Your name: Kelley Giovannangeli

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Elementary Inclusive Lesson Plan

Lesson title: Mapping My Community

Grade/age level: 3rd Grade
Note: This lesson should be split across two days (because of necessary homework). Day one
should be a Thursday or Friday, and day two should be a Monday or Tuesday

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Learning Objective(s)
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SWBAT identify physical places that make up their community.

SWBAT apply their knowledge of their own community to making a map.
SWBAT analyze the differences between different types of maps.

Evidence for
assessment

Students will build a Community Map on the Google Maps platform. Students will mark
the location of their community landmarks, include a photo they took of the place, and
write about what the place is and why it is important. This map should include a variety
of locations within their community. Locations should be diverse in function and location
(i.e. not all restaurants, not all on the same block). Students should be able to explain
what the place is, what function it serves in the community, why it is important to the
community, and why they decided to include it on their map.

Rationale

This lesson is important for several reasons. First of all, it is a fun, engaging way to bring
modern navigational tools into a map unit. Students will be studying more traditional
paper maps, but it is also important to expose them to the maps and navigational tools
that are used on a daily basis by most people. This lesson involves students funds of
knowledge because it asks them to use their expertise of their own community. Students
will have an opportunity to go out and photograph their community, and then use what
they know about those places in building their map.

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Standards:
3.2 The location of world communities can be described using geographic tools and
vocabulary.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.3.2 Write informative/explanatory texts to examine a topic
and convey ideas and information clearly.
Prerequisite
Knowledge

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Learning Experience

Students should have already spent time looking at maps. They should be familiar with
map features, cardinal directions, etc.
Students should be familiar using an iPad or computer, whichever will be used in the
lesson. They dont need to be overly familiar with Google Maps, as that will be addressed
in the lesson.
Assessment

What will you look/listen to/for?

Starting It

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Doing It

DAY 1 - Show examples of different maps

(i.e. tourist maps that show landmarks,
community map , city guides ). Compare
and contrast these maps to the maps
previously studied and hanging on the
walls. On the board, make a Venn Diagram
of similarities and differences. Turn and
talk with a partner about which type of map
you prefer and why. Class brainstorm about
why these other maps might be created,
what purpose do they serve?

Similarities might include: shows streets,

still has a key, compass, etc. Differences
might include: has pictures/images, etc.

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Responses may include: to be more
interesting, to show people where places to
visit are, etc.

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DAY 1 - In the social studies notebook, Ss

brainstorm a list of 7-10 important places in
your community. Some of these places
might be important to you, but others might Responses might include: grocery store,
school, toy store, favorite restaurant,
be important to your mom or little brother
baseball field, etc.
or neighbor. In a short amount of time, try
to briefly sketch part of your neighborhood,
marking where you think some community
landmarks might be.
Guided Discovery with GoogleMaps:
introduce students to GoogleMaps (on
computer or iPad) and have them find the
school. Model the zoom functions, street
view, and the Explore Around You feature.
Allow students to zoom in and out around
the school and experiment with street view.
Challenge students to find their house on
GoogleMaps.
Reflect on what Ss noticed about
GoogleMaps. Did they see any features
from traditional maps? Anything that
reminded them of the maps they looked at
today? What did they like or dislike? Did
their community sketch look similar to
what they saw on GoogleMaps?
Time and technology allowing (iPad is
best), explore Google Earth with the
students.

HW Assignment: Over the weekend, Ss

need to take digital photos (using a phone is
fine) of 5-7 community landmarks. Student
should appear in the photos, if possible.
Photos need to be sent to school (emailed to
T, uploaded into Picasa, or sent in on a zip
drive). Students need to know an address or
place name for each photo.

Finishing It

DAY 2 - Model creating a custom map in

GoogleMaps. Using Google Maps My
custom maps, students create a community
map using their photos. To find their
locations, students can type in the address
or place name. In the description of each
pin they drop, students should include a
brief note about why they have included it
in their map and why it is important to
them/their community. Students can plot a
walking route through their community,
using the tool in Google Maps.
For the last five minutes, have half the
students stay seated and the other half walk
around to be taken on a tour of their
classmates communities. Switch so all
have a turn.

Accessibility

Students should choose a range of

community locations (i.e. not all
restaurants).

Students should choose locations in their

community they know well and can
explain/describe.

Students place the right photo on the right

place.

Students write a few sentences explaining:

1) what this place is and 2) why it is
important.

Possible challenges might be availability of technology. Students may need to use a

computer lab, or share iPads. It would be ideal to have more than one teacher on hand - a
librarian or technology teacher could assist when the students are making their maps.
The lesson purposefully addresses the issue of familiarity with the Google Maps
platform. Giving students a chance to play with Google Maps, before expecting them to
use it for an assignment should improve the students focus to the task at hand.
Some students might have not have access to a digital camera or cell phone with which to
take pictures. Students for whom this is very challenging can work with a teacher to find
images of their chosen locations on the internet.

Materials Needed

- Maps that have images representing landmarks, to use as examples

- Computers or iPads (at least one for every two students) with internet access
- Digital photos
- Additional Support: it would be ideal to have at least one other teacher on hand for this
activity to support the students using the computes. A computer teacher or librarian would
be ideal, but a parent volunteer could be another option.