Classroom Activities
Teachers will build background knowledge and common vocabulary within the class using a variety of maps. Students will use the skills gained from discussing, reading and looking at the maps in Phase 1 to complete activity in Phase 2. Students will use the information they gather in Phase 2 to complete the writing portion of Phase 3.
Phase 1
Whole and Small Group Learning
To begin the lesson, give each student a KWL chart. The KWL chart has three questions. What do I already know about maps? What do I want to know about maps? and What did I learn about maps? Give students 2 minutes to respond independently to the K column and discuss. Next, give students 2 minutes to respond to the W column and discuss. Students will fill out the L column at a later time.
To continue the lesson, students should next be in small groups of 3-4 to facilitate and encourage discussion. Throughout the discussion the teacher will employ various think-pair-share techniques such as turn and talk, shoulder partner, and eye partners to encourage discussion. The following types of maps will be discussed in students’ small groups and then responses shared out: a political map, a city map, topographic, a transportation map, and a world map. Be sure to have these types of maps prepared in a presentation for students along with the suggested vocabulary: compass rose, title, legend/key, cartographer, and scale. You can refer to the Content Standards- Useful Background Information section of this unit as a reminder for types of questions to ask students.
Gallery Walk in Small Groups
Next, the following types of maps should be already taped around the room: a flight map, a constellation map and an imaginative map. Give students a worksheet to record their answers to specific questions about each map. Teacher Tip- You may need 2-3 copies of each map taped around the room so each group can be actively working and not waiting to see a map. Give groups 3-6 minutes at each map to discuss and record their answers.
Whole Group Reflection- Student Led
Ask for two volunteers to present each map to the class together, leading the class through the questions that were asked of that map and any other topics they would like to bring up. The teacher should continue with higher order questioning techniques. Lastly, have students complete the L column of their KWL chart.
Individual
At this time I would suggest letting students try out GIS websites. OpenStreetMap is one website students may like exploring. In addition, I am going to let my students use the Pittsburgh GIS website because Phase 2 of this unit takes place locally. And, let’s be honest- it’s just really cool to explore your own neighborhood.
Phase 2
Students will now apply their learning of analysis and questioning from Phase 1 to the second part of this unit. This process will in turn lead students to writing their TDA. Before I get into the details of Phase 2, I want to begin with a few points. First, I cannot stress enough how important it is for the teacher to circulate around the room for Phase 2 and 3. Teachers should listen to student conversations and be ready to jump in with questions to help students develop a deeper understanding of the content and their own thoughts. As I’m doing this with my own students, I’m thinking, “Can this student explain their own reasoning and analysis to me? Are there flaws or jumps in their oral assessment that leave holes in their argument, thus leading to a weak written analysis? Circling around the room using guiding questions and really paying attention to student conversations will pay off exponentially when students begin writing their TDA. I will circle back to this in Phase 3 as well (did you see what I did there?)
To continue on, I recommend students work in small groups with a max of 4 people. Personally, I like groups of 3 because students are able to talk and collaborate more because there are less people. You know your students best, if someone needs to work alone, let them.
Lastly, before you start Phase 2, you will have to do some prep work. I’ll explain how I am going to set this project up based on Pittsburgh, PA. You can then mirror it with your own city with something similar if you wish. A very popular amusement park in Pittsburgh is Kennywood, which most of the students have been to and love talking about. I decided to have my CSI story revolve around Kennywood because I know my students will be excited about it, and it’s something that could actually happen!
The premise behind the CSI investigation is that Kennywood had top-secret plans for a new roller coaster, but the plans were stolen and now the new roller coaster cannot be built without the plans. Each group of students will receive an evidence packet of: a map of Kennywood, a map of the roads surrounding Kennywood, a map where other theme parks are located in Pennsylvania, employee access logs, and a manager’s memo explaining the top-secret project. Additionally, students will receive 6 suspects with details on each like their job, possible motive, where they were the night the blueprints were taken, etc. To increase the fun factor, you can put all the materials in a folder stamped with CONFIDENTAL all over it. You may even want to decorate your room like police headquarters or a detective’s room. Be sure to give students highlighters and sticky notes so they can annotate as they go through the paperwork. You may also choose to provide students with a graphic organizer to keep track of their thoughts. On this paper they can write who the suspect is, the evidence they used to choose the suspect and finally explain why that evidence leads to the suspect being charged. At this point, students are now ready to write their TDA. I want you to be aware that there is no “right” answer for this project, but do not let your students onto this fact. Any one of the suspects can be “correct” as long as the student’s TDA backs up their stance with evidence and a sound explanation of the evidence used.
Phase 3
Remember when I told you we would circle back to teacher questioning in small groups in Phase 3? Well, here we are, we have circled back. By this point you should have given several rounds of feedback to all of the students on their writing before they hand in their final copy. You should basically know what their final copy is going to say without having to read it. (Notice I didn’t say you didn’t have to read it. You do. You’ll just have a really good idea about what it’s going to say before you read it.) I have found my students love conferencing with me and take my feedback seriously. Students want to be told how to adjust their essay and make their writing better before they turn it in for a final grade. They want to learn and they want to do well. I didn’t always conference as in depth as I do now, but then I found students saying to me, “Why didn’t you tell me this before I turned it in?” And I thought, “You know what? They’re exactly right.” Why was I spending time editing their final copy when it had already been given a final grade at that point? What exactly were they learning from my comments when there was already a grade attached to it? One thing I was seeing is that they were learning to be frustrated and not like the writing process. Students wanted help through the writing process, they wanted to learn about their mistakes in real time, not after the fact. I found students felt more empowered and in charge of their own learning when feedback was given in real time. I could see the connections forming in their brain as we would discuss another transition they could use instead of the one they chose and why. I like to think of it like a soccer or futbol coach. If you consistently saw your player using incorrect form on a pass, you would correct them on the spot so they could continue practicing the better way, not tell them 3 days after practice had ended that what they were doing was wrong. Imagine when this happens to students with their writing. How would you feel?
Students can now use the organizer they made in Phase 2 to help them write their TDA. All students should write their own essay. Group members can disagree and write about different suspects.
My prompt to give students is: Kennywood is a favorite amusement park for many people in the Pittsburgh area. The roller coasters are so popular that Kennywood has decided to build another amazing coaster. But before they were able to reveal the new project, the blueprints were taken and now no one knows where they are, and the new roller coaster cannot be completed without them. Who stole the blueprints? Write an essay analyzing who stole the blueprints and why. Use evidence from your folder to support your response.
A Note
It should be noted that Phase 2 of this project can be interchangeable with other hands-on map projects that may fit into your curriculum. I know your students will love the CSI investigation, but I can acknowledge that each situation is unique and this type of project may not fit into your yearly plan. In my case, I am planning on completing the CSI investigation as part of the beginning of the year activities. I know it will aid in helping to fuse a community of learners in my classroom and help creating a positive classroom culture. In doing this project at the beginning of the year, I have created time for myself to complete this unit again. That’s write, again! I know my students are going to love this type of learning so much that I plan on completing Phase 2 again sometime in March. Instead of doing a CSI investigation, we are going to have our theme of mapping be around outer space and creating homes in space. Students’ hand-on creations will be centered on this theme because this will be our unit of study in the 3rd quarter of school. Additionally, my reasoning behind completing another TDA based on maps instead of a more traditional text is to boost the morale and self-esteem of my writers in the classroom. By this point in the year, we will have literally written every day, and with state testing looming, I want to provide students with a brain break of sorts. I want to give them something I know they will love and something I know they will learn from. My teacher heart is so happy already.
An Invitation to Teachers
I originally titled this project, Pittsburgh 412: The Map Files. I left out the Beyond because I didn’t originally think of it. The first idea I thought of was the CSI project, which I love, and I still do. But the more I wrote, the more I thought. And the more I thought, the more I thought this project could keep going; it could go Beyond Pittsburgh. I thought about if I did this project on Pittsburgh, and then another teacher in Chicago did it on Chicago, and then another teacher in Beaufort did it on Beaufort, and then maybe a teacher in Mexico would do it on Mexico City, and then…and then…and then pretty soon we would have this amazing collection of local map projects for students on complete from all over the world. That’s what I call Pittsburgh 412 and Beyond.
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