My Ideal Vacation
My Summer Vacation
Technology & Social StudiesOverview:
In this unit, grouped students will explore the geography of part of the United States. Students will create multimedia travel journal to discuss the five United States places visited. Students will compare and contrast the physical characteristics of each region.
Standards:• Students will be able to describe the human and physical characteristics of modern world regions, such as distribution of natural resources and modifications to the environment, by constructing, interpreting, and using appropriate maps, graphs, charts, and data.
Learning Objectives: The student will be able to• identify and discuss the major geographic regions of parts of the United States.
• identify key features and vocabulary for each major geographic region of parts of the United States.
• create a multimedia video presentation of five locations around the United States.
Technology components:
• Discovery Education unitedstreaming account (http://www.unitedstreaming.com)
• Adobe Premiere Elements video editing software
• Computer with LCD projector and Internet connection
Introduction:
• Using graphic organizing software such as Inspiration, have the students brainstorm ideas of places around the United States they’ve visited or would like to visit.
• Display the unitedstreaming image "A Map of North America" in front of the class and ask the students to group the locations according to geographic region.
Prior Knowledge:
• Discuss with the students key elements of biomes discussed in previous classes.Present New Content:
• The teacher will use presentation software or images to introduce the major geographic regions by showing images and video segments of the United States.
o Suggested unitedstreaming content: - Map, United States and California. IRC (2005). - American Geography Close-Ups: Maps, Regions, Resources, and Climate. Discovery Channel School (2005). - ‘A Strategy for Studying Geography: Examining Physical Environment and People’ video segment from Understanding Places: Geography Basics (1995).
• Have the students complete a KWL graphic organizer of part of the U.S. regions and have students brainstorm questions they’d like to know about each region. This will help guide the students as they complete their video journals.
Independent Learning Experience:
• Divide the students into equal groups. Each group will create multimedia travel journals or multimedia presentations, discussing the five locations (one in each region) that they visited (or would like to have visited) on their summer vacation.
• Students will present their Summer Vacation videos to the class with a discussion of each place they went. They will compare and contrast some of the physical characteristics of each region.
• Assign one region to each group, telling them they are to keep track of the key terms/characteristics that each group used, describing the geography of their region. At the end of the unit, groups will create resource sheets about that region for the class for future reference.
Cross-Curricular Lesson Extension:
• Add a math component by having students use the Google Earth measure tool to include the total distance of their trip and discuss how long the trip would take to complete if they drove around the country.
Additional research websites:
• Library of Congress: http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/gmdhtml/rrhtml/regdef.html
• Students can also search for primary source information through a Google Search using the following keywords: "United States Geography"*
Feedback:
• Teacher circulates around the room providing ongoing feedback to small groups.
• Students should submit a rough draft of their five locations with key ideas behind each location half way through the project. Teacher will provide comments and guidance on next steps for each group.
Assessment:
• Use a scoring rubric provided to the students, in advance, to evaluate each travel log and presentation.
Transfer:
• Provide students with a list of historical sites they can choose to visit and have each group use downloaded unitedstreaming editable videos and articles to research one of these sites. Present to the class critical information about the place and its historical significance.
Citations:
All About American Geography: The Pacific Region of the United States, Part Two: Mountains, Deserts, Valleys, and Agriculture. United Learning (2005). Retrieved October 16, 2006, from unitedstreaming: http://www.unitedstreaming.com/
All About American Geography: All About American Geography: The Southeastern Region of the United States, Part Two: Coastal Plains, Piedmont, and Mountains. United Learning (2004). Retrieved October 16, 2006, from unitedstreaming: http://www.unitedstreaming.com/
Understanding Places: Geography Basics. Rainbow Educational Media (1995). Retrieved October 16, 2006, from unitedstreaming: http://www.unitedstreaming.com/
Map, United States and California. IRC (2005). Retrieved October 16, 2006, from unitedstreaming: http://www.unitedstreaming.com/
*Selected clips from "All About American Geography" series presented by United Learning.