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 * Title: Should Our School Build This? **

**Author:** Sara Wright  **Grade Level:** Third Grade  **Brief Summary:** In this class, students will use prior knowledge of GPS units to learn about differentiating between human and physical characteristics of places. Students will work in collaborative groups to identify different physical and human characteristics around our school. Using the information they collect, they will work as a group to determine and write about if our school should build a new parking lot where the forest is behind our school.  **Content Areas:** Social Studies

Social Studies: -3.G.1.2 Compare the human and physical characteristics of places.
 * NC SCOS Goals/Objectives: **

English Language Arts: -[|__CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.3.1__] Write opinion pieces on topics or texts, supporting a point of view with reasons. -[|CCSS.ELA-Literacy.W.3.8] Recall information from experiences or gather information from print and digital sources; take brief notes on sources and sort evidence into provided categories.


 * MATERIALS NEEDED: **


 * GPSs
 * <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Students’ Discovery Journals
 * <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Pen (For Each Group)
 * <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Ipad (For Each Group)
 * <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Prepared Kits for the Way Points


 * <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">PREPARATION BEFORE LESSON: **


 * <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Input 3 Way Points into each GPS (Locations: Parking Lot, Forest behind school, Playground)
 * <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Prepare the Way Point Kits with specific instructions for each place.
 * Parking Lot: 1. Locate and write down at least 6 physical characteristics in this area. (Not Human Made). 2. Locate and write down at least 6 human characteristics in this area. (Not made by nature). 3. Take pictures on your iPad of 3 good things in this area and 3 bad things in this area.
 * Forest behind school: 1. Take pictures on your iPad of 10 physical things in this area (Not made by humans.) 2. Take pictures on your iPad of any human things in this area. 3. Work as a group to write a short paragraph about the area you are currently in using as many descriptive words as you can.
 * Playground: 1. Look for and pick up 2 pieces of trash and throw them away. 2. Locate and write down 5 physical characteristics about this area. (Not human made). 3. Take pictures on your iPad of the entire area.


 * <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Instructional Activities: **


 * 1) <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">At the beginning of the lesson, review as a class how to use and operate the GPSs. Also review appropriate behavior when going in and out of the school building and that they should be respectful of the other adults that are assisting with this project.
 * 2) <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Break up the class into groups of 6 and distribute their Discovery Journals (Class journal that each child is required to keep that serves as an assessment for understanding for me) to take with them on their project. Have students assign roles in their groups to each student: photographer, GPS gal, official scribe, etc.
 * 3) <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Explain to them that we are going to be doing research for the school, so it is very important that they follow the directions at the Way Points very closely. Each student needs to make sure they are taking good notes at each Way Point in their Discovery Journal because they will need to refer back to these notes later.
 * 4) <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Assign each group with a chaperone, and allow them to begin to search for their Way Points. (Each group’s GPS will take them different Way Points).
 * 5) <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Once students have completed their tasks at each Way Point, have all the students come back to the classroom and hold a short mini-lesson on the differences between human and physical characteristics of places. Allow students to make guesses from their tasks and guide them with critical thinking questions to assure they understand the key differences.
 * 6) <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Now, using what they know about human and physical characteristics, have students work in their groups to develop an argument for if the school should build a new parking lot where the forest is behind the school. Tell them that the writing assignment will be seen by the principal, which gives authenticity to their assignment.
 * 7) <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">For the assignment, they need to make sure they include as many examples from their observations about why they think it would be good for the school to build the parking lot. They should include their definitions of physical and human characteristics to explain the benefits or non-benefits to building the parking lot.


 * <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Assessment: **

<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">The students’ assessment on this project will be done at the completion of their project. Groups will be assessed on their presentation of their argument, and how they worked as a group. Each student will be individually assessed on how they contributed to the group, the notes they took during the geocache scavenger hunt, and through a brief quiz on the differences between human and physical characteristics.


 * <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">Closure/Review/Summary: **

<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive;">This project may take place over the course of the day, but to ensure authenticity of why this matter is important, try to have the principal or someone in administration come in to hear a brief summary presentation of their projects. After the project is complete and presentations have been made, have a final discussion as a class on the importance of distinguishing between physical and human characteristics. Make real world applications by allowing students to create situations where knowing the difference between these two would be important outside of school.

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