Exploring an Atlas
Exploring an Atlas
Objectives
This lesson has students explore an atlas. Students will:
- review when and how to use an atlas.
- learn about text features and use them to aid comprehension and gain information.
- explore an atlas to find information about a country.
- make inferences and draw conclusions about a country based on information in an atlas.
Essential Questions
- How do we think while reading in order to understand and respond?
- Why learn new words?
- What strategies and resources do readers use to figure out unknown vocabulary?
- How do learners develop and refine their vocabulary?
Vocabulary
- Research: A systematic inquiry into a subject or problem in order to discover, verify, or revise relevant facts or principles having to do with that subject or problem.
- Text Features: Conventions used in texts to guide the reader and provide additional or supporting information.
Duration
1–2 hours/2–4 class periods
Prerequisite Skills
Prerequisite Skills haven't been entered into the lesson plan.
Materials
- a variety of children’s world atlases. You may need to check the atlases beforehand to make sure they have the necessary features to go with the lesson. The lesson can be adjusted to accommodate the resources you have. You will need at least one atlas for every two students. The following atlases are possible suggestions:
- Children’s World Atlas. DK Publishing, 2011.
- Hammond Children’s World Atlas. Hammond World Atlas Corporation, 2008.
- The Kingfisher Children’s Atlas by Belinda Weber. Kingfisher, 2004.
- National Geographic World Atlas for Young Explorers. National Geographic Children’s Books, 2007.
Teachers may substitute other books to provide a range of reading and level of text complexity.
- chart paper
- markers
- atlas activity questions (L-3-2-2_Atlas Questions.doc)
- one item for each student that has a label indicating where it was made. Clothing, small toys, or canned food would work well.
- student copies of the Research Questions worksheet (L-3-2-2_ Research Questions.doc)
- student copies of the Text Features information page (L-3-2-2_Text Features.doc)
Related Unit and Lesson Plans
Related Materials & Resources
The possible inclusion of commercial websites below is not an implied endorsement of their products, which are not free, and are not required for this lesson plan.
Related materials and resources haven't been entered into the lesson plan.Formative Assessment
Suggested Instructional Supports
Instructional Procedures
Related Instructional Videos
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Instructional videos haven't been assigned to the lesson plan.
Final 03/01/2013