Humans interact with the environment

1. Delaware Department of Education Social Studies Coalition of Delaware Delaware Geographic Alliance Humans interact with the environment A unit for Geography Standard 2 grades 6-8 Training led by Maggie Legates, Delaware Geographic Alliance February 2012

2. CREDITS • Member teachers of the Delaware Geographic Alliance- lesson activities, materials • Delaware Space Grant- research and graphic support • National Geographic Society- permission to adapt instructional resources

3. Today’s Agenda: • Morning Session: • Review DRC design principles • “Unpack” Geography Standard 2 and middle school benchmark • Review unit transfer task and rubric • Break • Review selected activities from lessons 1 • LUNCH on your own • Afternoon Session: • Lessons 2, 3, and 4- selected activities • Break • The Performance Task • Wrap Up

4. Today’s Goals: Add to knowledge and appreciation of geographic principles Showcase good lessons and activities, instructional materials Share assessment tools, differentiation opportunities, extensions and adaptations. Collaborate, network, and grow!

5. DRC Principles: • Plan Backward based on a thorough understanding of the standard and benchmark • Become familiar with the “target” performance or demonstration of knowledge and skill students will meet at the end of the unit • Internalize the level of rigor required by examining the rubric or measurement tool • Become familiar with the instructional plan, resources, references • Adjust learning plan to learner progress using interim assessments, scaffolding when needed

6. Stage One: Know the standard and benchmark From DRC Toolkit: Content standards, benchmarks, Clarifications document

7. Geography Standard 2: • Students will develop a knowledge of the ways humans modify and respond to the natural environment

8. Benchmark for grades 6-8: • Students will apply a knowledge of the major processes shaping natural environments to understand how different peoples have changed and been affected by, physical environments in the world's sub-regions.

9. What are the main ideas? • Natural processes (Lesson 1) • Humans adapt to environmental conditions (Lesson 2) • Intended and Unintended Consequences of Human Activities- Farming (Lesson 3) • Planning for energy needs- sustainability (Lesson 4)

10. Stage Two: Assessment Evidence Transfer task and rubric

11. You have: • learned about physical systems that shape our natural world • looked at ways humans in many parts of the world have adapted to the environment or have altered the environment to meet their needs • looked at some of the intended and unintended consequences of human projects. Now you are ready to put your knowledge to work to evaluate human/ environmental interaction in one of earth’s sub-regions. Prior Knowledge These are the main ideas covered in the learning activities of this unit, but also in prior years.

12. As an intern at World Eco Tours you have been asked to help with a design for the new website. Eco-Tourists will visit this website to decide which tour they want to take. Problem: Eco Tours needs a new website. What on earth is Eco- Tourism?

13. Perspective

14. Costa Rican Rainforest- Logging and fires have destroyed many acres of the tropical rainforest. Replanting with native trees will prevent soils from washing away. • Mali- In recent years this region has become drier and is struggling to feed its people. The project will drill deep wells for drinking water and crop irrigation • Nunavut, Canada- Remote and beautiful, this region can only be reached by dogsled and airplane. The project will build a road to connect to nearest hospital. PROJECT CHOICES

15. Your supervisor on the website project has asked you to do a “mock-up” or model of the webpage for your world sub-region. Your prototype may be an electronic file or it can be a paper model. Product

16. Include these sections in your project: • 1) Identify the sub-region you have chosen and include a map that shows its boundaries and relative location. Describe the physical landscape of the region. • 2) Include one or two pictures to highlight the physical system or cycle you consider most important for the people living in the sub-region. SPECIFIC PRODUCT REQUIREMENTS

17. 3) Tell about the people who have lived in this region for a long time. How did they adapt to conditions here? Include at least one picture of the traditional culture. 4) In a section labeled Natural Hazards, summarize any conditions in the area that present a problem for people who live there. What has been the response to this hazard in the past? 5) What projects or improvements are proposed for the region? What is the likely impact of these projects based on what you have learned?

18. To be accepted for use on the website, your model will • Include accurate information about the sub-region including sections on the physical processes that shape the landscape, the adaptations of traditional cultures, ways people have altered the environment, and projects that are proposed. • Show that you can apply your knowledge of natural processes, human adaptation, and the consequences of human activity to analyze a sub-region. • Present information and analysis in an organized and interesting way. Criteria for an Exemplary Response What makes for an excellent presentation?

19. What does the transfer task require of students? To be successful students must know…. To be successful, students must be able to…. Please list geographic and presentation skills… • Please list vocabulary, concepts, etc.

20. How the rubric is useful • Shows what content knowledge, skills, vocabulary will be essential • Signals depth of knowledge and skill expected • Shows how students will be expected to demonstrate their learning-presentation skills • Acts as a form of scaffolding – can be used as a checklist

21. Stage three: learning plan

22. Lesson 1- Cycles, Systems and Patterns of Physical Earth • Activate prior knowledge and instruction Cycles (water cycles, rock cycle, atmospheric and ocean circulation patterns) graphics, groundwater video) • Climate patterns mapping, sketching, satellite images • River systems- relate patterns of human activity to stream patterns modeling, poetry, atlas work Check for Understanding: Compare satellite images

23. Lesson 2- Humans Respond to Environmental Conditions • Ways people adapt to normal local conditions, or make changes to meet their needs (chart reading)

24. Natural Hazards present special challenges • Natural Hazards Slideshow • Students “Rate the Risk” • “Dealing with Natural Hazards” Check for Understanding: Explain differences in damages after earthquakes.

25. Lesson 3: Farmers Interact with the Environment • Connect to prior learning about adaptation to environmental conditions atlas exercise- Crop selection • Reading to extend and refine “Terrace Farming” “Irrigation” “Aral Sea” Check for Understanding: Reading and interpretation questions

26. Lesson 4: Searching for Energy Energy needs, management, and sources Gathering data, charting Reading for information “The Search for Energy” Evaluating energy projects Check for Understanding: Solar map reading

27. Does the instruction prepare students for the Performance task? • Key vocabulary • Required geographic knowledge • Practice with required geographic skills and transfer • Scaffolding for attacking a complex task • Choices of modes of expression (written answers, oral answers, sketch maps and drawings)

28. How should the teacher prepare students for the performance? • Provide access to appropriate information sources (vetted websites, selected reference books, atlas maps) • Provide checklists • “Chunk” or break down the task into stages • Provide a model of the desired product for another country or area. • Review and discuss criteria

29. Please help us improve and refine • Report confusing directions, typos, broken links • Collect student work, gather data on responses • Contribute your resources, ideas for extension, strategies for differentiation • Collaborate with other teachers