Special Features

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1. Students will improve their measurement skills.
2. Students will improve their location and place skills
(5 themes of Geography).
3. Students will improve their map reading skills.

Put students into cooperative groups using the popsicle stick trick. Provide each group with a robinson map, highlighter tape, ruler, and transparent post-it strips, 5 airline tickets (I use my printed out e-tickets that have already been used and make adjustments on these) with the name of a different ecosystem written on it.

Review with the students (or teach the ecosystems) each ecosystem (habitat) per region in the transition from one unit to the next. I use a world vegetation map on the overhead projector to assist the students to remember our beginning of the year lessons. Also, review how to use the map scale.

Review how to play the game. Put students into their co-op groups. Explain that we are going to move from one airport (ending unit) to our next unit destination. For example, I have a unit on Mesopotamia and another unit on ancient Egypt. I would have the kids locate Baghdad (the approximate location for Sumeria) and also Cairo, Egypt. I then have the kids identify the habitat of each of these places (desert, rivers, fertile crescent, valley, etc) and use the highlighter tape on their robinson map to identify these physical features. I have the kids call out these features as if they are getting a birds-eye view from the plane window. I have the verbally explain what they are seeing and how this visual inspection is going to look different from the air than if walking along side it.

I call out an ecosystem. Students in their group determine where to put their corresponding plane ticket on the map. The group's speaker voices the locations of that ecosystem. Give 1 point for a correct response. Students now determine 5 physical features of that ecosystem. Give the kids 3 minutes. The group's speaker will name the features when called upon. Give up to 5 points for accurate responses. Continue these steps under independent practice until the class arrives at the destination (i.e. the next unit). Continue to give 1 point for each accurate response from the teams. The measurer in each group will now determine the traveled miles using the map scale and ruler. Give about 5 minutes for the kids to work through. Give 5 points for an accurate response.

1. change ecosystem pictures on overhead as each next habitat is called out so kids have a visualization.
2. have kids use a transparent post-it strip on their airline ticket so that they don't mix up which habitat is being currently used.

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