ED 305 Calvin College Lesson Planning Form

Lesson 4: Oh where are the resources?

Teacher: Joline A and Hannah L
Date: May 2016
Big Idea: Invest in the Midwest
Grade:4th
Thread: Geography
I. Objectives
What is the main focus of this lesson?
Discovering what resources are found in the Midwest
How does this lesson tie in to your units Big Idea?
The natural resources and physical features of the Midwest contribute to the regions economy. Thus, you should
invest in the Midwest because there is an abundant supply of farmland and fresh water.
What are your objectives for this lesson?
(As many as needed.) I
ndicate connections to applicable national or
state standards. Include any themes or major concepts from the thread
(themes of geography, Core Principles of
Economics, etc)
Objectives:
Students will be able to
Locate and label the Midwests natural resources on a map
Identify the types of jobs available based on the resources of the Midwest
Develop an advertisement or job posting that reflects the types of resources and jobs available in the Midwest
Reflect on a persons work and life experience and analyze how what theyve learned will impact them
Standards:
4 G1.0.3 Use geographic tools and technologies, stories, songs, and pictures to answer geographic questions
about the United States
4 G2.0.2 Compare human and physical characteristics of a region to which Michigan belongs (e.g., Great
Lakes, Midwest) with those of another region in the United States.
CCSS.ELALITERACY.W.4.4
Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development and organization are
appropriate to task, purpose, and audience.
CCSS.ELALITERACY.SL.4.1
Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (oneonone, in groups,
and teacherled) with diverse partners on
grade 4 topics and texts,building on others' ideas and expressing
their own clearly.
Themes of Geography:
ToG 3 HumanEnvironment Interaction: Midwesterners depend on the natural resources in the Midwest
ToG 5 Region: What physical characteristics make up the Midwest?
II. Before you start
Prerequisite knowledge and
skills.

Assessment
(formative and summative)

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

The US is divided into regions

Where resources are located in the Northeast and Southeast regions (previous
units/larger unit)
The Midwest is made of twelve states: Michigan, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Ohio, North
Dakota, South Dakota, Minnesota, Kansas, Missouri, Wisconsin, and Nebraska.
Examples of natural resources
Preassessment students draw on blank maps of the Midwest to fill in where they
think the natural resources are located
Informal, formative taping resources to the correct spot on the map as a class
Summative students create ads for Midwest resources or job postings about
Midwest jobs
Blank maps of the US for each student
Large map of US with resources from Northeastern and Southeastern regions
already marked (from previous units)

Do you need to set up your

classroom in any special way for
this lesson? If so, describe it.

III. The Plan

Tim
e
Parts

5
min

10
min

Motivation
(Opening/
Introduction/
Engagement)

Development

Pictures of resources to tape on large map (corn, soybeans, wheat, water, iron,
lead, coal, machinery, electrical equipment, aircrafts, dairy, transportation
equipment, cattle, lumber, automobiles)
Construction paper
Markers
Glue
Scissors
Magazine clippings
Table groups of four
Circle on the rug for large group

The description of (script for) the lesson, wherein you describe teacher activities and
student activities (indicate in parenthesis where you are addressing standards and
themes)
The teacher presents the map that is filled in from the other units that shows where
resources are in other regions.
Students are given blank maps of the US. As review, students should label the twelve
Midwest states and shade the nonMidwestern states. They will then draw/write what
natural resources they think are found in the Midwest and where they are located. (
4
G2.0.2, ToG 5)
Class comes together and looks at the large resource map of the US.
Ask students what resources they think are located in the Midwest.
Teacher presents pictures of the resources that are located in the Midwest (corn,
soybeans, wheat, water, iron, lead, coal, machinery, electrical equipment, aircrafts, dairy,
transportation equipment, cattle, lumber, automobiles). Ask students which ones are
natural resources and which are not natural resources.
Explain: Right! Corn, soybeans, wheat, etc. are some natural resources but the midwest is
also famous for producing things like machinery, automobiles, and aircrafts. Since these
products/industries are a major part of Americas economy, we will put these on our map
too.
(4 G1.0.3)

15
min

Students raise hands and share where they think resources are located. We discuss where
the resources are in reality and have students tape the pictures to the large map.
Ask What kinds of jobs do you think are available in the Midwest based on the resources
you see here?
(
CCSS.ELALITERACY.SL.4.1
, ToG 3)
Have students create an ad for a Midwest resource or a job posting for a Midwest job.
Supply students with construction paper, magazine clippings, glue, scissors, markers etc. to
make their ads and job postings.
Students will do a gallery walk around the room so they can view their peers ads and job
postings.

15
min
Closure

Homework: If you worked in the Midwest, what kind of job would you like to have? Do you
have friends or relatives with these kinds of jobs? Interview someone about their job. Ask
them how natural resources play a role in their life and in their job. Write one paragraph
about what you learned from this conversation.
(
CCSS.ELALITERACY.W.4.4
,
CCSS.ELALITERACY.SL.4.1
,ToG 3)
Explain how this lesson supports your Big Idea. What is the takeaway?
Learning about the natural resources in the Midwest helps us to know how it contributes to the country as a whole.
Sources:

http://www.discoveryeducation.com/teachers/freelessonplans/usgeographythemidwest.cfm
We adopted the idea of making ads for Midwestern natural resources from this lesson plan.