Unit Hook Lesson: Getting them Excited

Geography Then and Now:
A Look Back Through Pictures

Grade Level: 5^th                              Subject: Geography                              Time: 30 min

Objectives:
Social Studies NCES:
5.G.1.1: Explain the impact of the physical environment on early settlements in the New World.

5.G.1.2: Explain the positive and negative effects of human activity on the physical environment of the United States, past and present. 

Science NCES:

5.L.2 Understand the interdependence of plants and animals with their ecosystem.

Purpose:

Introduce students to the idea that the geography of the USA was very different when early settlers arrived and has continued to change over time.

Procedures:

Teacher Input & Guided Practice:

1.    The teacher shows the students two pictures of what Manhattan may have looked like before Henry Hudson arrived.  At this stage they are given no information about the pictures.  The students answer the questions on response card #1.

2.   The students share some of their responses and the others indicate if they had similar or differing ideas.  The teacher organizes the student comments on chart paper, making additional observations and comments.

3.   The teacher then informs the students that the are going to look at the pictures again, but this time they should imagine that they are colonial explorers approaching this land for the first time at the end of their journey.  The students answer the questions on response card #2.

4.   Again, the students share their responses and the teacher records student input, leading the students to discuss what elements of the New World may have been important to settlers and connecting ideas about ecosystems from science.

Independent Practice:

5.    Finally, the teacher asks the students to imagine what this area would look today.  Using the guiding questions on response card #3, the students describe what changes may have happened to the land during the last 300-400 years.  They may write or draw their ideas.  

Closure:

6.   At the conclusion of the activity, the students are shown the pictures of present day Manhattan.  The teacher and students discuss how this compares to what the students imagined.  Students may also discuss their original ideas about the picture from card #1 and how they compare to what the images actually represent.

7.    The teacher informs the students that they are going to be studying how and why people chose to settle in parts of the New World, and how the lives of people have change the geography, even today.  

Be thinking about: Was the New World a great place to settle, or was it really hard on the first Europeans?  Have people improved the geography or have they hurt it? 

Assessment:

-       Response card #1 will assess the students’ ability to make inferences using a picture as a primary source

-       Response card #2 will assess students’ prior knowledge about what colonial settlers were looking for when they arrived to America, and their understanding of ecosystems.  It also addresses perspective and point of view.

-       Response card #3 will assess the students’ ability to make reasonable predictions.

Differentiation:

-       The students are given the chance to draw or describe their predictions, and other responses may be acceptable for specific student needs 

-       If students struggle to make inferences or predictions, I could utilize think, pair, share to encourage them to try an think on their own first, but then also allow them collaborate with a partner before the whole class discussion.

References:

http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2009/09/manhattan/miller-text
- Click on the link for the pictures that will be used

Rationale:

I chose this activity for my hook lesson because I think that students would be surprised to learn that the pictures of the clean forested area represent the way New York City would have looked to settlers arriving in the New World.  I chose pictures of NYC because even though students do not always learn about New Amsterdam, it was an important early settlement and the area has undergone a very dramatic change due to human settlement.  I think the visual element will help children understand the concept, which is very abstract for young learners. 

Response Cards:

Response Card #1 1.     Briefly describe the image. 2.    What type or types of ecosystems do you see in the pictures? 3.    Where do you think the pictures were taken? 4.    Speculate how the image may connect to our new unit.

Response Card #2 1.     As a colonial settler, what do you notice first about the land? 2.    Would you decide to settle in this area?  Give 3 reasons why or why not. (think about the environment) 3.    Choose three words you would use to describe the area to fellow settlers back on the ship.

Response Card #3 The land in the picture is a part of present day America.  Using drawings or a paragraph, describe how this area might look today.  (Think: Where might this picture be located?  Who would have settled this land?  What changes may have happened over time?)