Olivia+Love's+2+Lessons

From the mountains to the ocean! Learning about Geography! (2.01) []) This lesson focuses on the five largest rivers in Africa, and how they affect African Society. As students enter the classroom I would provide them with a blank map and ask them to draw where they think the following rivers are located: the Nile, the Congo, the Zambezi, the Niger, the Orange River. Once they have all completed this I would put a real map on the screen and let students compare their map. Next we would complete a KWL chart to find out what students know about rivers in Africa, and what they want to know. From there each table would be assigned one of the five Rivers to research. While the students are doing their research, I would hang up a screen size picture of Africa that I traced. After students completed their research they would come up and draw the outline of their rivers in different colors on the screen size paper. Around their assigned river they would draw what they know about the river. For example, they might draw a fish if people use the river to fish, or a boat, if natives use it for trade. They might also write factual information like the length and where it begins and ends. Each group will come and explain their illustrations and information they wrote on the map. I would hang our beautiful map up in the classroom as a reference point for our geography study. This lesson would be great for students, because it allows students to learn about the geography of Africa, as well as what it does for the African people. It allows students to work collaborate and get up and move about the room, rather than sit in their desks and hear a lecture. The map will also be a great visual them to refer back to in later geography lessons. Improving society through new innovations! Objective 8.03 [])

This lesson would focus on the innovation and inventions of the Chinese people throughout history. It would be for a 50 minute class. I would begin class with a slideshow of images. These images would include: a compass, Gunpowder, paper, and silk. I would ask students to identify these images and guess where they originated. After students finished their hypothesizing, I would tell students that all of these inventions came from the country of China. I would then separate students into groups, and assign each group one of the topics to do further research on. (topics would include the list above) Students would have options as far as how to present their findings. Students can either make a poster board, a song, or a slideshow. Students should focus on how the invention came about, and how it changed society then and now. After students complete their research and project, they would present their findings to the class. I think that by students teach their peers, they will hold themselves more accountable for learning the information.