Tabatha Payne Short Range Plan: Continents and Oceans Social Studies

The objectives of this second grade social studies unit are to identify continents and oceans. It is also to
identify and understand the differences between cultures and traditions in given countries. I designed this
unit to include independent, paired, and group learning activities. The students are taught through direct
instruction, visual, kinesthetic, and auditory learning styles. We addressed songs, created souvenirs and
pretended to travel to other continents and given countries. Students were given various opportunities to
see how countries are similar and different based on their locations.

One of my goals for this unit was to identify and allow for differentiated instruction for the many different
learning styles in the classroom. The plan provides for students who are below level, on level, and above
level. Various learning strategies are used to identify the continents and oceans of the world. Also
strategies are used to show that there are differences and similarities between given countries. Students
where to determine where continents and oceans are located, and then be given a map test at the end of
the unit to be used as a formal assessment.

Unit standards:
State Standards
2-1: The student will demonstrate an understanding of the local community as well as the fact that
geography influences not only the development of communities but also the interactions between
people and the environment.
o Indicator: 2-1.1 Identify on a map the location of places and geographic features of the local
community (e.g., landforms, bodies of water, parks) using the legend and the cardinal directions.
Unit Objectives: Activities/Instructional
Strategies:
Assessments of
objectives:
Accommodations and
adaptations:
Students will locate
where they live and
identify different
landforms on the state
of South Carolina such
as mountain ranges,
bodies of water, and
continents.
Activity One-
Introduce and model a
continents and oceans song
and dance (Macarena
style) to help all learners
remember the seven
continents and oceans.

Activity two- Watching
videos on Brain Pop to
help auditory and visual
learners understand the
content.

Model our new song and
dance about the continents
and oceans. Repeat and
allow for students to join
in.

Learning collaboratively
in whole group by
identifying and listing
the seven continents and
four oceans.

Learning collaboratively
in whole group by
identifying different
landforms in a local area:
South Carolina.
Lower range students will be
paired with higher and average
ranged students to help keep
them up with directions.
Groups will be used during
discussion time as to assist
those students that didnt
understand the videos.
Promethean board will play
two videos that discuss
different types of landforms,
and all students will be able to
view the videos. This will
address those auditory and
visual learners by allowing
them to see where landforms
are located and hear the
directions of where landforms
are located.
Students will
demonstrate geographic
features of the local
community.
Activity One- Demonstrate
how to create a map.

Activity Two- Conference
with students

Model what is expected for
students to accomplish
while creating their own
maps.
Using their own maps, I
will orally ask three
questions about each
students maps.

Questions will vary depending
on each students map.

Lower level students may be
paired with higher level
students as to help them keep
up with directions.
Tabatha Payne Short Range Plan: Continents and Oceans Social Studies
Students will be able to
learn where we live and
where we fit in on the
continent.

Activity One- Continents
and Oceans song and dance

Activity two- we will look
at a globe and map to find
where we are located in
accordance with other
countries and continents.
Students will list two to
three things they recall
from the previous lesson
about what items are
found on a map.
Students will also list
two to three things they
remember about their
community in their
notebooks.
Lower level students may be
paired with higher level
students as to help them keep
up with directions.
There is also plenty of
repetition to help students
remember and recall
information.
Students will learn
some similarities and
differences between
those that live in the
same continent but
different country.
Activity One-Song and
Dance, and looking at a
world globe

Activity two- Reading a
book about another country
within the same continent.
Activity Three- Creating a
Souvenir
Students will list two
different things they
remember about their
community.
Also, students will recall
two different facts about
the county we discuss,
after conferencing and
meeting with their group.
They will record their
information in their
notebooks. Students will
also be making mental
comparisons to their own
community while
studying another
community on the
same/different continent.
Lower level students may be
paired with higher level
students as to help them keep
up with directions

There is also plenty of
repetition to help students
remember and recall
information.
Students will be able to
learn where we live and
where we fit in on the
world.
Students will learn
some similarities and
differences between
people that live in
different continents but
same world.
Activity One- Song and
Dance, and looking at the
world globe

Activity two-Read a book
about another country on a
different continent
Activity Three- Creating a
souvenir

Model to students by
pointing to a blank map
and dictating what
continent of ocean lay in
the space.

Students will recall two
different facts about the
county we discuss, after
conferencing and
meeting with their group.
They will record their
information in their
notebooks. Students will
also be making mental
comparisons to their own
community while
studying another
community on the
same/different continent.
Lower level students may be
paired with higher level
students as to help them keep
up with directions and discuss
different factors about
continents and countries.

There is also plenty of
repetition to help students
remember and recall
information.


Students will be able to
locate seven continents
and five oceans on a
map, and list the name
of it in the appropriate
origin.
Activity- Given a blank
map, students will locate
and identify seven
continents and five oceans
with 100% accuracy.

Use the students as
continents and oceans, and
place them around the
World, classroom so
they develop the sense of
where they are located on a
Formal assessment:
Students will identify the
seven continents and five
oceans with minimal to
no mistakes.
If needed I will ask lower level
students orally to locate on
their maps where given
continents and oceans are
found.
Tabatha Payne Short Range Plan: Continents and Oceans Social Studies

real map.
I believe this unit and these objectives are developmentally and age appropriate because students need to be
aware of their surroundings close to them and far away. Students will gain a better understanding of not only their
community and traditions but also those of other continents and countries. By allowing the children to conduct the
same song and dance every day throughout the duration of this unit, students will remember the seven continents
and five oceans we study. Repetition will also help the lower level students gain a remembrance of the continents
and oceans. The song and dance will also meet the needs of those kinesthetic learners and provide for them a
readiness to learn more information throughout the unit. Also by watching videos at the beginning of this unit and
looking at a map on a globe every day to identify and recall what country and continent were discussed the previous
day students will develop the sense of direction and mentally begin locating the continents and oceans on their own,
when pointed to on the map/globe. Further, by creating souvenirs daily, students will hopefully be able to recall
information by looking at their souvenirs; This may help their minds trigger information about a continent and
country discussed.
I wanted to make this travel and study of continents and oceans fun by allowing students to focus not only on
the continents, but also gain a better awareness of what some holidays and traditions are like in other countries
throughout the world. Students need to be aware that not all places in the world are the same as where they live. By
studying how to read a map students review some of the lessons they learned in previous years while gaining new
information.
I also believe this unit and these objectives are significant and challenging for this group on learners because
many of the students in this group are below grade level. There are only a few on grade level or above grade level. I
feel like with this group of learners, a lot of repetition is needed and required. I also feel that doing the same types of
activities with this unit, for each continent and country is needed because these students need the same schedule and
know what is expected and required on a daily basis.