Students are encouraged to think about if the map
was easy or difficult to utilize when finding the
objects or directions.
Discussing with the students about the
activity demonstrates how much the
students were engaged to understand the
content. The teacher can use this
moment to see if the students were able
to grasp the knowledge of the map and
how it can be utilized regularly in our
lives.

Extension:

The letter-number grid map can be extended with
another activity. It can be done as a treasure hunt
where one group of students can hide items in the
class, and the other groups can use the clues on the
grid map provided to find the treasures.
The treasure hunt idea will have students
be up and move around. This will be
another fun activity for students to utilize
their learned map skills from the
previous game.

After students grasp the concept of letter-number By adding the map elements on the map,
grid map, students will be introduced to another the new standard will be added to their
map elements such as title, legend, directional prior knowledge. This will help students
indicator, scale, and date (HSS 2.2.2). With the to make their maps more detailed.
content learned today, students can update their
maps with these elements or create a new map
desired.
Differentiating Instruction for EL focus
student:
To supper EL students, before setting up the
groups for the game, the teacher should make
groups mixed with students who are proficient.
The large display of the letter-number grid that
teacher modeled in the beginning should be in the
front for students to reference back.
The teacher should walk around during the game
to monitor the progress of all students.
Differentiating Instruction for a focus student
with Special Needs:
To support the students with the physical disability
(wheelchair), the group with the particular student
can have their large grid paper on the low easel
facing away from the other groups. The student
can also find a place closer to the front while other
students can stand behind or move around so they
can place the circle dots on the map.
When students are setting the map to prepare for
the game, the student with the disability is
encouraged to input ideas just like other students
in the group.
For those students who "get it," can be challenged
to provide a comparison of the two different
classroom maps created in writing using
directional words. They can also answer this
When students in the mixed group, they
can encourage each other to help out
when someone in their group does not
have complete understandings. The
students who were unable to understand
the concept well can ask someone in
their group because sometimes they are
too shy to ask the teacher before the
game.
When the teacher is walking around
during the game between all the groups
to check if students had understandings,
the EL students can feel comfortable
because the teachers do not seem to trail
around him/her only. This will also give
the teacher to assess students.
The student with the disability will have
difficulty in viewing if other students are
standing in front and blocking the view.
With placing the wheelchair in the front,
the student will have a good view and
will be able to participate easily during
the game.
Students who get the concept of the grid
map may get bored or find it
uninteresting during the game. By
asking these students to compare and
verbally as all students look at the map from each contrast the maps from each group can
group after the game is over. challenge them to describe verbally or in
writing.