Communication & Community
Three Weeks
Social Studies
Lesson Plan
Teacher: 6th Grade Teacher
Grade: 6th Grade
Lesson Title:
Mapping & The Printing Press
STRANDS
Geography, History, Individuals, Groups, and Interactions
Summary of the task, challenge, investigation, career-related scenario, problem, or community link.
LESSON OVERVIEW
This unit begins with mapping skills. Students will discover how to read maps using basic tools that most maps provide such as a compass rose, map key, and map scale.
Students will also become familiar with latitude and longitude and discover what the purpose of these markers. The various types of maps will also be discovered as
students will see examples of political maps, physical maps, climate maps, vegetation maps, resource maps, and product maps. These mapping skills will be utilized in
the project days as students map our county.
Johannes Gutenberg revolutionized how the world communicated with his printing press. This monumental innovation will be discussed in depth and compared to
recent changes in modern communication. The printing press will also be discussed in how it affected Martin Luther and his great accomplishments.
Hook for the week unit or supplemental resources used throughout the week. (PBL scenarios, video clips, websites, literature)
MOTIVATOR
THIS video will be used as the hook for this unit. This video details in very concise terms the transition in communications the world has seen over recent decades. How
this transition of communication means and capabilities is discussed in terms of how it affects the individual and the community.
DAY
Objectives
(I can….)
Materials &
Resources
Instructional Procedures
Differentiated
Instruction
Assessment
1
I can explain
what a
compass rose
is and what it is
used for.
Found in
Appendix A
Essential Question: What are the basic components used to effectively read a
map?
Map Flashcards
Map Reading
iPads
I can explain
what a map
key is and what
it is used for.
Doceri App
Set: “What uses do we have for maps?” Students will be given a few minutes to
formulate a list of map usages. Student responses will be discussed as a class.
Paper
writing utensil
Remediation:
Seating to
minimize
distractions
Adjusted
questions
Teaching Strategy:



Students will be introduced to the concept of a “compass rose,” which is
simply the indicator of north, south, east, and west on any map. They
will be shown an example of a map on the Apple TV.
Students will then complete the “Royal Castle Floor” worksheet.
Students will then visit “Map Flashcards” on their individual iPads.
Closing Strategy: As a class we will draw a compass rose including cardinal
directions and intermediate directions. Students will come to the front of the
room and draw one direction at a time on the teacher’s iPad using Doceri and
iPad airplay so that the class may see. After the compass rose has been created a
volunteer student will be asked to introduce what a map key is. We will discuss
the usages of a map key to close the class session.
Choice Activity: Create a relevant map key on your “Royal Castle Floor”
worksheet. Encourage students to use items relevant to castles such as a moat,
guard posts, alligators, draw bridge, etc.
1.If a compass
rose only have
one direction
shown can we
identify the
other cardinal
directions?
2.Can we find
intermediate
directions on a
compass rose if
they are not
identifies by the
compass rose?
3.What
locations do
lines on
longitude
touch?
4.How does this
help identify
longitude as
meridians and
Formative: Royal
Castle Floor
Worksheet
not parallels?
Enrichment:
Choice Activity –
Found in Closing
Strategy
2
I can identify
the equator
and prime
meridian.
Found in
Appendix B
Essential Questions: What are lines of latitude and longitude?
Map Flashcards
I can define
and explain
lines latitude
and longitude.
Map print outs
Set: “What is a map key and what is it used for?” Students will be given a few
moments to formulate an answer. Select students will be given the opportunity
to contribute their thoughts to class discussion.
Colored pencils
Teaching Strategy:
I can identify
the seven
continents on a
map.
Writing Utensil
Paper








Students will be given a “printable world map”.
We will then visit “Map Flashcards” together as a class.
Students will be directed to write down definitions of all key words that
will be identified during this class session. Students will also be working
with their maps as we discover material from the flashcards.
The equator will be identified, defined, and highlighted in red.
The prime meridian will be identified, defined, and highlighted in orange.
Lines of latitude will be identified, defined, and highlighted in purple.
Lines of longitude will be identified, defined, and highlighted in blue.
Students will then use any resource available to them on the iPad to
locate and identify on their maps the seven continents.
Closing Strategy: Students will create a map key identifying the correlation
between colored line and geographic item. As students work on this, volunteer
students may come to the board and show the class what they have done.
Volunteer’s responses will be discussed as a class.
Remediation:
Seating to
minimize
distractions
Anchoring
Activity – As
students work
on their maps
they can receive
one on one
attention from
the instructor
Prompting
Enrichment:
Adjusting
Questions
1.Why are lines
of latitude called
meridians?
2.Why are lines
Formative: Map
Construction and
Map Key
of latitude
better indicators
of climate than
lines of
longitude?
3
I can explain
and provide
the purposes
of political
maps.
Found in
Appendix C
Essential Questions: What are various types of maps and what are their
purposes?
Product Map
Map Types
Seating to
minimize
distractions
I can explain
and provide
the purposes
of resource
maps.
Vegetation Map
Set: “Define lines of latitude and longitude.” Students will be given a few
moments to formulate an answer to this bell ringer. Select students will be given
the opportunity to generate responses for classroom discussion.
Peer tutoring
within groups
I can explain
and provide
the purposes
of product
maps.
I can explain
and provide
the purposes
Climate Map
iPads
Apple TV
Teaching Strategy:




Students will be separated into teacher selected groups of four.
Each group will be assigned a different type of map to independently
research and create an informal presentation for the class. These map
types are: political, resource, product, physical, climate, and vegetation.
Students will use their personal iPads to generate a visual example of
their assigned map. Students will also provide a working summary of
their assigned map type including what the map’s purpose is.
Students will then provide brief presentations to the class providing their
visual example and summaries.
Remediation:
Enrichment:
Choice Activity –
Found in closing
strategy
Formative: Exit
tickets
of physical
maps.
Closing Strategy: Students will write three things they learned and provide this
as an exit ticket.
I can explain
and provide
the purposes
of climate
maps
Choice Activity: Compare and contrast two or more map types.
I can explain
and provide
the purposes
of vegetation
maps.
4
I can explain
what latitude
and longitude
are what their
purpose is.
Found in
Appendix D
Essential Question: How are lines of latitude and longitude used?
Remediation:
Latitude and
Longitude
Latitude and Longitude
Seating to
minimize
distractions
Lat & Long
Brain Pop
Set: The class will be presented with a ping pong ball with a dot on it. They will
be asked how they might describe where that dot is on the ball. Students will
take a few moments to formulate a response. These responses will be discussed
as a class.
Apple TV
Teaching Strategy:
Ping Pong Ball

Geography Quiz


Students will watch “Latitude and Longitude” and write down anything
they find informative or interesting. This video’s content will be
discussed as a class, and a bulleted list will be created on what we know
about latitude, longitude, and their purposes.
Students will then watch “Lat & Long Brain Pop” and add to our list of
what we know about latitude, longitude, and their purposes.
Students will then work independently on “Latitude or Longitude”
worksheet. After students have finished, the class will discuss their
Anchoring
Activity – While
students work
on their
worksheets
students can
receive one on
one attention
from the
instructor.
Enrichment:
Choice Activity –
Found in closing
Formative:
Latitude or
Longitude
Worksheet
Summative:
Latitude and
Longitude Quiz
responses.
strategy
Closing Strategy: Students will visit “Latitude and Longitude” and take the online
quiz. Once they have finished the quiz the student will notify the instructor and
their grade will be recorded. The quiz questions and answers will be
discussed as a class.
Choice Activity: Write a sentence or two rationale as to why each quiz answer is
the correct answer.
5
Project day 1—refer to Unit Plan
Topic—Area Giude
6
I can identify
Johannes
Found in
Essential Questions: Who was Johannes Gutenberg? What did he invent?
Remediation:
Formative:
Gutenberg’s
impact on
world history.
Appendix E
Johannes Gutenburg
Gutenberg's
Printing Press
Set: Students will be asked, “how would your life be different if there was not
printable type (books, newspapers, magazines, etc.)?” Students will be given a
few moments to formulate a response. Their responses will be discussed as a
class.
Apple TV
Seating to
minimize
distractions
Worksheet
Short Essays
The video’s
worksheet will
have the
Teaching Strategy:
answers already
present. The
1. Students will watch “Gutenberg’s Printing Press” video and answer
student will
questions on the correlating worksheet.
2. Student responses on their worksheets will be reviewed and discussed as simply underline
a class.
the answer as
3. Students will then be given the opportunity to write a short essay on
the video
how the printing press affected mass communication. This will still be
provides it.
somewhat of an anticipation type exercise because they have not been
given enough information to write a thorough response based on what
Enrichment:
they have learned. They have been given enough information to make
good inferences on this prompt. Students will be encouraged to use
Adjusting
evidence from the video in their essay.
Questions
Closing Strategy: A couple volunteer students will be given the opportunity to
read their essays. Their essays will be open for class review and discussion.
1.What
invention in
your lifetime
could have a
similar impact to
that of the
printing press?
2.How did the
printing press
alter people’s
daily lives?
7
I can elaborate
upon how the
Found in
Appendix F
Essential Question: How did the printing press change history?
Remediation:
Seating to
Formative: Exit
Tickets
printing press
changed
history.
Apple TV
Printing Press
iPads
Set: “How long did it take a scribe to copy/produce a book prior to the
printing press?” Students will be a given a few moments to formulate their
responses. A volunteer student will provide the class with the answer. The
class will then discuss how this changed with the invention of the printing
press.
Teaching Strategy:





Students will visit “Junior Scholastic” on their personal iPads. This
is a short reading and correlating worksheet.
Students will be given time to read this and then perform the
worksheet questions on their own sheet of paper.
Answers to the “Junior Scholastic” worksheet will then be
discussed as a class.
Class will then visit “Press Impact” to see a visual of how much
printing spread from 1450 to 1500. This visual will be discussed as
a class. “Has anything in our lifetime spread so effectively?”
There is also a short narrative about communication that students
will read.
Closing Strategy: As an exit ticket students will write down two impacts
of the printing press.
minimize
distractions
Adjusting
Questions
1.What is so
impressive
about the rapid
spread of the
printing press
during this time
period?
2.What does the
spread of the
printing press
say about it’s
influence on
world history?
3.What made
the use of the
printing press
attractive to
anyone who
wanted to print
literature?
Enrichment:
Adjusting
Questions
1.What
limitations
existed in 1450
that do not exist
today in terms
of the printing
press being used
in new places?
2.What
limitations did
the printing
press have?
3.What modern
invention has
transformed
communication
in the same way
the printing
press did?
8
Project Day 2—refer to Unit Plan
Topic—Area Giude
9
I can provide
valuable insight
into who
Martin Luther
was and how
he impacted
world history.
Found in
Appendix G
Essential Question: Who is Martin Luther?
Remediation:
Luther's
Revolution
Martin Luther
Seating to
minimize
distractions
Gutenberg Bible
iPads
Apple TV
Set: To wrap up the printing press and the impact it had on the world students
will watch “Gutenberg Bible”. A short discussion about the video’s content and
how it is relevant to our society and our community and communication unit will
follow.
Teaching Strategy:



Students will watch “Luther’s Revolution” as an introduction to who
Martin Luther was.
As a class we will visit “Luther – Ducksters”. Students will view this
literature on their personal iPads. This webpage’s content will be
thoroughly discussed together as select students provide the items they
feel are important for class discussion.
Students will then work independently to create ten questions and
answers from the content examined.
Closing Strategy: Volunteer students may ask their question to the class.
Adjusting
Questions
1.How would
easily spread
literature help
spread Martin
Luther’s ideas.
2.Why might the
spread of
literature help
change the way
people think (as
opposed to a
time when
Formative:
Participation
Student generated
Q&A
Students may then volunteer to answer the question.
Choice Activity: Students may make three of these questions from sources
outside of ducksters. They must provide the complete url of the webpage they
receive their information from.
10
I can identify
how the
printing press
effected
Martin Luther’s
impact on
world history.
literature and
literacy are
limited)?
Enrichment:
Choice Activity –
Found in Closing
Strategy
Found in
Appendix H
Essential Question: How did the printing press affect Martin Luther?
Remediation:
iPads
Printing Press influence on Martin Luther
Apple TV
Set: Knowing something about the printing press and Martin Luther, students
will be asked, “How did the printing press affect Martin Luther?” Students will be
given a few moments to generate a response. These responses will be discussed
as a class.
Seating to
minimize
distractions
Teaching Strategy:
1. Students will visit “History of Journalism” webpage and read it
independently on their personal iPads.
2. Student responses to the reading, prompted by today’s essential
question will be discussed as a class.
3. Students will then work in groups of two to research how
communication has aided certain changes in our world more recently
than Martin Luther. (i.e. The Arab Spring).
Closing Strategy: Each group will present their most interesting finding to class.
Anchoring
Activity –
Students may
receive one on
one attention
from the
instructor.
Enrichment:
Adjusting
Questions
1.Have
communication
technologies
advanced more
Formative: Exit
tickets
Each group will be questioned by the instructor to promote a compare and
contrast arrangement between communication in the days of Martin Luther and
communication today. As an exit ticket, each student will write one way the
printing press affected Martin Luther.
quickly in recent
history?
2.Where might
communication
technologies be
if the printing
press had been
invented in
1850, instead of
1450?
3.How do
technological
advances build
on one another?
11
I can identify
the impact of
the printing
press on world
history.
Found in
Appendix I
Essential Question: What would be different without the printing press?
Remediation:
iPads
World without printed word
Apple TV
Set: “What would be different without the printing press? What things would
not be here today? What events would have never happened throughout world
history?” Students will be given ample time to write a well thought out
paragraph response to these questions. Select students will share their
responses with the class to generate class discussion. A list of predictions will be
kept on the board.
Seating to
minimize
distractions
Teaching Strategy:
1. Students will visit “Flow of History” webpage and read under the bold
heading “The Impact of the printing press”. Students are to take down
the items that answer the questions proposed to them during the set.
Adjusting
Questions
1.Would
increased
literacy or
increased
literature be
more important
in reference the
impact of the
Formative: Exit
Tickets
2. Volunteer students will provide the class with their findings. There will
be a list of these items kept on the board to compare with student
predictions.
3. Students will be given the opportunity to write a few bullet points on
what they believe the most significant impact of the printing press is. (Or
students may brainstorm on the choice activity below). These bullet
points will be used as an exit ticket.
Closing Strategy: Select students will share their thoughts as to what the most
significant impact of the printing press is with the class. There will be brief
discussion about student’s responses to close the period.
Choice Activity: Have there been negative outcomes of the printing press? If so,
what are they?
12
I can explain
how
iPads
Essential Question: How has communication changed over time?
printing press?
2.Would the
impact of the
press be
lessened were it
not for the
events centered
around Martin
Luther and his
reformation
ignition?
Enrichment:
Choice Activity –
Found in Closing
Strategy
Remediation:
Formative: Writings
communication White Paper
technology has
Colored Pencils
changed over
time.
Apple TV
Resources found
in Appendix J
Set: Students will watch “Community and Communication” to begin class. This
video is an excellent explanation of how modern communication mediums have
changed and how personal communication has changed. This video does provide
a plethora of information for the students. It should be paused and discussed
periodically to increase retention and understanding.
Teaching Strategy:




Students will then watch “Timeline of Communications”.
This video will then be watched again, however this time pausing the
video to discuss particular points and place them on the timeline.
Students will be creating a communication timeline on their white paper
using their colored pencils to make their work attractive and unique. The
instructor should be making this timeline on the board to model what it
should look like and where dates should be. (The video moves quickly so
pausing, discussing, and modeling are necessary).
Students will be given ample time to write two paragraphs on the
following questions: “When did communication technology drastically
increase? What is the trend of communication technologies today?”
Closing Strategy: Volunteer students may share their thoughts with the class.
These thoughts will be open for class discussion or adjusted questions from the
instructor.
Seating to
minimize
distractions
Adjusting
Questions
1.How do you
think the
telegraph
changed
communication
technology?
2.How did the
smart phone
change
communication
technology?
3.How did the
printing press
change
communication
technology?
4.What do all of
these
communication
advancements
have in
common?
Enrichment:
Adjusting
Questions
1.Why have
communication
technologies
advanced more
rapidly in recent
history?
2.Do you think
communication
advancements
will ever slow
down?
13
Project Day 3—refer to Unit Plan
Topic—Area Guide
14
I can explain
iPads
how
communication Apple TV
technology will Doceri App
advance.
Resources
I can provide
found in
the significance Appendix K
of historically
importance
communication
technologies.
Essential Question: How will communication technology continue to
advance and how will that affect our communities?
Set: Students will watch “2020”. Student responses will be taken as a part of
class discussion.
Teaching Strategy:
1. In teacher selected groups of two students will begin to brainstorm ideas
and predictions about how communication will change over the course
of the next thirty years.
2. Groups will then be directed to brainstorm ideas about how these
changes in communication could possibly have an impact on our
community.
3. Groups will then put these brainstormed thoughts into a Doceri
presentation. This app allows for slides to show visuals, personal edits,
and record sound that can all be replayed for an audience.
Closing Strategy: Volunteer groups that create a successful Doceri will be asked
to airplay it for class viewing. Their ideas and predictions will be open for class
discussion.
Remediation:
Seating to
minimize
distractions
Anchoring
Activity – While
groups work on
their Doceri
presentation
they will receive
appropriate
questioning
from the
instructor.
Peer Tutoring
Enrichment:
Peer Tutoring
Adjusting
Questions
1.How might our
community be
different
without iPads,
iPhones, etc.?
2.What benefits
do smart phones
and mobile
communication
Summative: Doceri
Presentations
have on our
community?
15
Project Day 4—refer to Unit Plan
Topic—Area Guide
STANDARDS
Identify what you want to teach. Reference State, Common Core, ACT
College Readiness Standards and/or State Competencies.
6.3.spi.1 identify the basic components of a world map (i.e., compass rose, map key, scale, latitude and longitude lines, continents, oceans).
6.3.spi.3. identify the location of early civilizations on a map (i.e. Mesopotamian, Egyptian, Ancient Chinese, Indian.).
6.3.spi.5. use a variety of maps to understand geographic and historical information (i.e., political maps, resource maps, product maps, physical maps, climate maps,
vegetation maps).
6.5.spi.5. identify major technological advances (i.e., tools, wheel, irrigation, river dikes, development of farming, advances in weaponry, written language, and printing
press).
6.6.spi.2. recognize the impact of individuals on world history (i.e., Charlemagne, Joan of Arc, William the Conqueror, Ramses II, Julius Caesar, Socrates, Aristotle, Marco
Polo, Alexander the Great, King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella, Martin Luther, and Johannes Gutenberg).
Vocabulary:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
Latitude—distance north or south of the equator, measured in degrees
Longitude—distance east or west of the meridian at Greenwich, measured in degrees
Map Key—table that explain what symbols on a map represent
Map Scale—a ratio which compares a measurement on a map to the actual distance between locations identified on the map
Compass Rose—symbol on a map representing directions
Equator—0° latitude; used for measurements north and south
Prime Meridian—0° longitude; used for measurements east and west
Parallel—lines of latitude
Meridian—lines of longitude
Printing Press—Invented by Johannes Gutenberg; allowed for much faster, more efficient production of literature