ED 305 Calvin College Lesson Planning Form

Lesson 8: Its Harvest Time!

Teacher: Joline A and Hannah L
Date: May 2016
Big Idea: Invest in the Midwest
Grade: 4th
Thread: Tying the Threads Together
I. Objectives
What is the main focus of this lesson?
This lesson serves as a summative assessment. Students will discuss how consumers in the Midwest and the corn,
automobile, lumber, and steel industries would be affected if the Great Lakes no longer existed.
How does this lesson tie in to your units Big Idea?
Our Big Idea focuses on the importance of the Midwestern resources. This lesson has students consider what would
happen if the main resource of water was no longer available. In turn, students must consider how this affects other
Midwestern resources (corn, automobile, lumber, and steel) and the production of products made from those
resources. Students must also consider how this affects consumers.
What are your objectives for this lesson?
(As many as needed.) I
ndicate connections to applicable national or
state standards. Include any themes or major concepts from the thread
(themes of geography, Core Principles of
Economics, etc)
Objectives:
Students will be able to
Consider how the disappearance of the Great Lakes (water resource) will affect their particular Midwestern
group (consumers or those in the corn, automobile, lumber, and steel industries).
Produce a recorded radio interview of someone in their Midwestern group detailing the changes that will
occur because there are no more Great Lakes (e.g. changes in production processes, changes in production
cost etc.)
Standards:
4 G4.0.2 Describe the impact of immigration to the United States on the cultural development of different
places or regions of the United States (e.g., forms of shelter, language, food). (H)
4 E1.0.4 Explain how price affects decisions about purchasing goods and services (substitute goods).
4 E1.0.6 Explain how competition among buyers results in higher prices and competition among sellers
results in lower prices (e.g., supply, demand).
CCSS.ELALITERACY.SL.4.4
Report on a topic or text, tell a story, or recount an experience in an organized
manner, using appropriate facts and relevant, descriptive details to support main ideas or themes; speak
clearly at an understandable pace.
CCSS.ELALITERACY.SL.4.5
Add audio recordings and visual displays to presentations when appropriate to
enhance the development of main ideas or themes
II. Before you start

Prerequisite knowledge and

skills.

Assessment
(formative and summative)
Materialswhat materials
(books, handouts, etc) do you
need for this lesson and do you
have them?

Knowledge of the resources available in the Midwest and what goods are produced
from those resources
Knowledge of production processes used in making automobiles and corn, lumber,
and steel goods
Knowledge of economic concepts of supply, demand, price, cost, and substitute
goods
The difference between producers and consumers
Summative, formal create audio recorded interview demonstrating what theyve
learned about the different social studies threads specific to the Midwest region
Slips of paper with the group names on them (one per student) corn farmer,
automobile manufacturer, steel worker, lumberjack, consumer
Bucket for students to draw slips out of
Chromebooks for audio recording
Speakers to play students recordings for whole class

Do you need to set up your

classroom in any special way
for this lesson? If so, describe
it.
III. The Plan
Time
Parts

3
min

Motivation
(Opening/
Introduction/
Engagement)

Development
5
min

25
min

Students spread out to work in groups and make interview recordings. Some groups
may go in hall.
Whole group to listen to recordings

The description of (script for) the lesson, wherein you describe teacher activities and
student activities (indicate in parenthesis where you are addressing standards and
themes)
Have each student draw a slip of paper with a group name on it (corn farmer, automobile
manufacturer, steel worker, lumberjack, or consumer) from a bucket. Tell students that
this will be their group/job for the day they either work in the corn, automobile, steel, or
lumber industry OR they are consumers of all the goods these industries make.
Play dramatic news update music. Announce to students that a great tragedy has occured.
The Great Lakes have disappeared!
Explain that students must now decide how this will affect their groups. What does the
disappearance of the Great Lakes mean for both producers and consumers? If you are a
worker, how will production processes and costs change? If you are a consumer, how will
consumer prices and buying choices change? Might the workers or consumers in your group
consider moving away from the MIdwest? Tell students that their job now is to produce a
35 minute audio recording of an interview between a radio DJ and consumers or workers in
their industry. Students interviews should answer these questions and express plausible
opinions of Midwestern workers or consumers.
(4 G4.0.2, 4 E1.0.4, 4 E1.0.6)
Have students spread throughout the classroom to work on their interview recordings.
Encourage students to begin by brainstorming on paper what changes will occur for their
Midwestern group and to jot notes about who will say what in the interview. Then they may
proceed to recording. (
CCSS.ELALITERACY.SL.4.4

,
CCSS.ELALITERACY.SL.4.5
)
Gather students as a whole class and listen to their interview recordings.

25
Closure
min
Explain how this lesson supports your Big Idea. What is the takeaway?
All the threads we have discussed (geography, history, culture, economics, and civics) are interconnected and
contribute to how we function as a region. If one resource like the Great Lakes was missing, we would have to rethink
our entire way of life and those threads would be redefined. In particular, the Great Lakes are vital to the
Midwestern region.