Candidate Name: Chelsea Tramel
Content/Grade: 6th Geography
Lesson Topic: Major Physical and Human Geographic Features
CT:
Stage 1 – Desired Results Goals/Learning Outcomes: Students will know various landforms of Central America. They will learn about how it formed, and what is significant about it. TEKS: 3A (3) Geography. The student uses geographic tools to answer geographic questions. (A) The student is expected to: pose and answer geographic questions, including: Where is it located? Why is it there? What is significant about its location? How is its location related to the location of other people, places, and environments? Essential Questions: What are the major landforms in Central America, and where are they located? Why/How are landforms significant/important to understand? How were the landforms in Central America created? How did the landforms on Earth form? • Students will know … Students will be able to … Students will understand that … • Students will be able to label the countries and their capitals of Central America. • Students will be able to identify major landforms of Central America, and be able to identify the location of the landform (the specific country). • Students will identify the significance of the landforms in Central America. • Students will understand Mexico is not part of Central America, it is part of Middle America. (Mexico and Central America make up Middle America.) Stage 2 – Assessment Evidence Performance Tasks: Brief Description of Project: On this day, students will be continuing research over their given country (students broken up into groups, and become experts on a given country in Central America). They will specifically be researching about the countries resources and landforms. As a class we will go over the power point that describes these things for each country, then students are sent to work in groups to research further about their landforms and resources. At the beginning of each class, groups will present what they learned about their country the previous day, and the rest of the class will have to take notes over their presentation, because they will be writing a paper (final assessment) mapping out their travel route through each country in Central America, answering specific questions over all topics learned in each country, including what they would recommend doing and what they wouldn’t recommend doing. 1 Materials: Smartboard, Macbooks, googledocs accounts, assignment tray, powerpoint over Central America, Group folders, Notes from previous class discussions (over Central America), student scrible account (a tool downloaded to the bookmark bar that helps them to mark the text) 2 Through what authentic performance tasks will students demonstrate the desired understandings? 3 Students will be experts on their given country of Central America. They will demonstrate knowledge of landforms, resources, climates, imports/exports, terrain, and borders of given country. They will also list a couple of things that they would like to do while they are visiting that country (canoe, go in caves, snorkel, etc.) 4 By what criteria will performances of understanding be judged? 5 Through student group presentation over specific country, students will be graded on how well they answered the questions on the project overview. For example: what landforms and resources does the country have, what types of climate/climate changes does the country exhibit, what other countries surround the given country, what types of things will your group do while in the country, and what type of food will you eat? 6 Through what other evidence (e.g., quizzes, tests, academic prompts, observations, homework, journals) will students demonstrate achievement of the desired results? 7 Students will demonstrate knowledge of material through the notes they fill out over other groups presentations. They will use information from other groups in order to plan their trip around Central America. The final assessment will be a paper detailing how they will travel (airplane, car, bus, etc.), their travel route, what they would like to do, what was their favorite fun fact about the country, and would they like to visit the country again (why/ why not)? 8 How will students reflect upon and self-assess their learning? 9 Students will reflect on their own learning by filling out the self assessment form over the project. They will fill out the group assessment form for individual group members, and an audience feedback form after each groups presentation. Also, the teacher will grade through the presentation rubric, to see progress with students skills throughout the project. When students receive their final grades, all forms will be given back to them, so they may better research and presentation skills.