Michelle Hofmann

FINDING YOUR SPOT IN THE WORLD

4 ^th through 8 ^th grade

September 10, 1996, 30 minutes each day,

Performance Expectations:

Students will be able to understand how movement of people brings ideas and changes into a country or neighborhood. Students will become familiar with their local surrounding areas and the countries of their ancestors. They will be able to use a local and world map.

Materials Needed:

Picture of the world from space, world map, United States map, state map, county map, city map, Thomas Brothers map of your area, construction paper and pin for flag, yarn, cardboard, multicultural literature.

Directions:

Introduction:

1. At the beginning of the school year have a bulletin board set up with a picture of the world from space,

a world map, a United States map, a state map, a county map and a city map.

1. Discuss where they are in this series of pictures and the idea of a specific location.

Development:

1. Have students ask at home where their ancestors have lived and when and why they came to the United States. This could be expanded as far as you wish.
2. A whole group, using the Thomas Brothers map, locate several community places-the school, the library, the park, the movies, the mall, etc.
3. Work in groups with a Thomas Brothers map to locate where their house is.
4. Make a small flag and pin it to the spot on the map where their house is.
5. Put yarn from their house to a country of one of their ancestors.

Closure:

1. Students can then create their own three-dimensional representation of this incorporating all of the countries of their heritage.
2. They will then write a short autobiography of sorts about their heritage, utilizing peer editing before completion.
3. Follow with integrated ideas using graphs, studying customs, etc.
4. Utilize multicultural literature, and possibly different guests.

Assessment:

Account for cooperation, participation, creativity, and research skills. Compare first and last drafts of their biographies.

Adaption:

You could integrate multicultural literature to an in-depth extent. Also, discover the customs of different countries, highlight a country or culture of the week or month. On a certain day, have everyone dress up or enjoy helping you cook an ethnic dish. You could graph the results of where ancestors lived.

Consideration:

Be sensitive to ethnic differences and possible apprehensions.

Reference:

Smith, Janet. “Finding your spot in the world,”

gopher://bvsd.k12.co.us:70//00/Educ…ig%20Sky/social_studies/CECsst.118. (September 25, 1996).