Subject: All
Grade Level: 5th
Materials: Computers with PowerPoint software and Internet connection, a scanner, and other resources
About: Students learn to do research about a country and how and why its people have left it to come to America.
Students produce a PowerPoint presentation with pictures, text, and even film clips and audio about the country they researched.
The students learn to do Internet research and to distinguish between authentic and questionable sources. In addition, students use PowerPoint as creatively as they can -- creating a real multimedia presentation.
It is extremely helpful to prepare a PowerPoint template with instructions that the students replace with their work as the project progresses.
| Students explain what climate and geography is and how it affects a country. |
| Students use the computer and books to conduct research on climate and geography. |
| Students analyze information to elicit relevant facts for notes. |
| Students write important information in a succinct and engaging format. |
| Students utilize the computer to effectively present their information. |
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| Students use a variety of intellectual skills to demonstrate their understanding of major ideas, eras, themes, developments, and turning points in world history and examine the broad sweep of history from a variety of perspectives. |
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| Social Studies |
| Students use a variety of intellectual skills to demonstrate their understanding of the geography of the interdependent world in which we live, including the distribution of people, places, and environments over the Earth’s surface. |
| 5 |
| Social Studies |
| Students apply technological knowledge and skills to design, construct, use, and evaluate products and systems to satisfy human and environmental needs. |
| 5 |
| Technology |
| As listeners and readers, students collect data, facts, and ideas; discover relationships, concepts, and generalizations; and use knowledge generated from oral, written, and electronically produced texts. As speakers and writers, they use oral and written language to acquire, interpret, apply, and transmit information. |
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| ELA |
| Students read and listen to oral, written, and electronically produced texts and performances; relate texts and performances to their own lives; and develop an understanding of the diverse social, historical, and cultural dimensions the texts and performances represent. As speakers and writers, they use oral and written language for self-expression and artistic creation. |
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| ELA |
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| Day 1: Introduction to Report and Template |
| Students become familiar with the PowerPoint template. |
| Students choose a country for their report. |
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| Completed PowerPoint presentation and PowerPoint template |
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| The teacher brainstorms with students about what life in another country might be like. |
| The teacher reads a short article written by a child from another country describing life in that country. |
| The teacher introduces the project. |
| The teacher shows a completed PowerPoint project. |
| Students choose a country for their project. They can work in pairs, but each must write their own report. |
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| Get information about chosen country. |
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| Day 2: Where in the World Is Your Country? |
| Students learn where their country is located. |
| Students learn how location affects the development of a country. |
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| The teacher asks students if they can locate their country. |
| The teacher elicits ideas about how location (like being close to the equator) can affect people. |
| Students research their country's location and analyze how it has affected its development. |
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| Finish any research and notes. |
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| Observe research and review notes. |
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| Day 3: How Does Climate and Geography Affect a Country |
| Students learn about different types of climates. |
| Students learn about key features of geography. |
| Students analyze how the climate and geography of their country affected its development. |
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| Map |
| Research sources (the Internet and books) |
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| The class brainstorms about different types of climates. |
| The teacher elicits ideas about how climate affects a country's development. |
| The class brainstorms about different geological features. |
| The teacher elicits ideas about how geography affects a country's development. |
| The students analyze how climate and geography has affected their country's development. |
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| Finish any research and notes. |
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| Observe research and review notes. |
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| Day 4: How Does Government and Language Affect a Country |
| Students learn about different types of government. |
| Students learn about different types of languages. |
| Students analyze how the government and language of their country affected its development. |
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| Map |
| Research sources (the Internet and books) |
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| The class brainstorms about different types of government. |
| The teacher elicits ideas about how government affects a country's development. |
| The class brainstorms about different languages. |
| The teacher elicits ideas about how language affects a country's development. |
| Students analyze how government and language has affected their country's development. |
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| Finish any research and notes. |
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| Observe research and review notes. |
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| Day 5: Creating a Character |
| Students create a character from their country who will narrate their report. |
| Students learn about writing in the first person. |
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| Map |
| Research sources (the Internet and books) |
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| The teacher re-introduces completed PowerPoint report and reads a portion. |
| Students create a character from their country and describe basic characteristics. |
| Students use this character when creating their PowerPoint report, writing in the first person. |
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| Draw a picture of your character. |
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| Review student's writing. |
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Alison Garfield
agarfield29@aol.com
P.S. 062
97-25 108th Street
Richmond Hill, NY 11419
Alison Garfield is a 5th grade teacher who is also part of the New York City Teaching Fellows Program. She came to teaching from a career in publishing.
Important documents for this lesson plan.
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