GPS Day 1 Training ScienceParticipant’s Guide
Training for the New Georgia Performance Standards
Day 3: Determining Student Understanding &Planning Daily Instruction
Facilitator’s Guide
Social Studies K-2
09/01/04Page 1
Social Studies Days3&4: Determining Student Understanding Content Facilitator’s Guide
Description of Facilitator’s Guide
This guide is designed to assist you in your redelivery of day two training. Each page consists of slides corresponding with those on the PowerPoint as well as bulleted notes of important points to make in your redelivery. You are encouraged to make this presentation your own. The facilitator’s guide is not scripted so that you can put things in your own words and choose what needs emphasis in your district. Where appropriate we have placed emphasis (in bold) on certain key phrases or statements that are important to the GPS rollout.
The facilitator’s guide is divided into parts so that you can redeliver small segments of the training in the likely event you will not have a block of time sufficient to redeliver the training in its entirety. This guide will serve as a companion to the online training.
Table of Contents
Description of Facilitator’s Guide / 2Table of Contents / 2
Part I – Intro to Days 3 & 4 / 3
Part II – Content Knowledge Seminar / 6
Part III – Teaching Unit One / 25
Part IV – Developing Demonstrations of Understanding
Part V- Curriculum Integration / 30
36
Redelivery Blacklines / 52
PART I: Intro to Days3&4
TIME: 30 minutes
OVERVIEW: Check-in on redelivery of Day Two; discuss any lingering issues from Day Two
KEY POINTS:
* Each system’s needs are different – speak up if you have a question relating to your situation.
*When you redeliver, make this training your own! Change what needs changing, add to it as necessary to make it relevant to your colleagues and what is expected of them, and rearrange it to meet time constraints.
Key Point:
* In your redelivery, you will want to get a feel for how participants are preparing to teach the social studies GPS next school year. If your system is developing its own curriculum maps & units, some discussion of how those are progressing would probably be a good idea.
Facilitator’s Notes:
PART II: Content Knowledge Seminar – Geography & Georgia History
Time: 120 minutes
Overview: Provide teachers with the background knowledge they need to effectively teach the GPS for their grade level.
Key Points:
* This is our second content-area seminar. Last time we discussed teaching the historical figures, and using primary source documents. Today we are going to focus on the ideas driving the geography standards, ways to incorporate geography into our everyday curriculum, and what those geography standards really mean. This material comes from the work of Lisa Keys-Mathews, professor at the University of North Alabama, and we thank her for allowing us to share it with you!
The Global Apple Activity
Background:
One of the most important natural resources that covers much of the earth’s land surface is soil. All living things depend on it as a source of food, either directly or indirectly. Our food producing land remains the same and yet the world population continues to grow. Consequently, each person’s food portion becomes smaller and smaller. It is the responsibility of each generation to use the soil wisely to insure the future. The following demonstration will show how little of the earth’s surface is actually used for food production as compared to growing populations.
Stimulating Questions:
What are some of the things all living things (or people/humans) need to survive? (air, water, food, shelter)
Can these things we need be dirty or polluted? So we need clean air, water and food.
What do we need in order to grow food? If I wanted to grow an apple tree, what would I need? (seed, soil, sun and water)
Clean soil is especially important for the growing of any food source (directly and indirectly). So how much of the earth’s surface is made up of land? (a little over 1/4th)
So let us pretend our apple is the earth.
Materials:
2 Large apples (softer apples work better)
Paring knife (or heavy plastic knife)
Procedures:
- Cut the apple into four equal parts. Three parts represent the oceans of the world. The fourth part represents the land area. Place the three “ocean” parts on blue paper and the one “land” part on brown paper.
- Cut the land section in half lengthwise. Now you have two one-eighth pieces.
Ask students: Can we (man) live anywhere on land on the earth’s surface? Is there anywhere that just wouldn’t be suitable for us to build a house and live?
Explain that one section represents land such as deserts, swamps, Antarctic, Arctic, and mountain regions where man can not live. The other one-eighth section represents land where man can live but may not grow food.
- Slice this one-eighth section crosswise into four equal parts. Now you have four thirty-second pieces.
Ask students: Can we grow crops for food or graze cows for meat and milk here around our school? In your neighborhood?
Explain that three of these one thirty-second sections represent the areas of the world which are too rocky, too wet, too hot, or where soils are too poor for production, as well as areas developed by man. Only one section is suitable for production.
- Carefully peel the last one thirty-second section. Explain that soil is only on the very top layer of the earth’s surface so this small bit of peeling represents the soil of our earth on which mankind depends for food production! Take the other whole apple and put the small peel next to it so students can see the very small part of the earth where soils are suitable for food production.
- Discuss the fact that the world’s population continues to grow so it is even more important that we take good care of the land we have!
Source: Geography Educators’ Network of Indiana. You can access this document here:
globalapple.doc
Key Points:
* Geography encompasses five major themes, which we will discuss one by one. The big idea here is that students need to know more about the world around them than how to use a map key. Understanding geography really helps students understand history and economics, which both inform government and civics! Isn’t it amazing how all the domains of social studies tie together?
Key Points:
* These five themes were established in 1984 as part of the Guidelines for Geographic Education. They informed the writing of the geography portion of the GPS, and are at the heart of the national geography standards.
* The language here can be confusing – these are NOT the themes we use for our Enduring Understandings. Think of these as “themes with a capital T” that geography educators use to discuss their subject. They were the basis for the state geography standards, so we want to keep them at the back of our mind as we try to understand the standards!
Key Points:
* Take one minute and jot down as many ideas as you can think of – expand your brain!
Key Points:
* List as many ways that you can think of to describe the location of your school facility. Do you know its street address? Its distance from a local landmark? How long it would take you to get there from a common location? Students can do this, too, though their answers might be more descriptive of the building itself.
Key Points:
* Take 2 minutes and draw a picture of the PLACE where you live. Then, compare to others at your table. What are some common features? What are some differences?
Key Points:
* Some books are obviously “about” geography, and some books have obvious maps in them. We want to remember that story mapping can aid in our study of geography, and that most narrative texts can be mapped, either in terms of physical setting or the flow of the plot!
Key Points:
* Geography doesn’t have to take hours a day. In fact, it is usually easier for students to grasp geographic concepts in small chunks. We know kids will have trouble remembering the difference between their city and county, so we will want to review that daily, if necessary.
Beach Ball Globe Toss Activity
Developed by Donna LaRoche
Background:
Discuss the difference between maps and globes with students, what they represent and what they are used for.
Stimulating Questions:
What is a globe? What does it represent? What would we use a globe for?
What is a map? What would we use maps for?
What color do we usually use to represent water on the earth’s surface?
What color do we usually use to represent land on the earth’s surface?
Materials:
Inflatable beach ball globe
Very small round stickers
Chalk/dry erase board, overhead or large paper and appropriate writing utensil
Open space in a room for the children to form a circle
Procedures:
- Give each student a small, round sticker and instruct them to put it on their right thumb.
- Have the students form a circle, leaving a little space between each other.
- Instruct the students that you will toss them the beach ball and that they are to catch it with both hands, then freeze. It is important that they not move their hands once they have caught the ball.
- Ask the student what place on the globe is under their right thumb, under the sticker. Land or water? Use a chart to tally the results as you toss the globe. You can simply label two side of a vertical line, land│water
[*Please note, they will sometimes have their sticker on both land and water. Ask them which one it appears to be touching the most. They may insist it is equal, so simply mark both land and water.]
- After tossing the globe to each student or when you have achieved the results you wanted, ask the students to now add up each side. Now analyze and discuss the results. Why do you think we had more water than land? Take another look, a closer look at the beach ball globe, specifically at the areas of the earth’s surface covered by land versus water.
- For more advanced students, include some of the following questions: Is your location…
- Near the Equator?
- North or south of the Equator?
- Near the Tropic of Cancer/Tropic of Capricorn?
- Near the North/South Pole?
- Inside the Arctic/Antarctic Circle?
- Name the continent.
- Name the country.
- Name the ocean or body of water.
- Give an example of this place’s relative location.
- Estimate this place’s absolute location (use latitude and longitude estimates).
Source: Geography Educators’ Network of Indiana. You can find this activity here:
beachball.doc
Key Points:
* Think about what we have just discussed within the five themes of geography. How do those ideas related to the “cultural and geographic systems” mentioned in the standards?
Key Points:
* Go through this standard element by element to help teachers understand exactly what is meant by each of them. Contact us if you need more help!
Key Points:
* This same basic idea is true for ALL of the historical figures. Why did the place where they lived matter? How did it help them or hurt them? How did it impact the role they played in society?
* There is definitely a human element to geography, which we often neglect!
Key Points:
* The 2nd grade Georgia Studies GPS are quite different from the 3rd grade Georgia QCCs. The state symbols do not appear in the GPS, while important people with Georgia ties play a more pronounced role. While collaboration between 3rd grade and 2nd grade teachers is ideal, make sure 2nd grade teachers do not just recycle the old 3rd grade Georgia unit.
Key Points:
* This is a gussied-up version of the old standby KWL chart. This can be useful as an anchor chart throughout a unit, or even to tie units together! We will use it today to discuss our knowledge of the 2nd grade social studies GPS – all things Georgian.
Key Points:
* Use the following page’s activity as a good introduction for students when discussing our perceptions of Native Americans. Helping students see the distinctions between the Creek and Cherokee in Georgia is essential, so that they do not view America’s original inhabitants as one conglomerated group of “Indians.” Just as there are similarities & differences between Americans and citizens of other countries today, there are similarities & differences between Creeks & Cherokees before, during, and after the time of colonization.
Confronting Our Stereotypes
- Tell students about a friend who is Native American. (Hopefully, your students are familiar with this language. If not, explain it!)
- Ask them what they think he (or she) wears. Depending on age, you might ask them to come to the front of the room and draw clothing on an outlined figure. It’s best to do this piece by piece, allowing as many children to participate as possible.
- From a paper bag, remove one article of clothing at a time, showing that your friend who is Native American wears clothing very similar (or even identical!) to what they are wearing.
- Discuss that Native American clothing has changed over time, just as clothing has changed for other groups of people – we don’t dress the way our grandparents did! Having pictures to show that demonstrate this point is VERY helpful. You can go a step further and ask other faculty members or students’ families for older pictures.
- Discuss that Native Americans, like many other cultural groups, will still wear traditional clothing for special occasions. Having pictures to show as an example is very helpful here, as well. Ask students to name times when they wear clothes that are different from what they wear every day to school. Examples might include parties, religious occasions, scout meetings, or even cultural events, depending upon the backgrounds of your students.
- Be ready to deal with words like “funny” and “weird.” Take the teachable moment to instill in students the idea that different is NOT wrong or bad!
Source: Gail Swan, M. Ed.
Tulane University/
Newcomb Children’s Center
Key Points:
* Why is there an Ocmulgee River in Georgia and an Okmulgee county in Oklahoma?
* for information on Creek/Muscogee heritage & language materials.
* for classroom-ready materials
***VERY USEFUL list of achievements of the Muscogee prior to European contact**
Key Points:
* This map shows the location of Creeks in Georgia prior to removal. Today, people of Muscogee descent live everywhere.
Key Points:
* This website links to a number of Native American languages. This particular page is a small glossary of words in Cherokee, with a linked pronunciation key: .
* is the site of the modern Cherokee Nation
Key Points:
* A final note – speak of Georgia’s first people as respectfully, sincerely, & conscientiously as you would speak about your own ancestors.
* This website, http://, originally written as a list of suggestions for a Native American theme-based community organization, has some very helpful hints for teaching about Native Americans. Some of the hints are not as relevant as others, but the author gives GREAT examples of ways to be sure that you are teaching about Native Americans accurately and respectfully.
Key Points:
* At you can see English phrases translated into Cherokee. In fact, the buttons on the website will turn into Cherokee when you drag your mouse over them!
* The Sequoyah Birthplace Museum: .
Key Points:
* While accessible primary source documents are not numerous for this time period, students may enjoy seeing things like Oglethorpe’s original plan for Savannah, old engravings of Tomochichi & Mary Musgrove, and paintings of Oglethorpe.
* Second graders do not need to understand Georgia’s transition from a charter to a royal colony, nor do they need to memorize every detail of Oglethorpe’s administration of the colony. Instead, if they can understand the relationship between these three people, it will give them an idea of how unusual the founding of Georgia was, particularly as they compare it to the beginning of other colonies in later grades.
Key Points:
- The myth of Jackie Robinson understates much of who he was. It is important to tell students the truth, and to let them see the numerous ways that Jackie Robinson worked for equality. Further, the adversity he overcame provided him with a great deal of strength. This strength is what people admired him for in addition to his athletic prowess.
- There are many fascinating books on the Negro Leagues, baseball teams that existed during the sport’s segregation. They provide a great way for students to learn more about the people who paved the way for Jackie Robinson, but are often excluded from history books.
Key Points: