Lesson Title: Where Do We Begin the Inquiry Process? Inquiry Phase: Open Grade Level: 9th Grade Essential Questions:
1. How can we use data and information to describe the human geography of Denton County, pinpoint problems, and suggest solutions?
2. How does where you live affect how you live?
3. In what ways do humans interact with one another?
Lesson Plan Objectives:
At the end of this lesson, students will be able to:
1. Respond to new information in various formats by connecting background knowledge about education, income, health, and mental health in Denton County.
2. Brainstorm and discuss broad topics for an inquiry unit.
3. Reflect on their process.
World History – Human Geography TEKS (for this inquiry unit):
§113.43. World Geography Studies
(11) Economics. The student understands how geography influences economic activities. The student is expected to:
(C) assess how changes in climate, resources, and infrastructure (technology, transportation, and communication) affect the location and patterns of economic activities.
(16) Culture. The student understands how the components of culture affect the way people live and shape the characteristics of regions. The student is expected to:
(B) describe elements of culture, including language, religion, beliefs and customs, institutions, and technologies.
ELA-R TEKS (for this lesson):
§110.31. English Language Arts and Reading, English I
(20) Students ask open-ended research questions and develop a plan for answering them. (A) brainstorm, consult with others, decide upon a topic, and formulate a major research question to address the major research topic.
Standards for the 21st-Century Learner Indicators:
1.1.2 Use prior and background knowledge as context for new learning.
1.1.6 Read, view, and listen for information presented in any format (e.g., textual, visual, media, digital) in order to make inferences and gather meaning.
Resources for this Lesson:
Admit Slip/Exit Ticket
United Way of Denton County Community Needs Assessment PowerPoint (accessible from http://tinyurl.com/uwdccna2013)
Estimated Lesson Time: One 50-minute Lesson Instructional Plan Outline: Classroom Teacher – School Librarian(s) Collaboration:
• The classroom teacher and school librarian review all of the resources and prepare for think-alouds as they share the Admit Slip and United Way of Denton County Needs Assessment PowerPoint.
• Educators model brainstorming and completing the Exit Ticket (flip side the Admit Slip).
• Educators comonitor students’ guided practice and jointly review the students’ graphic organizers.
Measurable Outcome or Final Product:
Working in small groups, students will brainstorm surprising information about the needs of Denton County citizens. They will reflect on ways they might participate in the United Way of Denton County Day of Action event in the future and why their participation would matter.
Preparation
• The educators make one copy of the Admit Slip/Exit Ticket for each student.
• The educators review the resources and prepare think-alouds to respond to the Admit Slip/Exit Ticket.
• Integrate general academic vocabulary into think-alouds: brainstorm, background knowledge/experience, inquiry, and open-ended questions.
• Integrate discipline-specific academic vocabulary into the lesson: human geography, assets, needs, demographic indicators, economic activities and development, human factors, and open-ended questions.
Motivation
1. Educators divide the class into small groups and distribute the Admit Slip/Exit Ticket Graphic Organizer, one per student.
2. Educators provide a bit of background knowledge about the United Way of Denton County (http://www.unitedwaydenton.org).
3. Project the Admit Slip. Read it orally as a class, in small groups, or silently as best meets the students’ needs and abilities.
4. Educators post the lesson objectives and let students know the class will begin an investigation into the human geography of Denton County through interacting with data and information provided by the United Way of Denton County.
Presentation
5. Educators link to the United Way of Denton County “Assets & Needs” PowerPoint (http://tinyurl.com/uwdccna2013) and ask students to pay attention to surprising information.
6. Ask students to turn over their Admit Slip to the second side.
7. Educators take one of the topics and model brainstorming and recording surprising information from the PowerPoint.
8. Students work with their small group to brainstorm and individually record surprising information from the PowerPoint related to any of the four main topics: education, jobs/income, health, and mental health.
Guided Practice
9. Educators monitor as small groups conduct the brainstorming session and record ideas on their Admit Slip/Exit Ticket.
Closure
10. Small groups volunteer to share some of the surprising information they learned.
11. Students respond to the questions at the end of the Admit Slip/Exit Ticket: How might you participate in next year’s Day of Action? Why would your participation matter? 12. Let students know that their final products for this inquiry unit will be designed to help get their high school classmates involved in shaping the Denton community.
Assessment
13. Educators assess students’ brainstorm ideas and their responses to the questions on their Exit Tickets.
Follow Up
14. Educators may choose to bring in one or more guest speakers during the Immerse Phase. The resources wiki page for this unit includes links to possible speakers: http://tinyurl.com/di4ll-9-resources.
15. Educators may want to help students formulate meaningful questions for the guest speaker(s). Using information from the Open Phase lesson, students may use their initial understanding of the human geography issues in Denton County as background for their questions.
9th-grade Inquiry Unit - Open Lesson
http://tinyurl.com/DI4LL-9-openLesson Title: Where Do We Begin the Inquiry Process?
Inquiry Phase: Open
Grade Level: 9th Grade
Essential Questions:
1. How can we use data and information to describe the human geography of Denton County, pinpoint problems, and suggest solutions?
2. How does where you live affect how you live?
3. In what ways do humans interact with one another?
Lesson Plan Objectives:
At the end of this lesson, students will be able to:
1. Respond to new information in various formats by connecting background knowledge about education, income, health, and mental health in Denton County.
2. Brainstorm and discuss broad topics for an inquiry unit.
3. Reflect on their process.
World History – Human Geography TEKS (for this inquiry unit):
§113.43. World Geography Studies
(11) Economics. The student understands how geography influences economic activities. The student is expected to:
(C) assess how changes in climate, resources, and infrastructure (technology, transportation, and communication) affect the location and patterns of economic activities.
(16) Culture. The student understands how the components of culture affect the way people live and shape the characteristics of regions. The student is expected to:
(B) describe elements of culture, including language, religion, beliefs and customs, institutions, and technologies.
ELA-R TEKS (for this lesson):
§110.31. English Language Arts and Reading, English I
(20) Students ask open-ended research questions and develop a plan for answering them. (A) brainstorm, consult with others, decide upon a topic, and formulate a major research question to address the major research topic.
Standards for the 21st-Century Learner Indicators:
1.1.2 Use prior and background knowledge as context for new learning.
1.1.6 Read, view, and listen for information presented in any format (e.g., textual, visual, media, digital) in order to make inferences and gather meaning.
Assessment Tool: Admit Slip/Exit Ticket
Resources for this Unit of Study: http://tinyurl.com/di4ll-9-resources
Resources for this Lesson:
Admit Slip/Exit Ticket
United Way of Denton County Community Needs Assessment PowerPoint (accessible from http://tinyurl.com/uwdccna2013)
Estimated Lesson Time: One 50-minute Lesson
Instructional Plan Outline:
Classroom Teacher – School Librarian(s) Collaboration:
• The classroom teacher and school librarian review all of the resources and prepare for think-alouds as they share the Admit Slip and United Way of Denton County Needs Assessment PowerPoint.
• Educators model brainstorming and completing the Exit Ticket (flip side the Admit Slip).
• Educators comonitor students’ guided practice and jointly review the students’ graphic organizers.
Measurable Outcome or Final Product:
Working in small groups, students will brainstorm surprising information about the needs of Denton County citizens. They will reflect on ways they might participate in the United Way of Denton County Day of Action event in the future and why their participation would matter.
Preparation
• The educators make one copy of the Admit Slip/Exit Ticket for each student.
• The educators review the resources and prepare think-alouds to respond to the Admit Slip/Exit Ticket.
• Integrate general academic vocabulary into think-alouds: brainstorm, background knowledge/experience, inquiry, and open-ended questions.
• Integrate discipline-specific academic vocabulary into the lesson: human geography, assets, needs, demographic indicators, economic activities and development, human factors, and open-ended questions.
Motivation
1. Educators divide the class into small groups and distribute the Admit Slip/Exit Ticket Graphic Organizer, one per student.
2. Educators provide a bit of background knowledge about the United Way of Denton County (http://www.unitedwaydenton.org).
3. Project the Admit Slip. Read it orally as a class, in small groups, or silently as best meets the students’ needs and abilities.
4. Educators post the lesson objectives and let students know the class will begin an investigation into the human geography of Denton County through interacting with data and information provided by the United Way of Denton County.
Presentation
5. Educators link to the United Way of Denton County “Assets & Needs” PowerPoint (http://tinyurl.com/uwdccna2013) and ask students to pay attention to surprising information.
6. Ask students to turn over their Admit Slip to the second side.
7. Educators take one of the topics and model brainstorming and recording surprising information from the PowerPoint.
8. Students work with their small group to brainstorm and individually record surprising information from the PowerPoint related to any of the four main topics: education, jobs/income, health, and mental health.
Guided Practice
9. Educators monitor as small groups conduct the brainstorming session and record ideas on their Admit Slip/Exit Ticket.
Closure
10. Small groups volunteer to share some of the surprising information they learned.
11. Students respond to the questions at the end of the Admit Slip/Exit Ticket: How might you participate in next year’s Day of Action? Why would your participation matter? 12. Let students know that their final products for this inquiry unit will be designed to help get their high school classmates involved in shaping the Denton community.
Assessment
13. Educators assess students’ brainstorm ideas and their responses to the questions on their Exit Tickets.
Follow Up
14. Educators may choose to bring in one or more guest speakers during the Immerse Phase. The resources wiki page for this unit includes links to possible speakers: http://tinyurl.com/di4ll-9-resources.
15. Educators may want to help students formulate meaningful questions for the guest speaker(s). Using information from the Open Phase lesson, students may use their initial understanding of the human geography issues in Denton County as background for their questions.
Lesson Plan Resources
For Students
For Educators