EGP 335/535

Johnson

SW Unit

K.

1.0 Lesson Plan Details: Park Experts, Day 11 (Part of Days 8-11), Authors: Emily
Fuguet, Grade Level: 4
Expected Duration: 4 class periods (45 minutes each)
Concepts: Resources, Evaluation
Vocabulary: Monument, Road Map, Physical Map, Topographic Map,
Skills: utilize self-directed learning, examine real world situations, read informational
literature, analyze sources of information, math integration
1.1 Integration of Learning Outcomes/Objectives

During the first week of the SW Unit, students will brainstorm about the learning project they choose
related to the expert group stations and show their thought process with a thought map graphic organizer.
Students will compare and cite four sources of information, including one digital sources during the
creation of their learning project.
Students will construct a learning project that answers the research question of their expert group.
Students may do this individually or in groups.
Students will create three written elements to support their learning project: a creative piece, an
informational piece and a digital piece.

1.2 Standards PA Civics, History, Economics, Geography & NCSS Themes

PA Standard: Basic Geographic Literacy, 7.1.4.A: Describe how common
geographic tools are used to organize and interpret information about people,
places, and environment.
PA Standard: Basic Geographic Literacy, 7.1.4.B: Describe and locate places
and regions as defined by physical and human features.
PA Standard: Interactions Between People and the Environment, 7.4.4.A:
Identify the effect of the physical systems on people within a community.
PA Standard: Civics 5.3.4.C: Identify the services performed by local and state
governments
NCSS.1.3.b...have learners create, interpret, use, and distinguish various
representations of Earth, such as maps, globes and photographs, and use
appropriate geographic tools such as atlases, databases, systems, charts, graphs,
and maps to generate, manipulate, and interpret information.
NCSS.1.5.f...challenge learners to evaluate the role of institutions in
furthering both community and change guide learner analysis of the extent to which
groups and institutions meet individual needs and promote the common good in
contemporary and historical settings.
1.3 Anticipatory Set
Yesterday you looked through the resources in your bin and we conferenced briefly
about your Thought Maps. Lets remind ourselves of our research question.
Research Question for the Parks and Rec Expert Group: A family would like the take
a roadtrip from Philadelphia, PA and travel by car through the four states in the

Southwest. Create a route and determine a few stops along the way that you think
the family would enjoy. The family would like to visit some National Parks, some
hiking sites and they are happy to camp. Calculate the total number of miles the
family will be traveling and the anticipated price of gas.
Please get out your thought maps and look over your brainstorming. Now I want you
to quickly peer share your ideas for completing this project.
*This research question has a lot of creative approaches for students. Conference
will be important to ensure they answer the research question while incorporating
and creating their project elements. The expert group can work individually or in
teams or as a whole group. This is up to the teachers discretion and students
preference.

1.4 Procedures
Skill- GoogleMaps
After students complete their pair-share about their project brainstorm, introduce
them to an element that would be important for them to include in their projectmaps.
Students for your project I would strongly encourage you to incorporate a visual of
the route you will be sending the family on for vacation. Remember you are not
booking every stop, simply telling them the route and a few good Parks to stop and
spend some time. One visual aid for the route is through the use of maps.
Today I have brought a few maps and resources that you can consider incorporating
in your presentation. We already know how to calculate distance with a map key, so
that should be easy for you to do when planning your route. Today, I will be showing
you how to use Google Maps.
Get our your laptops and open up your web-browser. In the search bar type in the
web address- maps.google.com
*formative assessment- ensure students are on the proper website and focused on
their task
I am going to demonstrate how to create a route using Google Maps. I will be
creating different routes for the family to travel on their ride from PA down to the
SW region of the United States. So Im going to start with their Home Destination,
Philadelphia. I type that into the search bar. GoogleMaps then displays a few route
options, I am going to select the one I prefer. *Students this is when geographical
maps might come in handy to see what kind of scenery the family might be driving
past. Now I am going to continue having the familys route travel through 4 capital
cities on the way to the SW. Once I am done their route, I am going to save my work
by taking a screenshot. (Depending on the computer type, have a pre-made 8x11
poster of the keyboard shortcut.) Now I might want to try some of those other
interesting routes that Google Map was showing me, remember how it had those
other grey route options. Id like to see what those routes might do to my total
mileage, maybe I could save them some gas money. (Proceed to re-do the
procedure and choose different highways and routes. Formative Assessment: If the
students display high proficiency with Google Maps, have students help co-create

the route. Add satellite imagery on Google Maps to see the different landforms and
scenery the family will travel past. If students are not showing proficiency, begin to
circulate, targeting problem areas, difficulties and utilize student tutor pairings.
1.5 Differentiation
Groupings: Have students that struggle with technology, pair with students that
show high proficiency and familiarity with the GoogleMaps platform.
Products: Students with IEPs should have product content tailored to their ability
level. Students requiring enrichment should be challenged to incorporate a larger
number of park & rec elements in their project.
1.6 Closure
Students in the last five minutes of class I would like you to discuss among
yourselves, what do you think are the advantages and disadvantages to using
online maps versus paper maps.
Each student should vocalize one comment to the discussion in favor of or against.
1.7 Formative/Summative Assessment of Students (P-12)

During the first week of the SW Unit, students will brainstorm about the learning project they choose
related to the expert group stations and show their thought process with a thought map graphic organizer.
Students will construct a learning project that answers the research question of their expert group.
Students may do this individually or in groups.
Students will practice using technology (Google Maps) when answering their research question

1.8 Materials/Equipment
A. STUDENT MATERIALS/ READING RESOURCES:
Student Laptops
Thought Map
Google Maps
Roadtrip Planning App; https://roadtrippers.com
National Parks in the U.S.: http://www.nationalparks.org/explore-parks/find-park
National Parks in the U.S.: http://www.nps.gov/findapark/index.htm
Tabletop State Maps for Oklahoma, Texas, Arizona and New Mexico:
http://education.nationalgeographic.org/topics/state-mapmaker-kits/
Road-trips in the U.S., Examples for Students: https://www.us-parks.com/roadtrip.html
Fuel Estimator for Roadtrip; https://www.fueleconomy.gov/trip/#?
Research Website: Texas State Parks; http://tpwd.texas.gov/state-parks/
Research Website: Oklahoma State Parks; http://www.travelok.com/state_parks
Research Website: New Mexico State Park; http://www.emnrd.state.nm.us/SPD/s
Research Website: Arizona State Parks; http://azstateparks.com/
B. TEACHER MATERIALS/RESOURCES FOR LESSON DESIGN:
National Parks in the U.S.: http://www.nationalparks.org/explore-parks/find-park

National Parks in the U.S.: http://www.nps.gov/findapark/index.htm

Tabletop State Maps for Oklahoma, Texas, Arizona and New Mexico:
http://education.nationalgeographic.org/topics/state-mapmaker-kits/
Research Website: Texas State Parks; http://tpwd.texas.gov/state-parks/
Research Website: Oklahoma State Parks; http://www.travelok.com/state_parks
Research Website: New Mexico State Park; http://www.emnrd.state.nm.us/SPD/s
Research Website: Arizona State Parks; http://azstateparks.com/
*jigsaw teaching strategy: https://www.jigsaw.org,
http://www.readwritethink.org/professional-development/strategy-guides/usingjigsaw-cooperative-learning-30599.html

C. Resources Chart
Use

Sources

Topic

SI/
MI

Reliabilit Teacher
y for SI
Accessibili
ty

Student
Accessibili
ty

Student

Research Website:
National Parks in
the U.S.

National Parks

SI

Run by
Governme
nt

easy
accessibility

easy
accessibility,
research
safe, no ads

Student

Research Website:
National Parks in
the U.S.

National Parks

SI

Run by
National
Park
Foundatio
n

easy
accessibility

easy
accessibility,
research
safe, no ads

Student

Research Website:
Texas State Parks

State Parks

MI

Student

Research Website:
Oklahoma State
Parks

State Parks

MI

Student

Research Website:
New Mexico

State Parks

MI

Student

Research Website:
Arizona

State Parks

MI

Student

Roadtrip Planning
App

Natural
Wonders

SI

Based on
maps and
local parks

Student

Tabletop State
Maps for SW

State Maps

SI

Accurate
Maps

Student

Roadtrip Examples
for U.S.

National Parks

MI

Student

Fuel Estimator

Mathematics,
Technology

SI

Calculator

few ads,
travel
themed

no ads

D. Teacher Content Notes Sheet

Arizona:
Numerous caverns, off highway vehicle roadmap, Arizona Primer Trail System- state has
chosen applicants to be placed on their trails for: Recreation, Interpretive, Historic/Cultural,
Scenic, Water/Riparian, National Trails and Trail Systems.
Taken from: azstateparks.com
Parks for students to consider:
Grand Canyon National Park: Located in NW Arizona, 15th oldest National Park, voted
UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1979
Petrified Forest National Park: Located in Northeastern Arizona, northern part of forest
extends into Painted Desert. The park is known for its immense areas of petrified woods.
Saguaro National Park: Located in Southern Arizona, beautiful park full of largest cacti,
the Saguaro.
State Parks: Numerous state parks in Arizona, consider using a map to determine
favorites to include.
New Mexico:
Carlsbad Caverns National Park: Full of over 119 known caves formed by sulfuric acid
contacting the limestone. Located in the southeastern mountain region of New Mexico.
State Parks: Numerous state parks in New Mexico, consider using a map to find
favorites.
Texas
National Parks:
Big Bend National Park:Nationally recognized as the largest protected area of
Chihuahuan Desert, an important ecological area for Texas. This park is located in a very
remote and rural area in Far West Texas.
Guadalupe Mountains National Park: Worlds largest fossil reef from the Permian Era,
perfect for hiking. Contains Texas highest peak- Guadalupe Peak.
State Parks: Numerous state parks in Texas, consider using a map to select favorites.
Oklahoma:
Chickasaw National Recreation Area: A beautiful area to explore water in southern
Oklahoma, with a plethora of lakes and springs.
Fort Smith National Historic Site
Oklahoma City National Memorial
Santa Fe National Historic Trail: This trail passes through five different states and may
be an excellent option for traveling and seeing sites along the way.
State Parks: Numerous state parks in Oklahoma, consider using a map to find favorites.
*Park information taken from Wiki and nps.gov
1.9 Technology

This expert group has a lot of opportunities to integrate technology, through their
research as well as their presentation. Encourage students that are highly proficient
in technology to do a Paperless Project. Students can use approved apps for travel
research. Encourage students to include video elements in their presentations.
2.1 Reflection on Planning
I think this lesson has a lot of strengths in general as a piece of the Parks
expert group, but I think depending on the technology proficiency in the classroom,
this lesson could use a bit more technology excitement. I wonder how many
students would already have familiarity with Google Maps, and if so, as a teacher I
would challenge the group to incorporate some more complex or maybe more
detailed trip itinerary. I think the students could have a lot of fun with this lesson,
especially if the expert group formed a larger group to make a big idea better. I
think the expert group provides flexibility in the groups, but it also provides a lot of
individualization and differentiation. I enjoy that the expert group time includes 4
days to work on projects, and the beginning of the unit involves the planning stages
to not overwhelm the students. All of that time allows for in depth conferences and
conversations with students. I would love to incorporate more powerful examples to
help improve the expert group lessons. I think if students see other fourth grade
class projects, they may be inclined to push beyond their comfort zone and create a
project that they are proud of and invested in. I think the expert groups serve the
same purpose, an in depth research analysis and the formation of opinion pieces. I
think students can take this project as far as they would like. My concerns are that
students become overwhelmed in the products they are required to create in this
project and neglect to focus on the big picture development. I think a good
metaphor would be reminding students of the power of a puzzle- when students
only see the pieces, its hard to see the big picture. Yet when students develop a big
picture, it may be easier to hone in on where the pieces fall into place. I would love
to encourage this sort of thinking. This project will help students showcase their
skills from a long year studying different regions and developing different skills,
such as their map skills. I think an important take-away message for students is how
they each become experts in a topic, yet still learn about the other topics by
classroom conversation and presence in a learning environment.