Lesson # 1

Grade: 3rd grade Ancient Greece

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Objectives Students will be able to locate Greece and the Mediterranean Sea on a map. Students will be able to describe the physical characteristics of Ancient Greece SOL 3.4 The student will develop map skills by a.) Locating Greece b.) Describing the physical characteristics of Greece Essential Questions Where is Greece located? What Sea is Ancient Greece near? What type of land does Greece have? What are some characteristics of Greece? Materials for Learning Activities Large dry erase map (for teacher) Dry erase markers ( teacher and students) Desk maps ( one per student) Anchor Chart Picture of Greece with mountains Picture of Greece as a peninsula and with many islands Observation Checklist ( for teacher) Map location exit slip ( one per student) Procedures for Learning Activities Introduction: ( 10 min., Whole Group) Students and teacher are all sitting down on the carpet in a circle. The teacher will have her large dry erase map in front of her.

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The teacher will ask the students, Has anyone ever heard of Greece? If the students answer Yes, then the teacher is to see what they already know about it. Also, if a student answers Yes, then the teacher should ask them if they know what continent it is located on. Ask a student where Europe is located, (They should already know this because they go over this in the beginning of the year). Once the student points out where Europe is, the teacher will explain that that is where Ancient Greece is located. Teacher will then show the class where Ancient Greece is located on the map in front of him/her. Put a star where Greece is located. Point out on the map how Greece has a lot of water around it. Tell the students that the body of water that is around Greece is called the Mediterranean Sea. Write the Mediterranean Sea on the teachers map. Activity ( 15 min., Small Group) Students will then go back to their seats and the teacher will pass out each teacher a desk map and dry erase marker. With their table groups, the students will locate the 7 continents and 5 bodies of water on their maps. Students will then locate Greece and the Mediterranean Sea. During this time, the teacher will be walking around and writing on his/her observation checklist if the students are able to locate Greece and the Mediterranean Sea. ( 20 min., Whole Group) Teacher and student will then have a seat back on the carpet. Now that we know where Greece is, we need to discuss some of its characteristics. Discuss with the class what characteristics are: Can anyone tell me what characteristics are? If no one is able to answer, the teacher should go on to explain that characteristics are details about something. Today we are talking about Greece so we are going to look at the different characteristics of Greece. That means what type of land it has and what it looks like. Explain that every country has different characteristics. Provide examples to the students: Ask the students what they think some of the characteristics are for these places are first and write it on an anchor chart. a.) Antarctica- has ice, snow, and glaciers. It is also very cold and trees dont grow trees there. b.) California- Warm, sunny, has mountains and beaches. It is located along the Pacific Ocean.

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c.) Hawaii- Warm, sunny, grows a lot of tropical fruits like coconuts, and is an island because it is surrounded completely by water. Greece has many characteristics just like the examples we just talked about. Teacher will then show the map and ask the students if they notice anything about Greece (hopefully someone says that it is surrounded by water on almost all sides or that there are many smaller pieces of land around it). Once the students say their answers, the teacher can point of that Greece is a peninsula because it is connect to land but all the other sides are surrounded by water. Point out that those small bodies of lands near Greece are islands that are a part of it. Show pictures of hills and mountains in Greece so the students can see what type of land Greece has. Also, explain to the students that Greece has very limited rich soil to grow things. Teacher should then refresh students memory of how maps have legends to tell those reading it what symbols mean. Students will then have to create a key on their desk map to show the physical characteristics of Greece. For examples, ^^^ those could mean mountains. Closing (5 min. Individual) Students will show the teacher their dry erase maps as she walks around. When students are finish, students will be given an exit slip so they can quickly answer the questions to see if they grasped the lesson from today. Assessment Observation Checklist- this assessment will take place during the lesson. When the students are locating Greece and Rome on their desk maps, the teacher will walk around and see if they know where Europe is, where Greece is, and where the Mediterranean Sea is located. It has room to make any additional notes on it if needed. Exit Slip- Students will be give a exit slip after they have finished. One the exit slip, the students will need to know where Greece is located, what sea is it located near, and what some of the physical characteristics of Greece are. Differentiation Bodily-Kinesthetic Learners- When the students are learning about the location, they get to physically look and mark where it is. Students also get to move from their seat to the carpet which helps some learners because some dont like to sit in a desk all day. Visual Learners- A map is given so these learners can physically see where Greece and the Mediterranean Sea are located. Pictures of the hills and

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mountains in Greece as well as a picture of how it is a peninsula is shown to the class. Advanced Learners- For advanced learners, I would have them look at a nonfiction book about Greece. Then, have these students find some more characteristics about Greece that they didnt know before this lesson. Struggling Learners- For those who are behind, I could work in a small group with them to locate Greece and the Mediterranean Sea while the rest of the class works with their table group. This would allow the teacher to see where they are struggling and if they know where any of the continents are at all. For those learners that need it, I would provide a word banks on the exit slip to help them. Technology Integration Smart Board- used to project the pictures of the physical characteristics for the whole class to see.

Name:___________________________________________ Date:___________

Exit Slip

Directions: Fill in the blank with the appropriate word(s).

1.) Greece is located on what continent? ___________

2.) Greece is surrounded by the _______________________ Sea.

3.) Greece is a ____________ because it is surrounded by water on 3 sides but is connected to land on one side. 4.) The land in Greece has many _________________ and __________________. 5.) The amount of rich soil in Greece is _________________.

Observation Check List: Lesson # 1

Student (Fill in names during real lesson) Student #1 Student #2 Student #3 Student #4 Student #5 Student #6 Student #7 Student #8 Student #9 Student #10 Student #11 Student #12 Student #12 Student #13 Student #14 Student #15 Student #16 Student #17 Student #18 Student #19 Student #20

Can the student locate the 7 Does he/she know Does he/she know continents and the 5 where Greece is where they know oceans? located on the where the map? Mediterranean Sea is?

Additional Comments:

Greece is a Peninsula

Mountains in Greece

Islands of Greece