Resource Title:
Subject Area/Grade Level (s):
Time Frame 1-2 hours
Common Core/Essential Standard Addressed:
3.G.1 Understand the earth’s patterns by using the 5 themes of geography: (location, place, human-environment interaction, movement and regions).
3.G.1.5 Summarize the elements (cultural, demographic, economic and geographic) that define regions, community, state, nation and world.
Additional Standards Addressed:
4.W.7 Conduct short research projects that build knowledge through investigation of different aspects of a topic.
4.W.8 Recall relevant information from experiences or gather relevant information from print and digital sources; take notes and categorize information, and provide a list of sources.
4.L.2 Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English capitalization, punctuation, and spelling when writing. a.
Use correct capitalization. b.
Use commas and quotation marks to mark direct speech and quotations from a text. c.
Use a comma before a coordinating conjunction in a compound sentence. d.
d. Spell grade-appropriate words correctly, consulting references as needed.
Brief Description of Lesson/Task/Activity: Higher-level students will work collaboratively to create trivia game cards about the elements that define states and nations. They will find information on the internet or in books to help them find information about specific states and nations.
Students will analyze the information to determine which information would be important enough to include on the game card to help someone figure out the answer. The information that they will be finding will include details about culture, demographics, economy, and geography of the state or nation for which they are trying to define and write a trivia card.
Type of Differentiation for AIGs (include all that apply): x Enrichment Extension x Acceleration
Adaptations for AIGs: Content x Process x Product
Explanation of How Resource is Appropriate for AIGs: This task is appropriate for higher-level students because while the student continues to
PUBLIC SCHOOLS OF NORTH CAROLINA State Board of Education | Department of Public Instruction AIG ~ IRP Academically and/or Intellectually Gifted Instructional Resources Project

work with the Essential Standard for his grade level, he will also use fourth grade objectives for writing, research, and language. He will be expected to research states and nations and evaluate the facts regarding culture, demographics, economy, and geography that would be significant enough so that other students would be able to identify the state or nation in a game of trivia.
Needed Resources/Materials

Two lists of different states and nations (20-25 on each list; each list must have the same number)
Sources:
 Information about Alaska found here: http://www.infoplease.com/
TEACHER NOTES: The teacher will need to make a list of a total 20-25 states and nations for each group of higher level students to be assigned so they may make a trivia card for each. Higher-level students will be broken into two even/nearly even numbered groups.
STAGE ONE: ENGAGE
The teacher will begin the lesson by having the following clues listed on the board or she can say them orally. She will ask students to name the place that she is referring to (she will tell them it is a state): (The teacher should read one clue at a time and see how many possibilities can be generated and then eliminated with other clues).

About 630,000 people live here

This state is last in the country for number of farms

This state leads the nation in the value of its commercial fishing catch

Largest collection of Totem Poles here

Aleut and Inuit live here

It is the home of the Aleutian Islands

The highest peak in North America is here
Answer: Alaska
The teacher will engage high-level students by having a discussion using the following questions:
1.
Did you have enough information from the clues above to guess Alaska? What kind of information did I provide you? (Demographics,
Culture, Geography, and Economy)
2.
When you think of NC, what are some of the first things that pop into your mind about our state?
3.
If you were playing a game with a friend and you wanted to say some of the important things about NC that you believe would help them guess that NC is the state you are thinking of, what clues would you give them?
PUBLIC SCHOOLS OF NORTH CAROLINA State Board of Education | Department of Public Instruction AIG ~ IRP Academically and/or Intellectually Gifted Instructional Resources Project

4.
In your clues, could you consider giving a clue regarding each of the following: culture, demographics, economy, and geography? What would those clues look like?
5.
Would it be important to include accurate and noteworthy clues? Why?
6.
As you researched information about our state, how would you decide what to include and what not to include if you were limited to 4-
6 clues?
STAGE TWO: ELABORATE
The teacher will break the higher-level students into 2 nearly even or even numbered groups. Each group will be given a list of 20-25 US states or nations around the world. The groups will work collaboratively to make one trivia card for each of the states or nations. Each card must include at least one clue from each of the following categories: culture, demographics, economy, and geography. Students may include 4-6 clues. Students must evaluate the information that they research from the internet or books to determine which information will help someone figure out which state or nation it is. (Students will put at the top of each trivia card whether it is a nation or state to narrow it down for the players of the game.) Within the large group, students make break into smaller groups/pairs to complete the trivia cards. This will depend on how many higher-level students you have. Then after all trivia cards have been made, the teacher will invite another classroom of students or just a group of higher-level students from another class to come and play the game. Each of the two original groups of trivia card makers will alternately ask their questions to the students from the other class. Score will be kept to determine how many questions were answered correctly from each group’s trivia cards. Whichever group had more of their trivia cards answered correctly wins the game. This game could be continued several times with small groups from other classrooms.
Things to keep in mind:
I would not let the higher-level students know in advance how the game will be played and with whom because they may decide to tell the kids from the other classes which states/nations for which they have made clues. I would just tell students that they need to create trivia cards which will be helpful for others to be able to guess the state or nation based on the clues.
In making the 2 lists of states/nations, I would try to put equal numbers of obscure and well-known states and nations so the two teams have a fair chance of winning the game (fair advantage as far as students knowing the places for each team and being able to guess them).
As students from the two teams ask the questions and the other students answer, they should keep the trivia cards in 2 piles (answered correctly and answered incorrectly) so that later when the evaluation process occurs, it will be easy to remember which ones got answered correctly and which ones didn’t.
Ask students to put broader clues at the top of the cards which will allow students to generate many more possibilities, and then clues a little less broad to begin eliminating some of the possibilities until the last clue eliminates all possibilities except the correct one.
PUBLIC SCHOOLS OF NORTH CAROLINA State Board of Education | Department of Public Instruction AIG ~ IRP Academically and/or Intellectually Gifted Instructional Resources Project

STAGE THREE: EVALUATE
For evaluation purposes, the teacher should have the students discuss the score of the game and why the outcome was as it was. Students should engage in discussion about specific questions that were/were not answered correctly. Discussion should include how specific and informative the trivia cards were. Did they include all four elements (culture, demographics, economy, and geography)? Did they evaluate the researched information to include the best clues possible? On cards that were answered incorrectly, can students discuss what clues would have been more noteworthy? Students will be able to help with their team’s assessment. They will be able to rank their own team according to the following: 4=95%+ of questions were strong 3=88-94% of questions were strong 2=81-87% of questions were strong 1=80-86% of questions were strong.
This is a great opportunity for higher-level students to evaluate their own work.
TEACHER NOTES: NA
PUBLIC SCHOOLS OF NORTH CAROLINA State Board of Education | Department of Public Instruction AIG ~ IRP Academically and/or Intellectually Gifted Instructional Resources Project