Physical Characteristics of a Place



|Lesson Synopsis: |

In this lesson, students explore landforms, bodies of water, and natural resources. In the next lesson, they will learn how to locate these physical characteristics on maps and globes.

TEKS:

|1.6 |Geography. The student understands various physical and human characteristics of the environment. The student is expected to: |

|1.6A |Identify and describe the physical characteristics of places such as landforms, bodies of water, natural resources, and weather |

|1.6B |Identify examples of and uses for natural resources in the community, state, and nation. |

Social Studies Skills TEKS:

|1.17 |Social studies skills. The student applies critical-thinking skills to organize and use information acquired from a variety of sources|

| |including electronic technology. The student is expected to: |

|1.17B |Obtain information about a topic using a variety of visual sources such as pictures, graphics, television, maps, computer images, |

| |literature, and artifacts. |

|1.18 |Social Studies Skills. The student communicates in oral, visual, and written forms. The student is expected to: |

|1.18A |Express ideas orally based on knowledge and experiences. |

|1.18B |Create visual and written material including pictures, maps, timelines, and graphs. |

|Getting Ready for Instruction |

|Performance Indicator(s): |

|C |

• Create a postcard showing a place, a physical characteristic of the place (e.g., landform), the weather, and at least one natural resource. Use appropriate terminology to write or dictate a sentence about the elements shown. (1.6A, 1.6B; 1.18A, 1.18B)

• 5B

|Key Understandings and Guiding Questions: |

• Los lugares tienen características físicas tales como accidentes geográficos, estado del tiempo y recursos naturales.

— ¿Qué son las características físicas?

— ¿Cuáles accidentes geográficos, masas de agua y recursos naturales se encuentran en la Tierra?

— ¿De qué manera las características físicas ayudan a definir lugares?

— ¿Cuáles son las características físicas de nuestra comunidad?

— ¿Cómo las características físicas afectan la manera como trabajamos, jugamos y vivimos?

— ¿Cómo los recursos naturales afectan la manera como trabajamos, jugamos y vivimos?

— ¿Cómo influye el estado del tiempo donde vivimos?

— ¿Cómo afecta el estado del tiempo a nuestras vidas?

— ¿Son iguales las estaciones en todos los lugares?

|Vocabulary of Instruction: |

• características físicas

• continente

• océano

• accidente geográfico

• montaña

• colina

• llanura

• valle

• desierto

• costa

• masas de agua

• lago

• río

• estanque

• recursos naturales

• clima

• estado del tiempo

|Attachments: |

• Teacher Resource: PowerPoint: Physical Characteristics of Place

• Handout: Physical Characteristics of Place Cards (1 for display)

• Teacher Resource: PowerPoint: Natural Resources

• Teacher Resource: PowerPoint: Weather

|Resources and References: |

None Identified

|Advance Preparation: |

1. Become familiar with content and procedures for the lesson.

2. Refer to the Instructional Focus Document for specific content to include in the lesson.

3. Select appropriate sections of the textbook and other classroom materials that support the learning for this lesson.

4. Preview materials and websites according to district guidelines.

5. Display vocabulary words on a “word wall” to be used during the lesson.

6. Take photographs of the physical characteristics of place for the local community and surrounding areas or obtain photographs.

7. Gather picture books to use with lesson.

8. Schedule computer lab time for Day 4 if desired.

9. Make sets of Handout: Physical Characteristics of Place Cards. (enough sets so each group of 3-4 has a set)

10. Prepare materials and handouts as needed.

|Background Information: |

Physical characteristics of places ‒ are features such as landforms, bodies of water, natural resources, natural hazards, and weather. These result from climatic and tectonic processes. (Note: buildings, dams, and bridges are not physical characteristics of place; they are human characteristics of a place that are made by man to solve problems.)

Forces within the Earth (tectonic) cause volcanic activity and earthquakes which result in mountains and other natural features of the landscape. Climate, including effects of temperature, precipitation, and wind, also shape the physical characteristics of places.

In First Grade students learn about physical characteristics of place including:

• Landforms ‒ features of earth’s surface (plains, mountains, deserts, hills, valleys, coastal regions)

• Bodies of water ‒ water accumulates in natural or man-made depressions (tanks, ponds, lakes, oceans, rivers.)

• Natural resources ‒ items provided by nature from which people produce goods and provide services (water, soil, trees, oil)

• Natural Hazards ‒ fire, flood, and tornado

• Weather ‒ seasonal patterns such as spring, summer, autumn, and winter

• Physical characteristics of place ‒ climate, temperature, precipitation, wind, landmarks, location

• Physical Characteristics of Place ‒ features of the Earth that result from climatic and tectonic processes

Definitions courtesy of the Social Studies Center [defunct]. (2000). Glossary. Austin: Texas Education Agency.

|Getting Ready for Instruction Supplemental Planning Document |

Instructors are encouraged to supplement and substitute resources, materials, and activities to differentiate instruction to address the needs of learners. The Exemplar Lessons are one approach to teaching and reaching the Performance Indicators and Specificity in the Instructional Focus Document for this unit. Instructors are encouraged to create original lessons using the Content Creator in the Tools Tab located at the top of the page. All originally authored lessons can be saved in the “My CSCOPE” Tab within the “My Content” area.

|Instructional Procedures |

|Instructional Procedures |Notes for Teacher |

|ENGAGE – Physical characteristics of place |NOTE: 1 Day = 30 minutes |

| |Suggested Day 1 ‒ 10 minutes |

|Show the Teacher Resource: PowerPoint: Physical Characteristics of Place |Attachments: |

| |Teacher Resource: PowerPoint: Physical Characteristics of Place |

|Facilitate a discussion as slides are shown. |Handout: Physical Characteristics of Place Cards (1 for display) |

|Use words such as: | |

|Physical characteristics are those things found on the Earth that humans did not make. |Purpose: |

|The land and water found on the Earth have different physical characteristics. |Introduce the concept of physical characteristics of place. |

| | |

|Display the Handout: Physical Characteristics Cards. |TEKS: 1.6A; 1.6B; 1.17B; 1.17A; 1.18B |

| | |

|Encourage students to name the physical characteristics in the pictures. Correct incorrect |Instructional Note: |

|responses and provide accurate information. (Some pictures have more than one physical |Buildings are not physical characteristics. Focus on landforms and |

|characteristic. Name the most prominent item in the picture.) |natural resources and include weather and climate. |

|EXPLORE – Categorize Physical Characteristics |Suggested Day 1 (continued) ‒ 10 minutes |

|Divide students into groups of up to four students. |Attachments: |

| |Handout: Physical Characteristics of Place Cards (1 set per group) |

|Distribute copies of sets of Handout: Physical Characteristics of Place Cards to each group.| |

| |Purpose: |

| |Categorize physical characteristics of place. |

|Students discuss and decide how to classify groups, then categorize the pictures into 2 | |

|different groups, placing them on display on a desk. (Expected response for the names of the|TEKS: 1.6A; 1.6B; 1.17B; 1.17A; 1.18B |

|groups would be land and water.) | |

| | |

|Conduct a gallery walk. Students stand with hands behind their backs and walk around the | |

|room looking at the way other students grouped their cards. | |

|EXPLAIN – Small groups summarize categories of pictures |Suggested Day 1 (continued) ‒ 10 minutes |

|Students return to their small groups. |Purpose: |

| |Summarize the description of the category. |

|Facilitate a discussion using questions such as: | |

|What are the titles for your categories or groups of pictures? |TEKS: 1.6A; 1.6B; 1.17B; 1.17A; 1.18B |

|Why did you group your pictures that way? | |

|How are the pictures alike? |Instructional Note: |

|What do they have in common? |Center Idea: Use a sand and water table or a large flat plastic |

|What makes them fit together? |storage container to create landforms using Cloud Dough. Mix 8 cups |

| |flour & 1 cup baby oil. Cloud Dough feels like flour as you run your |

|Students share the answers to the questions orally with other students in their small group.|fingers through it, but it is moldable. Provide sand toys or other |

| |containers and kitchen tools for students to use to make mountains, |

| |hills, valleys, plains, etc. (Depending on the size of the container, |

|Each group of students writes one summary sentence to describe each of their categories of |several recipes might be needed.) |

|pictures. (i.e., Land can be shaped in many different ways. Water and land are different. |An alternative could be that the teacher writes the summary sentences |

|Water and land both come in different forms.) |on sentence strips and posts for future reference. |

|ENGAGE – Physical characteristics of the local community |Suggested Day 2 ‒ 7 minutes |

|Display photographs of physical characteristics of the local community and surrounding |Materials: |

|areas. |Photographs of the physical characteristics of the local community and|

| |surrounding area displayed in a PowerPoint or printed pictures. |

|Students identify the photographs and describe them using vocabulary that may include | |

|mountain, hill, plain, valley, desert, coast, lake, river, or pond depending on the physical|Purpose: |

|characteristics of the local community and surrounding area. Include in the discussion how a|Identify physical characteristics of the local community. |

|mountain differs from a hill or foothill or how a pond is different from a lake, and the | |

|difference between a stream and a river. |TEKS: 1.6A; 1.6B; 1.17B; 1.17A; 1.18B |

|EXPLORE – Physical characteristics affect our lives |Suggested Day 2 (continued) ‒ 5 minutes |

|Introduce the next topic by using words such as: |Materials: |

|The physical characteristics are what make our community and surrounding areas unique. |Photographs of the physical characteristics of the local community and|

| |surrounding area displayed in a PowerPoint or printed pictures. |

|Provide an example that fits the local community here. | |

|Example: |TEKS: 1.6A; 1.6B; 1.17B; 1.17A; 1.18B |

|We live near a river. |. |

|We have access to water from the river. |Purpose: |

|People have jobs on the river, which may include fishing, maintaining the river by keeping |Identify how physical characteristics of the local community affect |

|it clean, patrolling the river, or recreation. |how we work, play, and live. |

|We swim, water ski, and go boating on the river. | |

|We have an annual water parade on the river. |Instructional Note: |

|The main physical characteristic of our community, the river, affects how we work, play, and|Another example: |

|live. |We live near the ocean. |

| |People have jobs on or near the ocean which may include fishing, |

|Continue the discussion by encouraging students to speculate on how physical characteristics|boating, keeping beaches clean, or beach patrol. |

|affect our lives. |People have businesses for tourists who come to the beach, such as |

|How would our community be different if we didn’t have the _________in our community? |restaurants, water recreation rentals, and hotels. We also play at the|

| |beach. |

| |The main physical characteristic of our community, the beach, affects |

| |how we work, play, and live. |

|EXPLAIN – Inside-Outside Circle |Suggested Day 2 (continued) ‒ 5 minutes |

|Students form two circles, one inside the other. Students in the two circles face each |Purpose: |

|other. |Allows students an opportunity to orally describe the way the physical|

| |characteristics of the local community affects people’s daily lives. |

|Present a question for the “face partners” to discuss, using appropriate academic | |

|vocabulary: |TEKS: 1.6A; 1.6B; 1.17B; 1.17A; 1.18B |

|What are the physical characteristics of the local community? | |

| |Instructional Note: |

|The inside circle moves one person to the left. |To add interest, change the directions each time students change |

| |partners. For example, “Outside circle moves two places to the left.” |

|Ask another question for students to discuss, again using academic language: | |

|How does the ____________ affect how people in our community work? | |

| | |

|After each question, change partners and ask another question. | |

|How does the ____________ affect how people in our community play? | |

|How does the ____________ affect how people in our community live? | |

| | |

|Repeat as time allows. | |

|EXPLORE – Introduce Natural Resources |Suggested Day 2 (continued) ‒ 5 minutes |

|Show the Teacher Resource: PowerPoint: Natural Resources. |Materials: |

| |Leveled reading books about natural resources |

|Facilitate a discussion as the PowerPoint slides are shown. | |

|Natural resources are materials that occur naturally in the environment. |Attachments: |

|What natural resources are found in our local community and the surrounding area? |Teacher Resource: PowerPoint: Natural Resources |

|How do we use these natural resources? | |

|How do the natural resources affect our daily lives? |Purpose: |

|Do they provide opportunities for jobs? |Explore how natural resources also affect our daily lives. |

|Do they provide opportunities for play? | |

| |TEKS: 1.6A; 1.6B; 1.17B; 1.17A; 1.18B |

| | |

| |Instructional Note: |

| |There many books available that are age appropriate for content and |

| |reading level on natural resources. Have available a wide variety of |

| |books from the school or local library so students may investigate |

| |natural resources independently. These books can be placed in a center|

| |or used during guided reading time. |

|EXPLAIN – What am I? |Suggested Day 2 (continued) ‒ 3 minutes |

|Read a description of a natural resource, such as: |Purpose: |

|A clear liquid that has no taste, color, or smell (water) |Learn vocabulary that identifies natural resources. |

|The top layer of earth in which plants grow (soil) | |

|A substance that is naturally formed under the ground (mineral) |TEKS: 1.6A; 1.6B; 1.17B; 1.17A; 1.18B |

|A living thing that grows in the ground, usually has leaves or flowers, and needs sun and | |

|water to survive (plant) |Instructional Note: |

|A living thing that is not a human being or plant  (animal) |Natural resource examples – water, soil, vegetation, minerals, metals,|

| |and trees |

|Students turn and talk to a partner and name the natural resource. |Energy examples – oil, coal, lumber, natural gas, solar power, and |

| |water |

|After students have had time for each partner to respond, select students to share with the |Mineral examples – gold, copper, lead, iron, mercury, nickel, silver, |

|class. |tungsten, and zinc |

| |Note: Students are not expected to know the details such as tungsten |

|Next, reverse the process. This time reading the name of natural resource and asking |and zinc. These are provided as teacher information. |

|students to define it and provide information on how that natural resource is used. |Do include natural resources found in the local area and those with |

| |which students are familiar. |

|Students turn and talk to a partner explaining how each natural resource is used and then | |

|sharing with the class. | |

|ELABORATE – Bringing it together |Suggested Day 2 (continued) ‒ 5 minutes |

|Post (or place on a document camera) the Handout: Physical Characteristics of Place Cards to|Materials |

|help students review. |Handout: Physical Characteristics of Place Cards (optional, for |

| |display) |

|Facilitate a discussion using the Key Understandings and Guiding Questions: | |

|Places have physical characteristics such as landforms, weather, and natural resources. |Purpose: |

|What are physical characteristics? |Check for understanding by asking guiding questions. |

|What landforms, bodies of water, and natural resources are found on Earth? | |

|How do physical characteristics help define places? |TEKS: 1.6A; 1.6B; 1.17B; 1.17A; 1.18B |

|What are the physical characteristics of our community? | |

|How do physical characteristics affect how we work, play, and live? | |

|How do natural resources affect how we work, play, and live? | |

|ENGAGE – Define weather and climate? |Suggested Day 3 ‒ 10 minutes |

|Introduce the day’s topics using words such as |Materials |

|What is the weather like outside today? |Local weather forecast (enter the local ZIP code or |

|When we use the word “weather”, what do we mean? |city and state’s name) |

|Weather is the temperature and other outside conditions such as rain, cloudiness, etc. at a | |

|particular time and place. |Purpose: |

|Weather is the way it is outside at a certain place and time. |Define the meaning of the words weather and climate. |

|What is the difference between weather and climate? Climate is the usual weather conditions| |

|in a particular place. If it is warm and sunny most of the time in a place, then that is the|TEKS: 1.6A; 1.6B; 1.17B; 1.17A; 1.18B |

|climate. | |

|Weather is the conditions at the time, not over a long period of time. |Instructional Note |

| |Many videos are available online to help introduce climate and weather|

|Check the weather forecast on the TV weather channel or local news. |and facilitate a discussion. National Geographic is one source. |

| | |

|Students look around at their friends to see what kinds of clothes students are wearing. | |

|What kinds of outerwear did they wear to school? | |

|A sweater, coat, or jacket? A raincoat? | |

| | |

|Lead the discussion to determine what type of clothing would be the most appropriate to wear| |

|outside and create a list of items you could wear in the current conditions. | |

|EXPLORE – PowerPoint |Suggested Day 3 (continued) ‒ 10 minutes |

|Show the Teacher Resource: PowerPoint: Weather. |Attachments: |

| |Teacher Resource: PowerPoint: Weather |

|Facilitate a discussion as the Teacher Resource: PowerPoint: Weather slides are shown. Ask:| |

|What kind of weather is shown in each slide? (slides 3 – 11) (Students may need descriptions|Purpose: |

|of what is happening in the slides, especially if a slide shows weather they have not seen |Identify different kinds of weather. |

|or experienced before.) | |

|How do we dress for the weather? (slides 13 – 16) |TEKS: 1.6A; 1.6B; 1.17B; 1.17A; 1.18B |

|What is the season? (slides 18 – 21) | |

| |Instructional Note: |

|Use Guiding Questions to continue the discussion: |While preparing for the lesson, notice the notes at the bottom of each|

|How does weather influence where we live? |slide in the PowerPoint. |

|How does weather affect our lives? | |

|Are seasons the same everywhere? | |

|EXPLAIN – Talk a mile a minute |Suggested Day 3 (continued) ‒ 10 minutes |

|Students sit in two lines, one across from the other, to form student pairs. |Purpose: |

| |Students answer guiding questions in their own words. |

|Students decide who is Partner A and who is Partner B. | |

| |TEKS: 1.6A; 1.6B; 1.17B; 1.17A; 1.18B |

|In the first round, Partner A will be the talker and Partner B will be the listener. | |

| | |

|Talkers talk for 30 seconds, sharing information relating to the first Guiding Question (How| |

|does weather influence where we live?) Listeners listen. | |

| | |

|Teacher circulates to observe and listen, redirecting and correcting as necessary. | |

| | |

|Students switch roles and repeat activity with other Guiding Questions. | |

| | |

|Repeat as time allows. | |

|ENGAGE – Clothing and weather |Suggested Day 4 ‒ 8 minutes |

|Display various items of clothing. (Pictures can be used, but artifacts are more effective.)|Materials: |

| |Items of clothing or pictures of items of clothing. (Include clothes |

| |one would wear in summer, spring, fall, and winter in a variety of |

|Allow ample time for students to name items of clothing and make comments. |different kinds of weather. Provide a wide variety that obviously |

| |should be worn in a certain season.) |

|Hold up each item of clothing. | |

|Ask: |TEKS: 1.6A; 1.6B; 1.17B; 1.17A; 1.18B |

|In what kind of weather would we wear this? | |

| | |

|Allow discussion for each item of clothing, working out differences of opinions on clothing | |

|that might be worn in more than one kind of weather. | |

|EXPLORE – Seasons |Suggested Day 4 (continued) ‒ 10 minutes |

|Display pictures of the four seasons. |Materials: |

| |Photographs that clearly depict each of the four seasons |

|Students identify the pictures by stating the season is depicted in the photograph. | |

|Ask: |Purpose: |

|What kind of weather is typically associated with each season? (For example: Summers in |Identify different kinds of weather. |

|Texas are usually very sunny and hot. In some parts of the state, there may be rain, but in | |

|other parts summers are dry.) |TEKS: 1.6A; 1.6B; 1.17B; 1.17A; 1.18B |

| | |

|Help students make the connection between each season and the weather typical of that | |

|season. (Note that, there are always exceptions. Weather can be unpredictable.) | |

|EXPLAIN – Classify pictures |Suggested Day 4 (continued) ‒ 12 minutes |

|Divide students into small groups of three to four students. |Materials: |

| |Pictures or drawings of various kinds of weather |

|Distribute four sheets of paper to each group. |Pictures or drawings of the four seasons |

| |Pictures or drawings of various kinds of clothing worn in different |

|Students sort pictures into four groups: spring, summer, fall, and winter. |kinds of weather |

| |Pictures of activities of various kinds that are typically done in |

|Students label each sheet of paper with the name of a season and glue pictures on each of |each of the four seasons. |

|the four “posters” to depict: |White paper, four per group, approximately 11 x 18 |

|The weather typical of the season | |

|The clothes typically worn during the season |Purpose: |

|The typical activities done in a season |Classify pictures into categories according to the seasons. |

| | |

|Teacher circulates and observes, asking students to justify why pictures are placed on a |TEKS: 1.6A; 1.6B; 1.17B; 1.17A; 1.18B |

|particular poster and encouraging the use of academic language. | |

| |Instructional Note: |

| |Locate a wide variety of photographs by conducting an internet search |

| |for images of “seasons,” “weather,” and “clothing for various kinds of|

| |weather.” |

|ENGAGE – What does a postcard show? |Suggested Day 5 ‒ 10 minutes |

|Facilitate a discussion that brings everything together: landforms, bodies of water, |Materials: |

|natural resources, and climate and weather typically found in your community. |A variety of post cards from a number of locations that show |

| |landforms, bodies of water, natural resources, weather & climate, and |

|Display samples of post cards that depict various locations. |possibly seasons. |

| | |

|Guide students to visually analyze the post card. |Purpose: |

|What place does this postcard represent? |Focus on postcards and learn what information can be learned from the |

|What landforms or bodies of water are shown on this postcard? |pictures on a postcard. |

|What natural resources are found in this place? | |

|What weather or climate is shown on the postcard? |TEKS: 1.6A; 1.6B; 1.17B; 1.17A; 1.18B |

|EVALUATE – Postcards |Suggested Day 5 (continued) ‒ 20 minutes |

|Create a postcard showing a place, a physical characteristic of the place (e.g. landform), |Materials: |

|the weather, and at least one natural resource. Use appropriate terminology to write or |white cardstock cards or index cards, 4 X 6 or similar size |

|dictate a sentence about the elements shown. (1.6A; 16B; 1.18A; 1.18B) | |

|5B |Purpose: |

| |Demonstrate mastery by drawing an illustration and describing the |

|Distribute cardstock cards (or index cards), one per student. |picture using vocabulary from the lesson. |

| | |

|Students create a postcard, either of the local community or another location, using |TEKS: 1.6A; 1.6B; 1.17B; 1.17A; 1.18B |

|information from the lesson. | |

| | |

|The postcard must include the place, weather, and a natural resource. | |

| | |

|Students write or dictate a sentence to describe the illustration. Example: | |

|Wish you were here in sunny West Texas enjoying the natural springs in Toyahvale! | |

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