Disciplinary Unit: Lesson Plan-Regions

I. General Information:
Grade Level: 3rd
Discipline: Social Studies - Geography
Unit Topic: Environment Regions of the US
Time Frame: 45 minutes
Text: The United States of America: A state by state
guide
Environmental Atlas of the United States
Other Materials: 4 mobile smart boards
Linoit boards set up
Note Taking Template Worksheet
II. Essential Understanding/Questions:
What are the main ideas of the reading, per each region
of the US, according to our text and the Environmental Altas?
Did the anchor text and the Environmental Atlas agree
or disagree in terms of what is most important in each
region?
Other than the region you presntly live in, do you have
any disagreements as to the descriptions of the regions?
III. Standards/Indicators:
CC.3.R.2 Determine the main idea of a text; recount the key details and explain how
they support the main idea.
CC.3.R.6 Distinguish their own point of view from that of the author of a text
CC.3.R.9 Compare and contrast the most important points and key details presented in
two texts on the same topic.
CC.3.W.6 With guidance and support from adults, use technology to produce and
publish writing (using keyboarding skills) as well as to interact and collaborate with
others.
CC.3.W.8 Recall information from experiences or gather information from print and
digital sources; take brief notes on sources and sort evidence into provided categories.
3.0Geography

B. Geographic Characteristics of places and regions

1. Compre places and regions around the world using geographic
characteristics
1. Identify natural/physical and human-made features of places and
regions

IV. Lesson Objectives:

Students will be able to determine the main idea from the
reading using the Note Taking method, for each region of the
US.
Students will be able to compare two similar texts to
determine if they agree or disagree on the main features of
each region.
Students will create and voice their own opinion on a region,
based on personal experience, as well as taking into
consideration whats in the readings.
Students will be able to successfully post on Linoit boards.
Students will work together collaboratively to complete a
common goal.
V. Evaluation/Assessment:
The note taking worksheet will be turned in to
determine if students were successfully comprehending the
main ideas of the texts.
The exit tickets will determine if the students agree or
disagree with the text.
The Linoit board comments to others will assess if they
can successfully make their own opinions after reading the
texts.
The clarity and completion of the group Linoit posts will
determine if students can successfully use this technology
platform.
Teacher observations will determine if students can
work collaboratively.
VI. Procedures:

Introduction: Show students the 4 mobile smart boards

posted around the room, each linked to a different color
Linoit board (http://en.linoit.com/)
Each board has a themed region of the US, depicted by
our anchor text, as well as in The Environmental Atlas of the
United States by Mark Mattson, which is available to
students in the classrom featured library
Teaching/Activities:
Students will read the text on each of the four regions,
using the Q &A Note taking method
(http://freeology.com/wp-content/files/qandanotetaking.pdf)
After theyve read the text using this reading
comprehension strategy, they will then collaborate with their
group members to determine what common facts they have
about each region. After theyve agreed to one or two
common, main ideas for each region of the US, they will then
move around the room using the Four Corners method.
(https://www.teachingchannel.org/blog/2015/03/04/formative-assessmentresources/)

As students move around to each board in their groups,

each group will post their main idea for each region, on the
corresponding Linoit board.
After all students have posted on all four boards,
students will then return back to their seats and individually
use the tablets or desktops to review the other groups posts
on the Linoit boards, commenting from their individual
accounts as to what they agree with, disagree with, any
details they also found, etc.

Closure:
Finally, students will complete an exit ticket, stating
whether they agree or disagree with what the texts listed as
the most important features of the region in which you
presently live.