Social Studies Lesson Lesson Plan by Megan Gallmeyer Adapted from Cherise Croff at http://www.yesiteach.org/lesson2.htm Lesson: Pumpkin Geography Length: 45 minutes Age/Grade Intended: 3 rd Grade Academic Standard:
· Social Studies 3.3.2 Identify the continents and oceans, the equator, the Northern and Southern hemispheres, and the Eastern and Western hemispheres. Performance Objectives:
· When given a pumpkin and a globe, the students will label the seven continents with 100% accuracy.
· When given a pumpkin and a globe, the students will label the four hemispheres with 100% accuracy.
· When given a pumpkin and a globe, the students will label the five oceans with 100% accuracy.
· When given a pumpkin and a globe, the students will label the equator with 100% accuracy. Assessment:
· To assess this lesson, I will make sure that the students correctly label the equator, the seven continents (Africa, Antarctica, Asia, Australia, Europe, North America, South America), the four hemispheres (Northern, Southern, Eastern, Western), and the five oceans (Pacific, Atlantic, Indian, Southern, and Arctic). Since they will be using a globe to help them create the map on the pumpkin, they should be able to copy each part correctly. Advanced Preparation/Materials:
· a pumpkin for each student
· different colored paint
· globes for each group
· black Sharpies
· plastic bowls or plates Procedure: Introduction: Hold up a globe. Ask: Who knows what this is? (Bloom, Knowledge) This is a globe, and it shows us where everything is in our world. Does anyone know where the equator is? (Bloom, Knowledge) Have the student come point to it. Point to the seven continents, and then ask: What are these places? Explain that they are the seven continents of the world. Ask: If you were going to explain where these continents are on a map, how would you do that? (Bloom, Knowledge) Explain that the world is divided into hemispheres to help with directions. Now, does anyone know what all this blue stuff is on the globe? This is all of the water, or mostly the oceans. Point out the five oceans. Today, we are going to be making our own globes that show
the equator, the continents, the hemispheres, and the oceans. We are going to do that using paint and pumpkins. Step­by­Step Procedure:
· Give each group of students a globe so they can look at it while you are handing out the materials.
· Give each person a pumpkin and each group a couple of black sharpies, a plate or bowl with the different colors of paint.
· Have the students paint the oceans first using blue paint. (Gardner, Spatial)
· When the paint has mostly dried, have them draw on the equator and the hemispheres using the black sharpie or black paint.
· Then, have them paint on the continents and label them once they have dried using the black sharpie.
· Finally, have them go back and label the oceans.
· Explain that we will be coming back to these pumpkins throughout the week to help us learn where each part is located at, but first let them practice.
· Allowing the students to look at their pumpkin, ask: Who can tell me the five oceans? Does the equator run vertically or horizontally? Which of the continents start with the letter A? Where are they located? What are the other three continents? Where are they located? Which continents are the farthest apart? In which hemisphere, is North America? Which continent do we live in? (Bloom, Comprehension) Closure: I hope you had fun painting your pumpkins; they all look so much like the globes we used as models. I would like you to get out a piece of paper and write down the seven continents, the four hemispheres, and the five oceans. This will be what you take home to study with, since we will be using the pumpkins at school. Great job today! I will be excited to see what you remember about out globes tomorrow, so you should look over your lists tonight to help you remember. Adaptation: For the student who lacks the fine motor skills, I would allow him/her to paint the oceans, but help him/her on the small parts such as the continents and labeling them. Enrichment: For the student who is skilled in this area, I would allow him/her to paint and label any extra parts on his/her globe.