Michigan Geographic Alliance
Presents
An Alternative to
the “What Did You
Do This Summer?”
Essay
Connie Rasmussen
Kennedy Elementary School
An Alternative to the “What Did You Do This Summer?” Essay
Connie Rasmussen, Kennedy Elementary School, Manistee Area Public Schools, Manistee,
MI 49660
Grade Level: 4th – 5th Grades
Grade Level Content Expectation(s)
 Describe the natural and human characteristics of modern day Michigan. II.4.LE.4
Lesson Overview
A lesson to help students recognize the natural and human characteristics in modern day
Michigan while recognizing the pattern that vacation spots primarily exist in areas of
lakes, rivers, and forests, which are Michigan’s great natural resources, contributing
greatly to our economy.
Objectives
Students will be able to:
 Determine the physical and human characteristics of each Michigan vacation spot
and compare them to other vacation spots in Michigan
 Decide which kind of characteristics make each one a vacation spot
 Decide what the role of human environmental interaction is on the vacation spots
Materials
 Attached maps of Michigan (cities, lakes and rivers, forests) – one for each student
and one transparency of each map
 Laminated maps or atlases or road maps of Michigan
 Scenic picture of Michigan that shows both physical and human characteristics found
on Google images – made into transparency
 My Vacaction Spot worksheet-one for each student
Teacher Background Notes
Physical characteristics: landforms, bodies of water, plants, animals, soil, climate
Human characteristics: population, cultural characteristics (food, holidays or
celebrations, activities for fun, music, dress, religion), things built by humans, land-use,
economy, and government
Human environmental interaction: how humans have changed the environment, both
positively and negatively
Procedure for Activity
1. Ask students where they have gone in Michigan for a vacation or fun time. If they
didn’t go anywhere, affirm that staying at home can be a vacation. Ask them to think
about the fun things that they did at home during the summer.
2. Give each student a map of Michigan cities and them to find and mark their vacation
spot on the map, even if it’s where they live. If they went to more than one place,
have them pick their favorite or limit them to no more than two or three.
3. Use the overhead of the cities map, and have each student share their locations and
mark them on the overhead. Students can fill in their maps with these locations also.
4. Show and explain the definitions of physical and human characteristics. Then, using
an overhead of a photo that has human and physical characteristics on it. Ask students
to identify each type of characteristic. (You may want to reveal small sections of the
picture at a time.)You can find some good colored pictures by typing in “scenic
pictures of Michigan” on Google images.
5. Now ask students to think about their vacation spots and make a list on the “My
Vacation Spot” worksheet of the physical and human characteristics of their spot.
Model one of your own first. Encourage them to have five characteristics for each.
6. When finished, as a group, have one student share their characteristics and compare
those characteristics with another student’s characteristics until you have created a
universal list.
7. Then, using the overlaying maps, show and discuss how the location of rivers and
lakes relates to vacation spots. Do the same with the map of forests.
8. Discuss vacation spots that rely on human characteristics as opposed to physical
characteristics. Use urban overlay at this time.
9. After discussion and sharing, have students write a paragraph using at least two
physical or human characteristics important to their vacation spot, and include details
as to why these characteristics make a great vacation spot for them.
Assessment
Have students write a paragraph for their vacation sport that includes two characteristics
either physical or human and two details for each characteristic as to why these make a
great vacation spot.
References
 Scenic Photo of Michigan - http://olivialife.tripod.com/places/up5.jpg
 Michigan Geographic Alliance/Central Michigan Department of Geography maps
Student worksheets (blackline masters)
My Vacation Spot
Physical Characteristics
(Landforms, bodies of water, plants, animals, soil, climate)
Human Characteristics
(Population, cultural characteristics (food, holidays or celebrations,
activities for fun, music, dress, religion), things built by humans,
land-use, economy, and government)
Scenic Photo of Michigan
http://olivialife.tripod.com/places/up5.jpg
Source: Michigan Geographic Alliance/Central Michigan University, Department of Geography
Source: Michigan Geographic Alliance/Central Michigan University, Department of Geography
Source: Michigan Geographic Alliance/Central Michigan University, Department of Geography
Cities in
Michigan
Source: Michigan Geographic Alliance/Central Michigan University, Department of Geography