Activity 1 Day 1
Gather students and have them sit in a circle. Tell students you have several things to show them. Show students a globe and inflated globe. Allow students time to explore each item. (If you do not have a globe, show students the globe illustration for discussion purposes; (S-K2-6-1_Globe.doc) Ask students, “Does anyone know what this is?” Students may or may not have the word “globe” in their vocabulary; they may say “the world” or “the country,” etc. Guide students to the understanding that this is a globe, which is a model of the world. Explain to students that another type of model of the world is a map. Show students a world map (S-K2-6-1_World Map.doc) and then show them a map of the United States (S-K2-6-1_United States Map.doc). Show students an inflated globe. Ask students: “How are these alike? How are they different? Do these two globes have the same colors?”
Tell students that both globes are models of the earth. Say “Look at this part” (point to the water). “It is the color blue to tell us that this part is water.” Point to a water area on either globe and ask, “What do you think this part is?” Students should begin to understand that the colors on both globes represent water. Continue to point to parts that show land. If there are different colors on each land part explain that the colors may represent land but the land is not necessarily that color.
Have students stand in a circle. Select one student to enter the center of the circle. Hand the inflatable globe to the student in the center and have the student toss the globe to another student. The student who catches the globe must name the area where his/her hand is (land or water). Continue the tossing game until every student has had a turn identifying parts (land/water) of the globe.
Activity 2 Day 2
- Advance Preparation: Place chairs in rows for students to take a pretend flight.
Display a picture of an airplane. Sing “The Airplane Song” from Barney and Friends.
Begin the day by reviewing with students the parts they identified as land and water on the globe. Ask: “How many of you have been on an airplane?” If students have been on an airplane ask, “Did you look out the window? What did you see? How did things below look?” If students have not ever been on a plane ride, tell them what they might see. Tell students they will be taking a pretend airplane ride.
Place students in “plane” and then place pictures of mountains, plains, grasslands, oceans, ponds, rivers, etc., next to each student. Begin the “plane ride” and ask students to look out their “window.” Each student will see a picture. Tell students, “Look out and you should see something. Raise your hand when you can tell me what you see.” Allow students to tell what they see. Do not be concerned with students identifying correctly each landform. After each student has had a chance to name various pictures tell students, “All right, boys and girls, the plane has landed, so let’s return to our places.” Collect the pictures and use them with students once they have returned to their places.
Show students the pictures once again but now identify each picture as a mountain, hill, or flatland. Tell students these pictures can be called landforms, pictures of how the land is on the earth.
Create a class chart, titled Earth’s Landforms. Ask students how these pictures can be grouped. Lead students to create a heading for each group: Mountains, Bodies of Water, and Flatlands. Show students the pictures and allow students to tape the pictures to the chart under the correct category.
Extension:
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Students who might need an opportunity for additional learning can use the pictures from the previous activity in a center and have students classify the pictures.
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Students who need an opportunity for additional learning may also use pictures to play the game Concentration or match landforms.
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Students who may be going beyond the standards can use blocks or cut out shapes to represent landforms to use on a map.
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Students who may be going beyond the standards can create a map of their area, or place they have visited, with landmarks placed on their map.
