Blog #7 - Mapping Skills - Crystale M. Straub-Moyer
In October I do mapping skills with our Christopher Columbus
unit. The children learn about maps and
globes. We learn that maps have a key
and what the symbols of the key represent.
The children learn about the globe being a sphere shape with water being
the blue and the land is colored. The
mountains are bumpy and raised. The children
really enjoy learning about maps. We
have a di-cut of the state of Pennsylvania that each child gets a di cut of our
state. We use this to find Pennsylvania
on a large US of America state map. The
children usually can match the shape to find our state. I also teach the song
Fifty Nifty United States from 13 Original Colonies. (content)
Each child will get a 12 x 18 cut out of our state of Pennsylvania. We will discuss and name the state bird,
flower, animal, etc of PA. (DOK-1) The
children will use tissue paper to glue and represent the three rivers in PA –
Alleghany, Susquehanna, and the Delaware. (DOK-2) We will talk about the importance of rivers
and how they help us. We will use cotton
to represent the mountains. (DOK-2)Each
child will place a sticker star for our capital Harrisburg. I will show pictures of our capital and
introduce the branches of government through books. (DOK-2) The children will
then place a smiley place where he or she lives. We will also mark Hershey, Philadelphia, and Pittsburgh on each student’s
map. We will compare student made map to our large PA map in our Library.
(DOK-3) We might need to add something
based on students critique. If we need
to revise we will. Each student will create his or her own map of
Pennsylvania and be able to design another PA map with his or her 4th
grade buddy. (DOK-4) (creative activity)
Standards: 3.3a,
1.6, 10.5, 5.2, 7.2, 7.4, 2.2,
Please note that you are using the three MAJOR rivers in Pennsylvania - there are lots more, including the Schuylkill and the Juniata.
ReplyDeleteUnfortunately, your kids are too young to have heard of Three Rivers Stadium in Pittsburgh, which would use sports to introduce the rivers just in that city.
Often teachers wonder about using DOK 4 levels with young children. Try to think of level 4 as extended thinking--how can you "stretch" them just a little beyond in their thinking abilities than what they are used to. Such as making them aware of different kinds of maps-political,climate map, economic map or introducing just one other type of map such as an economic map and have stickers of cows, mushrooms, chocolate, etc to place on their PA map. Extended thinking helps them to realize their is more to maps than what they have just learned in that unit...whets their appetite should they want to explore on their own.
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