🌎How Communities Live in Different Environments - Note to Teachers (DO NOT PUBLISH)

Due No Due Date
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How Communities Live in Different Environments - Teacher Instructions

Standards

Social Studies Standards Addressed in this Lesson:

Standard 1: Students will understand how geography influences community location and development
- Objective 2: Describe how various communities have adapted to existing environments and how other communities have modified the environment
  - b. Identify important natural resources of world biomes
  - c. Describe how communities have modified the environment to accommodate their needs
  - d. Investigate ways different communities have adapted into an biome
- Objective 3: Analyze ways cultures use, maintain, and preserve the physical environment
  - a. Identify ways people use the physical environment
Standard 2: Students will understand cultural factors that shape a community
- Objective 1: Evaluate key factors that determine how a community develops
  - d. Explain relationships between environment and community development (e.g., location, food, shelter, natural resources, industries)

Cross-Curricular Standards Addressed in this Lesson:

Science Strand 3.1: Weather and Climate Patterns
Language Arts, Reading - Understand: Show understanding of topic/main ideas recounting and reciting text evidence
Languages Arts, Reading - Transfer: Compare/contrast key ideas from texts
Language Arts, Writing - Communication: With adult and peer guidance through out the writing process develop and organize writing that is appropriate to task and purpose
Language Arts, Writing - Product: Organize writing by using an appropriate structure for the topic
Language Arts, Writing - Language: Use conventional spelling and spelling patterns to write words and produce complete simple, complex, and compound sentences
Language Arts, Speaking and Listening - Present: Report on a topic or text, tell a story, or recount an experience by speaking in complete sentences with appropriate fluency, using visual displays or audio recordings to enhance and clarify.
Fine Art, Visual Art - Create: Students will generate artistic work by conceptualizing, organizing, and completing their artistic ideas. They will refine original work through persistence, reflection, and evaluation (Standards 3.V.CR.1–5).
Fine Art, Visual Art - Connect: Students will relate artistic skills, ideas and work with personal meaning and external context (Standards 3.V.CO.1–2).

Module Overview

In this module, students will learn how communities live in different environments and how they adapt to an environment by using available natural resources. Students will learn about the two different types of natural resources (renewable and non-renewable), what kinds of natural resources exist in different biomes, and how these natural resources are used by people in different communities. As part of this module, students will also expand on their knowledge of major world biomes, use map-reading skills, and engage in a hands-on experience navigating and surviving the Oregon Trail. As a culminating activity, students will have the opportunity to design their own home in an extreme environment!

Each activity is designed for paperless instruction for a classroom or remote learning setting. There are also suggestions and resources included for a deviceless implementation of each learning activity.

Technology Used:

Nearpod - teachers will need to download the following Nearpod lesson (insert link here) from the Davis School District Library (insert a picture of the Nearpod here).
Website - students will be asked to visit SwitchZoo Links to an external site.. A clickable link is provided.
Canvas - students will utilize the discussion feature and will submit a written work either through the Canvas text tool, or they can upload a picture of hand-written work or a Microsoft Word document.
Minecraft for Education (Optional) - as an optional exploration, students can log in to Minecraft for Education and explore the pre-created biomes and create a biome of their own. You can download Minecraft for Education from the Davis School District Student Resources website Links to an external site.. Instructions on how to set up a multi-player game can be found on the Minecraft for Education website Links to an external site..

Lesson Activities

Activity 1 - Inquiry: Natural Resources Nearpod Lesson (approximately 20 minutes)

The objective of this lesson is to familiarize students with the natural resources of each world biome. This is done by examining the essential question: Why are natural resources important? Students will utilize Draw Its, Quizzes, and Collaborate activities as well as a video on natural resources. This activity could be adapted to a deviceless classroom activity by using the Natural Resources PowerPoint Presentation Download Natural Resources PowerPoint Presentation

viewed and discussed as a whole class.

Teacher Instructions: You will need to download the Natural Resources Nearpod into your own personal library. To download this Nearpod lesson into your own library, please visit the Davis School District Nearpod Library. Then you will choose Nearpod as the External Tool under Submission Type.

Play media comment.

Play media comment.Activity 2 - Communicating: Discussion Board Video (10-15 minutes)

Using the discussion board, students will record a video that discusses why they think natural resources are important, and which natural resource they think is the MOST important to human survival. Students should keep their responses to 2 minutes or less. Once they have recorded their response, students will comment on at least two other student responses. This could also be adapted to a Flip Grid activity by utilizing the External Tools feature. This activity can be adapted to a deviceless activity by having student write a paragraph with paper and pencil. Students could also give a short oral presentation in class or engage in a debate around the question: Which natural resource is the most important to human survival?

Activity 3 - Application: The Story of Riverside Part 1 and Quiz (approximately 35 minutes)

Adapted from the Nystrom materials, this activity includes an online storybook of The Story of Riverside Links to an external site.. This story leads students through the creation of a fictional town called Riverside and how the community adapts to and changes the land around them as they develop. After the story, students will draw their own map of Riverside and watch how the land changes and develops with human settlement. This is part 1 of a two-part assignment. This activity could be adapted to a deviceless classroom activity by utilizing the printable activity from Nystrom (click this link Download click this link

Activity 4 - Inquiry: McGraw Hill's The Long Road to Oregon Nearpod Presentation and Quiz (approximately 35 minutes)

This activity includes reading the McGraw Hill story The Long Road to Oregon. For more literacy, students can listen to the reading and answer questions with the Nearpod Presentation. Or, students can read the story themselves. Students will engage with this text through the perspective of pioneers traveling from Missouri to Oregon Territory and how they utilized natural resources and adapted the land to fit their needs. This activity could be adapted to a deviceless classroom activity by utilizing the McGraw Hill book and using the questions in the assignment to facilitate a classroom discussion or with The Long Road to Oregon PowerPoint Presentation Download The Long Road to Oregon PowerPoint Presentation

viewed and discussed as a whole class.

Teacher Instructions: You will need to download The Long Road to Oregon Nearpod into your own personal library. To download this Nearpod lesson into your own library, please visit the Davis School District Nearpod Library. Then you will choose Nearpod as the External Tool under Submission Type.

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Play media comment.Activity 5 - Application: The Oregon Trail on Classic Reload (approximately 20-25 minutes to experience the full game)

Using this classic game, students can experience the plight of pioneers traveling the Oregon Trail. Students will be able to load and prepare their wagons, choose a date of departure, and make decisions along the trail to ensure their survival, including utilizing natural resources to sustain their journey. Click this link Links to an external site. to preview this activity. There is no deviceless alternative for this activity.

Activity 6 - Application: The Story of Riverside Part 2 Assignment and Quiz (35 minutes)

Activity 7 - Inquiry: Frank Lloyd Wright and Organic Architecture Nearpod (approximately 15 minutes)

The objective of this lesson is to introduce different ways modern communities have adapted into an ecosystem. This is done by examining the essential question: How does Organic Architecture utilize the natural elements of the environment to create safe and creative shelters? Students will utilize Draw Its, Quizzes, and Collaborate activities as well as a movie on Frank Lloyd Wright and his most famous architectural piece, Falling Water in Pennsylvania. This activity could be adapted to a deviceless classroom activity by using the Frank Lloyd Wright PowerPoint Presentation Download Frank Lloyd Wright PowerPoint Presentation

viewed and discussed as a whole class.

Teacher Instructions: You will need to download the Organic Architecture and Frank Lloyd Wright Nearpod into your own personal library. To download this Nearpod lesson into your own library, please visit the Davis School District Nearpod Library. Then you will choose Nearpod as the External Tool under Submission Type.

Play media comment.

Play media comment.Activity 8 - Communicating: Design a Shelter in an Extreme Environment like Frank Lloyd Wright (1-2 days)

Students will apply and communicate what they know through this art activity. Like Frank Lloyd Wright and other Organic Architects, students will use the natural elements in a particular biome to create a shelter for their family. When finished, students will turn in a paper assignment or they can take a video of their shelter and upload it into Canvas. Click this link for a printable PDF Download printable PDF

of the assignment.

Optional extension: Have students build their structures in Minecraft. They can use the biome templates or create their own biome from scratch. Students can then present their structure and biome to the class and talk about it's features. You can download Minecraft for Education from the Davis School District Student Resources website Links to an external site.. Instructions on how to set up a multi-player game can be found on the Minecraft for Education website Links to an external site..

**Note: Enrichment activities and hands-on extension ideas are included in the Parent Note.