Curricular Unit Outline

Unit Title: Washington D.C., Then and Now

Course: Geography

Grade Level: 3rd

Unit Length: 2 weeks (or 10 class periods that are 50 minutes each)

Personal Stake: Having spent the past 4 years here in the District of Columbia, I have really grown to love this city. I would like to live and teach here after I graduate, and would actually like to learn more about the history and geography of D.C.

Unit Topic: The unit topic covers the history and geography of the District of Columbia.

Content Standards:

From the 3^rd Grade Social Studies I used the first four standards of 3.1:

1.Compare and contrast the differences between a contemporary map of Washington, DC, and maps of this area at the end of the 18th and 19th centuries. (G)

2. Identify and locate major physical features and natural characteristics (e.g., bodies of water, land forms, natural resources, and weather) in Washington, DC. (G)

3. Identify and locate major monuments and historical sites in and around Washington, DC (e.g., the Jefferson and Lincoln memorials, Smithsonian museums, Library of Congress, White House, Capitol, Washington Monument, National Archives, Arlington National Cemetery, African American Civil War Museum, Anacostia Museum, Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Iwo Jima Memorial, Frederick Douglass House, Mary McCleod Bethune House, Wilson Building, and Mount Vernon). (G, P)

4. Describe the various types of communities within the city (e.g., Chinatown, Foggy Bottom, Adams Morgan, Anacostia, and Georgetown), beginning with the community in which the elementary school is located. (G, S)

Skills Standards: Students should become comfortable with the names of the major physical features, monuments, and communities within the D.C. area. They should be comfortable labeling these things on a map of D.C. and its surrounding area.

Attitudes: Students should become more comfortable with their community and feel like they are an integral part of the D.C. area.

Essential Questions:

-What are the major monuments in D.C.?

-What are the bodies of water in and around D.C.?

-What are other physical features and natural characteristics of D.C.?

-What are the communities in the area?

Assessment of Student Learning: Students will be given a blank map of the D.C. area that they will fill out throughout the unit as we learn more. Because this unit will provide opportunity for multiple field trips, students will be graded on a “Field Trip Journal” in which they write important facts they learn and reflect on their experiences as they explore D.C.

I am...

I am a student...I know this when I am on campus on Mondays and Thursdays for 11 hours straight.

I am a sorority girl...I know this when I see my closet full of letters and have sisters that I am very close to.

I am a President...I know this when I lead meetings and delegate tasks.

I am a sister...I know this when one of my younger brothers calls and asks me to "be a nice sister" and buy them some alcohol.

I am a daughter...I know this when my mother or father calls or when I get to spend some time at home.

I am a traveler...I know this because I love to go to new places and see other cultures.

I am a blonde...I know this because I sometimes say things that are less than intelligent.

Learning Processes and Procedures (and why I hate Amazon)

So I ordered my two textbooks for this class like the day after they were posted in August and the tracking keeps changing and apparently they will arrive tomorrow. However, I no longer believe anything Amazon.com tells me so we shall see. So I obviously do not yet have the Takaki readings complete but I've been doing the other readings on-line and looking at other blogs of class members. When I get the book, I do plan on marking it up. I don't like reading without a highlighter in my hand...it just doesn't feel right!

I am placed at a Public Charter School in D.C. called SAIL (School for Arts in Learning). I am in a second grade classroom with Ms. Jamey and Ms. Clara and love it so far, though I am finding it quite challenging! On Thursday I broke up three fist fights...quite impressed with myself :). So besides the behavior problems, we actually have been getting some work done. However, no social studies yet. It seems to me that D.C. really just cares about math and reading. We haven't even gotten to the math yet...we've just been giving the students reading assessments. I did speak to the teacher about social studies though. It is usually taught once or twice a week in centers for about 30 minutes. Because we haven't done any social studies, I haven't been able to apply what I have learned but I have been able to apply some of the classroom management skills we have worked on so far in our education program. I'm definitely looking forward to what this semester holds!