Taylor Coyner

3rd grade
Social Studies: Geography
Title: Using Grids
Rationale: This unit on geography requires students to know how to
identify and label the continents and oceans, find grid coordinates on a
map, read maps, and identify the four hemispheres using the equator
and prime meridian. The students have learned the continents and
oceans (they did this on Monday and Tuesday). They have also learned
how to read maps with a map legend, title, and compass rose
(Wednesday and Thursday). Therefore, this lesson introduces the grid
system. Students will begin with interactive notes in their social
studies notebooks, then get to work with the Activboard on reading
grids. Lastly, they will do a worksheet, which has more practice with
grids. This gives students the opportunity to learn about grids in a few
different ways.
Objectives:
Students will know
- That grids use a letter-number system.
- That grids can be found on maps and globes.
Students will understand that
- Grids help us locate places on a map or globe.
- Grids divide maps/globes into smaller pieces.
Students will be able to
- Find objects or places using a letter-number grid system.
Daily Objectives/Learning Target:
Learning target (which students knowwe have already
discussed the learning targets for this unit): I can find grid
coordinates on a map.
When looking at a grid, students will be able to use the letternumber system to locate objects.
When looking at an object, students will be able to write
down/say the letter-number coordinates in the grid.
When given a map of the world, students will be able to use a
grid system to locate the 7 continents.
Standards (SOLs):
3.5 The student will develop map skills by
e) locating specific places, using a simple letter-number grid
system.

Evaluation/Monitoring:
Students will be informally monitored on the carpet during the
flipchart usage on the carpet. Based on who participates and
adds to the discussion, I will be able to observe who is getting
the grid system and who may be having trouble with it.
Students will be evaluated formatively by turning in the
continent worksheet that requires them to use a grid system to
locate the 7 continents. This will let me know if students are able
to apply what we learned about in their own independent work.
Procedures:
1) First, students will go to their seats and glue in their interactive
notes: From Big to Small. They will then come to the carpet.
We begin interactive notes by putting a box around our title. We
continue by echo reading each paragraph. In between we talk
about each paragraph and have a discussion about it.
2) After we complete our notes students will put their notebooks
and pencils back at their desk and come to the carpet for the
Activboard grid activity, which is a flipchart to help them
practice. I will model the first one, then the students will come
to the board and do the other ones. Not everyone will get a turn,
but it will be something that we do everyday during social
studies to practice until the unit is over. This will get the
students excited to use the grid system since they get to practice
with the Activboard.
3) Next, I will send students to their seats to complete the continent
grid worksheet. This will allow me to see where they are in using
the grid system, and I can use this information to drive my
instruction for the rest of the unit. I can extend for those
students who seem to understand it and give students more
support and practice who dont seem to get it.
Materials:
Interactive notebooks (teachermodeling; each student has
his/her own)
Interactive notes to glue into notebooks: From Big to Small

Activboardfor modeling interactive notes and for flipchart

Grid flipchartfor grid practice as a whole-group

Grid worksheet (locating the 7 continents using the grid system)

for partner practice

Differentiation:
ELLs
- The interactive technology is helpful for ELLs because it
provides great visuals and hands-on opportunities for them
to learn.
- The ELLs always have the option of coming to my table to
have the work read aloud to them. This allows them to do
the work without the struggle of reading in English.
- The interactive notes also help our ELLs because we
usually draw pictures and talk about the vocabulary words
during this time.
Attention/Impulse
- Technology is usually engaging for these students, so this
part of the lesson will be engaging for them.
- The interactive notes are also engaging since they are
following along in their own notebooks.
GT
- If these students finish their work they will have the option
of making up grid points for the oceans as an extension.