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Title: City Life and Country Life

Grade Levels: 3^rd and 4^th

Length: 80 minutes (2 class periods)

Performance Expectations: Using the KWL method, students will answer the questions: What I know about living in the city and living in the country? Students will compare/contrast life in the city and life in the country.

Materials:

Teacher:

Country Life and City Life Books, (such as Social Studies texts, Encyclopedias, books about large cities, rural areas, etc.). Examples might include countryside pictures, farms, towns, crops, livestock, Appalachian children, Amish, city parks, activities, subways, roads, traffic, buildings, etc.

Magazines, such as National Geographic, Life, Outdoors, Country Living, Rural Missouri, etc.

Posters/Pictures depicting City and Country Life

Butcher Paper

Students: Drawing paper Drawing and coloring media (crayons, markers, etc.)

KWL Form (What do I Know?, What do I Want to know? What did I Learn)

Procedures:

1. Introduction:
   1. Begin a class discussion by showing posters/pictures depicting both Country and City Life and asking students what these represent or mean to them.
   2. Divide students into groups of 3 or 4. Give students a few minutes to make a list of items related to life in the city and what they know. Next, ask students to make a list of items related to life in the country and what they know.
   3. Teacher makes a divided list on the board or on butcher paper with headings of Country and City. Students contribute to the category of each list beginning with Country.
   4. The teacher and students then break the list into different categories. This is based on the items provided by students. In groups, students create a list of what they want to know about country and city life.
2. The students list is broken down into people, places, and things. Students are given an area of interest and research the topic using books and other resources provided. The teacher and students create an outline of what is expected from each group. This information is consolidated in individual groups and students present their findings to the class in a teacher and student decided format.

1. Students individually make a list of what they have learned. Next, students will create a picture ( in their choice of mediums) of a country or city scene with a narrative of what is happening in the scene. This drawing should represent what students have learned from the information presented.

1. Closure: Students voluntarily share their pictures with the class. All artwork is posted in the room or outside the room under the title "City and Country Life".

Assessment:

Observe students as they work individually and in groups, assuring everyone is contributing. Review each student group list (all students names are included on the list). Review each individual narrative drawing for ideas.

Adaptations/Extensions:

Depending on the age and developmental needs of the student, the teacher might have students work as a large group or individually, keeping a log of their needs and interest in regard to the KWL method.

References:

Bennett, L. (1997). Elementary social studies education [on-line]. Available Internet: http://tiger.coe.missouri.edu/~esse/kwl.html.

Sherwood, K (1997). I created this lesson using KWL layout from Bennett, L. site.