Teacher Education Lesson Plan Template

Teacher: Rachel Chadwick

Date: Monday, March 23, 2015

Title of Lesson: A View from Above

Cooperating Teacher: Mrs. Marianne Rudis

Core Components
Subject, Content Area, or Topic

Social Studies: Maps and Globes

Student Population

17 students

VBOs and SOLs

SOL K.5 The student will develop an awareness that maps and globes
a) show a view from above;
b) show things in smaller size;
c) show the position of objects.
Learning Objectives

TSW be able to:

Develop a geographic awareness with maps.
Understand that maps show a view from above, which can be seen as a birds eye view.
Design a map of a room from a birds eye view.
Virginia Essential Knowledge and Skills

Maps show a view from above.

Maps show things and objects as they are, only smaller.
Maps show the position and/or location of things and objects.
Develop concepts of space by actively exploring the environment.
Develop beginning map skills through manipulation of objects.
Use maps of familiar objects or areas.

VDOE Technology Standards

English Language Proficiency Standards (ELPS)
Materials/Resources

Birds Eye View Map of a Neighborhood

Me On the Map booklet for students to finish

Two Views booklet for students to begin completing
Safety (if applicable)
Time
(min.)

Process Components

5 min

*Anticipatory Set

Before starting, establish expectations: All students need to be sitting up straight

and tall, have their eyes on me, raise their hands to share/ask a question, and keep
themselves focused by not distracting or talking to their neighbor. Explain that
anybody who does not follow these expectations will have a clip taken.
Review with students what they learned about maps last week, recalling some of
its main features. Use a candy toss to do this. Remind them that maps represent
the earth and be used to locate areas. Show a birds eye view of a map of a
neighborhood and ask students to pretend they are a bird looking at this map. Ask
questions such as: What could this be a map of? How can you tell? What do
these pictures on the map look like to you?
*State the Objectives (grade-level terms)

Today we will be exploring a new way to view a map when looking from above.
It is called a birds eye view.
10 min

*Instructional Input or Procedure

Explain to students that since maps show us a view from above, everything on
the map looks smaller. Point to some of the objects on the map shown, and tell
students that they are not really this size in real life; but are just a smaller
representation of the real thing.
5 min

*Modeling/Guided Practice

Demonstrate what a birds eye view looks like by modeling how to complete the
packet Two Views with students as they follow along. Remind them that when
we are in front of something or up close, we can see all of the features of an area
more clearly. When we are above an area, just like with a birds eye view, we
usually can only see the shapes of what is below us on a map. Ask students to
remember times they have looked to see the Earth while riding on a plane and
how small everything looked from above.
Throughout
lesson

*Check for Understanding

10-15 min

*Independent Practice

See guided and independent practice below.

Students will complete their Me on the Map booklet by drawing their own map
of their bedroom on the last page. This should be done with a birds eye view,
and as if a bird was flying over the room. Remind students what this may look
like by showing a sample birds eye view of another bedroom.
2-3 min

Closure

Review with students what was learned today, and what it means for something
to have a birds eye view. Ask students how it might be possible to see a map or
area of the Earth from this view, and whether things look smaller or bigger than
they really are on a map. Explain that it is important to understand a birds eye
view because the objects on a map drawn from this view look different than how
we would draw it face-to-face on the earth.
Throughout
lesson

Assessment

The students will be assessed through teacher observations (during guided

practice and while working independently), which will be noted in the form of

anecdotal records, as well as their performance on the assigned independent

practice sheet.
Differentiation Strategies (enrichment, accommodations, remediation, or by learning style).

Students will engage with the Smartboard in order to gain a visual understanding of maps and
connect to some examples that relate to everyday life. Students will also be able to apply this
learning through a hands-on activity of creating their own birds eye view of a room.
Classroom Management Issues (optional)

Lesson Critique. To be completed following the lesson. Did your students meet the objective(s)? What part of
the lesson would you change? Why?

This lesson went well as a whole. The concept of birds eye view is difficult to teach and understand
for children this age. However, utilizing real maps & pictures from this view is most effective for
students grasping the idea from this lesson. I plan on integrating more real-life examples in order to
demonstrate to students how we would see things in real life from a birds eye view and that it is
different from viewing our surrounding from ground level.