Lesson Planning Form for Differentiating Instruction Education 305

Teacher: Rebekah Wissink and Courtney Gruner Grade level and theme: 3rd grade Michigan Studies I. Objectives What is the main focus of this lesson? The main focus of this lesson is to introduce the economic concepts of scarcity and different types of resources to the students related to the natural resources in Michigan and their availability. How does this lesson tie in to your Big Idea This lesson focuses on the economic concept of scarcity and how that concept applies to Michigans natural resources. It also looks at how human use/interaction affects the availability of the natural resources. What are your objectives for this lesson? (As many as needed.) Indicate connections to applicable national or state standards. If an objective applies to only certain students write the name(s) of the student(s) to whom it applies. Indicate themes addressed in thread (ex-Geography-human environment interaction) 1) Students will be able to explain how the economic concepts of scarcity, capital resources, and natural resources influence the economy and vice-versa in Michigan. 3 - E1.0.1 Explain how scarcity, opportunity costs, and choices affect what is produced and consumed in Michigan. 2) Students will be able to analyze how the 5 Themes of Geography influence the economy and use of natural resources in Michigan. 3 - G5.0.1 Locate natural resources in Michigan and explain the consequences of their use 3 - E1.0.3 Analyze how Michigans location and natural resources influenced its economic development **Lesson idea comes from: Thread/ Crossover __Geography______

http://ecedweb.unomaha.edu/lessons/popcorn.htm
II. Before you start

Prerequisite knowledge and skills.

Have their 5 Themes of Geography chart filled out/know what the 5 Themes are Know their natural resource they are studying

Assessment (formative and summative)

Discussion: This will allow us to see the major connections between geography and economics and the influence these have on the use of natural resources. T-Chart: This will allow us to see these same connections.

Key vocabulary for this lesson

scarcity, capital resource, natural resource

Materials-what materials (books, handouts, etc) do you need for this lesson and do you have them?

popped popcorn in a brown grocery bag, staple bag closed brown grocery bags stuffed with crumpled newspaper and stapled closed brown paper lunch bags (several per student) alternative snack such as dry cereal bin with assigned folders

Do you need to set up your classroom in any special way for this lesson? If so, describe it.

Students will be in the small groups based on the natural resource they are researching. This is not particularly important until the ending portion of the lesson when they look at their 5 Themes of Geography chart.

III. The Plan Time Parts Motivation (Opening/ Introduction/ Engagement) Development

** 1 2 Day Lesson

The description of (script for) the lesson, wherein you describe teacher activities and student activities Today we are going to begin learning about economics and the roles that economics has on the use of our natural resources, as well as how the availability of our natural resources has a role on economics. To do this we are going to have a special snack time first! 1 2 Explain that a parent or the principal donated a snack for the class and that students will come to the front of the room, row by row, and serve themselves. Call the first row of students up to the front and give them brown lunch bags in which to put their popcorn. Allow them to take as much popcorn as they want, giving them extra lunch bags to hold popcorn if needed. Continue calling tables of students until the grocery bag of popcorn is empty. Student will ask for the popcorn in the other stapled grocery bags. Open the bags and act surprised to find crumpled newspaper. Explain that you thought that all of the grocery bags were filled with popcorn. Apologize to those students who did not receive a snack. Explain that everyone thought there was plenty of popcorn for all. Suggest that, if the first students served had known there was a limited amount, perhaps they might have been careful to leave enough for the rest of the class. Note: Students are likely to be very angry at the seemingly unfair situation; however, it is the purpose of this lesson for them to experience scarcity. Discuss the following. A. What is the problem? (There wasn't enough popcorn for everyone who wanted it.) Why does this problem exist? (The amount of popcorn was limited and there were many students who wanted popcorn. Those who were selected first got as much or more popcorn than they could really eat.) Explain that the experience students had with popcorn symbolizes a major problem that all societies face-scarcity. Ask students what they think scarcity means after doing this activity. (Scarcity occurs because people want many things, but resources available for producing the things people want are limited.) Tell students that other groups still need a snack, but there's no popcorn left. Ask student what could be done. (Those with popcorn could share. Teacher could pop more popcorn. Teacher could provide an alternative snack. Those without a snack could go without.) Ask students what kind of scarcity problems society might face, and how they may handle the situations. What may cause scarcity? (Shortage in resources, in technology, machines, people) Categorize the resources students mention into 2 columns on the board (capital and natural resources). Once they are all listed on the board ask students what they recognize about how I organized these resources. Explain that the ones that are produced and used to produce other goods and services and are called capital resources. Explain that the ones that occur naturally in or on the earth are natural resources. Ask students what types of natural resources we have in Michigan (Each group should say the natural resource they are studying!!!!) Have students pull out their 5 Themes of Geography T-charts and mark the capital resources they have listed, as well as underlining ideas in each of the 5 themes that may affect the availability of their resource. (i.e. how human-environment interactions or

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location may affect the scarcity of resources available.) Closure Discuss with the students how the 5 Themes of Geography affect the availability of their natural resource. How does each of the 5 Themes of Geography influence the availability or your resource? What seems to play the largest role in how much of your resource is or is not available? Explain to students that the next few activities we will be doing is to see how the resources were used in the past and changes that have occurred that influence how we use them today. Have groups put their resources, research, information, worksheets, etc. (anything that they will need or want to put together their final presentations) into their assigned folder in the bin for future reference.