Lesson Plan: Social Studies

Kindergarten
Schools: Samuel Powel Elementary School & Penn Alexander School
Teachers: Betty Liu & Sherlly Pierre
Number of Students: 5/group
Date: December 2, 2015
Time: Afternoon
Goals:
What helps you to read and understand a map?
Essential Questions:
How do we use maps to read the world around us?
Standards (and Assessment Anchor):
CCSS
CC.1.3.K.I Determine or clarify the meaning of unknown or multiple meaning words and
phrases based upon grade-level reading and content.
CC.1.2.K.J Use words and phrases acquired through conversations, reading, and being
read to, and responding to texts.
NCSS
Curriculum Standards for Social Studies
o People, Places & Environment
Performance Expectations
construct and use mental maps of local regions and the world that
demonstrate relative location, direction, size and shape (a)
interpret use and distinguish various representation of the earth
such as maps, globes and photographs (b)
Describe how people create places that reflect ideas like
personality, cultures, wants and needs as they design homes,
playgrounds, classrooms and the like (g)
Examine the interaction of human beings and their physical
environments, the use of land, the building of cities and
ecosystem changes in selected locales and regions (h)
Materials & Preparation:
Examples of maps: Weather map, road map, school map, World Map, Map of
US/Pennsylvania/Philadelphia, Classroom map, physical feature maps, theme park
maps, museum maps, globe, product maps, historical, proportion, types of communities
(urban, rural suburban)
Theres A Map on My Lap!: All About Maps by Tish Rabe & Me on the Map by Joan
Sweeney
Heads Up materials/printouts
Classroom Arrangement & Management Issues:
Library
o Fewer distractions from other students with the added bonus of acculturating
students to library norms

A quiet environment for students to focus and think deep about the numbers

Plan:
The hook
o Imagine that you, your best friend and your families are all going to Clark Park
on a Saturday afternoon and youre going to have a picnic. What would you use
to figure out how to get there? How can you make sure that it wont be raining
that day? Is there something you can use to help someone find where your
picnic spot is in the park?
Chart students thinking on anchor chart
o (I) All About Maps: Definition of a map? Map as tool (purposes of maps)? Who
makes maps (and why?)? What other kinds of maps are there?
Interactive anchor chart (images pre-made and ready to be affixed to
chart; sentence strips for the definitions)
Mostly in conversation
The body
o (We) Read Aloud:
Theres A Map on My Lap!: All About Maps by Tish Rabe
Discussion Questions
How do I get information from the story?
Why is it important to know who will be using your map?
How is the orange helping students to make sense of the
globe?
Can you ever have a map as big as the places that they
are showing? (Scaffold: Think about when you see people
on TV, are in photos, are they the same size when you see
them in person/real life? Why or why not?)
What type of story is this? Are there ways that the author
is teaching us? How do you know?
For more questions:
http://www.softschools.com/quizzes/geography/ma
p/quiz1060.html
Incorporate at least two turn and talks at critical points (Second
question and last question, specifically, but others will be quick
check-in questions)
Model how to create a map using mentor text, Me on a Map, and selected
sections
Students will help teacher to create a map of the library room we
are in using features discussed in Me on a Map and Theres a
Map on My Lap
Will scaffold in expectations of features that they will have
to include in their own maps of their bedrooms
(You)
Me on a Map: Bedrooms (Illustration with/without text)
Students incorporate features discussed in lesson into their
maps

Literacy components: Labels, Student created resource

words (room, map, bed, etc.), utilizing stretching/sounding
out techniques, snapwords
Closure
o Spin on Ellens Heads Up Game: Maps Edition
Teacher guesses types of maps based on clues that students give, first
round. Second round, time allowing, teacher and students switch
Teacher models, first, with the assistance of a student rules of the
game

Assessment of the Goals/Objectives:

A clear understanding/recall of map features
Context for the use of various maps
A working knowledge of the presence of maps in students own lives
Anticipating Students Responses and Your Possible Responses:
Management issues:
o Remind students of our space, the library, and the norms/expectations that come
with that space
o Silent signals and redirections
Response to content of the lesson
Accommodations:
Students may choose to illustrate or illustrate and write for the bedroom maps,

access to skills allowing

o

For students who are unable to write teacher can check-in for verbal
verification to ensure that features are included