New Year, new theme... geography

I don’t know about you, but the holiday break was just what I needed after the busy first semester. I’m feeling rejuvenated and ready to take on the new year and was even lucky enough to spend the holidays with my mom. How can you beat that?

Anyway, today was my first day back and I got straight to work on the plan for the new theme unit on geography. I can’t tell you how excited I am about this theme because I’ve always been fascinated by the people and places around me. I love how diverse our planet is and I can’t wait to get my kids excited about geography. When I was deciding which direction to take this unit, I thought it would be best to go deeper into certain areas rather than trying to cover too much in such a short time. If you’re like me, you have a tendency to get overwhelmed at the possibilities and areas within a subject area… It’s completely normal.

Here’s what we’re doing for our geography unit:

Written Travel Guide

-          Write a Lonely Planet travel guide that is informative and entertaining including the following:

·         Country or region

·         Geography

·         Climate

·         Language

·         Population

·         Culture

·         Tradition

·         Currency

·         Festivals

·         Important information

 

Create a Video, Skit, or Puppet Show

·         Script is written, rehearsed, and presented to class

·         Costumes, props, or visual aids are made

·         Content must showcase something unique to a specific culture

 

Teach an art lesson to the class

·         Choose a famous artist, art piece, or time period

·         Research the culture or history

·         Re-create it

·         Plan and teach an art lesson about it to the class





Here's a copy of my Understanding By Design Lesson for this unit. Feel free to copy or adapt for your own class.