Alexis Shulski

Geography of Texas
Third Grade
Lesson Preparation
I. Learning Objectives
A. Students will be able to label the major bodies of water, major cities, major
landmarks, and the four regions on a map of Texas.
B. Students will be able to identify the largest river in Texas.
C. Students will be able to identify the capital of Texas.
D. Students will be able to make predictions about Texas culture based on what they
learn about its geography.
II. Standards
A. Standard 7.2.3.A: Identify the physical characteristics of places and regions.
B. Standard 7.1.3.A: Identify and locate places and regions as defined by physical
and human features.
III. Academic Language
A. River: A large, natural stream of water flowing into another body of water.
Example: Red River
B. Gulf: A deep cove of the sea, almost surrounded by land. Example: Gulf of
Mexico
C. City: A large town. Example: Austin, Texas
D. Capital: The most important city of either a country, region, or state. Example:
Harrisburg, Pennsylvania
E. Region: An area or division. Example: Great Plains
IV. Technology, Materials, Resources
A. PowerPoint slides with information, images, and maps showing the geography of
Texas
B. Maps of Texas without labels for students to fill in
C. Jeopardy game about Texas Geography created with PowerPoint
D. Whiteboards
E. Dry erase markers
F. Black, fine point markers
G. Crayons
H. Atlas for modifications and differentiation
Instructional Delivery
V. Anticipatory Set
A. “What’s the biggest thing you ever saw in your life?” Allow students to talk about
it as a class. Suggestions to get the conversation started: an elephant, the moon,
the ocean.
 B. “Did anyone know that Texas is the second largest state in America? I bet it’s
bigger than all of those put together! Okay, maybe not, but it’s definitely big.
With a state that big, I bet it has some BIG geography! Today, we’re going to
learn about the cities, bodies of water, landmarks, and regions that make Texas so
enormous!”
VI. Instructional Activities
A. Start by giving each student an unlabeled map a Texas. Students desks are
arranged and groups where everyone can see the board.
B. Using a powerpoint, start by showing pictures and facts about the major bodies of
water in Texas: Gulf of Mexico, Rio Grande, Red River, Sabine River
C. Include that Rio Grande is the largest river in Texas
D. Explain that there are a total of 15 major bodies of water in Texas, but these are
especially important because they border the state
E. Show where they are located on a map
F. Give the students time to label the bodies of water on their on map
G. Next, show the students facts and pictures about the major cities in Texas: Dallas,
Austin, Houston, and San Antonio
H. Include that Austin is the capital of Texas
I. Show where they are located on a map
J. Give the students time to label the major cities on their map, make sure they use a
star for the capital
K. After that, show the students pictures and facts about major landmarks in Texas:
the Chisos Mountains and Santa Elena Canyon
L. Show where they are located on a map
M. Give the students time to label the landmarks on their map
N. Finally, show the students facts and pictures about the four regions of Texas:
Coastal Plains, Great Plains, Mountains and Basins, and Central Plains
O. Show where they are located on a map
P. Give the students time to label the four regions of Texas on their map
Q. Finally, display a full map of Texas
R. Ask students, “Considering where the major cities are on the map, why do you
think that they decided to settle there? Is there anything around them that may
make it a good area for a city?” Have students think to themselves for 10 seconds,
then have them discuss with the person next to them. Call on volunteers to share
their ideas
S. If no one guesses it, point out that the major cities are all close to at least one
major body of water
T. Once everyone is finished discussing, have the students color their maps with
crayons
 U. Pass out fine point markers to students once they are done coloring to go back and
outline their labels again
V. After everyone is done, have one final group discussion.
W. “Tomorrow we’re going to learn about Texas culture! Based on its geography,
make a prediction about what around Texas may influence its culture and how.”
Let students think to themselves for 10 seconds, then share with the person next to
them. Call on volunteers to share their ideas
X. Talk about the fact that Mexico is close to Texas and therefore may influence the
culture
VII. Closure
A. “Everyone made such beautiful maps of Texas! Can you see now why it’s the
second biggest state in our country?”
B. “Who remembers what different types of geography we learned about today?”
Call on multiple students to answer. (Cities, bodies of water, regions, and
landmarks)
C. “Who can name one reason they might like to live in Texas?” Call on every
student that volunteers to share
D. “Who remembers what the capital of Texas is?” (Austin)
E. “Who remembers what the largest river in Texas is called?” (Rio Grande)
F. “Who can tell me why these major cities decided to settle where they did?” (To be
next to major bodies of water)
G. “Who can share a prediction about how Texas culture may be influenced
considering its location on the map?” (Mexico)
Meeting All Learners
VIII. Differentiation
A. Allow students to work together while labeling their maps
B. Allow student to use an atlas to guide them while labeling their maps
IX. Accommodations
A. For students that need extra help labeling their maps, add lines where they are
supposed to fill in their labels so they don’t have to find the location themselves
B. Include a word bank of the different labels they will be adding, broken down into
the sections: bodies of water, cities, landmarks, and regions
C. Include a star where the capital is
D. Label each line that they need to fill in with whether it is a body of water, city,
landmark, or region
X. Modifications
A. Students will be able to label the Gulf of Mexico, Rio Grande River, Red River,
and Sabine River on a map of Texas by using an atlas to guide them
B. Students will be able to label Dallas, Austin, Houston, and San Antonio on a map
of Texas by using an atlas to guide them
 C. Students will be able to label Chisos Mountains and Santa Elena Canyon on a
map of Texas by using an atlas to guide them
D. Students will be able to label the four regions of Texas on a map by using an atlas
to guide them
E. Students will be able to identify the largest river in Texas by using an atlas to
guide them
F. Students will be able to identify the capital of Texas by using an atlas to guide
them
Meeting Objectives
XI. Assessments
A. Texas Jeopardy: Students work in groups to answer questions about the
geography of Texas
B. Questions include being asked to label something on a map, identify a blank label
on a map, identify the state capital, and identify the largest river in Texas
C. Groups write their answers using whiteboards and dry erase markers
D. When a group gets a question right they receive one point, when they get a
questions wrong they lose a point, and if they choose to say that they don’t know,
their point value is not affected
E. Teacher keeps track of each groups’ points on the board
F. Teacher observes and takes notes on the students’ understanding of the content
G. Teacher also checks each student’s map for correctness