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 3rd 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 really like your outline here. Your're essential questions are perfect for the the unit you've outlined. I like how you focused on geography rather then the all encompassing unit I'm trying to plan. It makes the unit more detailed and focused. I was wondering about your field trips? What kind of field trips would you hope to organize and how long would these field trips take? I'm also curious about the sequencing of your unit? I really like everything you've got here, now what's your plan of attack?
ReplyDeleteI think it is great that you too hope to learn more about the community that you live in. I believe that you are right in that having the students tap into the resources and community around them will help them build a comfort level and appreciation for the things around them. I also like that in your essential questions you cover parts of DC that are not as specialized as most things. You ask the students to break down the natural resources and bodies of water instead of just the monuments. Would you take the students to see places where these natural resources can be found? Or would you have them explore only historical landmarks of DC? I think that creating a map for assessment is a great idea and a fun one for the students to partake in.
ReplyDeleteGreat start! Explain in more detail what students will do with the map. How will the journal be assessed, particularly their reflection.
ReplyDeleteMichael and Robyn have provided you with some good questions to think about as you flesh out your journal.