Malcom Bridge Middle School

Malcom Bridge Middle School Curriculum Map Course Title Here

Unit Title Enduring Understandings and Georgia’s Geography Time Required 15 days Standard(s) & Enduring Understandings; Elements SS8G1

Enduring Change and Conflict; Movement and Migrations; Distribution of Understandings Power; Technological Innovations; Location; Rule of Law; Production, Distribution and Consumption; Individuals, Groups and Institutions Essential Questions What are the new Enduring Understandings we will cover in 8th grade? (Technological Innovations; Rule of Law; Distribution of Power; Individuals, Groups, and Institutions) Where in the world is Georgia? What are the 5 physiographic regions of Georgia?

Skills/Benchmarks/  Locate Georgia in relation to region, nation, continent, and Be Able to Do hemispheres.  Describe the five geographic regions of Georgia; include the Blue Ridge Mountains, Valley and Ridge, Appalachian Plateau, Piedmont, and Coastal Plain.  Locate and evaluate the importance of key physical features on the development of Georgia; include the Fall Line, Okefenokee Swamp, Appalachian Mountains, Chattahoochee and Savannah Rivers, and barrier islands.  Evaluate the impact of climate on Georgia's development.

Key Vocabulary Geography, Relative Location, Absolute Location, Hemisphere, Axis, Equator, Parallels, Latitude, Meridians, Prime Meridian, Longitude, Region, Precipitation, Wetland, Barrier Island, Continental Shelf, Fall Line

Balanced (All assessments are to be keyed to the standards and elements) Assessments Diagnostic/Pre Assessment – Chapter 1 pre-test addresses SS8G1 and assesses students’ prior knowledge of the information; Given a piece of drawing paper, students have to draw Georgia and its bordering states from memory. They must also include major lakes, rivers, cities, and other important physical features. Formative Assessments – Edible maps with presentations addresses the SS8G1 strands B (Describe the five geographic regions of Georgia; include the Blue Ridge Mountains, Valley and Ridge, Appalachian Plateau, Piedmont, and Coastal Plain) and C (Locate and evaluate the importance of key physical features on the development of Georgia; include the Fall Line, Okefenokee Swamp, Appalachian Mountains, Chattahoochee and Savannah Rivers, and barrier islands). A rubric will be used to score their Product and Knowledge Gained components of the Edible Map assignment. Summative Assessments – Chapter 1 Test (objective component), Students summarize and evaluate through a written component the importance of key physical features on their Edible Maps with the relation to the development of Georgia. Instructional  Locate physical features on a blank map of Georgia, then Activities compare and contrast map created from memory to an accurate map of Georgia (Nystrom desktop maps)  Describe Georgia’s relative location as if you were giving directions to an Alien (someone who has never heard of Georgia or knows where it is, be sure to include hemisphere, continent, nation and region).  Locate key features of Georgia using absolute location (latitude and longitude).  Use the board game, Battleship, to practice latitude and longitude.  Classroom discussions with posed/situational questions to incorporate higher order thinking skills. Ex: How does climate affect the development of the different regions of Georgia?  Writing Assignments to get students to analyze the various reasons that contribute to the growth of the Piedmont into the “Heartland of the State.”

Differentiated Activities for this unit:  When locating key features of Georgia using absolute location, different groups of students refine the location using more precise coordinate. For example, finding not only degrees, but minutes.

Miscellaneous At the end of this unit, students will start a PowerPoint presentation Notations addressing the entire SS8G1 standard and strands. Students will incorporate/synthesize information to demonstrate their understanding of the standard. This assignment is the beginning of a year-long performance task incorporating all of the Georgia Performance Standards covered this year. Technology  Georgia Stories—gives students a visual of Georgia’s Integration geography  PowerPoint—used in presentation on information for students as well as students’ own use to create PowerPoint slideshow to review GPS  CPS Clickers—used in assessments/benchmarks and in review game format  Interwrite/Mobi/wireless mouse & keyboard—used for students to participate in locating key items on a map displayed on the projector.