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Name: Christina Morris  Date: February 28, 2001
Lesson Length:  30 minutes
Subject:  Social Studies  Grade Level: 2nd
Topic: Map Skills -North, South, East, and West

OBJECTIVE:

Given the Abe Lincoln maze the 2nd grade student will label each direction change as North,
South, East, and West with 100% accuracy.

CONNECTIONS:

Kentucky Learner Goals-
2.19  Students recognize and understand the relationship between people and geography and
apply their knowledge in real-life situations.

Kentucky Core Content-
SS-E-4.1.1  Simple physical, political, and thematic maps, globes, charts, photographs, aerial
photography, and graphs can be used to find and explain locations and display information.

National Social Studies Standards-
III People, Place, & Environments- Interpret, use, and distinguish various representations of the
earth, such as maps, globes, and photographs.

CONTEXT:

This is the second lesson in map skills.  We are expanding on the information that the students
received in the last lesson regarding the difference between maps and globes.  This lesson builds
on that information by discussing North, South, East, and West.  We will discuss the benefit of
knowing directions and their use in everyday life.  We will expand on this knowledge in our next
lesson which will be map keys.

MATERIALS/TECHNOLOGY:

Abe Lincoln Maze (see attached) http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/6459/actpag27.html
Maze Poster- teacher created
Git Along, Old Scudder by Stephen Gammell
United States Map Poster
Marker

PROCEDURES:

Diversity-

A few students may need one to one instruction on this lesson.  I will go to each student who needs extra instruction and monitor their activity.  If  they are having trouble with the activity and need extra instruction it will be provided at that point.

Initiation-

Our last lesson covered the differences between maps and globes.  I will ask the following questions to reinforce the previous lesson.  Why did people create flat maps?  How can you tell the difference between land and water?  Are the colors on the map always the same?  Ask if a few students want to share what they wrote in their map journal last time. Today we are      going to study the directions (North, South, East, and West) on a map.  We are going to learn how to distinguish between the four directions.  I will re-read the section in Git Along, Old Scudder that shows he walked in a circle and how if he had known the directions he could have continued exploring.

Model-

I will show  a map and explain where North, South, East and West are located on the United States map.  Discuss that you also have Northeast, Northwest, Southeast, and Southwest.  Explain that it is similar to a clock.  We will discuss the abbreviations that may be used when writing about the directions.  The concept of the sun rising in the East and setting in the West will be discussed.  Discuss that we can always figure our the direction by  looking at the Sun.  However, it is sometimes hard to tell the directions by the Sun for example at night and during the noon hour.

Guided Practice-

As a class, we will look at the United States map on the overhead and discuss where states are located (in the North, South, East, and West).  Have students get up and stand beside their desk.  Tell the students that the chalkboard is North and have them turn to the West.  Do this until we have crossed each direction.  Once students have the concept of North, South,
East, and West, we will look at the teacher drawn poster maze.  We will begin finding our way through the maze.  Have students come up to the poster, draw the line, and label the direction.  Once we have completed the poster maze, the students will be given the Abe Lincoln maze to complete.

Individual Practice-

The students will draw their way through the Abe Lincoln maze and label each direction that they take.  Abbreviations may be use for the directions.  They will hand in the completed worksheet. As the students finish the worksheet, they will write in their map journals two things that they learned today.

Closure-

We will review the directions North, South, East, West, Northeast,  Southeast, Southwest, and Northwest.   As a quick review have the students stand up and turn to each direction.  The chalkboard is North. I will explain to the students that the next map lesson we will have will be on map keys.

STUDENT ASSESSMENT:

Tool:  Abe Lincoln worksheet
Criteria: 100% accuracy (find way through maze and label directions)

REFLECTION/ANALYSIS OF TEACHING AND LEARNING:

LESSON EXTENSION/FOLLOW-UP

BIBLIOGRAPHY:

 Gammell, S. (1983).  Git along, Old Scudder.  New York:  Lothrop, Lee & Shepard
Books.