Elena+Plenda

Hello, I'm a... well I won't say what year... senior at MSU now. Suffice it to say, I'm a non-traditional student. I have transferred schools twice in the past, but have been attending MSU mostly part-time for the past 5 years or so. It goes without saying that I am very happy to have my graduation finally in sight. Each fall when the new students come to campus I think they get younger and younger. ;-P

I am married with two children. My youngest is in 1st grade, and my oldest is in 7th grade. So I have experience as a student, and as the parent of students. We all currently live in Leslie. So my time is taken up largely by my family and my studies. You may not think it, but families and homes take a lot of work. My husband has some health issues that have meant eliminating MSG and a lot of fat from our diet. I end up reading a lot of labels and cooking a lot of things from scratch. In the quiet time after the kids are in bed I like to read, game, or on occasion watch a television show or movie.





**Sample Lesson Template**[1]** **
 * Cooperative Lesson Plan **

TOPIC FOR LESSON: Human/environment interactions Time: 2 class periods Grade Level/Course: Western Hemisphere studies, grade 6 Unit: Geographic impacts on US

Lesson Objectives (information, disposition, and skill objectives):

 1) Students will identify the physical geography of the US including terrestrial features, climate, vegetation, and population density  2) Students will analyze and compare the maps to determine whether relationships are correlational, causal, or unrelated.  3) Students will understand geographic impacts on human activities in the US

Standards: G1.2 Geographical Inquiry and Analysis

6 – G1.2.3 Use data to create thematic maps and graphs showing patterns of population, physical terrain,

rainfall, and vegetation, analyze the patterns and then propose two generalizations about the

location and density of the population.

G1.3 Geograhpical Understanding 6 – G1.3.2 Explain the locations and distributions of physical and human characteristics of Earth by using knowledge of spatial patterns. 6 – G1.3.3 Explain the different ways in which places are connected and how those connections demonstrate interdependence and accessibility.

Materials: Translucent tissue paper, poster board, traceable US maps(all one size), markers, question prompt sheet

Assessment Tools: completed posters

Activities: <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">Google Earth! Who doesn’t love Google Earth? || <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">We’ll take a quick look at the US from Google Earth, and guess at features we see before breaking into groups. Guesses will be elicited from the students. || <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">Time: 5-7 minutes ||
 * <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">Initiation/Opening/Hook
 * <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">Teacher’s Activities: Instructional period, handing out of materials, arrange groups (of 4).

<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">Teacher will ensure students are working productively, circling round the room/groups, and answering questions. || <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">Students’ Activities: Students will assign jobs amongst themselves, 1 each will research their map type (terrain types, climate zones, vegetation, and population density) then they will draw their features onto their tissue paper within the given US map outline || <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">Time: 20-40 minutes ||
 * <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">Teacher’s Activities: Ensure groups have completed their individual portions and move on to group analysis. Reiterate instructions, hand out prompting questions. || <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">Students’ Activities: Students will gather back together for group analysis. Students can lay translucent maps on top of each other to better see similarities to aid them in answering the prompting questions. || <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">Time: 20-40 minutes ||
 * <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">Closure: Evaluate posters/individual maps, consider group evaluation forms || <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">Students will present their maps and answers on a poster board to be hung around the classroom. Students will complete a group evaluation form. || <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">Time ||

<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">Prompt Questions: <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">1) What is the relationship between the terrain map and the climate map?

<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">2) What is the relationship between the terrain map and the vegetation map?

<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">3) What is the relationship between the terrain map and the population density map?

<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">4) Which two maps are most alike? Why are they so similar?

<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">5) Which two maps are most dissimilar? Is there any relationship between them?

<span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">6) Which map most affects the population density map? Explain your reasoning.

<span style="font-family: 'Cambria','serif'; font-size: 16px;">[1] Larson & Keiper (2011). Adapted from Instructional Strategies for Middle and Secondary Social Studies: Methods, Assessment, and Classroom Management.