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Integrated Unit Lesson Plan:
United States Regions
5th Grade
Created By:
April Tritz
Ashlee Brager
Brianna Weyers
Michael Feiten
Elementary Methods Block, Fall of 2013
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Table of Contents
Rationale__________________________________________________________pg 3
Understanding by Design Templates



Phase One ___________________________________________________pg 4
Phase Two ___________________________________________________pg 5
Phase Three __________________________________________________pg 8
Lesson 1: Introduction to Regions _____________________________________pg 11
(Social Studies and Language Arts)
Lesson 2: Regions: All Five Regions ___________________________________pg 21
(Social Studies, Science and Technology)
Lesson 3: Field Trip Mysteries _______________________________________pg 42
(Social Studies, Reading and Language Arts)
Lesson 4: Field Trip Plan ___________________________________________pg 50
(Science, Technology and Social Studies)
Region Unit Assessment ____________________________________________pg 60
Lesson 5: What is a Natural Disaster? ________________________________pg 65
(Science and Social Studies)
Lesson 6: Safety Precautions ________________________________________pg 72
(Science, Language Arts and Social Studies)
Lesson 7: Night of the Twisters ______________________________________pg 85
(Science, Reading and Language Arts)
Lesson 8: Region Comparison ______________________________________pg 92
(Language Arts, Reading, Art, Social Studies and Children’s Literature
Component)
GRASP: Becoming a Meteorologist ___________________________________pg100
Annotated Bibliography ____________________________________________pg106
Children’s Literature ______________________________________________pg110
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Rationale:
When we got together as a group, the most difficult part of the Understanding of
Design was choosing the topic of U.S. regions. We focused on regions because we were
able to brainstorm different ideas to integrate into different subject areas, such as weather
for science, related stories for reading, and essay and scripts for language arts. Since we
thought the U.S. regions was our central topic to help students recognize the differences
among the U.S. we chose the fifth grade level. Our group believes that this grade level
will be more capable of higher order thinking for this integrated unit on regions.
As we were deciding our enduring understandings for our integrated unit plan, we
collaboratively decided that students should be taught a variety of aspects that
demonstrate the differences between the five U.S. regions. Therefore, students would
understand by the end of the unit that: extremes in weather can lead to natural disasters,
natural disasters greatly impact citizens in a specific region because of natural disasters,
people need to take safety precautions, regions of the United States are defined by
common characteristics, such as physical features and climate. Even though not all of our
students live in each region, this knowledge is still important because it helps students
become aware of other regions in our nation. This realization will hopefully promote
students to travel and research other regions in the nation. Throughout this unit, students
will develop a deep understanding and appreciation for all five regions within the U.S.
Overall, our unit plan will help improve our students’ understanding of other regions and
how physical features and natural disasters affect communities within each of the U.S.
regions.
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Understanding by Design Unit Plan Template
Topic: US Regions
Grade: 5th
Subject Areas included: Social Studies,
Science, Language Arts, Art, Technology
and Reading
Designer(s): April Tritz, Brianna Weyers, Michael Feiten
and Ashlee Brager
Stage 1 – Desired Results
STANDARDS (Wisconsin Model Academic Standards/Common Core / District
benchmarks)
Social Studies
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
A.8.2 Construct mental maps of selected locales, regions, states, and
countries and draw maps from memory, representing relative location,
direction, size, and shape.
A.8.5. Identify and compare the natural resource bases of different states and
regions in the United States and elsewhere in the world, using a statistical atlas,
aerial photographs, satellite images, and computer databases.

A.8.6 Describe and distinguish between the environmental effects on the
earth of short-term physical changes, such as those caused by floods,
droughts, and snowstorms, and long-term physical changes, such as those
caused by plate tectonics, erosion, and glaciations.
 A.8.8 Describe and analyze the ways in which people in different regions of
the world interact with their physical environments through vocational and
recreational activities.
 D.8.11 Describe how personal decisions can have a global impact on issues
such as trade agreements, recycling, and conserving the environment.
 E.8.14 Describe cooperation and interdependence among individuals, groups,
and nations, such as helping others in times of crisis.
 E.8.8 Give examples to show how the media may influence the behavior and
decision-making of individuals and groups.
Science
 E.8.1 Using the science themes*, explain* and predict* changes* in major
features of land, water, and atmospheric systems.
 E.8.3 Using the science themes* during investigations*, describe* climate,
weather, ocean currents, soil movements, and changes* in the forces acting
on the earth.
 F.8.8 Show through investigation how organisms both depend on and
contribute to the balance or imbalance of populations and/or ecosystems,
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which in turn contribute to the total system of life on the planet.
H.8.3 Understand the consequences of decisions affecting personal health and
safety.

Language Arts and Reading
 CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.5.8 Recall relevant information from experiences or
gather relevant information from print and digital sources; summarize or
paraphrase information and notes and finished work and provide a list of
sources.
 CCSS.ELA-Literacy. RL.5.3 Compare and contrast two or more characters,
settings, or events in a story or drama, drawing on specific details in the text
(e.g., how characters interact.)
 CCSS.ELA-Literacy. W.5.2 Write informative/explanatory texts to examine
a topic and convey ideas and information clearly.
 CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.5.2. Determine two or more main ideas of a
text and explain how they are supported by key details: summarize the text.


CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.5.4. Produce clear and coherent writing in which the
development and organization are appropriate to task, purpose, and
audience.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.5.3 Write narratives to develop real or imagined
experiences or events using effective technique, descriptive details, and clear
event sequences.
Art

Standard 2 (Contextualizing): The student will interpret and apply visual
arts in relation to cultures, history, and all learning.
Enduring Understandings:
Students will understand that…
 extremes in weather can lead to natural disasters.
 natural disasters greatly impact citizens in a specific region because of natural
disasters, people need to take safety precautions.
 regions of the United States are defined by common characteristics like physical
features and climate.
Essential Questions:
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
How is each region impacted by their specific weather and climate?
How do the physical features define the regions of the U.S.?
How do natural disasters impact a community of people?
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Knowledge:
Students will be able to/can…
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
describe the different climates and how they impact each region in the U.S.
describe the different land formations such as mountains, rivers, lakes, oceans,
deserts, and plateaus.
describe different weather patterns and seasons that lead to natural disasters.
Skills:
Students will be able to/can…
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compare and contrast the different climates and cultures within the regions of
the U.S.
identify the different physical features on a map of the different regions.
create different weather patterns that occur in different regions.
identify different natural disasters in different regions.
Dispositions (Value/Appreciate):
Students will be able to/can…
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
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appreciate and understand how each region adapts to their geography and
climate.
explain the importance of safety for different weather patterns.
understand that citizens in a specific region need to prepare for natural disasters
with safety precautions.
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Stage 2 – Assessment Evidence
Core Performance Task: Summary in GRASPS form
Goal: The goal of this unit is for students to create a weather script that will be broadcasted on
video as a live weather report. Each weather report will consist of students discussing the
physical features, natural disasters, safety precautions, and the weather within their region. The
students will gain and apply their knowledge for this project through previous lesson in this
integrated unit.
Role: Students will be taking on the role of a meteorologist who is providing residents of each
region a report of their upcoming weather.
Audience: The authentic audience will be the residents from each region. The meteorologist
will attempt at trying to convince the residents of their specific region to take safety
precautions for the natural disasters. For example, residents may be informed to take cover in
their basements, high grounds, and to review their evacuation plans.
Situation: Students (residents of each region) will face the challenges of dealing with possible
loss of their home, damage of home, no drinking water, no electricity, and possible death.
Therefore, the meteorologist is required to inform the citizens the importance of following the
safety precautions for their natural disaster that is arriving. During the second lesson, students
will create a back drop poster for their weather forecast report. Then towards the end of the
sixth lesson, students will begin writing their seven day weather script that the meteorologist
will read during the weather report.
Product and Performance: Students will create a seven day weather forecast script. The
students will perform a weather forecast report that will be recorded as a video or will be
presented orally in front of the class in order to share their information with the rest of the
class.
Standards and Criteria for Success: The weather script/report will be judged by what
information the students decide to include, the vocabulary used, sentence structure, technology
used, and the overall presentation. Each performance needs to be orally presented through a
video or an oral presentation in front of the class.
Relationship to Enduring Understandings:
This core performance task links directly to our enduring understandings because by including
information from each lesson, students will be covering all the basics about safety precautions,
climate, weather, physical features, national parks, animals, plants in each of the five regions of
the U.S. Students will understand the following that extremes in weather can lead to natural
disasters, natural disasters greatly impact citizens in a specific region because of natural
disasters, and that people need to take safety precautions, regions of the United States are
defined by common characteristics, such as the physical features and climate.
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Other Assessment Evidence:
See in each lesson for the word “assessment” that is bolded in each lesson.
Stage 3 – Learning Activities
Learning Activities/Lesson Plans: (Write a brief description of each lesson plan/learning
activity including what students will be doing, and the knowledge, skills, and dispositions
students will be learning—please mention if the lesson is helping students complete the Core
Performance Task of the unit)
Lesson/Activity 1: Introduction to Regions – This lesson will begin a unit on the United States
regions. The students will learn what a region is and what the five regions are. In addition,
students will start brainstorming what they know and what they want to learn about the five
regions of the United States. This lesson will provide the students a foundation to learning about
all five regions. (Social Studies and Language Arts)
Lesson/Activity 2: Regions: All Five Regions -This lesson will have students understanding the
geography and science for each region which allows students to identify the unique
characteristics that make up a region. Students will identify the characteristics within the region
such as states, national parks, major rivers, bodies of water, landforms and climate. This lesson
connects to the enduring understanding that “regions of the United States are defined by common
characteristics like physical features and climate” and the essential question “how is each region
impacted by their specific weather and climate?” (Social Studies, Science and Technology)
Lesson/Activity 3: Field Trip Mysteries – Throughout this integrated unit, students have been
learning about the five regions and what makes them unique through physical features. Each
region is different based on the National Parks their region holds within their boundaries. In the
previous lessons, students learned about various parks throughout the United States. Through
the story, students get to imagine they’re in one of these national parks. Students will be reading
one of four stories in the Field Trip Mystery Series. The students will be able to use their reading
skills to understand the story elements that are in the book. This will help the teacher indicate if
the students comprehended the story. Students will complete a project of their choice from the
RAFT to show their comprehension of their park. (Social Studies, Reading and Language Arts)
Lesson/Activity 4: Field Trip Plan – As part of our weather and regions unit, we are focusing on
the different types of weather in the five regions of the U.S. Therefore, we will be visiting
Milwaukee’s Mitchell Park Horticultural Conservancy to experience two types of climates in
more depth which are the desert dome and the tropical dome. This will be a hands-on learning
experience that will allow students to receive more information from a different perspective
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other than a classroom. During the field trip, the students will be asked to write down their
observations of the two types of climates on a data chart. The students will also be expected to
take notes about the different plants in each biome that they may want to choose for their
research project. After our field trip, the students will then research one specific plant and design
a Prezi presentation. Therefore, students will be able to show to the rest of the class what they
specifically learned at the conservatory about their specific plant. Also, the students should also
be able to identify what region of the U.S. their plant grows. (Science, Social Studies and
Technology)
Lesson/Activity 5: What is a Natural Disaster?– This lesson will begin by the students watching
a short video about different natural disasters. The students will learn what a natural disaster is
and the different types of natural disasters that occur in specific regions in the United States.
(Science and Social Studies)
Lesson/Activity 6: Safety Precautions– Students will learn about what safety precautions are
taken for each natural disaster. After discussing and learning about the different safety
precautions, students will get into groups to role play and demonstrate what safety precautions
are taken for their assigned natural disaster. Once the students are in their assigned seats in their
classroom, students will watch a brief video clip from the movie Dante’s Peak. In turn, students
will reflect on the safety precautions the community properly followed or didn’t follow. After the
movie clip, students will select a natural disaster that occurs in their region (the Midwest), and
then the students will create their own home evacuation plan and incorporate safety precautions.
After the assessment, the students will begin working on their weather script. This lesson will
allow the students to understand the importance of taking safety precautions during different
natural disasters. (Science, Social Studies and Language Arts)
Lesson/Activity 7: Night of the Twisters- This lesson shows students how tornadoes are made,
followed by having them make a tornado themselves in a water bottle. The students have
already learned what a tornado is and what it can potentially do to the people and physical
environment. The students will continue to build their knowledge about tornadoes by reading a
book about how tornadoes affected a community. This will put into perspective how dangerous
these natural disasters can be. (Science, Reading and Language Arts)
Lesson/Activity 8: Region Comparison– This lesson will prepare the students for the
conclusion/final of the unit on regions of the United States and weather within the regions. In
addition, this will allow the students to bring together all of the knowledge they learned
throughout the unit. This lesson will help and prepare students for their GRASP. (Language Arts,
Reading, Social Studies, Art and Children’s Literature Component)
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GRASPS: Becoming a Meteorologist– Students will compile their weather scripts, backdrop,
prompts, and information they have learned throughout the unit plan to create a seven day
weather forecast video. Each group of students was assigned, in lesson two, one of the five U.S.
regions. Students will select a natural disaster that occurs in their region. When students create
their weather forecast video, they are required to inform the communities within their region the
safety precautions they need to follow, provide visuals of the natural disaster, interview
community members, and include sensory details to make the event seem realistic.
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Lesson #1 Assessment #1Pre-Assessment
Introduction to Regions
Social Studies and Language Arts
Michael Feiten
Grade 5
Standards:

Social Studies:
o A.8.2 Construct mental maps of selected locales, regions, states, and
countries and draw maps from memory, representing relative location,
direction, size, and shape.
 Language Arts:
o W.5.8 Recall relevant information from experiences or gather relevant
information from print and digital sources; summarize or paraphrase
information and notes and finished work and provide a list of sources.
Rationale:

This lesson will begin a unit on the United States regions. The students will learn
what a region is and what the five regions are. In addition, students will start
brainstorming what they know and what they want to learn about the five regions
of the United States. This lesson will provide the students a foundation to learning
about all five regions.
Learning Outcomes:
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The students will identify what a region consists of in geography aspects.
The students will identify what the five regions are in the United States.
The students will list their knowledge of each region.
The students will identify what they want to learn about each region.
Vocabulary:
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
Region- A region is an area with at least one feature that makes it different from
the other areas.
Physical Regions- Physical regions are based on natural features. These features
include landforms, rivers, climates, or the kinds of wildlife that live in an area.
Materials:
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SMART board (PowerPoint)
Region’s Books (attached in annotated bibliography)
One sheet of paper per student
Concept Map for each group (attached below)
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 Copies of the United States map (with states, not labeled, attached below)
 Colored pencils
 Pencil
 Elmo
Procedure: (60 Minutes)
1. Opening – Students will form groups of 4-5 students. The teacher will hand out
each group a concept map with (Region) in the center and the students will
receive a region book on one of the regions. The students will continue the
concept map by filling it in with what they know about regions. After they have
spent a few minutes working on a concept map, students will be given the
opportunity to share their concept map with the class using an Elmo. This time
students will fill in the rest of the bubbles that they needed help with because their
peers had the other books on different regions.(5 minutes)
2. Students will then go back to their seats and the teacher will pass out the preassessment (directions and map). The teacher will explain the directions to the
students so they have a visual and auditory explanation of what they will be
doing. (20 minutes)
3. Once the students are finished, the teacher will introduce the power point with
further information discussing what a region is (see power point attached below).
During this time, students will be given a new blank map of the U.S. Then the
students will be coloring the five regions in with the correct locations. As we
discuss each region, the students will also draw the landforms, major bodies of
water, states, and national parks. (20 minutes)
4. Closure – Students will create a KWL chart for each of the regions. Once they
make a KWL chart for each region, they will begin to fill out what they know and
what they would like to know about each of the five regions. When the “K” and
“W” part of the KWL chart are completed, the students will share in small groups
of four. Students can look at their concept map to help them out with the K and
put questions they still have in the W. Now, students will come up to the SMART
Board and write some ideas they had for K and W. (15 minutes)
Assessment:
Formative/Pre-assessment:
This assessment was chosen because it allows the teacher to have a quick glance
of what students already know about the five U.S. regions. The purpose of this
assessment is to inform the teacher of what the students need to learn. Observing what the
students already know and what they still need to learn, is informational to the teacher in
designing the next lesson plans. The teacher will be able to give students feedback when
they decide where landforms, rivers, lakes, and national parks are located on a U.S. map.
After this lesson, the teacher will keep the U.S. map of the five regions posted on the wall
in the classroom. This is a great tool to serve as a reminder of where these different
regions are in the U.S. This will also guide students as they are collaborating in their
GRASP groups while taking a closer look at their specific region on the map.
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The pre-assessment at the beginning of the lesson will visually show what the
students know about the five regions. It will also assess the students’ knowledge about
the different physical features located within each region. In the pre-test, students will
color each of the regions a different color in correspondence with the states within the
region. Students will label states, landforms, major rivers, lakes, and national parks to
show what they know about each region. In turn, this provides the teacher with the
knowledge the student’s already have about the regions. Overall, this lesson allows the
teacher to design the future lessons based on what the students already know (see
attached pre-assessment below).
Differentiation:
During this lesson, students who wish to work independently for the concept map can
choose to work individually. Students, who have difficulties with their fine gross motor
skills or based on their preference, may choose to type their information for their KWL
chart and incorporate pictures to help them explain their knowledge within the five
regions.
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Regions Pre-Assessment
Directions: Write your name on the top of your map. Then follow the three parts
below.
Part One: Locating Regions
1. Use a
colored pencil and shade in the area the states that you think are
included in the MIDWEST REGION.
2. Use a GREEN colored pencil and shade in the area the states that you think are
included in the NORTHEAST REGION.
3. Use a RED colored pencil and shade in the area the states that you think are
included in the SOUTHEAST REGION.
4. Use a BLUE colored pencil and shade in the area the states that you think are
included in the SOUTHWEST REGION.
5.
Use a PURPLE colored pencil and shade in the area the states that you think are
included in the WEST REGION.
Part Two: Labeling
1. Label as many states as you know with the correct name in pencil.
2. Locate and label as many national parks that you know.
3. Locate and label as many major rivers and lakes as you can.
4. Locate and label coastal oceans around the United States.
5. Locate and label landforms (deserts, mountains, plateaus, and mountains) that you
know.
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Introduction to:
The United States Regions
What makes up a region?
• The U.S. is made up of 50 states.
• Each state is its own political region with
exact borders.
• States can be grouped into regions based on
physical features, economies, and ways of
life.
• These states are grouped to form five
regions within the United States.
The Five Regions
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•
•
•
•
Midwest
Northeast
Southeast
Southwest
West
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Labeling the States
Oceans Surrounding the U.S.
Finding Major Rivers
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•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
1. Missouri River
2. Mississippi river
3. Ohio river
4. Colorado River
5. Columbia River
6. Red River
7. Rio Grande River
8. Tennessee River
9. Savannah river
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Finding Major Lakes
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
16.
17.
18.
19.
Lake Okeechobee
Lake Pontchartrain
Toledo Bend Reservoir
Lake Marion
Lake Mead
Lake Powell
Sam Rayburn Reservoir
Great Salt Lake
Utah Lake
Salton Sea
Flathead Lake
Yellowstone Lake
Lake Champlain
Chesapeake Bay
Lake Ontario
Lake Erie
Lake Huron
Lake Superior
Lake Michigan
Major National Parks
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
16.
17.
18.
19.
20.
Badlands
Cuyahoga Valley
Mount Rushmore
Boundary Waters
Apostle Islands
Everglades
Smokey Mountain
Hot Springs
Congaree
Grand Canyon
Cimarron Canyon
Big Bend
Ouachita
Glacier
Redwood
Yellowstone
Yosemite
Zion
Rocky Mountain
Acadia
Finding Major Landforms
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
Great Plains
Till Plains
Black Hills
Everglades
Appalachian Mountains
Great Smokey Mountains
Allegheny Mountains
Cumberland Mountains
Ozark Plateau
Colorado Plateau
Rocky Mountains
Grand Canyon
Hawaiian Volcanoes
Continental Divide
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Lesson #2 Assessment #2 Exit Slip
Regions: All Five Regions: Midwest, West, Southwest, Northeast and Southeast
Social Studies, Science and Technology
Brianna Weyers
Grade 5
Standards:
Social Studies:

A.8.2 Construct mental maps of selected locales, regions, states, and
countries and draw maps from memory, representing relative location,
direction, size, and shape.
Science:

E.8.3 Using the science themes* during investigations*, describe* climate,
weather, ocean currents, soil movements, and changes* in the forces acting on
the earth.
Rationale:

This lesson will have students understanding the geography and science for each
region which allows students to identify the unique characteristics that make up a
region. Students will identify the characteristics within the region such as states,
national parks, major rivers, bodies of water, landforms and climate. This lesson
connects to the enduring understanding that “regions of the United States are defined
by common characteristics like physical features and climate” and the essential
question “how is each region impacted by their specific weather and climate?”
Learning Outcomes:
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
The students will identify the characteristics of each region.
The students will discover the climate for each region.
The students will obtain the knowledge to create a visual aid of landforms.
Vocabulary:
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National Parks- a scenic or historically important area protected by the federal
government.
River- a larger natural stream of water.
Lake- a large body of water surrounded by land.
Ocean- a very large body of water.
Landforms- natural features of the land.
Desert- land where little precipitation falls.
Mountains- a steep hill that is natural elevation of the Earth.
Canyons- a deep gorge with a river flowing through it.
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
Climate- the usual weather in a place.
Materials:
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
SMART board (Power Point)
Video Access (You Tube Clip)
Poster Board per Group (premade US outline, directions attached)
Copies of the United States map (with states, not labeled, attached)
Colored Pencils/Markers/Crayons
Pencil
Procedure: (60 minutes for each day)
1. Day 1: (Midwest, West and Southwest) Opening –The teacher will introduce the
states and regions to the students through watching a You Tube video. The clip
should play from beginning to 1:16. After the short clip, students will have a
whole class discussion on the three regions. The teacher will lead the discussion
and ask students to participate in the following questions: “Have any of you been
to these regions?”, “Where have you been?”, “Did you enjoy traveling there?”
and “What did you see in the region?”. (5 minutes)
Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dR_NfE1mkx0
2. The teacher will now use the SMART board to teach the students content about
the Midwest, Southwest and West regions. The presentation for each region is
attached below this lesson for students to visually see the content for the regions
as the teacher teaches. There are notes for each slide to guide the teacher.
(30 minutes)
3. While the students are listening and interacting with each region’s lesson, the
teacher will pass out a blank map of each region. Students will fill in the map
with states, landforms, national parks, major rivers, major lakes and the climate
that is contained in each region that makes it unique. Each map is attached below
for the teacher to print off.
4. Now, the teacher will separate the students into groups of four that they will work
together throughout the integrated unit. These will be called their GRASP
Groups. The students will be completing a poster that contains a map of
landforms and states of their specific region. The students will use this poster as
the backdrop for their broadcast that they will use on the weather of their region.
The students will be given the outline of the United States with each state
outlined. The students will label each state and draw landforms, bodies of water,
cities and more for their specific region. The students will be given directions to
follow. Students can use iPads to find exactly where parks and physical features
are in each region to be more specific for their backdrop. The students can only
use this website link for students to receive extra help on exact locations of each
item they will include. http://www.mapsofworld.com/usa/national-parks/
(directions below) (15 minutes)
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5. Day 2: (Northeast and Southeast) Opening – Opening –The teacher will
introduce the states and regions to the students through watching a You Tube
video. The clip should play from 1:16 to 2:12. After the short clip, students will
have a whole class discussion on the three regions. The teacher will lead the
discussion and ask students to participate in the following questions: “Have any
of you been to these regions?”, “Where have you been?”, “Did you enjoy
traveling there?” and “What did you see in the region?”. (5 minutes)
Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dR_NfE1mkx0
6. The teacher will know use the SMART board to teach the students content about
the Northeast and Southeast regions. The presentation for each region is attached
below this lesson for students to visually see the content for the regions as the
teacher teaches. There are notes for each slide to guide the teacher.
(30 minutes)
7. While the students are listening and interacting with each region’s lesson, the
teacher will pass out a blank map of each region and students will fill in the map
with states, landforms, national parks, major rivers, major lakes and the climate
that is contained in each region that make it unique. Each map is attached below
for the teacher to print off.
8. Students will get together in their GRASP groups to work on their poster of their
region again during class. The students can continue to use the iPads and the
directed website to find exact spots of parks and physical features. (15 minutes)
Assessment:
Formative/ Exit Slip:
This assessment was chosen for this lesson for a quick response to see if students
learned the key points of the regions. The students will have a summative assessment at
the end of all the regions, but the formative assessment is a way to see if the teacher has
to re-teach a certain concept before the summative assessment. The purpose of this
assessment is to determine how much the students learned about the different regions
through a formative assessment. This is a quick way to see if students comprehended
what the lesson was trying to have the students to learn. The teacher can take these exit
slips home to see if the students were paying attention. The teacher can give feedback
through this assessment because it encourages the students ask the teacher questions
about the lesson that they might be too embarrassed to ask in front of their peers. The
teacher will provide feedback by answering these questions to clarify any confusion the
students might have about the lesson.
For the assessment of this region lesson, students will be given exit slips each day
for the teacher to assess if they comprehended what the lesson was trying to teach the
students about the regions. The students will be asked to write three things they learned,
two places they would like to visit and why, and one question, concern or comment. If
the students are having questions about any content, then the teacher can use the exit slips
to clarify certain parts of the lesson. The last part of the exit slip is for students to use
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their iPads and use the website to find two animals in each region that they learned that
day. http://www.statesymbolsusa.org/Lists/state_mammals.html (attached below) (10
minutes)
Differentiation: The teacher will walk around the room during the lesson and work time
to make sure students are moving along with their tasks. The teacher can provide
assistance in helping students remember key points for their map if they are missing. For
the exit slip, some students can have a scribe or type the answers if their writing has
difficulty. For advanced students, if they finish their work earlier than other students they
can read silently books from Scholastic about the five regions. The book titles are
located in the resources.
States in the Midwest
Slide 1: The Midwest region in is the
middle of the United States. This region
includes 12 states. The Midwest states
are Wisconsin, Michigan, Ohio, North
Dakota, Minnesota, Nebraska, Kansas,
Missouri, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa and
South Dakota. To the east, south and
west the Midwest is surrounded by other
Midwest states and in the north in the
bordering country, Canada. There are 6
states that have shores on the Great
Lakes.
States
Capitals
•Wisconsin
•Michigan
•Ohio
•North Dakota
•Minnesota
•Nebraska
•Kansas
•Missouri
•Illinois
•Indiana
•Iowa
•South Dakota
•Madison
•Lansing
•Columbus
•Bismarck
•St. Paul
•Lincoln
•Kansas City
•St. Louis
•Springfield
•Indianapolis
•Des Moines
•Pierre
Slide 2: These are the capitals for each
state in the Midwest.
Slide 3: This map is helpful to see the
major cities and capitals throughout the
Midwest. Each state has a capital and
major city in each state.
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Slide 4: The first picture on the top left
is Chicago. Chicago is in the state of
Illinois right on the bottom of Lake
Michigan. Chicago has many tourist
attractions such as the Willis Tower. The
Willis Tower is the highest building in
the United States. On the top of the
Willis Tower, tourists can step in a glass
box on the top to look out over the city.
The top right photo is of St. Louis. St.
Louis is an important crossroad between
the east and west. St. Louis is in
Missouri and has the famous landmark
of the Gateway Arch. This arch towers
over the city at 630 feet into the sky. In
the bottom right corner is a picture of
Minneapolis which is located in
Minnesota and is right next to St. Paul.
Slide 4 cont.: Those two cities are called
the Twin Cities. In Minneapolis, there is
the Mall of America that has places to
eat and shop and an amusement park for
families.
The last picture is of
Indianapolis. Indianapolis is located in
Indiana and holds the Indy 500 every
year at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
Slide 5: In the Midwest, the land
consists of hills, small mountains, plains
and many farms. The Midwest is called
the Great Plains. Plains are an area of
high dry and grass land. The Great
Plains cover North Dakota, South
Dakota, Nebraska and Kansas. The Till
Plains are to the east of the Great Plains
and glaciers years ago carved out this
land leaving behind a fertile soil for
farming called till. The top left picture
is the Black Hills which is located in
South Dakota. This is a very popular
tourist spot.
Slide 6: There are three major rivers in
the Midwest. The three major rivers are
the Missouri, Mississippi and Ohio
River. This region does have other
rivers throughout the region, but these
are major rivers that help out the
Midwest. The Mississippi River is an
important waterway that can transport
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materials and resources from the
Midwest down to the Gulf of Mexico.
Slide 7: The major lakes in the Midwest
region are the Great Lakes. The Great
Lakes were carved out by glaciers
millions of years ago and it carved out
five lakes. The five lakes are Lake
Huron, Lake Ontario, Lake Michigan,
Lake Erie and Lake Superior. These
lakes connect to the Atlantic Ocean by
the St. Lawrence Seaway.
The
industries around the lakes are able to
ship and receive goods. A helpful way
to remember the Great Lakes is to link
them to the word HOMES. Each letter
in the word HOMES stands for each first
letter of each lake.
Slide 8: There are many state parks in
the Midwest that people visit, but there
are five national parks that many tourists
visit in the Midwest region. The
Badlands contains the Black Hills in
South Dakota. This park’s picture is the
bottom right photo. The top right photo
is the Boundary Waters in northern
Minnesota. Many people go canoeing
and fishing throughout this park. The
top left photo is Mount Rushmore that is
located South Dakota. This monument
is a mountain that was shaped into four
president’s faces. The four presidents
from the left are George Washington,
Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt
and Abraham Lincoln. The middle left
photo is the Cuyahoga Valley National
Park in Ohio. This park has tons of
cliffs and waterfalls to take pictures of.
The bottom left photo is of the Apostle
Islands that are north of Wisconsin and
off of Lake Superior. Many tourists
canoe around the islands and throughout
all of the caves.
Slide 9: The climate in the Midwest
region is humid continental. The humid
continental climate is where a region has
large seasonal temperature changes such
as the summer being very warm and
having
intense
cold
winters.
Temperature changes very drastically in
the Midwest region. It can get low as 40 degrees F and as high as 120 degrees
F. In this region, precipitation falls as
rain and snow. Snow falls for many
months and can even cause schools to be
canceled. Throughout this region, all the
states have severe storms. Severe storms
can be tornadoes, thunderstorms,
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lightning, hail and blizzards. These
severe storms cause citizens in this area
to have safety precautions.
Slide 10: Fun Facts
Slide 1: The West region has a total of
11 states. The West states are
Washington, Oregon, Montana, Idaho,
Wyoming, Colorado, Utah, Nevada and
California. The continental West shares
its borders with Canada to the north, the
Pacific Ocean to the West, the Midwest
region ot the east and to the South is
Mexico and the Southwest region.
Alaska and Hawaii are apart of the West
region. Alaska has three sides bordering
the Pacific Ocean and one side is
connected to Canada. Hawaii are islands
about 2, 000 miles off of the California
coast in the Pacific Ocean.
Slide 2: These are the capitals for each
state in the West region. Utah and
Colorado are a part of the four corner
states with New Mexico and Arizona in
the Southwest region. If you stand in a
certain spot, you can be in all four states
at the same time.
Slide 3: This map is helpful to see the
major cities and capitols throughout the
West. Each state has a capital and major
city in each state.
Slide 4: The top left photo is San
Francisco which is located right on the
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coast of California. In this picture is the
Golden Gate Bridge. The Golden Gate
Bridge is 4, 200 feet across and 90 feet
wide. It crosses the San Francisco Bay.
The top right picture is Seattle,
Washington. Seattle is a major port city
and many products are exported to
countries across the Pacific Ocean. The
tower in the picture is the Space Needle
that is 605 feet tall for an observation
tower. It is built to be able to withstand
200 mph winds. The bottom photo is
Denver, Colorado. Denver is located
right next to the Rocky Mountains.
Many people travel to Denver to hike,
ride white water rapids and downhill ski.
Slide 5: The top left photo is Las Vegas,
Nevada. Las Vegas is a major tourist
attraction for the bright lights of its
many casinos and hotels. In Las Vegas,
there is the Hoover Dam is on the
Colorado River that provides energy to
several western and southwestern states.
The photo on the top right is Salt Lake
City, Utah. Salt Lake City is a largely
populated Mormon religion area. This
city also held the 2002 Winter Olympics.
The bottom picture is Cheyenne,
Wyoming. Every year in Cheyenne
there is Frontier Days where there is
rodeos, Native American Culture, rides
and etc.
Slide 6: In the West region, there is a
variety of natural features. There are
mostly mountains such as the Rocky
Mountains.
In Hawaii, they have
volcanoes on the islands. To the east of
the mountains is the Great Plains which
is more flat lands. To the west is the
range and basin region where there are
smaller mountains and flat deserts. The
continental divide runs along the
mountains and the dividing line is a
series of tall mountain peaks and has
rivers flowing in different directions on
both sides.
Slide 7: The three major rivers are the
Colorado River, Missouri River and
Columbia River. There are many other
rivers in the West region, but these are
the major rivers. The top left photo is of
the Colorado River. This river stretches
across three states. The top right photo
is of the Missouri River. This river
comes from the Midwest region and is
located at the top of the West region.
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The bottom photo is the Columbia River
which goes out to the Pacific Ocean.
This helps people on the inland get
products that come from across the
ocean.
Slide 8: There are many lakes in the
West region, but there are six lakes that
are in the top 30 largest lakes in the US.
The largest lake in the West region is the
Great Salt Lake in the state of Utah.
This lake is the top left photo. The top
right photo is of Salton Lake. Salton
Lake is in California and it’s a salt water
lake. The bottom lake photo is Lake
Mead and that is a man-made lake in
Nevada and it goes partly in Arizona.
The other major lakes are Utah Lake in
Utah, Yellowstone Lake in Wyoming
and Flathead Lake in Montana.
Slide 9: There is over 15 National Parks
in the West region. The top left photo is
of Glacier National Park in Montana.
Glacier National Park is famous for its
clear blue water and the beautiful Rocky
Mountains. The top right photo is of the
Grand Canyon in Utah. This park is a
huge canyon that people can look over it
too and if you yell you can get an echo
back. The bottom left photo is the
Redwood National Park in California.
The Redwood trees are so large that cars
can drive through them. The bottom
right photo is of Yellowstone National
Park in Wyoming.
Yellowstone is
known for its Castle Geyser that erupts
every 9 to 11 hours and its wildlife. Old
Faithful erupts every 35 to 120 minutes.
Some wildlife they have is elk, moose,
grizzly bear, buffalo, deer and etc. Some
other National Parks are Yosemite in
California, Zion in Utah, Rocky
Mountains in Colorado and Mount
Rainer in Washington.
Slide 10: The West region varies in
climates drastically. Some climates are
semi-arid or very dry. In these climates,
there is little rain and in the deserts there
is even less rain. The higher you go in
the mountains the air gets colder. The
upper western coast has heavy clouds,
wet air and mild temperatures. The
lower coast has wet winters and dry
summers.
The Mojave Desert in
California is one of the driest places in
the nation. For Alaska, the climate is
subarctic and contains long and cold
winters. Hawaii has hot temperatures,
wet air and lots of rainfall. Many plants
grow in all of these different climates.
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Evergreen forests and Douglas firs cover
most of the region.
Cactus and
sagebrush plants grow in the deserts.
Slide 10: Fun Facts
Slide 1: There are four states in the
Southwest region. The states in the
region are Arizona, New Mexico, Texas
and Oklahoma. Southwest region is
located north of the Mexico border and
the southeast side is the Gulf of Mexico.
Slide 2: These are the states and capitals
for the Southwest Region.
Slide 3: This map helps to see all the
major cities and capitals in the
Southwest region.
Slide 4: Some major cities in the
Southwest region are Albuquerque, New
Mexico, Tucson, Arizona, Houston,
Texas and Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.
The top left photo is of Albuquerque
which is the heart of Indian Pueblo
country. The top right photo is Tucson
which is the sunniest city in the US and
the city can visually see the sun 350 days
a year. The bottom left photo is Huston.
Houston is the fourth largest city in the
nation. The bottom right photo is of
Oklahoma City. Oklahoma City has the
most man-made lakes in the nation.
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Slide 5: The Southwest land includes
many different landforms. The Great
Plains reach into this region and have
vast grasslands. The rest of the region
has rocky deserts, high plateaus and
rugged mountains. The Grand Canyon
was formed because the Colorado River
carved a path through the rock of the
plateau.
The Rocky Mountains do
stretch into the Southwest region.
Slide 6: There are many rivers in the
Southwest region, but there are three
major regions. The three major rivers
are the Rio Grande, Red and Colorado
River.
Slide 7: The four largest lakes in the
Southwest region are the Toledo Blend
Reservoir in Texas, Sam Rayburn
Reservoir in Texas, Lake Powell in
Arizona and Lake Mead in Arizona.
Slide 8: The four National Parks we will
discuss is the Grand Canyon in Arizona,
Cimarron Canyon Park in New Mexico,
Big Bend National Park in Texas and
Ouachita Park in Oklahoma. The Big
Bend National Park is along the Rio
Grande which is a major river in this
region.
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Slide 9: The climates in the Southwest
region are humid subtropical, semiarid
and arid. This region has hot summer
and cool winters. Most of this region is
dry, clear skies and very little or no rain.
The farther west you go the more
semiarid. Eastern Arizona, southern
New Mexico and parts of Texas are arid
which is the driest climate and have the
most deserts. The Sonoma Desert is in
Arizona.
Slide 10: Fun Facts
Slide 1: The Northeast region has 11
states. The Northeast states are
Pennsylvania, Maryland, Delaware, New
Jersey, New York, Connecticut, Rhode
Island, Massachusetts, Vermont, New
Hampshire and Maine. To the east of
this region is the Atlantic Ocean, to the
south is the Southeast region, to the west
in the Great Lakes and to the north is
Canada.
Slide 2: Each state in the Northeast
region has a capital.
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Slide 3: This map helps to see all the
major cities and capitals in the Northeast
region.
Slide 4: The first picture on the top left
is of New York City, New York. New
York City is the largest city in the
nation. New York City has many site
seeing places for tourists such as the
Statue of Liberty, Central Park, Empire
State Building, Times Square and many
more. Many immigrants came over the
Atlantic Ocean to settle in the US. The
top right photo is of Philadelphia,
Pennsylvania. In Philadelphia, there is
the Liberty Bell that many tourists visit
every year to gain more knowledge
about our country. The bottom left
photo is of the city Portland, Maine.
Portland is a great place to see many
lighthouses and have fresh lobster. The
bottom right photo is of Boston,
Massachusetts. The Boston Tea Party
was located here and Paul Revere was
from this city. There is many large cities
in this region, but in Maine, New
Hampshire, Vermont and upper New
York are the region’s most rural areas.
Slide 5: In the Northeast region, the land
consists of rocky and beach coasts,
mountains, forests and coastal plains.
Many people in this region count on the
Atlantic Ocean to help them with
delivery of goods. Some coastal areas
have lighthouses to warn sailors away
from the rocky coasts. Many rivers run
through rich soil of the coastal plains.
There is the Appalachian Mountains
range stretch throughout this region. In
this region, there are many forests and
widening roads that take tourists through
a scenic route.
Slide 7: The major bodies of water in
this area are Lake Ontario, Lake Erie,
Chesapeake Bay and Lake Champlain.
These lakes are great to get goods from
across the Great Lakes and from Canada.
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consists of a humid continental climate.
There are four seasons where there are
hot summers, cold winters and mild falls
and springs. There is precipitation
throughout the year and most of it comes
in summer and winter. The lower states
in this region have a humid subtropical
climate. There winters are not as cold as
the upper states.
Slide 10: Fun Facts
Slide 8: In the Northeast region, there is
only one National Park and that is
Acadia National Park. There is many
State Parks and National Monuments in
this region, but only one National Park.
Slide 9: Most of the Northeast region
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Slide 1: There are 12 states in the
Southeast region. The states include
Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia,
Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North
Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee,
Virginia and West Virginia. To the
north are the Midwest and Northeast
regions; to the west is the Southwest
region; to the east is the Atlantic Ocean
and to the south is the Gulf of Mexico.
Florida is a peninsula that is surrounded
by water on three sides. The water
surrounding the state is Gulf of Mexico
and the Atlantic Ocean.
Slide 2: Here are all the states and
capitals for the Southeast region. In this
region is the nation’s capital which is
Washington DC located in the District of
Columbia just north of Virginia.
Slide 3: This map helps to see all of the
major cities and capitals in the
Southwest region.
Slide 4: There are major cities all
throughout the Southeast region, but
these four are ones to talk about. The
top left photo is of Nashville. Nashville,
Tennessee is the home of country music
and singers start their fame in that city.
The top right photo is of New Orleans,
Louisiana where the French Quarter is
located. Mardi Gras takes place her and
this city is located right at the end of the
Mississippi River. The bottom left
photo is of Orlando, Florida. This city
has tons of amusement parks to visit
such as Walt Disney World Parks,
Universal Studios, Islands of Adventure,
Sea World and etc. The photo on the
bottom right is of Virginia Beach,
Virginia. This city is a great destination
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for relaxation on the Atlantic Ocean
Beach.
Slide 5: The Southwest land consists of
mountain
ranges
such
as
the
Appalachian, Allegheny, Cumberland
and the Great Smoky Mountains. The
land also consists of coastlines for
fishing, ideal soil for farming, bayous,
marshes and the Everglades in Florida.
Slide 6: The three major rivers in the
Southeast region are the Mississippi,
Savannah and Tennessee Rivers. All of
these rivers help all the states gain goods
they need in their states from other areas.
The Mississippi River extends all the
way down from the Midwest and ends in
the Gulf of Mexico.
Slide 7: The four largest lakes in the
Southeast region are Lake Okeechobee
in Florida, Lake Pontchartrain (salt) in
Louisiana, Toldeo Bend Reservoir (manmade) in Louisiana-Texas and Lake
Marion (man-made) in South Carolina.
Slide 8: There are many National Parks
in the Southeast region, but these four
are visited by tons of tourists each day.
The top left photo is of the Everglades
National Park. This park is an animal
reserve with air boats that can travel
through the swamps. The top right
photo is of the Smoky Mountains
National Park in Tennessee. This range
of mountains are located to the east of
the Appalachian mountains.
The
mountains are called Smoky because of
the fog that settles on top of the
mountains. The bottom left photo is of
the Hot Springs National Park in
Arkansas. These springs are hot because
of the groundwater coming from the
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Earth’s crust. The bottom right photo is
of Congaree National Park in South
Carolina. This forest holds the oldest
hardwood trees in the nation. Some of
the park’s trees are the tallest in the
Eastern US.
of rain which help crops grow well in
this region. Some farmers do experience
drought and frost from colder winters.
The northern part of this region has more
of a humid continental climate.
Slide 10: Fun Facts
Slide 9: The Southeast region has a
humid subtropical climate where the
summers are long and hot and it’s humid
and wet. The ocean and gulf do bring
breeze to the inland, but can bring
hurricanes to the land. The winters are
cool and mild.
When there is
precipitation is usually falls in the form
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Map for Students to Label during Lessons
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Directions for United States Poster for Each Region
1. Find all four group members that you will have for the rest of the unit. (Grasp Group)
2. Find out from teacher what region you have for the integrated unit.
3. Collect your region’s poster of the states that the teacher created.
4. Label all the states.
5. Label all the landforms.
6. Label all the rivers and lakes.
7. Label major cities and capitals.
8. Label the climate.
9. Label the National Parks.
10. Color the map to make it look like the background of a weather report.
11. Use can use your iPads to look up where everything is supposed to be located on your map.
http://www.mapsofworld.com/usa/national-parks/
Instructions for Teacher to Make the Region’s Poster

Create a map like this that has the dimensions of 4’ by 5’.
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Exit Slip
Name:____________________________________
Date:__________________________
Region:______________________________________
List 3 things you learned about this region.
1.
2.
3.
List and Describe 2 places in this region you would like to travel too.
1.
2.
List 1 question, concern or comment about this lesson.
1.
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Exit Slip cont.
Use your iPads to find two animals in each region.
Midwest
1.
2.
West
1.
2.
Southwest
1.
2.
Northeast
1.
2.
Southeast
1.
2.
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Lesson #3 Assessment #3 Rating Scale and #4 RAFT/ Analytic Rubric
Field Trip Mysteries
Reading, Language Arts and Social Studies
Brianna Weyers
Grade 5
Standards:
Social Studies:

A.8.2 Construct mental maps of selected locales, regions, states, and countries and
draw maps from memory, representing relative location, direction, size, and
shape.
Reading and Language Arts:

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.5.2. Determine two or more main ideas of a
text and explain how they are supported by key details: summarize the text.

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.5.3 Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or
events using effective technique, descriptive details, and clear event sequences.

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.5.4. Produce clear and coherent writing in which the
development and organization are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience.
Rationale:

Throughout this integrated unit, students have been learning about the five regions and what
makes them unique through physical features. Each region is different based on the National
Parks their region holds within their boundaries. In the previous lessons, students learned
about various parks throughout the United States. Through the story, students get to imagine
they’re in one of these national parks. Students will be reading one of four stories in the Field
Trip Mystery Series. The students will be able to use their reading skills to understand the
story elements that are in the book. This will help the teacher indicate if the students
comprehended the story. Students will complete a project of their choice from the RAFT to
show their comprehension of their park.
Learning Outcomes:



The students will discover national parks through a narrative.
The students will demonstrate the understanding of story elements.
The students will apply their knowledge of the text through a RAFT project of their choice.
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Vocabulary:





National Parks- a scenic or historically important area protected by the federal
government.
Characters- a person in a story, play or movie.
Setting-is the time and place where the story is taking place.
Problem-is the challenges the character faces throughout the story.
Resolution-is how the problem is solved at the end of the story.
Materials:









Field Trip Mysteries Series by Steve Brezenoff (4 of them)
o The Yellowstone Kidnapping That Wasn’t
o The Grand Canyon Burros That Broke
o The Mount Rushmore Face That Couldn’t See
o The Everglades Poacher Who Pretended
Story Element Sheet (attached)
Story Element Sheet Rating Scale (attached)
Group Discussion Questions (attached)
RAFT Planner (attached)
Rubric for RAFT (attached)
Paper
Markers, Pencils and Color Pencils
SMART Board (Power Point slide)
Procedure: (60 minutes for each class)
1. Reading Class- Teacher talks: “Hello class! The last two days we have talked about the
five regions in the United States. Can we name those five regions? (ask students) Now,
can anyone name some national parks in those regions? (ask students) Today in reading,
we will be splitting up into our reading groups. There are four books that I will choose
from for your group to read. The four books are about the following national parks such
as Grand Canyon, Mount Rushmore, Yellowstone, and the Everglades. Now, students
can you locate the four National Parks on the maps that we completed individually in
lesson two. Did everyone find them? (ask students)The books will be read in class and to
finish them in social studies. The books are about kids your age that experience
mysteries in the four different national parks.” End of teacher dialogue. Then make sure
to introduce each book and state what national park it’s located in the United States. The
next step in this lesson is to explain the five story elements that the students will need to
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know in order to complete a story element sheet while they’re reading. The teacher will
bring up a PowerPoint slide of all the elements that the students can see what each
element entails. This slide will remain up during the time the students have to read for
students to use as a reference.
The students will read silently while they complete a story element sheet (attached
below) on their book. Make sure to have students read in a place that is comfortable and
has few distractions. Inform the students that if they haven’t finished their reading or
story element sheet that they will have time in social studies.
(60 minutes)
2. Social Studies Class- Some students might be still reading and some students will be
working on their story elements sheets. In order to make sure that all students are on
task, have students who complete their work early draw pictures of scenes in the book
that they just read. Once everyone is finished, students will get together with the
classmates that read the same book to discuss their story (questions below). Each group
will receive a list of the questions to keep them on track during the discussion.
(60 minutes)
3. Language Arts Class- The students will now construct a RAFT using the knowledge
they gained about their book. A RAFT stands for role, audience, format, and topic. The
students will choose a role from the list, and it will come with a specific audience,
format, and topic that the students will have to follow. This allows students to have some
freedom when choosing a project that they want to accomplish that demonstrates their
knowledge of the book to the teacher. Students will receive this whole class period to
work on their RAFT project. (60 minutes)
Assessment:
Formative Story Element Sheet/Rating Scale:
This assessment was chosen to keep students on task when reading and have them
looking for specific items when they’re reading the books. This sheet is a way for the teacher to
indicate if the students comprehended the story and what the story elements are in the book. The
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purpose of this assessment is to assess if students grasp the concepts of story elements in their
national park book. The teacher will provide feedback to the students by handing them the rating
scale that was used to check their story element sheet. Students will be able to reflect what they
did correctly and what they still need to improve on for the story elements.
Students will be given a story element sheet to complete while they’re reading the book.
The story element sheet contains sections on the setting, characters, problem, events, and
resolution. Students will hand-in the sheet to the teacher. The teacher will use a rating scale to
indicate if the students captured all of the elements within the story. The students will receive
this rating scale with the story elements sheet, so they know what they need to include to
complete the sheet successfully.
Summative RAFT/Analytic Rubric:
This assessment was chosen because it allows students to select a project of their choice
that best fits their learning style. Students will be able to demonstrate their knowledge of the
national park that they read through a RAFT writing project of their choice. The purpose of the
assessment is to indicate what the students learned about a national park through a book that they
read. The assessment assesses their writing and the content about the role, audience, format, and
topic that they chose. The teacher will give feedback through a rubric that collects all the content
that the project needs to have in a chart. The students will receive the rubric back from the
teacher to see the comments from the teacher on their project that they turned in for a RAFT.
The students will now construct a RAFT using the knowledge that gained about their
book. A RAFT stands for role, audience, format, and topic. The students will choose a role
from the list and it will come with a specific audience, format, and topic that the students will
have to follow. This allows students to have some freedom when choosing a project that they
want to accomplish that shows their knowledge of the book to the teacher. Students will receive
this whole class period to work on their RAFT project. The teacher will have a rubric to check to
see if the students have all of the content that they need to complete a successful RAFT project.
The students will receive the rubric with the RAFT to make sure they know what is expected of
them to complete the RAFT as an assessment.
Differentiation:
In order to make sure that all students are on task, have students who complete their work
early draw pictures of scenes in the book that they just read. For the RAFT project, students who
have difficulty with writing can have a scribe to capture their thoughts and ideas for their specific
format for their project. Students will special needs can read the book with their aide for more
support to guide their reading instruction.
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Story Element Sheet:
Name:_______________________________________ Date:______________________
Be a Story Detective
Setting: Where did they go on their field trip? What did they see?
Characters: Names and Descriptions
Problem: What was the mystery in the story?
Events: What were the events throughout the mystery?
Resolution: How was the mystery solved?
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Story Element Sheet Rating Scale:
Be a Story Detective: Rating Scale
3 Terrific Job
Setting
Characters
Problem
Events
Resolution
Setting is adjectively
filled with juicy
adjectives.
All main characters
are listed with a
description. Each
characters name is
spelled correctly.
The problem is a
complete thought and
its one that gets
resolved.
Events are clearly
described and are
stated in the correct
order.
The resolution is
clearly written and in
full sentences.
2 You’re on your way! 1 Try a little harder
Setting is accurate.
Setting is missing or
inaccurate.
Some main a
characters are listed
with a description.
Some main characters
names are listed.
The problem is listed.
The problem is
missing or isn’t the
problem that is solved
at the end.
Some main events are
left out and placed in
a random order.
Main events are listed.
The resolution is
stated.
The resolution is
missing or doesn’t
have to do with the
problem.
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RAFT Planner:
ROLE
Traveler
AUDIENCE
Parents
Lost Tourist
Personal Diary
Park Ranger
Tourist
Park Manager
Tour Guide
Traveler
Parents
RAFT Rubric:
FORMAT
Letter
TOPIC
What did you learn
and see on your trip?
Journal Entries (2)
Describe your lost
journey in the park.
Song or Poem (must
Why this National
include 8 lines)
Park is amazing?
Job Description
Describe the daily
jobs of a tour guide
at this National
Park.
Postcard (include a
Where did you
picture on the front
travel and what did
and a message on the
you do at the
back)
National Park?
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Group Discussion Questions After Reading
 After reading the Field Trip Mystery Books, get together with your
peers that read the same book to discuss the following questions
about the reading.
1. What was the National Park that kid in the book traveled too?
2. What was the setting of the book?
3. What season did the book take place in?
4. Who were the characters in the book and what were they like?
5. What was the problem in the book?
6. What events happened during the problem?
7. How did the character(s) solve the problem?
8. Did you enjoy the book?
9. Would you recommend the book to your peers?
10.Would you like to read the other books that your peers read?
49
Lesson #4 Assessment #5 Performance Task/Checbric
Field Trip Plan
Science, Technology and Social Studies
April Tritz
Grade 5
Science Standards:


Science Inquiry
A.8.6 State what they have learned from investigations, relating their inferences to
scientific knowledge and to data they have collected.
Life and Environmental Science
F.8.8 Show through investigation how organisms both depend on and contribute to the
balance or imbalance of populations and/or ecosystems, which in turn contribute to the
total system of life on the planet.
Social Studies

A.8.5. Identify and compare the natural resource bases of different states and regions in the
United States and elsewhere in the world, using a statistical atlas, aerial photographs,
satellite images, and computer databases.
Rationale: As part of our weather and regions unit, we are focusing on the different types of
weather in the five regions of the U.S. Therefore, we will be visiting Milwaukee’s Mitchell Park
Horticultural Conservancy to experience two types of climates in more depth which are the
desert dome and the tropical dome. This will be a hands-on learning experience that will allow
students to receive more information from a different perspective other than a classroom. During
the field trip, the students will be asked to write down their observations of the two types of
climates on a data chart. The students will also be expected to take notes about the different
plants in each biome that they may want to choose for their research project. After our field trip,
the students will then research one specific plant and design a Prezi presentation. Therefore,
students will be able to show to the rest of the class what they specifically learned at the
conservatory about their specific plant. Also, the students should also be able to identify what
region of the U.S. their plant grows.
50
Objectives for the Lesson:
1. Students will be able to describe the climate that different plants live in.
2. Students will be able to identify what U.S. region the plant originates for their
presentation.
3. Students will be able to compare and contrast the physical characteristics of various
plants from the tropical and desert climate.
Location: Milwaukee's Mitchell Park Horticultural Conservancy
Days/Hours Open: 9a.m.-4 p.m. Tuesdays-Fridays
Educational Program: Grades 3-7 students will concentrate on plants and how life on earth
depends on plants for survival. Students will explore the tropical and desert domes that will help
them gain a better understanding of plant adaptations.
Cost: $36 ($6 is mandatory)
o $10 is for bussing expenses
o $20 is for lunch/dinner money
o $6 is for program money
Chaperones needed: 2 (one male and one female)
o Background checks will be required according to the district’s regulations.
Materials needed for lesson:









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White construction paper (KWL chart)
Notebooks
Pencils
Computers
Permission slips (signed)
Money for bus and lunch
Notebooks
Pencils
The students index cards with their five written questions
KWL chart
Teacher’s List of Rules
Expectations of Milwaukee’s Mitchell Park Horticultural Conservancy
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Procedure:
1. Science Class Day 1: Pre-Field Trip Activity: Introduction to Plants (30 minutes)
 First, the teacher will give each student a piece of white construction paper that
has KWL chart on it. (5 minutes)
 Then the teacher will have the students fill in the “K” for what they already know
about different plants found in the five U.S. regions. (5 minutes)
 Next, the students will fill in the “W” for what they want to learn more about
pertaining to various plants. (5 minutes)
 Then the teacher will provide an index card for each student, and the teacher will
have them write at least 5 questions that they may have for the Milwaukee’s
Mitchell Park Horticultural Conservancy tour guide or myself (the teacher) during
the field trip. (5 minutes)
 Lastly, the teacher will review what he or she expects of their students and what
the conservancy expects pertaining to their behavior on the field trip. The list of
expectations/rule will have already been sent home with the students along with
their permission slip. (10 minutes)
 In case of an emergency or conflict with the field trip, students can use the two
links below to visually experience the tropical and desert dome.
o
o
Tropical Dome Virtual Tour: http://county.milwaukee.gov/TropicalDome10356.htm
Desert Dome Virtual Tour: http://county.milwaukee.gov/AridDome10355.htm
2. Day 1 Continued: During the Field Trip (210 minutes)
 When we arrive at the conservancy, the tour guide will give us about a two hour
tour of the tropical and desert dome. (120 minutes)
 After the tour, the students will ask the tour guide questions from their index card
or questions they came up with after the tour. (15 minutes)
 Then the students will find at least two different plants that they are curious about
or unfamiliar with and write down their names on their worksheet. (20 minutes)
 Then the student will write two to three facts about their two chosen plants. The
students will write down their facts about each plant that are provided by the
conservancy brochures, exhibit descriptions, or tour guide in their notebooks. (20
minutes)
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 Before we leave the conservancy, the students will fill in their KWL chart the “L”
portion for what they have learned about different plant species. (10 minutes)
 When the students arrive back to school, the teacher will provide directions to the
students about their Prezi assignment for the weekend. The teacher will inform
the students to use their notes from the field trip, reliable internet sources, books,
and their KWL chart. Students will present their findings in an oral presentation to
the class using the Prezi program about one of the two plants that they selected at
the conservancy to research. (25 minutes)
 Students will be asked to do the following to include in their Prezi:
o Use at least three reliable sources and cite the sources by providing
the URL’s.
o State the plant’s name.
o Provide a description of at least four different physical
characteristics.
o Describe four physical characteristics of your selected plant.
o Find four pictures of your plant.
o Explain the plant’s origin.
o Provide a detailed description of whether the plant is edible,
poisonous, or neither.
o Provide a description of three locations within the U.S. regions of
where the plant is found.
o Provide at least three interesting facts about the plant.
3. Science Class Day 2: Post Field Trip Activity (60 minutes)
 In science class, the students will present their Prezi about their plant to their
peers in an approximately 3 to 5 minute presentation. By students presenting
various plants found in different climates and regions in the U.S., it will allow
students to learn from each other. Therefore, students will create an enriching
learning environment for everyone. (60 minutes)
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Assessment:
Summative Prezi Presentation Checbric/Performance Task:
This assessment was chosen in order for students to research more in depth about the
specific plant that they selected at the conservancy. By students creating a Prezi presentation not
only allows the student to learn more about a specific plant, but it also allows his or her peers to
learn more about the different plants in the U.S. regions. The purpose of this assessment is to
research different plants that the students learned on their field trip to the desert and tropical
biomes in Milwaukee. The teacher will provide feedback to the students by giving each of them
a scored checbric rubric with additional written comments.
For this checbric assessment, students will be completing a performance task presentation
by using the Prezi program. Students will complete an oral presentation about a specific plant
that they saw on the field trip. The students will have direct instructions for what is expected of
them for this assessment. Students will present a three to five minute presentation in front of the
class, and a rubric will be used to grade their final product.
Differentiation:
Students who do not have any or limited internet access at home will be given the option
of illustrating their research on a poster rather than completing a Prezi presentation. Students,
who are English Language Learners or have special needs, will be given the option of presenting
their information on their Prezi or poster they created just in front of the teacher rather than the
entire class.
54
Parent/Guardian Permission & Field Trip Form
Teacher(s):___
______________________ Grade/Dept: ______________
Destination: ________________________________________________________________
Date/Day of Trip: _____________________
Cost: _________________________
Checks made out to: ___________________________________________________________
Departure Time: ________________________
Return Time: _______________________
Type of Transportation: ________________________________________________________
Student’s Name/Signature: ________________________________ Date: ________________
Parent/Guardian Signature: ____________________________ Date: __________________
*Please list any allergy or medical concerns which school personnel should be aware of: (Please
In the event of sudden illness or injury, I understand that medical care will be obtained if
Specify)
available. Please list your phone/cell number in order for us to contact you in case of an
emergency:
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
Cell Phone #:___________________________
Work Phone #:_______________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
*If
you would like to volunteer as a parent chaperone please feel free to contact me: (715)_______________________________________________________________________________
884-1033
In the event of sudden illness or injury, I understand that medical care will be obtained if
available. Please list your phone/cell number in order for us to contact you in case of an
emergency:
Cell Phone #:________________________
Work Phone #:_______________________
*If you would like to volunteer as a parent chaperone please feel free to contact me: (715)884-1033
55
Teacher’s Field Trip Expectations
1. Be respectful of the equipment and displays at the museum.
2. Stay with your assigned group at all times.
3. Listen to your chaperones, teacher(s), and tour guide before, during, and after the
field trip.
4. Please do not run in the museum.
5. Have your notebook and pencil ready to write facts and information down for your
KWL chart, data observation sheet, and oral presentation for chosen animal.
56
Milwaukee's Mitchell Park Horticultural Conservancy’s Expectations

Children must remain in the presence of parents/chaperones at all times

Always walk so you do not disturb others

Always use quiet "indoor" voices so you do not disturb others and can hear instructions of
parents/chaperones/teachers

Stay on established pathways for your safety and that of the plants and animals!

Do not touch the plants! Some of them are poisonous or may cause an allergic reaction

You may bring food or beverages into the lobby only. Do not bring food or beverages into the domes
or Education Center. School field trips may store bag lunches in the office during their programs.
Students may eat their lunches in the lobby only and must clean up all garbage.

Enter the Education Center only when no class is in session

Do not tap on the animal tanks so you do not stress the animal inside

Pay attention to signs that indicate a display is not hands-on

Do not lift privacy curtains

All children must be accompanied by an adult. For field trips, only 5 students are allowed in the Gift
Shop at any one time.
57
Know
What you want to learn
Learned
58
Plant Oral Presentation Checkbric
Student Checklist
My oral presentation included…
Physical characteristics/Name:
 Description of at least four different
physical characteristics. Yes No
 Stated plant’s name. Yes No
Pictures:
 Displayed at least three pictures of the
selected plant. Yes No
Location:
 Explained the plant’s origin. Yes No
 Provided a description of three locations
within the U.S. regions of where the plant
is found. Yes No
Edibility
 Provided a detailed description of whether
the plant is edible, poisonous, or neither.
Yes No
Interesting Facts
 Description of at least three interesting
facts about your plant. Yes No
Resources:
 Used at least three reliable sources and
cited the sources by providing their URL’s.
 Provided one detailed sentence description
about the three sources you used.
Comments:
Teacher Rubric
4 Exceptional: Content is detailed and accurate
3 Proficient: Content is accurate
2 Limited: Some content is inaccurate
1 Needs Work: Some content is missing
4 Exceptional: Content is detailed and accurate
3 Proficient: Content is accurate
2 Limited: Some content is inaccurate
1 Needs Work: Some content is missing
4 Exceptional: Content is detailed and accurate
3 Proficient: Content is accurate
2 Limited: Some content is inaccurate
1 Needs Work: Some content is missing
4 Exceptional: Content is detailed and accurate
3 Proficient: Content is accurate
2 Limited: Some content is inaccurate
1 Needs Work: Some content is missing
4 Exceptional: Content is detailed and accurate
3 Proficient: Content is accurate
2 Limited: Some content is inaccurate
1 Needs Work: Some content is missing
4 Exceptional: Content is detailed and accurate
3 Proficient: Content is accurate
2 Limited: Some content is inaccurate
1 Needs Work: Some content is missing
59
Name:_________________ Region Unit Assessment #6: Selected Response
Selected Response (Summative)
Part A: True/False
Answer each question with a true or false. (2 Points each)
1. __________ Every state has a capital city.
2. __________ The United States is made up of 50 states.
3. __________Washington, D.C., is the capital of the United States.
4. __________ The Southwest region consists of six states.
5. __________ Kentucky is part of the Northeast region.
6. __________ Alaska and Hawaii are a part of the West region.
7. __________ The Savannah River is found in the Northeast region.
8. __________ The Congaree National Park is located in the Southwest region.
9. __________ Acadia National Park can be found in Maryland.
10. __________ Both the Badlands National Park and Mount Rushmore are found in South Dakota.
11. __________ The Salton Sea is located in California.
12. __________ Lake Marion is found in North Carolina.
13. __________ The Columbia River runs through Idaho.
14. __________ The Missouri River flows through Montana.
15. __________ The Grand Canyon is located in Arizona.
16. __________ The continental divide, runs through Montana and New Mexico.
17. __________ Lake Okeechobee is located in Florida.
18. __________ The Everglades are found in Louisiana.
19. __________ The Great Smokey Mountains are located in North Carolina and Tennessee.
20. __________ The Appalachian Mountains are found on the West region.
60
Name:________________________
Part B: Using a Map
Follow the directions for each statement found below.
1. Use a YELLOW colored pencil and shade in the area the states that you think are
included in the MIDWEST REGION. (1 point)
Points Earned:___________
2. Use a GREEN colored pencil and shade in the area the states that you think are included
in the NORTHEAST REGION. (1 Point)
Points Earned:___________
3. Use a RED colored pencil and shade in the area the states that you think are included in
the SOUTHEAST REGION. (1 Point)
Points Earned:___________
4. Use a BLUE colored pencil and shade in the area the states that you think are included in
the SOUTHWEST REGION. (1 Point)
Points Earned:___________
5. Use a PURPLE colored pencil and shade in the area the states that you think are included
in the WEST REGION. (1 Point)
Points Earned:___________
6. Label each state with the correct abbreviation in pencil. (25 Points)
Points Earned:___________
7. Locate and label five national parks (must have one from each region). (5 Points)
Points Earned:___________
8. Locate and label five major rivers. (5 Points)
Points Earned:___________
9. Locate and label coastal oceans or gulfs around the United States. (2 Points)
Points Earned:___________
10. Locate and label four landforms. (8 Points)
Points Earned:___________
11. Locate and label five lakes (must have one from each region). (10 Points)
Points Earned:___________
Total Points from True/False: ______
Total Points from Using a Map: _______
TOTAL POINTS: __________/100_
61
Name:_______________________________________
62
ANSWER KEY
Regions Assessment
Part A: True/False
Answer each question with a true or false. (2 Points each)
1. _True_____ Every state has a capital city.
2. _False_____ The United States is made up of 51 states.
3. _True_____ Washington, D.C., is the capital of the United States.
4. _False_____ The Southwest region consists of six states.
5. _False_____ Kentucky is part of the Northeast region.
6. _True_____ Alaska and Hawaii are a part of the West region.
7. _False_____ The Savannah River is found in the Northeast region.
8. _False_____ The Congaree National Park is located in the Southwest region.
9. _False_____ Acadia National Park can be found in Maryland.
10. _True_____ Both the Badlands National Park and Mount Rushmore are found in South Dakota.
11. _True_____ The Salton Sea is located in California.
12. _False_____ Lake Marion is found in North Carolina.
13. _False_____ The Columbia River runs through Idaho.
14. _True_____ The Missouri River flows through Montana.
63
15. _True_____ The Grand Canyon is located in Arizona.
16. _True_____ The continental divide, runs through Montana and New Mexico.
17. _True_____ Lake Okeechobee is located in Florida.
18. _False____ The Everglades are found in Louisiana.
19. _True_____ The Great Smokey Mountains are located in North Carolina and Tennessee.
20. _False_____ The Appalachian Mountains are found on the West region.
Assessment:
Summative/ Selected Response:
This summative unit assessment was chosen because it is a selected response assessment that will
be given at the end of the U.S. Regions lessons. The purpose of this assessment is to assess the knowledge
of the students by seeing what they learned about the different land formations, lakes and rivers, national
parks, and states of each region. There are true and false questions for selective answers that the students
will have to answer. Along with true and false questions, I have provided a portion of the test to assess
student’s ability to work with a map by filling in the different attributes discussed in class about each of
the regions.
This assessment is a summative assessment that will be given at the end of the U.S. Regions
lessons. It will assess the knowledge of the students by seeing what they learned about the different land
formations, lakes and rivers, national parks, and states of each region. There are true and false questions
for selective answers that the students will answer. Along with true and false questions I have provided a
portion of the test to assess student’s ability to work with a map by filling in the different attributes
discussed in class about each of the regions.
64
Lesson #5 Assessment #7 Pre-Assessment and #8 Selected and Extended Response
What is a Natural Disaster?
Social Studies and Science
Ashlee Brager
Grade 5
Standards:

Science: E.8.3 Using the science themes* during investigations*, describe* climate,
weather, ocean currents, soil movements, and changes* in the forces acting on the earth.

Social Studies: A.8.6 Describe and distinguish between the environmental effects on the
earth of short-term physical changes, such as those caused by floods, droughts, and
snowstorms, and long-term physical changes, such as those caused by plate tectonics,
erosion, and glaciations.
Rationale: This lesson will begin by the students watching a short video about different natural
disasters. The students will learn what a natural disaster is and the different types of natural
disasters that occur in specific regions in the United States.
Learning Outcomes:


The students will list their knowledge of each natural disaster.
The students will identify where natural disasters take place on a map.
Vocabulary:
 Lightning- Is the flashing of light caused by a discharge of electricity in the atmosphere
 Hurricane- Form over warm ocean waters and carry strong, heavy winds
 Mudslides- rapid movement of a large mass of mud formed from loose soil and water
 Tornado- Violent, rapidly spinning windstorms that have funnel-shaped clouds
 Volcano- an opening in the surface of the Earth which allows hot lava, volcanic ash and
gases to escape from the magma chamber below the surface
 Earthquake - Violent shakings of the Earth’s surface caused by the shifting of the plates
that make up the Earth’s crust
 Blizzards- severe snowstorm characterized by strong sustained winds lasting for a
prolonged period of time
 Floods- A rising and overflowing of the body of water onto normally dry land
65
Materials:
 Laminated pictures of different natural disasters
 Velcro
 Map of the United States
 SMART board
 PowerPoint
 Computer
Procedure: (60 minutes)
1. Opening – (10 minutes)
The teacher will introduce the students to different natural disasters by watching a
YouTube Video. The entire video should be watched with follow up discussion questions
“Have you ever heard of a natural disaster?” and “Have you ever seen a natural disaster?”
This is a great way to get students who learn more efficient visually, to actually get to
experience natural disasters in a video.
Video Clip of Natural Disasters in United States
2. Pre-Assessment – (20 minutes)
After learning about the 5 different regions in the first lesson, during the pre-assessment,
the students will identify where natural disasters are on the United States map that is already
placed in the classroom. Each student will be given a picture of a natural disaster such as
lightning/thunderstorms, hurricanes, tornados, volcanoes, blizzards, earthquakes, and floods.
One by one each student will bring their assigned picture (with Velcro on the back) and place
their natural disaster in the designated area of the region they believe it belongs. (Example: A
hurricane would most likely be placed in the Southeast region of the United States) By
giving the students this assessment the teacher is able to observe what students know and
what they do not know about the different natural disasters within the different regions. With
this information the teacher will be able to design the future lesson plans according to what
the students already know. (Pictures of natural disasters attached below)
3. Natural Disasters – (15 minutes)
The teacher would then have the students sit at their desk and take out a piece of paper
and a pencil. The presentation is a PowerPoint about the different natural disasters in the
United States. This is an informational yet engaging lesson to keep the students motivated
while learning about each of the different disasters. Each slide either has a True or False
statement or a question to involve the students throughout the lesson. Before moving on to
the next slide the teacher will have a small discussion about each of the natural disasters.
The students are to write down information in their notebooks they find interesting or new to
them. These True and False statements along with questions are a type of an observational
assessment that helps the teacher witness what the students know about the information. The
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PowerPoint will also be printed out on paper for the students to look back on later in the unit.
Below is the PowerPoint with all the information attached to it.
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(15 minutes)
After the PowerPoint, the students will then get into their GRASP groups and add
illustrations of natural disasters to their backdrop for the final presentation at the end of the unit.
These GRASP groups were formed during the second lesson and were already assigned a
specific region from the U.S.
Assessment:
Formative/Pre-assessment:
This assessment was chosen because it gives teachers a quick glance of what the students
already know about natural disasters and a reminder of where the regions are on the U.S. map.
The purpose of this assessment is to inform the teacher what the students need to learn about
natural disasters. Observing what the students already know and what they still need to learn, is
informational to the teacher in designing the next lesson plans. The teacher will be able to give
students feedback when they decide where their natural disaster is placed on a U.S. map. The
teacher will have a discussion as to why the student chose where to put their symbol of the
different natural disaster on the map. After this lesson, the teacher will keep the map up on the
68
wall in the classroom. This is a great tool to serve as a reminder of where natural disasters
happen in the U.S. This will also help students as they are collaborating in their GRASP groups
while taking a closer look at their specific region on the map. .
This lesson starts with a pre-assessment about the different natural disasters in the five
different regions. After learning about the 5 different regions in the first lesson, during the preassessment, the students will identify where natural disasters are on the United States map.
There will be a giant map in the front of the classroom. Each student will be given a picture of a
natural disaster, (lightning/thunderstorms, hurricanes, tornados, earthquakes, and floods). One
by one each student will bring their assigned picture (with Velcro on the back) and place their
natural disaster in the designated area of the region they believe it belongs. (Example: A
hurricane would most likely be placed in the South East region of the United States) By giving
the students this assessment the teacher is able to observe what students know and what they do
not know about the different natural disasters within the different regions. With this information
the teacher will be able to design my future lesson plan according to what my students already
know. (Pictures of natural disasters attached below)
Formative/Selected and Extended Responses:
This assessment was chosen because, the teacher is able to ask questions and true and
false statements during the PowerPoint presentation. Depending on the responses from the
students will result in how much in depth the teacher will need to be during the PowerPoint. The
purpose of this lesson is to have students gain knowledge about natural disasters. With this
lesson, the teacher will be able to determine what information the students already know. The
teacher will be able to assess the students during the PowerPoint to know if the students are
gaining knowledge that is required.
This lesson has questions the students answer throughout the PowerPoint presentation.
Each slide has questions or True and False statements to have students think about what they are
learning. The students are to write down information in their notebooks they find interesting or
new to them. The information they learned about natural disasters will then be used later in the
unit when the students start to write their script for their GRASP.
Differentiation:
The map and Velcro activity during the pre-assessment will help students, who learn
more effectively, with a visual aide. Students who also need work with their fine gross motor
skills will be given the opportunity to take the natural disaster picture and Velcro to the big map
placed on the classroom wall. Students will be able to visually see where natural disasters take
place in the U.S. The students will also be able to the differences between the regions and
natural disasters that occur within them. The PowerPoint about the different natural disasters
also provides a visual aide for students who learn more effectively with visual prompts. If the
students are exceeding the expectations and answering the questions correctly during the
PowerPoint, the teacher will send the student home with a book about different disasters to read.
The teacher would have them research about the natural disaster and then write a summary about
what they learned.
69
Pictures of Natural Disasters for the Pre-assessment activity
Lightning
Hurricane
Tornado
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Volcano
Earthquake
Blizzard
Flood
71
Lesson #6 Assessment #9 Observational Checklist and #10 Analytic Rubric
Safety Precautions
Social Studies, Language Arts, Science
April Tritz
Grade 5
Standards:
Science (social and personal perspectives):

H.8.3 Understand the consequences of decisions affecting personal health and safety.
Social Studies

E.8.14 Describe cooperation and interdependence among individuals, groups, and
nations, such as helping others in times of crisis.

E.8.8 Give examples to show how the media may influence the behavior and decisionmaking of individuals and groups.
Language Arts:

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.5.3 Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or
events using effective technique, descriptive details, and clear event sequences.
Rationale:

Students will learn about what safety precautions are taken for each natural disaster.
After discussing and learning about the different safety precautions, students will get into
groups to role play and demonstrate what safety precautions are taken for their assigned
natural disaster. Once the students are in their assigned seats in their classroom, students
will watch a brief video clip from the movie Dante’s Peak. In turn, students will reflect
on the safety precautions the community properly followed or didn’t follow. After the
movie clip, students will select a natural disaster that occurs in their region (the
Midwest), and then the students will create their own home evacuation plan and
incorporate safety precautions. After the assessment, the students will begin working on
their weather script. This lesson will allow the students to understand the importance of
taking safety precautions during different natural disasters.
Learning Outcomes:

The students will identify what a safety precaution is and its importance.
72




Students will demonstrate and role-play how to use specific precautions for their assigned
natural disaster.
The students will identify what the safety precautions are for the different natural disasters
that occur in the five regions in the United States.
The students will list what safety precautions were taken in the movie “Dante’s Peak”.
The students will draw and create their own evacuation plan for their home while
incorporating safety precautions for a natural disaster.
Vocabulary:


Safety Precaution-Any action taken before an activity or weather condition in order to
prevent danger or risk during the activity or weather conditions.
Evacuation Plan-An evacuation plan ensures the safest and most efficient evacuation
time of all expected residents of a structure, city, or region.
Materials:











SMART Board Presentation (Prezi)
Colored pencils
Markers
Pencil
Construction paper
Concept Map
Evacuation Assessment
Scissors
Dante’s Peak video clips (2)
Video of a live weather report on a natural disaster (flood)
Example of a weather script
Procedure (2 hours and 10 minutes):
1. Before I introduce the lesson about safety precautions, I will provide my students with a
concept map. After I hand out the concept map, I will inform my students to individually
brainstorm the various resources that are available to help us to keep track of the weather
forecast. For example, some of the resources that are available are the following:
newspapers, online weather channel websites, television (weather channel), and the radio.
(10 minutes)
2. When the students have their concept maps completed, the teacher will lead the class into
the discussion of what resources are available that help citizens stay aware and updated
73
on the weather changes. The teacher will explain the importance of being updated of the
weather changes in order to help them be aware if a natural disaster is coming to their
area. (10 minutes)
3. The teacher will begin to teach the safety precaution lesson by using a Prezi presentation
to help lecture and discuss the different safety precautions that are practiced for each
natural disaster. The teacher will also inform the students about the possible side effects
or challenges one may face if he or she does not take safety precautions for natural
disasters. Lastly, the teacher will pinpoint to the students that different natural disasters
occur in different U.S. regions. Therefore, the residents living in the five regions may
have to take different safety precautions. (30 minutes)
http://prezi.com/3rxmb2tq0bra/edit/
4. After the Prezi presentation, the teacher will assign an in-class group activity that focuses
on using the role-playing strategy to demonstrate to show their knowledge of the different
safety precautions. The students will get into groups of three and each group will be
assigned one of the following natural disasters: lightning, hurricanes, tornadoes,
volcanoes, earthquakes, blizzards, and floods. The teacher will provide construction
paper to each group in case they wish to make and draw prompts to help them explicitly
demonstrate their safety precautions to the class. (30 minutes)
5. When each group has finished presenting their role-playing demonstration, the teacher
will show a short video clip of Dante’s Peak. The teacher will have the students get a
pencil and notebook ready to take notes on what safety precautions the community
properly followed or didn’t follow. After the showing the video clip, the teacher will have
a classroom discussion to allow the students reflect on the community’s actions. (15
minutes)
6. After learning about the different types of natural disasters and safety precautions, the
teacher will display a sample of a weather script to the students to show how to write a
detailed weather script. The teacher will also show a short video of an example of a
weather report to help students gain a better understanding of how to write and
incorporate detail into their script. This script is going to be used during the GRASP at
the end of the unit, but the teacher will have to make sure the students have enough time
to work on the script with their groups in class. The class will be split into five different
groups because there are five regions in the United States and each group will represent
the five regions. Each student in a group will be given a role: meteorologist, cameraman,
news anchor, and editor of video. The students are in charge of researching the natural
disaster or natural disasters within their specific region. It’s their job to inform the people
74
living in their region of the dangers coming and what they need to do in order to be safe.
The teacher will provide the directions for creating their weather script. The students will
only be given only short amount of time to brainstorm ideas for their script. They will be
given more time to work on their GRASP later during the week. (35 minutes)
Assessment:
Formative Observational Checklist Assessment (Role-Playing Presentation):
This assessment was chosen in order for students to review with their peers about what
they learned from the lecture about safety precautions pertaining to the different natural disasters
that occur in the five U.S. regions. By students performing a role-playing presentation, allows the
students to apply their knowledge from the lecture and demonstrate it through a kinesthetic
activity with their peers. The purpose of an observational checklist is to observe if the students
are collaborating well as a group and if the lecture was beneficial to their learning. The teacher
will provide students feedback by giving each group the observational checklist that will be used
to assess them and explain to each group their strengths, areas they can improve on, and areas
that still needed to be covered.
For this assessment, students will be demonstrating a role-playing presentation by using
their knowledge about the different safety precautions for different natural disasters. Students
will use visuals and prompts to help represent various safety precaution items or prompts. The
students will have direct instructions for what is expected of them for this assessment. Students
will present a five minute presentation in front of the class, and a rubric will be used to grade
their final product.
Summative Analytic Rubric Assessment (Evacuation Plan):
This assessment was chosen to help students apply what they learned from the lecture and
lesson and apply that knowledge to create their own evacuation plan for their home and help
keep their family safe. This evacuation plan is a way for the teacher to indicate if the students
comprehended the how safety precautions and items are used in real life. The purpose of this
assessment is to assess if the students grasped the concepts of safety precautions from the lecture,
Prezi, and role-playing presentations. The teacher will provide feedback to the students by
handing them the rubric that was used to assess their evacuation plan. Students will be able to
reflect what they did correctly and what they still need to improve on about safety precautions.
Students will be given a worksheet with directions and a blank diagram draw their
evacuation plan for their home to prepare for the natural disaster they selected. The students will
incorporate arrows, visuals, and brief captions of the safety precaution items they drew to
provide the teacher with clear information. The worksheet also has several lines below the
diagram for students to write a detailed summary of their evacuation plan, procedures, and the
safety precautions that their family will practice during the natural disaster. Students will hand-in
the worksheet to the teacher. The teacher will use an analytic rubric to indicate if the students
75
captured all of the requirements for their evacuation plan. The students will receive the rubric
with their evacuation plan, so they know what areas the student needs to work on to create a
successful evacuation plan and to also see what areas the student excelled in.
Differentiation:
As the students are filling in their concept maps, students may work with a peer to help
each other brainstorm ideas. Another differentiation strategy that can be used is having the
students may draw their different safety precautions on a piece of large white construction paper
instead of the students role-playing their safety precautions for their natural disaster. Then each
group member will take turns explaining the safety precautions they drew.
76
Directions:
1). In your group, please work together and brainstorm what the safety precautions that are
followed for the natural disaster that your group is assigned.
Each group will need to complete the following:
 Create three prompts to represent their preparation items for their natural disaster. I will
provide white construction paper, markers, and scissors in order for your group to make
and use for your preparation items.
 Act out, discuss, and explain at least five safety precautions for your natural disaster.
 Discuss the location of where your natural disaster most likely occurs.
 Discuss at least two resources communities can use to stay alert and aware of their
region’s weather.
 Discuss at least five preparation items to have ready before your natural disaster occurs.

You also may use your notes to help you determine how you will role-play the safety
precautions.

Each group will have twenty minutes to prepare their role-playing presentation.

The time limit for your role-playing presentation may not exceed 5 minutes.
77
Name: ________________________________
Date: _____________________________
*Directions: Select a natural disaster that occurs in your region. Then create a step by step
procedure of how you would safely evacuate your home which must include at least five
safety precautions. Please discuss and label at least five items you would need in order to
prepare and help you and your family during the natural disaster that is coming to your
region. After you write your safety evacuation plan, please draw a picture of your home
that also includes the safety precautions you mentioned. Please color, label, provide specific
details, and try to be neat as possible as you draw your evacuation plan.
_____________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
78
Evacuation Plan Rubric
Category
1 Points
2 Points
3 Points
Includes items to
have/prepare
before the natural
disaster occurs.
Evacuation plan
includes one way to
prepare for the natural
disaster.
Evacuation plan
includes two to three
items to have/prepare
for the natural disaster.
Evacuation plan
includes at least five
items to prepare for
the natural disaster.
Includes a
detailed drawing
of the evacuation
plan
The drawing of the
student’s evacuation
plan is a basic
structure of their
house. There is no
specific detail, such as
arrows of showing
how their family is
going to evacuate.
Evacuation plan
includes a drawing, and
it includes specific
arrows to show where
their family evacuates
during a natural
disaster. However, it
does not include
specific written labels
or captions of plan.
Evacuation plan
includes a drawing of
the house, specific
arrows showing
where their family
evacuates, and it
includes written
labels or captions o
plan.
Includes safety
precautions for
the natural
disaster
Evacuation plan
includes at least 1
safety precaution with
no explanation of
safety precaution.
Evacuation plan
includes 2 to 4 safety
precautions with basic
explanation of safety
precautions.
Evacuation plan
includes 5 safety
precautions with
highly detailed
explanation of safety
precautions.
Grammar/
Punctuation
Errors
Evacuation plan has
10 or more grammar
or punctuation errors
which distracts the
reader from the
content.
Evacuation plan has 5
or more grammar or
punctuation errors
which distracts the
reader from the content.
Evacuation plan is
free of grammar or
punctuation errors
which distract the
reader from the
content.
Visually
Appealing and
Detailed
Evacuation plan is
difficult to view, is not
colored, and is not
neatly presented. It
lacks specific details.
Evacuation plan is
partially completed and
colored and it has
minimal specific
details.
Evacuation plan is
neatly organized,
labeled, colored, and
provides specific
details.
Score
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Safety Precaution RolePlaying Observational
Checklist
Name:
Date:
Expectation
Location
Group explains the location (regions) of
where their natural disaster is most likely to
occur in the U.S.
Safety Precautions
At least five safety precautions were well
acted out through role playing, and the
importance of each safety precaution was
thoroughly explained.
Weather Resources
The students orally explained at least two
resources communities could use in each
region to stay updated and alert of the
weather conditions in their region.
Visuals
Group created at least three items that
would be used to prepare and have ready
before their natural disaster occurs.
Preparation Items
Group orally discusses at least five
important preparation items that people
should have during their natural disaster.
Contribution:
Each group member had a significant role
and contributed to the role-playing
presentation.
Comments:
Yes
No
80
Weather Forecast Script
*Directions:
1).
In your assigned groups of four, you will create a seven day weather forecast script.
2).
Your group must include the following in your weather script: current conditions,
temperature, humidity, wind speed, precipitation, images, natural disaster approaching,
what region (state and city) the natural disaster will be occurring, and what safety
precautions to follow.
3).
Include detailed sensory information such as what you might see, feel, or hear during the
natural disaster.
4).
Use appropriate and accurate weather symbols to help explain the weather in your region
as you create your weather forecast poster (use classroom handout).
5).
Make sure you use correct spelling, grammar, and punctuation as you write your weather
script.
6).
The length of the script must be two pages typed.
7).
Each group member will have a role. After you wrote your weather script, determine with
your group members what role everybody will have. The roles for this project will be the
following: news anchor, cameraman, meteorologist reporting from the center of the
storm, and editor for the video.
81
Weather Symbol and Terminology Handout
82
Brief Sample of a Weather Warning Script
We interrupt this program for an important weather announcement.
The National Weather Service in Paducah, Kentucky has just
issued a flash flood warning for the Ohio River that will affect those of
you living in the following counties: Spencer, Vanderburgh, Warrick,
Davviess, Henderson, Posey, Union, Gallatin, Hardin, and Crittenden.
Because of the recent heavy rains in our area, major flooding will
occur along the river in Indiana, Kentucky, and Ohio. We do not yet
know how high the water will rise, so be prepared to evacuate
immediately if the rain does not cease. If evacuation becomes
necessary, be ready to turn off all utilities. If water does start coming
in your residence, move to the top floor, attic, or roof. Also, when
evacuating, remember to use caution when driving through flooded
areas. Do not attempt to drive through a flooded road or drive around
a barricade blocking a road. Do not walk across flowing floodwater,
and if you come in contact with the water, be sure to wash your hands
with soap and clean, bottled water as soon as possible. Stay tuned
right here for further updates.
83
Concept Map
Name:_______________________
Date:________________________
Weather Resources




84
Lesson #7 Assessment #11Extended Response
Night of the Twister
Science, Reading and Language Arts
Ashlee Brager
Grade 5
Standards:
Science:

E.8.3 Using the science themes* during investigations*, describe* climate, weather,
ocean currents, soil movements, and changes* in the forces acting on the earth.
Reading and Language Arts:


CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.5.2 Determine two or more ideas of a text and explain how they
are supported by key details: summarize the text
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.5.2 Summarize a written text read aloud or information
presented in diverse media and formats, including visually, quantitatively, and orally
Rationale: This lesson shows students how tornadoes are made, followed by having them make
a tornado themselves in a water bottle. The students have already learned what a tornado is and
what it can potentially do to the people and physical environment. The students will continue to
build their knowledge about tornadoes by reading a book about how tornadoes affected a
community. This will put into perspective how dangerous these natural disasters can be.
Learning Outcomes:



Students will explain how a tornado is formed.
Students will model how tornadoes work by creating their own tornado in a bottle.
Students will explain how a tornado can affect a community
Vocabulary:


Twister- slang word used for tornado
Flip Flap Books- versatile, easy-to-make projects that offer the fun of manipulation and a
hint of secrecy or surprise
Materials:


Recycled Water Bottles filled ¾ full (1 per two students)
Glitter
85






Dish washing liquid (1 bottle for the entire class)
SMART Board
Night of the Twisters book
Paper
Scissors
Crayons/colored pencils
Procedure: (75 minutes)
Opening – (10 minutes)
1. After learning about the different natural disasters and safety precautions, it is time to
introduce the activity. Put the directions up on the board and explain to the students
that they will be up the entire time if they need help remembering.
2. Explain that they will be making a tornado in a bottle to get a better idea of how
tornadoes actually work.
3. Highlight safety measures and make sure they understand NOT to ingest any of the
items being used in the lab activity. Then split them into groups of two for the
activity.
4. Then each group will fill the bottles of water three-quarters of the way full. After that,
they will add a few drops of dish washing liquid into the bottle filled with water.
5. Then, have students wait to do the next step until you put a few pinches of glitter into
the bottle for them.
6. When you have finished adding the glitter, make sure they seal the top very tight and
turn the bottle upside down, holding it by the neck.
7. Next, have them spin the bottle quickly for a few moments, and have them check to
see if they can identify a tornado starting to form. Remind the students that it may
take several tries to get the tornado working properly.
8. Have the students’ talk among themselves about what they think causes the water to
spin and create a tornado.
9. When they are finished, have them clean up their stations and return to their seats to
start the reading book called Twister.
Reading Book: Twister
Reading and Language Class – (45 minutes)
The teacher will now introduce the book Night of the Twisters by Ivy Ruckman. The
students will be split up into their reading groups and begin reading the first chapter. Every day
during reading time the teacher will have students take turns reading out loud the chapter
assigned for that day. For every chapter there will be one discussion questions the groups will
discuss and write about in their journals. Within their journals the students are also expected to
86
think of their own question to write down and discuss as a whole class during discussion time.
Every night for homework the students will have to read a chapter and fill out their chapter
question form before they return to class the next day. The questions and answers in bold below
are the answers the students should be able to comprehend from the book, however it is
important for the teacher to accept other answers depending on how the students explain the
questions. (attached below)
Flip Flap Books summarizing the book – (20 minutes)

Flip Flap books are versatile, easy-to-make projects that offer the fun of manipulation and
a hint of secrecy or surprise.
1. The students need to pick up a 12” X 18” piece of paper at the front of the classroom.
When they get to their seats they need to take out a pair of scissors.
2. Then, the students must fold the paper into eighths. Open the paper and fold it in half the
hot dog style.
3. Open the paper once again and cut to the center fold.
4. This creates the flaps needed for summarizing the book
When the Flip Flap is ready for the students to begin, the teacher will explain to the
students what is expected to be in the books. During lesson three, the teacher has already
explained what the different story elements are and what story elements contain. The teacher has
also already assessed the students on the different story elements. The students have four flaps
and on each flap, the students will illustrate or write about the story elements of a main character,
setting, problem and resolution. Underneath each of the flaps the students will write a short
summary of each the story elements given.
Assessment:
Formative Assessment: Extended Response
This assessment was chosen because it will let the teacher know whether or not the
students understand what events are happening in the book. Also the students will be thinking of
their own question and answer to write down in their journals. This will engage the students to
think of a question on their own. The purpose for this assessment is to have students think and
fill out the discussion questions throughout the chapter book. The teacher will be able to take the
students’ journals at the end of the book to read and see what information the students gained
from reading the book. This lesson should be able to show the teacher what information the
students have gained about tornadoes and how they can be prepared if a tornado ever hit their
community.
87
The students will be given a packet (their new journals) of questions and blank spaces for
answers to be written down. As the students are reading the book, Night of the Twisters they are
expected to fill in the answers and also come up with their own question about the chapter
reading. The reason for having the students’ write their own question is to engage students in the
book. Having students write their own question and answer will motivate them to pay close
attention while reading the book.
Differentiation:
The water bottle tornado activity will help students, who learn more effectively with a
visual aide, see what an actual tornado would look like. The purpose of having students write
their own questions and answers during the critical questions is to challenge the students to think
outside the box. Thinking of their questions shows the teacher they are going above and beyond
who are exceeding If the students are exceeding the expectations and answering the questions
correctly during the book Night of the Twisters, the teacher will send the student home with a
book about different disasters to read. The teacher would have them research about the natural
disaster and then write a summary about what they learned.
88
Name:_______________________
Date:_____________
Discussion Questions and Critical Thinking:
Night of the Twisters
By: Ivy Ruckman
Chapter 1: As told by Dan Hatch
Q: How had things changed in Dan’s house since his mom had his baby brother?
A: His mom quit working and wasn’t as happy. Her nerves were always frazzled, and she didn’t
want to talk as much at supper.
Student made question:
A:
Chapter 2: 5 O’clock
Q: What is read letter day?
A: It is when something wonderful or terrific happens
Student made question:
A:
Chapter 3: 6 O’clock
Q: What did Dan win in the racers’ raffle?
A: He won $100, a new bike, a helmet, pump, and some underwear
Student made question:
A:
Chapter 4: 7 O’clock
Q: Why didn’t Dan want to wake Ryan up to take him to the basement?
A: He didn’t want Ryan to cry.
89
Student made question:
A:
Chapter 5: 8 O’clock
Q: What made Dan and Aruthur finally decide to go to the basement?
A: There was no radio or TV, and they heard a sucking noise.
Student made question:
A:
Chapter 6: 9 O’clock
Q: What did Arthur think he smelled as they were trying to get out of the basement?
A: Gas
Q: What happened to Ronnie Vae during the tornado?
A: She was sucked out the window and knocked out. She was okay though.
Student made question:
A:
Chapter 7: The next hour or so
Q: What did Ryan do during the tornado that made Dan feel better?
A: He grabbed his finger and started sucking on it.
Student made question:
A:
Chapter 8: Later on
Q: Why did Dan have to drive the police car?
A: Officer Kelly was hit in the face with flying glass and couldn’t see
Student made question:
90
A:
Chapter 9: Eleven O’clock
Q: What happened while they were driving to K-Mart?
A: Another tornado hit
Student made question:
A:
Chapter 10: Midnight
Q: Where did Mrs. Minetti take the kids first thing in the morning?
A: To the armory
Student made question:
A:
Chapter 11: Early Morning
Q: Why did Dan ask the policewoman behind the front desk if a tornado has hit Phillips?
A: He is worried about his dad and grandparents
Student made question:
A:
Chapter 12: As remembered one year later
Q: Where did Dan live while his house was being rebuilt?
A: His grandparents farm
Student made question:
A:
91
Lesson #8 Assessment #12Analytic Rubric
Region Comparison
Social Studies, Reading, Language Arts, Children’s Literature Component and Art
Michael Feiten
Grade 5
Standards:



Social Studies:
o A.8.8 Describe and analyze the ways in which people in different regions of the
world interact with their physical environments through vocational and
recreational activities.
o D.8.11 Describe how personal decisions can have a global impact on issues such
as trade agreements, recycling, and conserving the environment.
Reading and Language Arts:
o CCSS.ELA-Literacy. RL.5.3 Compare and contrast two or more characters,
settings, or events in a story or drama, drawing on specific details in the text (e.g.,
how characters interact.)
o CCSS.ELA-Literacy. W.5.2 Write informative/explanatory texts to examine a
topic and convey ideas and information clearly.
Art
o Standard 2 (Contextualizing): The student will interpret and apply visual arts in
relation to cultures, history, and all learning.
Rationale:

This lesson will prepare the students for the conclusion/final of the unit on regions of the
United States and weather within the regions. In addition, this will allow the students to
bring together all of the knowledge they learned throughout the unit. This lesson will help
and prepare students for their GRASP.
Learning Outcomes:



The students will create a brochure analyzing their specific region through recreational
activities, national parks, and safety precautions.
The students will draw settings based on two different regions through comparisons.
The students will write an essay, comparing and contrasting two different regions.
92
Vocabulary:


Compare and Contrast- Finding similarities and differences between two different
things.
Essay-A piece of writing on a specific chosen subject.
Materials:









PowerPoint on how to write an essay
Two note cards for each student
One sheet of notebook paper per student
Student “Regions KWL Chart”
Final essay paper with space on sides to draw pictures. (8 ½” x 30”)
The book, A Country Far Away
Computers
Markers, crayons, colored pencils
Sense Boxes
o Midwest
 Book of wildlife
 Gloves/mittens
 Flip flops
 Plant leafs
 German/Midwest culture book
 Dried Corn
 Toy tractor
o Northeast
 Coal
 Fishing lour/shellfish
 Boat
 Picture of white house
 City Map of New York
 Pictures of Ellis Island, World Trade Centers, and Statue of Liberty
o Southeast
 Alligator tooth
 Peach (fake)
 Orange (fake)
 Swimsuit
 Sun block
 Cotton
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o Southwest
 Pictures of grand canyon
 Pictures of housing
 Book on wildlife
 Book on plant life
 Chili spices
 Pueblo jewelry
o West
 Gold (fake gold)
 Famous Movie
 Redwood
 Volcanic rock and pictures of Mt. St. Helen
 Grapes (fake)
 Toy logging truck
Procedure: (60 Minutes)
1. Opening – (Reading) The teacher will start the reading class by reading the story A
Country Far Away, to the students. While reading the book the teacher will the students
will be thinking of comparisons between one country and another. When the reading is
done students will think about how they can compare the five regions of the United
States. I will then have the student’s transition into the next activity by explaining the
Sense Box Activity. (10 Minutes)
2. During the Sense Box Activity, I will place out five boxes, one for each region of the
United States. Each box will contain pictures, objects, books, or food that may guide the
student’s better perceive what the region might be like. Students will be split up into
groups and will remain with their group throughout the activity. They will start at one
sense box as a group and discuss what they have in their “KW” charts for the regions.
They will then open the box and search through the contents to learn more about the
specific region corresponding with the box. At this point, the students will be able to fill
in the “L” part on their KWL Charts. After the four minutes are up, groups will rotate to
the next box and repeat the same process as before. (20 Minutes/4 minutes per box)
3. Once everyone has gone through all the boxes and filled out their “L” Chart, the teacher
will have each group explain what they learned at the five stations. (5 Minutes)
4. During the last portion of reading class, the teacher will give a mini lesson on how to
write an essay. The teacher will start by going through the three PowerPoint slides
(attached below). The mini lesson discusses how to write an introduction to an essay,
what the main body should include, and the how to write a conclusion. After going
94
5.
6.
7.
8.
through the PowerPoint, the teacher will discuss with the students on what they will be
writing. (10 Minutes)
Students will be given instruction to write or type a “Compare and Contrast Regions
Essay.” The students will chose two regions that they wish to compare. They will use
what they have learned to compare and contrast their two regions. Students will start by
receiving two note cards, one to write the intro on and one to write the conclusion on.
The students will write their main body on a piece of notebook paper. The students will
then rewrite a full final draft on a new piece of paper given to the students by the teacher.
(15 Minutes)
(Social Studies) Once the essays are written on the final paper, students will be given
time to draw/color pictures portraying their two regions. Each region will be
drawn/colored on opposite sides of the essay. This will allow readers to visualize and
read the differences and similarities between the two regions. Students will interpret what
they think or know about different regions. This will allow for other students, teachers,
and others to have different interpretations of the regions. (15 Minutes)
During the remaining time in social studies, students will be creating a brochure within
their Grasp groups. The teacher will explain how to create a brochure by showing them
how to fold it and going over the rubric (attached below). The rubric will explain how
they will be assessed on the brochure project. The brochure states exactly what needs to
be included for each portion of the brochure. Students may choose to use a computer to
create their brochure if they do not wish to make it by hand. The brochure will include
the areas of a national park within a specific region/state, safety precautions that are
needed for their specific area, interests within the area, and recreational activities.
Students will also be assessed on organization, visuals, neatness, and conventions. The
students then will have work time in their groups on the brochure. (30 Minutes)
Closure– Students who are finished creating the brochure may share them with the other
groups in the class. The rest of the groups will present later on. (15 minutes)
Assessment:
Formative/Analytic Rubric
This assessment was chosen because it allows the teacher to take a closer look at what the
students are able to identify about a specific region. The students will be combining, weather,
safety precautions, natural environment, and recreational activities within a region. This will help
the students prepare for their final meteorologist presentation. After looking at the brochures, the
teacher will be able to see what the students still need to review in order to gain the knowledge
that was missed prior to this lesson.
Students will be given the freedom of creating a piece of informational art, describing
their region more in depth. The brochure will illustrate a full range of different areas that the
students have previously learned through the unit. In the assessment, students will create a
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brochure that will show specific attributes that they can teach others about. This will be put into a
classroom binder for students to use for a resource. The teacher will make copies of the
brochures that will be available for parents to pick up during parent teacher conferences. This
will be a great take away for students to share with the community.
Differentiation:
Students, who have difficulties with their fine gross motor skills or based on their
preference, may choose to type their information for their KWL chart and incorporate pictures to
help them explain their knowledge within the five regions. Students who do not have access at
home to a computer may make their brochure by hand.
96
Name: ____________________________
Regions Brochure Rubric
A score of 0 will be Beginning
given if topic is
(1pt)
missing.
Only the
Region
name of the
region is
provided.
Weather
Describe
what the
weather is
like during a
season.
Does not
include
anything
else.
National Park(s)
Only states
the name of
national
park.
Developing
(2pts)
Accomplished Exemplary
(3pts)
(4pts)
The region
is stated,
includes 1 or
2 states from
the region.
The region
is provided,
includes all
states
located in
the region.
The region is
provided,
includes at
least half of
the states
located in the
region.
Describe
Describe what
what the
the weather is
weather is
like during a
like during a season?
season,
Discuss what
What type
type of
of extreme
clothing you
weather may should bring.
you expect? States includes
an image of
the weather.
What type of
extreme
weather may
you expect?
National
park and
location are
included.
National park
is stated,
location is
stated, and
what it looks
like is stated.
Describe
what the
weather is
like during
a season?
Discuss
what type
of clothing
you should
bring.
States
includes an
image of
the weather.
What type
of extreme
weather
may you
expect?
National
park is
stated,
Location of
where it is,
what it
looks like
including
some
Score
97
State a
natural
disaster
within the
region.
Describes 1
– 2 tips for
dealing with
a natural
disaster.
Only lists 1
recreational
activity.
State a
natural
disaster
within the
region.
Describes 3
tips for
dealing with
a natural
disaster.
Lists 2 – 3
recreational
activities.
Interests/Tourist
spots
Includes 1
tourist spot.
Includes 2
Includes 3
tourist spots. tourist spots.
Visual
Representations
and
Organization
3 or less
visuals
throughout
the
brochure,
much
needed
organization
6 or more
conventional
errors
throughout
Only one is
present
4 – 5 visuals
throughout
the
brochure,
uses
organization
6 – 7 visuals
throughout the
brochure,
some
organization
needed
3–5
conventional
errors
throughout
Only two
are present
1-2
conventional
errors
throughout
All three are
present
Safety
Precautions for
Natural Disasters
(Ex, Tornado,
Hurricane,
Blizzard, etc…)
Recreational
Activities
Conventions
Name, date, and
folded.
State a natural
disaster within
the region.
Describes 4
tips for
dealing with a
natural
disaster.
Lists 4 - 5
recreational
activities.
plants, and
wildlife
found in the
park.
State a
natural
disaster
within the
region.
Describes 5
or more tips
to take
when a
Lists 6 or
more
recreational
activities.
Includes 4
tourist
spots.
8 or more
visuals
throughout
the
brochure,
well
organized,
Convention
free
N/A
Total Points
Score: ____/35
Comments:
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PowerPoint
99
100
Becoming a Meteorologist Assessment #13 Holistic Rubric
April Tritz, Brianna Weyers, Ashlee Brager, Michael Fieten
Science, Social Studies, Language Arts
Grade 5
Standards:
Science:


E.8.1 Using the science themes, explain and predict changes in major natures of
land, water, and atmospheric systems.
H.8.3 Understand the consequences of decisions affecting personal health and
safety.
Social Studies:


A.8.2 Construct mental maps of selected locales, regions, states, and countries and
draw maps from memory, representing relative location, direction, size, and
shape.
E.8.14 Describe cooperation and interdependence among individuals, groups, and
nations, such as helping others in times of crisis.
Language Arts:

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.5.3 Write narratives to develop real or imagined
experiences or events using effective technique, descriptive details, and clear
event sequences.
Rational: Students will compile their weather scripts, backdrop, prompts, and information they
have learned throughout the unit plan to create a seven day weather forecast video. Each group
of students was assigned, in lesson two, one of the five U.S. regions. Students will select a
natural disaster that occurs in their region. When students create their weather forecast video,
they are required to inform the communities within their region the safety precautions they need
to follow, provide visuals of the natural disaster, interview community members, and include
sensory details to make the event seem realistic.
Learning Outcomes:
1. Students will discuss and list the most important information they believe was gathered
throughout the unit.
2. Students will create a seven day weather forecast using a digital camera or camcorder.
3. Students will show their video in front of an authentic audience.
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Materials:

Digital camera/camcorder





Backdrop
Markers
Crayons
Computer(s)
Weather Script
Procedure (218 minutes):
1. Opening – The teacher will congratulate the students on their great work during our
regions and weather unit! The teacher will inform the students that the class will wrap up
the unit by creating a seven day weather forecast video that contains all the important
information that they gained during lectures, videos, assignments, activities,
presentations, and class discussions. (15 minutes)
2. The student will review their assigned roles that they were given in lesson six which are
the following: meteorologist, cameraman, news anchor, and editor of video. The teacher
will inform that students that everybody must participate and collaborate together to
create a final product. (10 minutes)
3. The teacher will provide the students with the GRASP instructions and weather forecast
rubric. The will review the instructions and weather forecast rubric with the class in order
for students to clearly understand their expectations for this task (see attached below). (3
minutes)
4. Now, the students will finish creating their written scripts and drawing their backdrop
poster from lesson six for their role. Students will make final revisions and editing on
their written script and backdrop. (20 minutes)
5. After students have finished their written scripts and backdrops, each student will have a
writing conference with one peer and their teacher. This will help students become better
authors or “meteorologists” by making their writing explicit and detailed with the
suggestions from their peer and teacher. (15 minutes)
6. Next, the teacher will assign them to their designated location within the school building
to video tape their forecast. Teacher will ask parents or other faculty staff members to
help chaperone the students as they are performing their presentations. (5 minutes)
102
7. Students will go to their designated location and will begin practicing their roles and start
their forecast presentation. Student will use digital cameras, camcorder, or any other
technology devices the school has to offer. (45 minutes)
8. After the students are done videotaping, the students will go to the computer lab and edit
their video. Students may include sound effects to make their weather forecast video
more realistic. (60 minutes)
9. Closure- After every group has handed in their videos, the teacher will show each video
to the entire class. This will allow the students to watch and enjoy other groups’ video
presentations. The teacher will have popcorn and various snacks available to the students
to celebrate their accomplishments for this unit. (45 minutes)
Summative Assessment: Holistic Rubric (Completed by all group members)
Assessment:
This assessment was chosen in order for students to collect all their information and
knowledge about the U.S. regions and weather in order to create a weather forecast video as their
final product. The purpose of this assessment is for students to gather all the previously learned
concepts, facts, and big ideas about the region and natural disaster that they are presenting on for
this project. The teacher will provide feedback to the students by giving each of them a scored
holistic rubric with additional written comments.
For this assessment, students will be completing a weather forecast video presentation
using technology devices. Students will each have a role in the video process. The rubric that
will be provided will clearly list the student expectations and requirements for this project. In the
weather forecast video, students will have to display and discuss the landforms, safety
precautions, their natural disaster approaching, and use weather symbols. complete an oral
presentation about a specific plant that they saw on the field trip. Students will create about a five
minute long video to show in front of the class.
Differentiation: If students wish to not do a video, the teacher will provide the option of having
the student perform their weather forecast in front of the class as an oral presentation rather than
in a video format. For ESL or students with reading difficulties, the teacher will allow the
students to have a written prompt in their hand to help them read their scripts.
103
Core Performance Task
The final Core Performance Task for the U.S. regions unit will be the presentation of a
weather report which will be created during the ninth lesson using their pre-made weather scripts
and backdrop from previous lessons. After the fifth grade, students have had plenty of practice
time creating and editing their videos and are comfortable with their roles that they will perform
during their video. The video will be shown to the rest of their peers once every group member
has completed their video presentations.
The teacher will provide snacks, refreshments, and popcorn before the class watches the
weather forecasts videos. This will be the final celebration of their video presentations and all of
the work they put into their U.S. regions unit!
104
Score
Holistic Rubric for Weather Forecast Report/Video
4
3
2
1
0
We stated the U.S. region, state, city, and county where the natural disaster is occurring.
We clearly described four safety precautions for the community to follow during this crisis.
We clearly described four characteristics of the weather (example: high winds).
We included four pictures of our natural disaster.
We included four weather symbols on our backdrop poster.
We included at least four sensory details in our weather scripts.
We spoke clearly and made eye contact with the camera.
We stated only three of the following: U.S. region, state, county, or city where the natural disaster is
occurring.
We clearly described three safety precautions for the community to follow during this crisis.
We clearly described three characteristics of the weather (example: high winds).
We included three pictures of our natural disaster.
We included three weather symbols on our backdrop poster.
We included at least three sensory details in our weather scripts.
We spoke clearly and made some eye contact with the camera.
We stated only two of the following: U.S. region, state, county, or city of where the natural disaster is
occurring.
We clearly described two safety precautions for the community to follow during this crisis.
We clearly described two characteristics of the weather (example: high winds).
We included two pictures of our natural disaster.
We included two weather symbols on our backdrop poster.
We included two sensory details in our weather scripts.
We spoke clearly, but I made no eye contact with the audience.
We stated one of the following: U.S. region, state, county, or city of where the natural disaster is
occurring.
We only described one safety precautions for the community to follow during this crisis.
We clearly described only one characteristic of the weather (example: high winds).
We included only one picture of our natural disaster.
We included only one weather symbol on our backdrop poster.
We included only one sensory detail in our weather scripts.
We spoke softly and made no eye contact with the audience.
We did not state any of the following: U.S. region, state, county, or city of where the natural disaster is
occurring.
We did not describe safety precautions for the community to follow during this crisis.
We did not describe any characteristics of the weather (example: high winds).
We did not include any pictures of our natural disaster.
We did not include any weather symbols on our backdrop poster.
We did not include any sensory details in our weather scripts.
Some group members did not speak orally in the video.
105
GRASP Instructions: Becoming a Meteorologist
Goal:




Role:
Your task is to create a weather forecast for a week of a specific region.
The goal is to understand the different forecasts for different regions.
The problem or challenge is to prepare students for natural disasters.
The obstacles to overcome are preparing citizens to get in a safe location.

You are a meteorologist informing your citizens of your region to take cover and
precaution.
 You have been asked to inform the public on a weekly forecast.
 Your job is to worry/inform on any weather and/or natural disasters.
Audience:


Your clients are the public in specific region.
You need to convince the citizens to have safety precautions for natural disasters such as
basements, high grounds and evacuation plans.
Situation:

The challenge involves dealing with possible loss of home, damage of home, no drinking
water, no electricity and possible death. Also, the meteorologist is required to inform the
citizens the importance of precautions for natural disasters.
Product, Performance, and Purpose:

You will create a seven day weather forecast in order to provide a weather report to
United States citizens in specific regions.
 You need to develop a written script that would be used on tv so that you know what is
specifically supposed to be said to the citizens in that region of upcoming weather and/or
natural disasters.
Standards and Criteria for Success:


Your performance needs to be orally presented through a video or oral presentation in
front of the class.
Your work will be judged by vocabulary and sentence structure in script, technology used
and overall presentation.
106
Annotated Bibliography
2011 Record Year for Natural Disasters [Web]. (2012). Retrieved from
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b9iz8FOO37I
This video is a great way to show students what different natural disasters look like.
After seeing this video, students can relate to the different natural disasters that happen in
their region.
Baltzer, R. (2012). Natural Disaters: Earthquakes (pp. 4-30). Edina, MN: ABDO
Publishing
Company.
Baltzer, R. (2012). Natural Disaters: Hurricanes (pp. 4-32). Edina, MN: ABDO
Publishing
Company.
Baltzer, R. (2012). Natural Disaters: Volcanoes (pp. 4-36). Edina, MN: ABDO
Publishing
Company.
These books are a great resource for the students to look at when learning about natural
disasters. Throughout the unit, students will be able to look back at the information to help
them retain information about natural disasters and where they occur on the U.S. map.
Brezenoff, S. (2013). The Everglades Poacher Who Pretended. North Mankato, Minnesota:
Stone Arch Books, Inc.
Brezenoff, S. (2013). The Grand Canyon Burros That Broke. North Mankato, Minnesota:
Stone Arch Books, Inc.
Brezenoff, S. (2013).The Mount Rushmore Face That Couldn't See. North Mankato,
Minnesota: Stone Arch Books, Inc.
Brezenoff, S. (2013). The Yellowstone Kidnapping That Wasn’t. North Mankato, Minnesota:
Stone Arch Books, Inc.
These four books are a part of the Field Trip Mysteries Series. Students will be reading one
of these four books for the integrated lesson. Students will complete a story element sheet
and a RAFT project based on the book the read.
Dante's Peak :getting out of town [Web]. (1997). Retrieved from
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jn2weAEOp4Q
This video clip highlights how the town and community took evacuation plans when the
volcano erupted. This video clip can help lead the class into a deep discussion about safety
precautions and evacuation plans. The teacher could ask the students what they would have
or would not have done in the situation.
Dante's peak: please stay calm [Web]. (1997). Retrieved from
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zWkNT5A3wIk
107
By showing this short video clip to the class, provides an interactive environment for
students to observe how a community reacted to a natural disaster (volcano erupting) and
what safety precautions the town did or did not take.
Family Emergency Planning. (2009). Retrieved from
http://www.safeescape.org/pdf/EN/evacuation_plan.pdf
This website is a great resource for teachers to find safety precaution and evacuation
items to provide, list, and visually display for students. I provided the list of the items in our
Prezi presentation that we will use to help lecture the students about safety precautions and
evacuation items.
Google Images. Retrieved from http://www.google.com/imghp
We used Google Images throughout the unit plan to help provide visuals that add
explanation and visual representations to help students learn.
Gray, N. and Philippe, D. (1989) A Country Far Away. New York: Orchard Books.
I used this book in my lesson to help students learn how to compare and contrast regions.
This was used as an introduction to writing an essay about two regions of their choice.
Kramer, S. (1992). Lightning (pp. 6-48). Minneapolis, MN: Carolhoda Books.
These books are a great resource for the students to look at when learning about natural
disasters. Throughout the unit, students will be able to look back at the information to help
them retain information about natural disasters and where they occur on the U.S. map.
Meachen Rau, D. (2012). The Midwest. New York City, New York: Scholastic Children's
Press.
Meachen Rau, D. (2012). The Northeast. New York City, New York: Scholastic Children's
Press.
Meachen Rau, D. (2012). The Northwest. New York City, New York: Scholastic Children's
Press.
Meachen Rau, D. (2012). The Southeast. New York City, New York: Scholastic Children's
Press.
Meachen Rau, D. (2012). The West. New York City, New York: Scholastic Children's Press.
All of these books written about the regions were used to gain more information on the
different regions to teach 5th grade students about the United States regions. These books are
also used for advanced students to read if they finish earlier than their peers or for students to
learn more about the regions on their free.
Nsw Flood Crisis Declared a Natural Disaster [Web]. (2012). Available from
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gydYoW6HDMM
108
This short video clip helps show students how one can orally present a weather report about a
natural disaster. This video will help students understand what to include in their oral
weather report such as informing the community how to evacuate, personal interviews with
community members, how to take safety precautions, and other information.
Oblack, R. (2013). Weather map symbols. Retrieved from
http://weather.about.com/od/imagegallery/ig/Weather-Map-Symbols/
This website provides good resources to use when explaining the different weather map
symbols for students to incorporate into their weather forecast scripts, backdrops, and other
prompts for their natural disaster weather forecast project. By students understanding the
different weather map symbols, students will gain a better understanding of how
meteorologist explain the weather forecast to different communities in real life.
Regions of the 50 Nifty States. (2011, Dec 5). Retrieved from
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dR_NfE1mkx0
This short clip is presented to the students in lesson two for them to learn the states and
the different regions through a visual instruction. Students are able to see all the states and
regions come together to form the United States. Students will view part of the clip on day
one and the rest on day two.
Ruckman, I. (1984). Night of the twisters. New York: Crowell.
This book is about a tornado which is a natural disaster the students have been learning
about. It provides a great sense of how it would feel to experience a tornado in their own
community. Being from the Midwest, students can relate to tornadoes because they happen
in our region.
States in US, List of US States with Abbreviation. (2012, December 11). Retrieved from
http://www.mapsofworld.com/usa/states/
I used this picture of the United States for students to see the correct abbreviations for each
state within the US. I also used this picture to show that the U.S. has three coastlines, which
include the Gulf Coast, Atlantic Ocean, and Pacific Ocean.
State Symbols USA. (2013). Retrieved from
http://www.statesymbolsusa.org/Lists/state_mammals.html
This website is available for students to use on their iPads for the exit slips on day one
and two in lesson two. Students have to use this site to locate two animals in each region to
show their teacher then found new information about each region using technology.
Tritz, A. (2013, October 15). Safety precautions and evacuation items. Retrieved from
Family Emergency Planning. (2009). Retrieved from http://prezi.com/3rxmb2tq0bra/edit/
This is the Prezi presentation that was created to teach students about the different safety
precautions and evacuation items that are demonstrated and used during multiple natural
109
disasters. This will provide a good overview of safety precautions for students to engage and
participate in a role-playing activity and creating an evacuation plan for their home.
USA Blank Map. (n.d.). Retrieved from
http://fc08.deviantart.net/fs70/i/2012/124/d/3/usa_blank_map_by_emarliese-d4yjzbh.jpg
I used the blank map so I could show the different rivers, lakes, landforms, and the
national parks. By drawing in my own physical features on the maps, I am able to have the
students see just the important features that we are discussing in the class.
US National Parks. (2013). Retrieved from http://www.mapsofworld.com/usa/national-parks/
This website is available for students to use on their iPads during the work time on their
backdrops during lesson two on days one and two. This gives students an opportunity to find
all of the items they need to locate and draw on their map. The website helps students find
the specific locations for each item they need to include on their backdrop for their final
project.
"United States Regions." (2012). Harcourt Social Studies. [Teacher's wraparound ed.
Orlando, Fla.: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
I used this book as a guide to help me define what a region is. I used examples from the
book when I introduced the five regions of the United States.
Weather warning script. (2011). Retrieved from
http://www.readwritethink.org/files/resources/lesson-docs/30836WeatherWarning.pdf
This website provides an example of a brief weather script that the teacher can use to
model and provide their students with ideas of what type of information is listed in a weather
script. This will help students get started with writing their weather scripts and will hopefully
clear up any confusion the students may have pertaining to the assignment.
Wicker, C. (2013). Weather wiz kids. Retrieved from
http://www.weatherwizkids.com/index.htm
This website provides great safety precaution and evacuation tips for before, during, and
after a natural disaster. It also includes items that are recommended to have to prepare for the
natural disaster.
Writing Rubric for RAFT Writing. (2013). Retrieved from
http://mysite.verizon.net/kristinbatchelor/ePortfolio/WritingRubricforRAFT
WritingActivity.pdf
This website was used to find a rubric for the RAFT writing project on the student’s
national park books. The rubric is used for students to indicate what they need to include in
their RAFT project to get the grade they want to accomplish.
110
Zamiatowski, P. (2013). Friends of the domes: Milwaukee park horitculture conservancy.
Retrieved from http://www.milwaukeedomes.org/education.asp
This internet source allowed us to collect information about Milwaukee’s conservancy in
order to help us plan for our field trip. We gathered information pertaining to the cost, list of
expectations for students to follow during their visit (listed below), and educational programs
it offered.
Children’s Literature
Baltzer, R. (2012). Natural Disaters: Landslides. (pp. 4-32). Edina, MN: ABDO Publishing
Company.
Baltzer, R. (2012). Natural Disaters: Tsunamis (pp. 4-39). Edina, MN: ABDO Publishing
Company.
Baltzer, R. (2012). Natural Disaters: Blizzards (pp. 4-38). Edina, MN: ABDO Publishing
Company.
These books are a great resource for the students to look at when learning about natural
disasters. Throughout the unit, students will be able to look back at the information to help
them retain information about natural disasters and where they occur on the U.S. map.
Chin, J. (2009). Redwoods. New York City: Flashpoint/Roaring Brook Press.
Domeniconi, D. (2007). M Is For Majestic: A National Park Alphabet. Ann Harbor,
Michigan: Sleeping Bear Press.
Petersen, D. (2001). Grand Canyon National Park. New York City: Scholastic Children's
Press.
Petersen, D. (2001). National Parks: Yellowstone National Park. New York City: Scholastic
Children's Press.
Nelson, S. (1998). Hawaii Volcanoes National Park. New York City: Scholastic Children's
Press.
All five of these children’s books could be used for this U.S. region integrated unit plan.
Each book describes one or more national parks in the U.S. The books can be used for
students who finish early with a task or students who are more curious could check these
books out from the classroom library.
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