Lesson Plan

1 - Learning Targets:

HGSS Standards for 4th Grade

Standard: Societies are shaped by beliefs, ideas, and diversity.
Benchmark: The student will recognize and evaluate significant beliefs, contributions, and ideas of
the many diverse peoples and groups and their impact on individuals, communities,
states, and nations.

Benchmark: The student will draw conclusions about significant beliefs, contributions, and ideas,
analyzing the origins and context under which these competing ideals were reached and
the multiple perspectives from which they come.

Benchmark: The student will investigate specific beliefs, contributions, ideas, and/or diverse
populations and connect those beliefs, contributions, ideas and/or diversity to
contemporary issues.

Common Core ELA Standards

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.4.7
Interpret information presented visually, orally, or quantitatively (e.g., in charts, graphs, diagrams, time lines,
animations, or interactive elements on Web pages) and explain how the information contributes to an
understanding of the text in which it appears.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.4.9
Integrate information from two texts on the same topic in order to write or speak about the subject
knowledgeably.

Lesson Objectives:

 be exposed to statistical information.

 read graphs and charts.

 learn about the "top ten" countries relative to a variety of statistics.

 locate and color the "top ten" countries on a world outline map.

Big Idea:

Students color world maps to illustrate "top ten" statistics about the world.
 Essential Questions:

 How does the US compare to other countries?

 What countries have the largest population?
 What countries have the largest life expectancy?
 What countries have the most crime?

2 - Assessment:

Students write a brief paragraph explaining what information the maps they created illustrate.

3 - Instructional Plan:

Lesson Overview:

In this lesson, students use an online resource, NationMaster.com, to create a map showing the "Top Ten

Countries" for a wide variety of statistical information groups may research topics.

Opening Discussion:

I will begin by asking students to help me make a list of all the countries that they know of. I will let them

shout out countries they know and we will make a list on the white board.

Next, I will play a video from Youtube (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rXx5VXh4haQ)

Direct Instruction:

“Today, we are going to learn more about the countries of the world. You will work in pairs to learn some

information about other countries”

vocab term: per capita

I will explain that the term means by each person. I will provide an example of the importance of reporting

some statistics per capita.

For example, “the United States has the second largest number of robberies in the world; only Spain has more

robberies. But the United States is a large country with many people. If you compared the number of

robberies to the number of people in the United States, nine countries have more robberies per capita, or per

person, than the United States has.”

The class will work through a few examples of this with their own classmates.

“On a scratch piece of paper, write down how much allowance you get each week and pass it forward”

I will gather the papers and we will make a list of amounts and add them altogether.

Ex- “ So if we add up all the allowances, we have $150.00 all together, so as a class, this is our profit. Now, if

we were to take our full profit and divide it by how many students we have (20). So if we have 20 citizens and

$150.00 all together, we will have an average allowance of $7.50 per capita.”

The class will have a discussion about this concept to check for understanding before moving on to the

activity.

Guided Practice:

Students will divide in to pairs. Students will use an online resource, NationMaster.com,

to create a map showing the "Top Ten Countries" for a wide variety of statistical information groups may

research topics.

• Top Ten Countries by Population

• Top Ten Countries for Life Expectancy

• Top Ten Countries for Crime

Once the groups have chosen their topic, I will provide them a copy of a card that has their topic on it. That

way, each student knows exactly which statistic s/he is to view online and the headline for the map s/he will

create. This card will offer a brief explanation of the statistic the student will research and map.
Student will color a map to show the "top ten countries" for the category they were assigned. Students will

then label their maps with the headline Top Ten Countries for ____.

We will display the students' maps on a bulletin board or around a world map with yarn leading from each

map to the number one country on that map.

Each student will then write a brief paragraph explaining what information the maps they created illustrate.

Students will present their information to the rest of the class and then

Lesson Extensions:

Students may continue their research of different countries by creating posters telling their classmates about

some of the different countries they have learned about. These posters will then be displayed around the

classroom.

Closing:

Students will fill out an exit ticket describing what they learned about other countries that surprised them and

what they learned that did not surprise them.

4 - Adaptations for learners with specific needs: (KSDE/INTASC Standard 2)

Physically Impaired – Students who are physically impaired will be sat in a desk that is
near the activity so that they are able to remain at their desk while the activity is going on.
Their group will work at an area accessible for the student with the disability. These
students will also have a daily buddy (classmate) who will help carry materials when
needed. Students may also have assistance placing their slips of paper in proper places if
needed.

ESOL- Students who are learning to speak English will be provided a written set of
instructions in their native language. They will also be paired with a partner who speaks
 their language if possible so that they can work together and feel more comfortable about
speaking. Students will also be allowed to opt out of speaking out loud to the class and
will have the options to write down their presentation for the teacher to read instead.

5 - Instructional Resources:

 Map Headline List (provided) cut into slips, one slip for each student; or give each team of students two
slips

 world outline map showing country boundaries (provided)

 crayons or markers

 Internet access (or printed pages from the NationMaster.com Web site)
 Exit Ticket
1. What is 1 thing you learned today about a country that
you didn’t already know?

2. What is 1 thing you learned today about a country that

you did already know?