People Adapt To Physical Characteristics Of Our Community

Grade 3 Social Studies Unit: 03 Lesson: 02 Suggested Duration: 04 days Las personas se adaptan a las características físicas de nuestra comunidad Lesson Synopsis: Students use geography skills to review what they have learned about characteristics of the physical environment, extend their learning to include physical processes, and then apply what they have learned to make predictions about the physical environment of communities. Students also investigate more deeply the local community and apply their learning to the local community.

TEKS: 3.1 History. The student understands how individuals, events, and ideas have influenced the history of various communities. The student is expected to: 3.1A Describe how individuals, events, and ideas have changed communities, past and present. 3.4 Geography. The student understands how humans adapt to variations in the physical environment. The student is expected to: 3.4A Describe and explain variations in the physical environment including climate, landforms, natural resources, and natural hazards. 3.4B Identify and compare how people in different communities adapt to or modify the physical environment in which they live such as deserts, mountains, wetlands, and plains. 3.4C Describe the effects of physical processes such as volcanoes, hurricanes, and earthquakes in shaping the landscape. 3.5 Geography. The student understands the concepts of location, distance, and direction on maps and globes. The student is expected to: 3.5A Use cardinal and intermediate directions to locate places on maps and globes such as the Rocky Mountains, the Mississippi River, and Austin, Texas, in relation to the local community. 3.5B Use a scale to determine the distance between places on maps and globes. 3.5C Identify and use the compass rose, grid system, and symbols to locate places on maps and globes. 3.5D Create and interpret maps of places and regions that contain map elements including a title, compass rose, legend, scale, and grid system.

Social Studies Skills TEKS: 3.17 Social studies skills. The student applies critical-thinking skills to organize and use information acquired from a variety of valid sources, including electronic technology. The student is expected to: 3.17C Interpret oral, visual, and print material by identifying the main idea, distinguishing between fact and opinion, identifying cause and effect, and comparing and contrasting. 3.17E Interpret and create visuals, including graphs, charts, tables, timelines, illustrations, and maps. 3.18 Social studies skills. The student communicates in written, oral, and visual forms. The student is expected to: 3.18B Use technology to create written and visual material such as stories, poems, pictures, maps, and graphic organizers to express ideas.

GETTING READY FOR INSTRUCTION Performance Indicator(s):  Sketch a map showing the physical characteristics of the local community. In call-out boxes, explain how the physical characteristics of the local community (climate, landforms, natural resources, natural hazards) affect the lives of people in the area, causing them to adapt to the physical environment.

Key Understandings and Guiding Questions:  Las características físicas de un lugar causan que las personas se adapten al medio ambiente físico. — ¿En qué se diferencian los medios ambientes físicos? — ¿Cómo las personas de diferentes comunidades se adaptan al medio ambiente físico? — ¿Cuáles son los efectos de los procesos físicos para dar forma al paisaje?

©2012, TESCCC 04/05/13 page 1 of 7 Grade 3 Social Studies Unit: 03 Lesson: 02 Suggested Duration: 04 days Las personas se adaptan a las características físicas de nuestra comunidad — ¿Cómo se utilizan las direcciones intermedias y cardinales para localizar lugares en mapas y globos terráqueos?

Vocabulary of Instruction:  adaptar  procesos físicos  accidentes geográficos  balanza  medio ambiente  recursos naturales  cuadrícula de  clima  peligros naturales coordenadas

Materials:  Refer to the Notes for Teacher section for materials.

Attachments:  Teacher Resource: PowerPoint: Geography of a Place  Handout: Natural Processes Cause-Effect (1 per student)  Handout: Texas Map (1 per student)  Handout: Ways People Adapt to Physical Characteristics in Our Community (1 per student)

Resources and References:  None identified Advance Preparation: 1. Become familiar with content and procedures for the lesson. 2. Refer to the Instructional Focus Document for specific content to include in the lesson. 3. Select appropriate sections of the textbook and other classroom materials that support the learning for this lesson. 4. Preview available resources and websites according to district guidelines. 5. Prepare materials and handouts as needed.

Background Information:

Climate: Climate is the weather at a particular place over a period of years. Those who study climate consider the averages and extremes of temperature, wind velocity, precipitation, and other weather elements. Factors which influence the climate of a place include distance from the equator (latitude), proximity to large bodies of water and the nature of the body of water (cold ocean currents versus warm ocean currents), location on a continent (continentality), and elevation.

Landform: Landforms are features on Earth’s surface which include plains, mountains, deserts, hills, and canyons. The shape of landforms (tall and jagged, flat with steep sides, etc.), the nature of the landforms (easy to live on, difficult to live on, etc.), and the processes that continue to affect the landforms (erosion and deposition) are important factors to consider in studying the influence of these physical characteristics on humans.

Natural resources: Natural Resources are items provided by nature from which people produce goods and provide services. Some examples of natural resources include water, soil, trees, and oil as well as minerals and metals such as gold and iron ore. Even abundant fish can be a natural resource.

Natural hazards: A natural hazard is a process or event in the physical environment, not caused by humans and not predictable, but which can destroy human life and property. Natural hazards include hurricanes, earthquakes, tornadoes, volcanoes, fires, floods, and insect infestations.

Physical processes: Some physical processes including changes in landforms, weather, climate, vegetation, and soils occur over long periods of time and their impact on the landscape can be barely obvious to humans. Continental drift or plate tectonics is a physical process, as are erosion and tornadoes. Other physical processes have an immediate and powerful impact on the environment as in the case of floods or earthquakes.

GETTING READY FOR INSTRUCTION SUPPLEMENTAL PLANNING DOCUMENT Instructors are encouraged to supplement and substitute resources, materials, and activities to differentiate instruction to address the needs of learners. The Exemplar Lessons are one approach to teaching and reaching the Performance Indicators and Specificity in the Instructional Focus Document for this unit. Instructors are encouraged to create original lessons using the Content Creator in the Tools Tab located at the top of the page. All originally authored lessons can be saved in the “My CSCOPE” Tab within the “My Content” area. INSTRUCTIONAL PROCEDURES Instructional Procedures Notes for Teacher NOTE: 1 Day = 50 minutes ENGAGE Suggested Day 1 – 10 minutes 1. Display slides 2 and 3 of the Teacher Resource: PowerPoint: Attachments Geography of a Place and allow students time to study them.  Teacher Resource: PowerPoint: Geography of a Place 2. Show slide 4 and ask:  What can you tell about this place? TEKS: 3.4A, 3.17E

3. Facilitate a discussion where students use the academic language Purpose: learned in Lesson 1 to talk about the physical environment of the place in Review earlier learning and provide an the picture. (climate, landforms, natural hazards, natural resources, opportunity for students to apply prairies, etc.) learning to a different situation

4. Show slide 5 and continue discussion to include latitude. Instructional Notes Background notes for teacher are 5. Students add the location of Ashkum, Illinois, to their maps. Discuss what provided at slide 4. else students can identify on the map (such as Canada, Mexico, Atlantic Ocean, Pacific Ocean, Gulf of Mexico, Florida, Alaska, Great Lakes)

6. Show slides 6 and 7 and continue discussion to include climate.

7. Show slide 8 and summarize discussions.

EXPLORE – Map Practice Suggested Day 1(cont’d)– 10 minutes 1. Show slide 9 (same as slide 5, map of the United States with state Materials boundaries). Students identify Texas and add Austin, the capital of Texas  Teacher Resource: PowerPoint: to their map. Students use the scale (utilize rulers or string to measure) to Geography of a Place from gauge the distance from Austin, Texas, to Ashkum, Illinois (in actual road Engage miles it is about 1100 miles).  Handout: Map of the United States from Engage 2. Help students identify where the local community would be and then add  Small rulers or string for measuring it to the map. Students use the map’s scale and cardinal and intermediate and using the map’s scale directions to help identify where the local community belongs, discussing  Map pencils their decision-making process with a neighbor.  Maps of natural processes and natural hazards 3. Show slide 10 and allow students to speculate on what they see. (This is

©2012, TESCCC 04/05/13 page 3 of 7 Grade 3 Social Studies Unit: 03 Lesson: 02 Suggested Duration: 04 days Las personas se adaptan a las características físicas de nuestra comunidad Instructional Procedures Notes for Teacher a relief map. Colors represent elevation.) TEKS: 3.1A, 3.4A, 3.4C, 3.5A, 3.5B, 3.5C, 3.5D, 3.17C, 3.17E 4. Lead students to recognize the mountains. Instructional Note 5. Show slide 11 and explain the Continental Divide (green line added). The National Atlas site has many different natural processes and natural 6. Students add the Rocky Mountains and the Mississippi River to their hazards that can be explored if time or maps. interest allows.

EXPLAIN – Map Talk Suggested Day 1(cont’d)– 10 minutes 1. Students talk to a partner, using academic language to tell 3 things they have learned to do using a map (example: relative location, cardinal and intermediate directions, compass rose, scale, distance, legend, symbols)

2. Allow partners a short amount of time to plan what to say. Partner A talks for 30 seconds while Partner B listens. Then Partner B talks for 20 seconds, adding new information that Partner A did not provide, while Partner A listens. EXPLORE – Natural Processes and Natural Hazards Suggested Day 1(cont’d)– 20 minutes 1. Continue discussion of the physical environment of the United States, Materials referring back to the discussion of Ashkum, where glacial action created  Teacher Resource: PowerPoint: the flat prairies. Glacial action is a natural process. There are other Geography of a Place from natural processes that change the landscape. One other natural process Engage is earthquakes.  Handout: Map of the United States from Engage 2. Show slide 12 (earthquakes) and discuss patterns (see slide 13).  Map pencils  Maps of natural processes and 3. Show slide 14 (volcanoes) and discuss patterns (see slide 15). natural hazards

4. Show slide 16 (hurricanes) and discuss patterns (related to weather TEKS: 3.1A, 3.4A, 3.4C, 3.5A, 3.5B, patterns while the other 2 are not; beach erosion, flooding) 3.5C, 3.5D, 3.17C, 3.17E

5. If desired, show slide 17 (Pacific hurricanes, little impact on US) Instructional Note The National Atlas site has many 6. To deepen their understanding of natural processes and their effects on different natural processes and natural the physical landscape, students read and investigate appropriate hazards that can be explored if time or sections in the textbook, other classroom and library resources, and interest allows. approved internet sites. (This can be completed as homework.)

EXPLAIN – Summarize Natural Processes Suggested Day 2 – 10 minutes 1. Distribute the Handout: Natural Processes Cause-Effect. Student pairs Attachments discuss the learning from Day 1 and then complete the handout to  Handout: Natural Processes summarize their learning. Students can draw pictures to help explain the Cause-Effect (1 per student) processes. Instructional Note 2. Teacher circulates, listening, probing with questions, and clarifying and Three Natural Processes were included correcting information. in this lesson, with others being optional. Students choose 2 to include 3. Student volunteers share their answers. on their handout.

©2012, TESCCC 04/05/13 page 4 of 7 Grade 3 Social Studies Unit: 03 Lesson: 02 Suggested Duration: 04 days Las personas se adaptan a las características físicas de nuestra comunidad Instructional Procedures Notes for Teacher

EXPLORE – Texas Suggested Day 2(cont’d)– 25 minutes 1. Show slide 18 and allow students to tell what they see (Mountains, rivers, Materials high plains, coastal plain, bodies of water)  Teacher Resource: PowerPoint: Geography of a Place from 2. Show slide 19 and allow students to tell what they see now (Texas, Engage mountains, high plains, hills, coastal plain, Gulf of Mexico, surrounding  Textbook or other resource with a states, etc. map of Texas with a scale and with Austin marked 3. And then slide 20 with the rivers added. (rivers flow to the Gulf of Mexico)  Small rulers or pieces of string for measuring distance with the scale 4. Distribute the Handout: Texas Map and the rulers or string. Attachments 5. Student pairs use a map in their textbook or other resource with Austin  Handout: Texas Map (1 per marked. They identify the location of Austin on the marked map and student) problem-solve how to accurately add it to their handout map. (Hint: use geographic tools such as the map’s scale, latitude and longitude Instructional Note markings, etc.)  If the third grade textbook does not have a map of Texas with Austin 6. Students follow the same procedure with the local community (and any marked, the fourth grade textbook other features the teacher decides), finding the location, adding it to their should. map, and then practicing explaining the relative location of the local  TODAL: T=Title, O=Orientation community from Austin, from other cities, etc. (If desired, they can go (directions), D=Date of map, back to the map of the United States and locate the local community and A=Author’s name, L=Labels and measure distance to places in the United States such as Ashkum, Illinois, Legend Washington, D.C., etc.)

7. Students identify and add other features and locations to the map of Texas and then label them and create a legend to explain elements added (water parks I’ve been to, state parks, places I’ve visited, major cities, towns with ball teams, etc.)

8. Students make sure their map has all the required elements (TODAL)

EXPLAIN – Talking Geography Suggested Day 2 (cont’d) – 15 minutes 1. Distribute a variety of maps to students. Materials  A variety of maps with geographic 2. Student pairs take turns describing the relative location between places tools (grid, symbols/legend, scale, using geographic tools (grid, symbols/legend, scale, compass rose) compass rose)

3. Switch partners and describe other locations.

EXPLORE/EXPLAIN – Local Community Suggested Day 3 – 35 minutes

©2012, TESCCC 04/05/13 page 5 of 7 Grade 3 Social Studies Unit: 03 Lesson: 02 Suggested Duration: 04 days Las personas se adaptan a las características físicas de nuestra comunidad Instructional Procedures Notes for Teacher 1. Distribute maps of the local community. Materials  Map of the local community with 2. Working in pairs, students apply what they have learned about climate, appropriate scale and other landforms, natural resources, natural hazards, and natural processes to geographic tools marked (grid, identify the explain the impact of these elements on the local community legend, directions) (1 per student) and the way the elements have caused people to adapt to their environment. (See example chart in Notes for Teacher). Example Chart Ways People Adapt to Physical 3. Students make a list of effects and use call-out boxes to label evidence of Characteristics in the characteristics they find (e.g., XYZ Lumber Company makes lumber Our Community for building houses from the timber natural resources on the local Climate Adaptations community; Little Joe’s Marina and Ski School is on Friendship Lake, (cause) (effect) showing one way people have adapted to the physical environment; the Hot in the Lighter clothing movie theater was rebuilt to stronger building codes after the hurricane summer destroyed it; native plants that require less water were put in after the Landforms Adaptations drought.) Wetlands Build homes on solid ground, or on stilts Natural Adaptations Resources Wind Plant rows of trees to block wind; Windmills to harness power Natural Adaptations Hazards Hurricanes Build homes up on pillars, off the ground Drought Store water; pipe in water; irrigation

ELABORATE – Summarizing Suggested Day 3 – 15 minutes 1. Facilitate a discussion where students summarize their learning by answering the guiding questions and providing evidence to support the Key Understanding.  Physical characteristics of a place cause people to adapt to the physical environment — How do physical environments differ? — How do people in different communities adapt to the physical environment? — What are the effects of physical processes in shaping the landscape? — How are cardinal and intermediate directions used to locate places on maps and globes?

EVALUATE Suggested Day 4 – 50 minutes

©2012, TESCCC 04/05/13 page 6 of 7 Grade 3 Social Studies Unit: 03 Lesson: 02 Suggested Duration: 04 days Las personas se adaptan a las características físicas de nuestra comunidad Instructional Procedures Notes for Teacher  Sketch a map showing the physical characteristics of the local Materials: community. In call-out boxes, explain how the physical characteristics  Drawing paper of the local community (climate, landforms, natural resources, natural  Map pencils hazards) affect the lives of people in the area, causing them to adapt to the physical environment.