Study the resources of the project Create your own Countryand comment on its pedagogical value in your blog
Teaching Geography: Evaluate
I do believe that this project has fantastic pedagogical value qualities. The research paper "Investigating Pedagogical Value of Wiki Technology" explains that pedagogical value is "defined as the capacity of students to be engaged in learning by exhibiting interest in course assignments, retaining more material, participating actively, being motivated learners, and collaborating using constructivist learning principles" The purpose of this project was to have the students be in charge of learning about their own country and not about the teacher teaching them about a variety of different countries. By the time this project was over, students had to be experts in the country they were learning. Students have to research the Country name, landforms, the capital city, five cities, and natural resources for this project. They also had to research Ethnic Groups, population size, unemployment rate, government-type industries, and exports/Imports with very little help from the teacher. This shows pedagogical value because if they want to do good on this project with very little help from the teacher, they need to research these topics and then understand the resources they found on the topics. This all has to be done before creating a poster and presenting what they have learned to both the teacher and the rest of the class.
Let’s Learn Native American Tribes by Using Geography
Katelyn McCormick
Mount Saint Mary College
Author Note
This paper is for Dr. Smirnova’s Social Studies Methods Class
Let’s Learn About Native American Tribes by Using Geography
Content Knowledge
There are many ways that this project helped me develop content knowledge about Native American tribes and the geography of where they lived. Before I started this project, I did not know much about Native American tribes. More specifically, I did not know a lot of information about the people of the Navajo tribe. I did not know where they were located. I did not know about the five themes of geography. I did not know much about the culture. I did not know about what kinds of clothes they wore or the foods they ate. I did not know about their habitats or homes they occupied.
After completing this project, I understand that people would find Native American tribes in the northwest, southeast territories, southwest and west coast territories of the United States as well as the Great Plains and the Great White Territories. The Native American fact sheet states, "The Navajo are natives of the Four Corners region (Arizona. New Mexico, Utah and Colorado). The Navajo people are still living in their traditional territory today." The four corners are found in the southwest area of the United States. The southwest area of the United States normally is categorized by deserts. The article "How American Indians Adapted to Different Environments'' found on study.com explains that deserts do "not support the abundance of wild game as in the Great Plains." This means that it is not a good idea for the Navajo tribe to be nomadic since it would be hard for them to hunt animals when there isn't much where they live. In the southwest part of country, the Navajo tribe does not have access to a lot of water and therefore had to get creative. They had to determine new ways to keep and store water. The article "How American Indians Adapted to Different Environments'' found on study.com states that "Amerindian nations developed complex irrigation systems to sustain their farms and bred strains of crops that needed less water."
I have gained a better understanding of geographical concepts. More specifically, I have gained a better understanding of the five themes of geography and how they would relate to the Navajo tribe. There are five themes to geography: region, location, place, movement, and human/environment interaction. The textbook Teaching Social Studies in the Elementary School: Communities, Connections, and Citizenship explains what each of the five themes entails. The text states, "location (relative and absolute location of places and people on the Earth); place (physical and human characteristics of places); human/environment interaction (how places are modified by physical and human causes); movement (people interacting with other people through travel, trade, migration, and political events) and regions (areas that are unified by common factors such as government, language, or landforms)." I have learned why the five themes of geography are important. The five themes of geography show students the important relationships or connections people have to the environment.
Things that helped me gain new knowledge about the Navajo were articles written about their habits, clothes, and food they ate. For example, the article "Navajo'' found on bookunitsteacher.com explained that, "The Navajo lived in what is now northwestern New Mexico and northeastern Arizona. This land contained peaks, grasslands, deserts, and canyons. The Navajo were a nomadic group of people until they came into contact with the Pueblo. They adopted some of the beliefs and customs of the Pueblo tribe, including farming, making pottery, and weaving." The article explained the clothes worn when it stated, "The Navajo make their clothing from deerskin. The men wore breechcloths and leggings. The women wore deerskin dresses. Both wore moccasins." And finally, the same article explained food the Navajo consumed when it stated, "The Navajo were primarily hunters and trappers. They hunted deer, pronghorn antelope, and rabbits. They raided the Pueblo and stole their crops. Later they became farmers and sheep raisers. They grew watermelons, corn, beans, and squash. They also gathered wild plants, seeds, roots, and berries."
Pedagogical General and Pedagogical Content Knowledge
I do believe that this project helped me develop my pedagogical knowledge of teaching geography. Pedagogical knowledge, as defined by the "Teachers' Pedagogical Knowledge and the Teaching Profession" article, is "the specialized knowledge of teachers in creating and facilitating effective teaching and learning environments for all students, independent of subject matter." It is the knowledge a teacher uses about a specific subject to teach effectively. The textbook helped me realize why teaching geography is essential in the classroom. The text states, "As the world becomes more interconnected through technological advancements and shared connections about economic, political, social and environmental issues, the need for geographic knowledge increases." Teaching geography is important because it causes students to wonder how a location might have impacted historical events or the people who lived there. It helps students develop critical thinking about people, where they lived, their events, and how they're in sight of these events will impact the world differently. For example, people who were in Hawaii during the Pearl Harbor attack might have a different and more significant account of the day than someone who was in North Carolina as the attack was occurring.
Geography can also get students to pay attention and focus on the lesson. The text states, "Geography captures the imagination of students through a focus on exploration and adventure from multiple perspectives and media." A good geography lesson will allow students to use their imagination and put themselves in the shoes of the people who lived in the place they are learning about. It allows students to go on an adventure through different places and climates without ever having to leave their desks
There are also ways this project helped me further my pedagogical content knowledge. As defined in the article "Pedagogical Content Knowledge - What Matters Most in the Professional Learning of Content Teachers in Classrooms with Diverse Student Populations" pedagogical knowledge is "teachers' interpretations and transformations of subject-matter knowledge in the context of facilitating student learning." Pedagogical content knowledge is where the teacher takes the knowledge they know on the topic and makes it more student-friendly to help children understand a topic better. This project helped me improve my pedagogical content knowledge because I had to step into the role of a student and use resources that they might use to learn about a topic. This project helped me realize that, to facilitate student learning, teachers have to find resources that are not too challenging or easy for students to understand. They also have to find resources that will keep students focused and engaged, and the teacher has to assign the task he or she knows can be completed within a specific time frame with little to no issue. The task a teacher assigns also has to have a student-friendly vocabulary. The task also has to be student-centered, where the students are in charge of their learning and only use the teacher as a resource to ask questions.
I have also gained a deeper understanding of different strategies I could use when teaching geography. The text states, "have students label places from geography, history and literature lessons on maps." Using this strategy, I can have students think critically about how their location could have impacted events in history. Another strategy I could use to teach geography, as stated in the text, is "Have students make geographic connections to setting to stories they are reading by locating places relevant the stories in their atlases, using an app, or wall map, or the smart board map." This is a good strategy to use when teaching geography because it integrates geography into an English Language Arts lesson. This way, a teacher teaches two subjects at once and does not take too much time away from one subject and spend too much time on the other.
There are also different methods that I mastered that can help me teach geography. I have learned how to effectively use Jam board, Quizlet, YouTube videos, and Google forms. I believe I used the Jam board effectively when asking my classmates the check for understanding questions. I did not make the questions too challenging, and I centered the questions around something I had mentioned multiple times. When asking the check for understanding questions, I made sure not to space them out to avoid the situation where I gave students or my classmates so much information that they would have difficulty answering a question. I believe that I have effectively used Quizlet when having my classmates complete a guided practice activity. With guided practice, students are tasked with activities ranging from easy to hard. When creating a guided practice activity. The first activity you do should be something students should have no trouble completing in under five minutes. When using the Quizlet, I had my classmates complete a matching game about the main ideas of my presentation. I used Quizlet effectively because my classmates could complete the activity in under two minutes. I also believe that I used the YouTube videos I chose to present correctly and effectively, but at the same time, I also believe that I could have chosen a more recent video to show my classmates. I believe that I used the video effectively because my classmates were able to answer the questions "What is one thing you learned from watching this video?" and "What is one thing you are still confused about after watching this video?" with little to no issue. But at the same time, the video I chose to use was rather old, and the information in that video may no longer be relevant. I do believe that I used Google forms effectively for my independent practice activity. Using the paragraph option, I asked the question, "How does geography influence the Navajo tribe?" I asked an open-ended question that was not too difficult to answer and gave my classmates enough room to write however much they wanted. I then determined how much my classmates understood my presentation based on how detailed their response to the question was.
Here is the video I used in my presentation
Application to Classroom
There are many ways I could adapt this project to use with younger elementary school students. For 1st graders, I would have students read books at their reading level to find out information about one assigned tribe. I would also have them make a poster instead of a Google slide presentation. I would make this accommodation because the articles assigned to me, which allowed me to complete the project, might be too challenging for 1st-grade students to read. 1st-grade students might be inexperienced when it comes to Google slides or might not have been exposed to this technology yet. Therefore, instead of students trying to figure out something they never experienced before, it may be easier to let them use something they have experienced before and let them complete the project to the best of their abilities.
When adapting the lesson for 5th graders. I would give them two Native American tribes instead of just one. I would do this to give my students more of a challenge and make sure that they learn about more than one piece of geography related to Native Americans. I would want to make sure students understand how the geography of where Native Americans lived impacted other Native American tribes. Many tribes could be affected by different aspects of geography, not just where their habitat was.
The national standards addressed would be the third national standard, also known as people, places, and environment. This national standard is addressed because students will be learning about how geography impacted Native American tribes. More specifically, students will be learning about how the location of Native American tribes affected the clothes they wore, the food they ate, whether a tribe was nomadic, and much more. The state standard addressed as found on the “Learning Standards for Social Studies” document on the k-12 social studies framework website would be standard three of geography. The third standard states, “students will use a variety of intellectual skills to demonstrate their understanding of the geography of the interdependent world in which we live—local, national, and global—including the distribution of people, places, and environments over the Earth’s surface.” This is the standard because students will be researching Native American tribes in different climates and can make connections in which they can realize the tribes’ geographical locations greatly influenced their way of life. As stated in the “Learning Standards for Social Studies” document, the key idea of this standard is that “geography can be divided into six essential elements that can be used to analyze important historic, geographic, economic and environmental questions and issues. These six elements include the world in spatial terms, places and regions, physical settings (including natural resources), human systems, environment and society, and the use of geography.”
Generalization of Concepts
There are many ways this project can help students generalize concepts being taught. For this project, students would be tasked to answer an essential question, "How did geography influence the Native American tribes?" When making generalizations, students are focusing on the big picture and not specific details. Students are making educated guesses using the information they know. Students can learn to make generalizations for this project using the "How American Indians Adapted to Different Environments" article. From this article, students can learn the most important but basic information about Native Americans. For example, the article states that southwest tribes were found in locations "largely characterized by dry deserts and does not support the abundance of wild game as in the Great Plains." This can cause students to make generalizations about how they lived. One generalization students can make is that "since it is hot, the tribes don't have animals and only eat plants, or they might have to leave their homes to go find food." The article states that people in the northeast tribe lived in places with a "very fertile area, with abundant resources and reliable weather." A generalization students can make about the northeast tribes is that "they could stay where they are and did not have to move around because they had everything they needed to survive." People in southeast tribes, as stated in the article, were "based around the Mississippi River valley." From this statement, students can make generalizations in which almost everyone from the southeast tribe became a fisherman. The article states, "Moving west, we enter the Great Plains. Today, this area is covered in farms, but before the introduction of metal plows, the soil was too rough for agriculture." From this piece of information, students can make generalizations. Generalizations students can make are "because the land is rough, these tribes can't plant crops, and because they can't plant crops, they will have to follow their food source if it moves."
Students can also make generalizations about tribes living on the west coast. The article states, "Due to the vast number of rivers that connected to the ocean and massive populations of salmon, Pacific Northwest cultures relied very heavily on fishing." A generalization students can make is that because these Native Americans were fishermen, their main food source was fish. And finally, students can make generalizations about tribes in the Great White North. The article states, "Now, the further north we go, the colder and colder it gets." From this statement, students can generalize that since it is cold, snow is on the ground, and since snow is on the ground, it is very hard to grow food. Students can also generalize that tribe who can't grow food have to follow animals wherever they go because animals are another food source.
As I have mentioned previously, the standard used for this project is standard three is geography. The standard states, "students will use a variety of intellectual skills to demonstrate their understanding of the geography of the interdependent world in which we live—local, national, and global—including the distribution of people, places, and environments over the Earth's surface." This standard can relate to how students learn to make generalizations because the standard focuses on how the location of where people live will affect them. When generalizing concepts, students need to understand the big idea and not small details. The essential question being asked is, "How did geography influence the Native American tribes?" To answer these questions, students need to learn about the food, culture, clothes, and homes of the Native American tribes. To do that, students need to pick out the most important details before explaining these details in their own worlds, which allows for a deeper understanding.
Relationship to Teaching Geography
There are many ways this project can help students learn geography. More specifically, it will help students learn about the five themes of geography. As stated in the text, the five themes of geography are "location, place, human/environment interaction, movement and region." This project would help students learn about location because they would have to research where certain tribes were located. Students would then determine both specific and general locations. As defined in the article "Examples of the Five Themes of Geography," specific location is "an actual address." It is the longitude and latitude of a place. As defined in the article "Examples of the Five Themes of Geography," general location is "where a place is concerning another place." By learning about location in this project, students would be learning about where things were in the past, where things are now, and how things have changed over time.
This project would also help students learn about geography concerning place. This project would help students learn about place because, as stated in the text, "the themes of location and place provide opportunities for students to observe, describe and learn factual information about places and the characteristics that distinguish places from each other." When learning about place in relation to geography students would learn about both physical characteristics and human characteristics. Human characteristics are where people change themselves to suit the environment, and physical characteristics are the terrain of a location. For example, two locations right next to each other might have different terrains. One area might have a desert floor, and the other area might be covered in forest. When learning about place in this project, students would be learning about the different environments in which different tribes choose to settle, and they would be learning about how the places they choose to settle impacted the tribes' lives.
This project would also help students learn about human/environment interaction. Human/environmental interaction is when people interact with the environment to suit their own needs. the article "Examples of the Five Themes of Geography" states, "Human/environment interaction describes how people work together and how they function in their environment." As they would be completing this project, students would learn about human/environment interaction. More specifically, students will be learning about how the Native American tribes used the environment's resources. They would learn how tribes change the setting to suit their needs, such as building homes that have materials found in the environment, such as Hogans, which are homes wholly made out of dirt. Students can learn about how tribes adapted themselves to fit the environment. For example, tribes in the Great White North tended to wear clothes such as coats to protect them from a cold.
As students were completing this project, students would also learn about movement in relation to geography. Students would learn about the relationship different tribes had with each other, and they would also learn if that relationship between the tribes is positive or negative. Finally, students would learn about regions in relation to geography. As stated in the text, regions are "areas that are unified by common factors such as government, language or landforms." By learning about regions, students would be learning about how the places or locations the tribes live influence the languages they speak when doing this project.
Bibliography
E, A. (2019, March 02). Examples of the five themes of geography. Retrieved April 26, 2021, from https://sciencing.com/examples-five-themes-geography-7744249.html
Guerriero, S. (2014). Teachers’ knowledge and the teaching profession. Pedagogical Knowledge and the Changing Nature of the Teaching Profession. doi:10.1787/g250b5d90a-en
K-12 social studies framework. (2017, February). Retrieved April 26, 2021, from http://www.nysed.gov/curriculum-instruction/k-12-social-studies-framework
Lyman, L., Waters, S., Foyle, H. C., & Lyman, A. L. (2021). Teaching Social Studies in Elementary School: Communities, Connections, & Citizenship, (1st ed., Vol. 1, Ser. 1). La Mesa, California: National Digital Book Company. Retrieved April 26, 2021, from https://www.nsspress.com/php/startup_lyman_teaching.php5
Miller, G. (2019). Native American chart. Retrieved April 26, 2021, from https://bookunitsteacher.com/indians/navigation/native_american_chart.htm
Miller, G. (n.d.). Native Americans - Navajo Part 2. Retrieved April 26, 2021, from https://bookunitsteacher.com/indians/reports2/navajo2.htm
Muscato, C. (2021). How American Indians Adapted to Different Environments. Retrieved April 26, 2021, from https://study.com/academy/lesson/how-american-indians-adapted-to-different-environments.html
SolÃs, A. (2018, February 08). Pedagogical content knowledge- what matters most in the professional learning of content teachers in classrooms with diverse student populations. Retrieved April 26, 2021, from https://www.idra.org/resource-center/pedagogical-content-knowledge/
Prompt: Complete the World Geography Treasure hunt (2 pages) using our MSMC Google Classroom classworkand share what you found out.Did you make any discoveries? reflect on your experience in your blogs.
After completing this treasure hunt, I have learned many things I did not know before. I have learned about the country population and sizes of countries, and more. This project was exciting using both a map and the world atlas website. I liked using the atlas website because every answer was right there, and it was very straight forward. I did not have to read ten pages to answer a question that was one word long. It was also interesting that the smallest country was Vatican city, with the population being 0.44. I did not know that this was the smallest country, and I also did not realize that it was found in Rome. I also did not know that the most spoken native language was Mandarin Chinese, with 950 million speakers. Before doing this project, I would have been adamant that it was English. I did not know that the oldest country was Iran which was created in 3200 BC. I also did not realize south Sudan was the youngest country and that it was created in 2011. This project allowed me to learn many things I did not know before, which caused me to appreciate geography better. I also liked using the online digital map because it was easy to read. But with this map, you could not use the search bar and look for the answers to the questions. The digital map would be a great resource to use in a classroom because students can see each country's states and other features.
I would love to use idea 17 in my classroom. It seems like an entertaining activity for students to do, especially the younger kids. While your students may see it as a way to have fun coloring or a time to destress from doing math or a different subject. You, as the teacher, can see what your students know versus what they don't know. The Powerpoint slide with idea 17, which Tony Cassidy proposed, states, "Take a topical news article of geographical significance and read it to students. On the second reading, ask students to draw a representation of the issue or event, a picture speaks a thousand words..." This is a fantastic resource for a teacher because, from your students' drawings, you can assess how much your students could comprehend from listening to you the article. When you see what the students can understand from the article, you can determine how easy or difficult you want to make future lessons on the same topic.
Idea 19- Newspaper mapping
I would also love to use Idea 19 in my classroom. The Powerpoint slide with idea 19, which Tony Cassidy proposed, states, "Ask students to bring in articles of geographical interest to them. Display these around a World map, linking the articles to the map with paper and string. A discussion about the spatial pattern of news reporting can be discussed over time." This activity is a great way to discuss current events worldwide and how these events may affect more than one country at any given time. This is also a way to have students compare and contrast how people in different countries from the food they eat to their clothes, the different kinds of similar modes of transportation people may use, and more.
Ideal 21- Geography Alphabet
I would also love to use this idea in my classroom. The PowerPoint slide with idea 21, which Mary Cooch proposed, states, "As a starter, plenary or time filler (and in a similar way to the register idea) get pupils in pairs to come up with an A-Z of terms related to your current topic. Put them altogether after the allocated time with the best ideas. To make it more challenging, ban them from using the first word they come up with." The geography Alphabet is an excellent pre-assessment activity. When using this activity, you are causing students to think about what they know since they can't use the first word which comes to mind. You can determine what your students know and what they don't know. This information will help you plan your lessons which will most likely focus on the topics your students don't know and therefore need to learn before moving on to something considered more challenging.
Read the poem and share your thoughts on where and how you can use it in your future ss classroom.
Teaching Geography: Engage
HUG THE EARTH
Walking along feeling free
Feeling the Earth here with me And I love her. She loves me I hug the Earth, the Earth hugs me. She's our friend, We'd like to be together forever. The Earth is our garden It's a beautiful place For all living creatures For all the human race, Helping Mother Earth We can peacefully roam, We all deserve a place We can call our home. Food is a treasure from soil and the sea. Clean fresh air from the plants and the trees The warmth of the sun giving life each day Turns water into rain, it’s nature's way. And I would like to thank you, Mother Earth, I like to see you dressed in green and blue I want to be by you.
Lorraine Bayes
How I would use this poem in my future Social Studies classroom
After reading this poem, it took me a long time to determine how I would use it or when I would use it in my classroom. The day I would use this poem in my classroom would most likely be earth day. In most elementary schools, earth day is where teachers and students celebrate the earth. It is where teachers teach students why the earth is essential. Teachers explain what humans are doing to the planet and how some human activities are harming the environment. It is also where teachers explain to students how they can help protect the earth. Earth day in elementary school is often centered around activities where teachers plant a tree in the playground and arts and crafts such as coloring in pictures of the earth and naming countries and oceans that the earth has. During this time, teachers would often explain that the earth is our friend and that we should do whatever we can to protect it. As I have said before, this would be a great poem that I could use to start earth day in my classroom. I would use this poem to explain that the earth is our friend and that since we live on the planet, we should protect it because there is a chance that humans will no longer be able to live on the earth a very long time from now. I would explain that humans might not live on the planet because we are doing things that hurt the earth. I would then explain that because my students are young, they can do things that help the earth instead of harm it. That they can recycle and ride bikes instead of using cars to get places. I would explain that the earth provides us with various resources we need to survive, such as trees but unfortunately losing them. The final thing I would mention to my future social studies class is that the earth is our home, and we want to make sure that it stays our home for all future generations which come after us.
Here is the second part of my digital textbook chapter summary project for the textbook Teaching Social Studies in the Elementary School: Communities, Connections and Citizenships written by Lawrence Lyman, Scott Waters, Harvey C. Foyle, and Allyson L. Lyman. I did this project on chapter 11 also known as connections to civics and government. To show what I have learned I Canva which is a website where I can make digital designs to create poster and Screen-O-Matic to record my voice over
Here is the first part of my digital textbook chapter summary for the textbook Teaching Social Studies in the Elementary School: Communities, Connections and Citizenships written by Lawrence Lyman, Scott Waters, Harvey C. Foyle, and Allyson L. Lyman. I did this project on chapter 10 of the text, also known as Connections to Economics. I used the website Canva which is known for its digital posters, to create a poster and Screen-O-matic to record my voice over . As you listen to my assignment I hope you will gain a better understanding of why teaching economics is important
As I read the book, Tell Me Who You Are, written by Winona Guo and Priya Vulchi, I came across the interview of a woman named Melina. She had said many things that stood out to me. One of the most notable sayings was, “It helps me find compassion for people who are in different places in their journey” (Guo & Vulchi, 2019). Her interview was about her journey to understand the difference between how both Caucasians and African Americans are treated in society. The journey she took in understanding these differences made her want to teach other Caucasians about the differences and made her into the person she is today. After reading about her interview and the experiences that made her who she is today, I started to reflect on my life and experiences and ask the question: Who am I?
Who am I? When I asked this question, many things came to mind; I am someone who is kind and generous. I am a daughter, granddaughter, niece, cousin, and older sister. I am kind, strong and I am someone who would love to become a special education teacher.
But I am also someone with cerebral palsy, and this disability also makes me who I am. If I am walking down the street, people sometimes don’t notice my hair or eye color; they notice my slight limp. My disability comes with its own difficulties and challenges. I get tired after walking for long periods of time, and I don’t do good in the cold. I have had many extensive surgeries, which were needed to improve the way I walk.
I realize people may stare as I walk down the street. But I don’t care if people stare. My disability is one of the main things that shaped me into the person I am. It is also the driving force behind my desire to become a special education teacher. I want to help children with disabilities realize that if they set their minds to something, they can achieve anything.
I want to inspire children like me and prove to them that their disabilities should not stop them from doing what they love and that they should not be embarrassed by their disability. Their disabilities make them unique.
This lesson took me a very long time to learn, and it’s something I wish I had learned sooner. My limitations don’t define me. However, without my disability and the experiences that came with it, I would not be who I am. I would not be the person who wants to prove I can do anything, despite what some may say. I would not be as strong as I am both physically and mentally.
My disability has shaped me into the person I am today. If I were ever given the option of not being disabled, I would, of course, take it. It has taken me a long time to accept my disability. But my disability has made me who I am. I am strong, kind, and someone who wants to help children with similar disabilities succeed in any way they can.
Bibliography
Guo, W., & Vulchi, P. (2019). Tell Me Who You Are: Sharing our stories of race, culture, & identity. London, United Kingdom: PENGUIN Books.
