Lesson Plan Templates

Madeline Hunter
Stephen Binko
Christy Keeler
Generic (Other)

Picture North America

Developed by John Pauli
Modified by Christy Keeler, Ph.D.


Grade Level: 5-10

Time: 50 minutes

Overview:

Using pictures from a wall calendar of North America, atlases, place card descriptors and latitude and longitude cards, students work collaboratively to match the items. The result is a completed table listing relative and absolute locations. They also note geographic regions and mark the locations of the pictures on a map using stickers.

Connection to National Geography Standards:
The World in Spatial Terms
(1) How to use maps and other geographic representations, tools, and technologies to acquire, process, and report information.
(3) How to analyze the spatial organization of people, places, and environments on Earth's surface.
Places and Regions
(4) The physical and human characteristics of places.
(5) That people create regions to interpret Earth's complexity.
Physical Systems
(8) The characteristics and spatial distribution of ecosystems on Earth's surface.

Materials:
“Picture North America” answer sheet
Sealed folders (enough for groups of four students) containing
One atlas
One laminated North American map *
Removable stickers (one set)
Numbered pictures from the North American continent (one set of 12)
Cards listing the picture description and relative location name of each picture (one set)
Cards listing the absolute location of each picture (one set)
“Picture North America” worksheet

Objectives:
  • Define place name, relative location, absolute location, and region.
  • Identify flora, fauna, and structures common to specific regions of North America.
  • Utilize atlases to coordinate place names with latitude and longitude.
  • Match visual images of physical space to their relative and absolute locations.
  • Work collaboratively to utilize geographic tools.
Procedure:

Opening:

Place students into groups of four and instruct them using the following directions:
  1. Begin by working together to match the pictures, place name cards, and latitude and longitude cards.
  2. Once all cards are matched, place a sticker on the North American laminated map for the location of each picture.
  3. Then, complete the “Picture North America” worksheet using the matched information.
  4. Finally, identify a region for each location.

Provide each group with one packet of materials.

Development:

Circulate, assisting students as they match pictures and cards, utilize atlases, place stickers on the map, and complete their worksheets. Once groups feel confident they have correctly completed their worksheets, allow them to check their answers with the answer key. If they have errors, encourage them to identify the cause of the errors and to fix these on their worksheets/maps.

Closing:

Once all students have correctly completed their worksheets, ask students:
  • What did you learn from this activity?
  • What do you notice about North America by looking at the pictures? (Answers should relate to the variety of ecosystems across the continent.)
  • Why do you think there is such variety on a single continent?
Assessment:

Provide credit based on student ability to actively collaborate with a group and correct completion of the worksheet.

Extending/Modifying the Lesson:

  • Have students work in groups to create their own “Picture North America” activity using pictures of national parks. Have each group of four students create a packet of eight pictures. They will identify which national parks they wish to include after visiting the U.S. National Park Service website. Once they identify the parks they wish to highlight, they download a picture of each park after visiting the park’s official website. For each picture, students must prepare a caption that includes a description of the picture (including geographically correct terminology) and an accurate place name including the name of the park and the state in which it is located. They must also identify the latitude and longitude of the park. Encourage use of Google Earth for this purpose. Students will submit the printed pictures and one page with the place cards and latitude/longitude cards typed (for easy cutting). They will also include an answer key for their “Picture U.S. National Parks” activity using the original “Picture North America” worksheet. During a Family Geography Night, have parents complete the “Picture U.S. National Parks” activity under the direction of the students.
  • Use historical locations for the pictures (e.g., pictures along the Lewis and Clark Trail or the Oregon Trail). The pictures can depict modern gegraphy or can be from the historical period (e.g., pictures of home states for twentieth century U.S. Presidents).
  • Instead of North America, use pictures of famous world features (e.g., Egyptian pyriamids, Grand Canyon, Sydney Opera House).
  • After completing the activity, have students research one of the locations from the activity. Have them prepare a report or acrostic poem about their selected location.
  • Have students use traditional scales to measure distances between locations on the completed map. Have them check their work using Google Earth's "Measure" tool.
  • Have students study the various ecosystems depicted in the graphics.

* Create a laminated regional map by first finding an outline map of the region (e.g., U.S. outline map -- delete the grid lines) and cutting the margins by about .5" on all sides. Next, glue the map onto a piece of colored cardstock. Laminate the map. Now, students may write on the maps with wet erase markers, clean them with paper towels, and re-use them. This is a wonderful tool for students to use when practicing country or state names.

This lesson is available at: http://coe.nevada.edu/ckeeler/LessonPlanTemplates/PictureNorthAmerica.html
©2006
Email: Christy Keeler, Ph.D.
Homepage: Christy Keeler, Ph.D.