TCNJ Lesson Plan

Neighborhood Floor Maps

Student Name: Kayla Taylor Grade Level: 1st Grade Date of Lesson: October 26, 2018

Guiding and/or Essential Questions:

What is a neighborhood? How are neighborhoods the same?
How are neighborhoods different? What is a floor map? How are maps used?

Pre-lesson Assignments and/or Student Prior Knowledge

Students have been studying neighborhoods and communities. They have practiced comparing
neighborhoods and describing places within them. They are familiar with floor maps and their
purpose, but have not created their own floor map yet.

Standards (NJSLS Social Studies 2014):

6.1.4.B.1 Compare and contrast information that can be found on different types of maps and
determine how the information may be useful.

6.3 Active Citizenship in the 21st Century: All students will acquire the skills needed to be
active, informed citizens who value diversity and promote cultural understanding by working
collaboratively to address the challenges that are inherent in living in an interconnected world.

Learning Objectives Assessment

Students will identify and label
parts of a neighborhood floor
map.
Teacher will assess student participation during whole
group introduction activity. Teacher will look for
identification of each place on the map. Teacher will also
be assessing for student understanding that everything
must be labeled, including the streets.

Students will create their own
floor map and write a sentence
describing a place in the
neighborhood.
Teacher will use the worksheet to assess student
understanding. Teacher will look for the following parts
of the floor map: streets, street names, buildings, and
labels. Teacher will assess their description sentence for
use of one adjective that describes a place on their map.

Materials/Resources:
For Teacher: Neighborhood floor map example poster, blank street map drawing, neighborhood
places cut-outs, whiteboard markers
For Students: drawing neighborhood floor maps worksheet, crayons, pencils

Plan for set-up/distribution/cleanup of materials:

Teacher will prepare materials before pulling students to the activity. The blank floor map and
cut-outs will be printed and laminated before the lesson begins. Worksheet will be copied prior
to the start of the lesson. Crayons and pencils are at their desks. Students will clean up by
returning their crayons and pencils to the cups on their desks. One student will collect the
worksheets (if all students finish, if not they will put them inside their classwork folder).
Step by Step plan:
1. Lesson Beginning:
1. I will start by asking students to identify the laminated paper on the easel. When
students identify that it is a floor map, I will ask them what the purpose of a floor
map is, to get them thinking about why we use them.
2. Next, I will tell them that we are going to create our own floor map and show
them the places that I have cut out and laminated. One at a time, I will have the
students come up to the chart paper and choose a spot for the neighborhood
places.
3. Once all the neighborhood places are on the map, I will ask them what our floor
map is missing. If needed, I will probe them until they suggest adding street
names. As a class we will label the streets.
4. Next, I will ask the students to define an adjective. I will remind them that we
went over adjectives yesterday. When they define adjective, I will ask them to
share some adjectives to describe our neighborhood or places within the
neighborhood. I will record their adjectives and nouns on another chart paper.
5. Finally, I will read the directions for the worksheet with the whole class and pass
the worksheets out as they go back to their desks.
2. Body:
1. Students will work on their floor maps. If needed, I will read the directions aloud
again and have the students track the words with their fingers while I read.
2. While the students are working, I will walk around the room and observe. I will
help students as needed, but will not correct spelling.
3. If needed to remind them, I will ask the students to identify things that every floor
map should have (such as, buildings, labels, streets, and street names)and write
them on the board.
3. Closing:
1. As students start to finish, I will have students volunteer to share their floor maps.
Students will stand in the front of the room to talk about their maps and read their
description sentence.

Key Questions (that you will ask):

What do we need to put on our floor map? What is our floor map missing?
How can we describe places within this neighborhood? What is an adjective?
Is our floor map complete?

Logistics:
Students are familiar with sitting on the carpet for whole-group activities and know where to sit.
I will go over the directions for the worksheet before the students leave the carpet. I will dismiss
the students from the carpet one at a time, as I hand them a worksheet.

Timing (approximate):
Opening: 15 minutes
Floor maps: 15 minutes
Closing: 5 minutes
Transitions:
Students are used to moving between whole group and small group settings. When they return
from lunch, they will be asked to come to the carpet right away.

Differentiation:
For lower level readers/writers: They will not be penalized for misspellings. They will be asked
to sound the words out the best they can when labeling and writing their sentences. I will provide
extra support as needed.

For advanced students: They will be asked to write two sentences describing their neighborhood
floor map. If there is extra time, they can work together to rearrange the neighborhood places on
the laminated floor map.