Grade: 5th

Group Size: 21 students

Specific Lesson: Geography of Mexico and Central America

Curriculum Area: Social Studies

CENTRAL FOCUS:
The students will be learning the geography of Latin America throughout a series of lessons.
LEARNING OBJECTIVE:
Students will be introduced to the geography of Mexico and Central America. Students will have the ability to
identify geographic characteristics of the Gulf of Mexico, the Sierra Madre Mountains, and the Panama Canal.
NEW YORK STATE COMMON CORE LEARNING STANDARDS:
Rl.5.3Explain the relationships or interactions between two or more individuals, events, ideas, or concepts in a
historical, scientific, or technical text based on specific information in the text.
Rl.5.7Draw on information from multiple print or digital sources, demonstrating the ability to locate an answer to a
question quickly or to solve a problem efficiently.
Rl.5.4Determine the meaning of general academic and domain-specific words and phrases in a text relevant to a
grade 5 topic or subject area.
SL.5.2Summarize a written text read aloud or information presented in diverse media and formats, including
visually, quantitatively, and orally.
RATIONALE: The students have been working in region expert groups for the regions of the United States. The
next portion of the social studies curriculum moves into learning about aspects of Latin America. This lesson also has
a correlation to the current ELA curriculum focusing on the novel, Esperanza Rising.
MATERIALS:
Smart Board
Teacher made PowerPoint
Teacher made Study Guide Packets
Teacher made Study Guide Packets modified version
Teacher made Question Packets
Teacher made Question Packet answer keys
Teacher made laminated map
Timer
DEVELOPMENT/PROCEDURES:
INTRODUCTION/MOTIVATION:
The teacher will open the PowerPoint presentation on the Smart Board titled Geography of Latin America.
The teacher will explain to students that today they will be introduced to the geography of Latin America. Todays
lesson will focus on the first of the three regions that Latin America is divided into: Mexico and Central America. The
teacher will go through the PowerPoint presentation, which gives a brief background and some facts on Mexico and
Central America. The first is that Mexico and Central America stretch 2,500 mileswhich is about as wide as the
United States. Then the teacher will discuss that most of the region is dominated by mountains, which are a part of a
system that extends from Canada, through the U.S. and all the way to the tip of South America. The teacher will then
explain what a plateau is, and that most people in Mexico live within the Central Plateau. It is difficult to travel in and
out of the plateau. The teacher will talk about the Volcanoes in Central America. This causes the land to be fertile
which is why many people are able to use the land for farming.
INSTRUCTIONAL STRATEGIES:
1. The teacher will have the students split into their Expert Groups and distribute the study guide packets. (The
students who require a modified version of the assignment will be given the modified Study Guide packet)
2. The teacher will put the Expert Groups up on the board for students to reference.
3. The teacher will explain to the students that they will have about 10 minutes to work in their Expert Group
and complete their portion of the packet.

4. The teacher will set the time for 10 minutes.

5. At the end of the 10 minutes the teacher will explain to students that they will now do a Jigsaw. This means
the students will now switch groups and teach their peers about the area they became an expert on.
6. The teacher will explain to students that they will have about 15 minutes to teach the information they learned
to their group. The Jigsaw Groups will be put onto the board for students to reference.
ACADEMIC LANGUAGE:
Geography
Regions
Climate
Mountain system
Plateau
DIFFERENTIATION:
This particular lesson will be taught to two classes. The first class (Group A) has 22 students and is a co-teaching
class with a special education teacher. The second class (Group B) has 21 students and is a general education
classroom.
Group A:
There are five students in the co-teaching class that require modified assignments.
One student who is diagnosed with Down syndrome will be given a modified assignment as a replacement for
the question packet. The student will be given a laminated version of the map to label from the Gulf of
Mexico portion of the question packet. The student will have the words from the word box with Velcro to
place on the map in place of the question packet/ summative assessment.
The student who is diagnosed with Down syndrome will have a one-on-one aid working with them throughout
the entire lesson.
The special education teacher will be present in the classroom to work with the students who require more
academic assistance.
One student requires copies of the notes that have been filled out. The students handwriting is illegible to
both the teacher and student. This student will be given a copy of the Question Packet Key at the end of the
lesson.
A classroom assistant will be present to assist and keep students on task during the lesson.
Group B:
Students who have a difficulty staying focused will be continuously redirected throughout the lesson.
One student, with a 504 plan, will have an aid present in the classroom. The aid does not assist with anything
academic related.
TECHNOLOGY COMPONENT:
PowerPoint
The Smart Board will be used to present the PowerPoint presentation
Computer
Printer
CLOSURE:
Once the students have completed the jigsaw teaching and have filled out their question packets, the teacher
will ask for students to share some information they learned through todays lesson. The students will share aloud with
the class facts they now know about Mexico and Central America. Students will also be asked to make any
connections they have made in relation to their current ELA novel, Esperanza Rising.
ASSESSMENT:
Formative Assessment: The teacher will observe the students as they work in small groups and present their
research on each area of Latin America.
Summative Assessment: The students will complete the Mexico and Central America question packet for
80% accuracy.