Alief ISD
Social Studies Lesson Plans
6th Grade Unit 2
Latin America
Date: _______________
Desired Results: (Unit Understanding)
The diversity of Latin America’s geography has
contributed to its economic and cultural
diversity.
Unit Questions: How does geography make a
difference in how the people of Latin America
live and work?
Time Allotted: _______________
Assessment:
Latin America
poster
Student Friendly TEKS:
6.4B Identify and explain the geographic factors responsible for
patterns of population in places and regions; 6.4D Identify and
explain the geographic factors responsible for the location of
economic activities in places and regions; 6.5A Explain factors
such as location, physical features, transportation corridors and
barriers, and distribution of natural resources that influence the
economic development and foreign policies of societies
Anticipatory Set: (Universal Generalization) (Hook) Where people live affects how they live.
Assign each table one of the following locations:
 Beside a river
 On a grassy plain
 In a forest
 By the ocean
 In the mountains
 In a desert
Ask the question: “Could this location affect the way of life of people living there?” Have the table
groups discuss their locations to arrive at one or more answers to the question and write it in their
notebooks.
Debrief class toward the universal generalization: “Where people live affects how they live.”
Instructional Input: (Line) Modeled/Guided Practice
(See History Alive! Contemporary World Cultures: Latin America, Activity 1 – Mapping the
Physiographic Features of Latin America, pages 5-16):
 Distribute an outline map of Latin America to students. Instruct them to turn to the Activity
Atlas on page 164 of the textbook.
 Have students work in pairs. Giving them one mapping question at a time (see pages 15-16),
have the pairs answer the question by locating the feature it describes on the outline map.
 Guided Practice/Checking for Understanding: Have students check their maps with the teacher
as they complete each mapping question. With each check, provide the next mapping question
to the pair.
 Assign each pair a mapping question to present to the class. Have them present by posting
their feature on an overhead map of Latin America. As they present their feature, have them
speculate how it might affect how people living near it live.
 After all the presentations, ask the question: So are the physical features in Latin America
diverse or uniform? (You may need to explain these terms.) Try to reach a consensus that
Latin America’s physical features are diverse. Ask the question: “So do you think most of the
people in Latin America live the same way or in many different ways.” Try to reach a
consensus that Latin America’s diverse physical features help create diversity in the ways its
people live and work.
Independent Practice: (Sinker)
(See page 7, History Alive! Contemporary World Cultures: Latin America):
“In your notebook create a poster advertising a travel tour celebrating Latin America’s geographic
diversity. For each section, include in the picture or description how the geographic features affect
people’s ways of life (for example someone picking coffee beans in the mountains, tourist hotels on a
Caribbean beach, etc.)”
Modifications/Extensions: If needed, students who need additional support besides their partner may
choose to sit in a central location where the teacher can actively monitor their progress more frequently.
The teacher may also provide students an example of various aspects of the activity including the sinker
for those students who require additional visual support.
Closure: The teacher will repeat the guiding question for the lesson. How does geography make a
difference in how the people of Latin America live and work? The teacher will facilitate a discussion
with students about whether the geography of where we live makes a difference in how we live and
work.
Grade 6
Latin America
Topics/Concepts:
Geographic
Diversity of Latin
America
 Size and
Climates
 Physical
Features
 Regional
Geography
 Diversity of
Environments
 Impact of
Geography on
Economic
Activity
 Adapting to
Environments
 Culture Regions
vocabulary:
diversity, elevation,
climate, latitude,
longitude, equator,
economy, region,
agriculture,
adaptation, landform,
physical features
How will you check
for understanding?
The teacher will
monitor students’
conversations and
ask guiding questions
to check for
understanding
throughout the
lesson.
1
Alief ISD
Beside a river
On a grassy plain
In a forest
By the ocean
In the mountains
In a desert
Grade 6
Latin America
2