6th Grade Social Studies

Haley Janssen
STAGE 1 DESIRED RESULTS
Unit Title: Compasses, Maps, and the People Who Use Them.

SS.6-8.G.1
Essential concept/skill: Understand the use of geographic tools to locate and analyze information about people,
places, and environments.
Understandings: Students will understand that

Essential Questions:

-The characteristics and purposes of geographic

tools and representations of earth such as globes,
maps, grids, charts, aerial view.
-Understand geographic relationships such as
population density.

What is the purpose of geographic tools?

Students will know:

-How to effectively use geographic tools such as a globe, a
map (with key) and GPS/Satellite.
-How population density affects geographic relationships.

Students will demonstrate HOW to:

How does population density affect us?

-Identify characteristics of a map.

-Identify aerial view.
-Use a globe to locate a given country.

STAGE 2 ASSESSMENT EVIDENCE

Knowledge: How will you assess what students know?
Performance Tasks:

-Students will give an explanation for how

population density affects geography, including an
example.
-Students will complete an exit slip each day with
an explanation of what they know.

-The students will be given a country and ask to

show that country on the globe.
-The student will use a map compass to determine
if a country is north, south, east, or west from the
state of Iowa.

STAGE 3 LEARNING PLAN

Summary of Learning Activities:
Day 1: Introduction of Geographic tools: classroom gallery walk.
There will be a globe, multiple maps, a compass, and a GPS laid around the room. Students will be put into groups and given
the opportunity to walk around to each station, read the information about that item, play with it, and fill out questions on a
handout that will be given to them. As the teacher, I will be floating around as well, answering questions and keeping students
on task. At the end of the gallery walk, I will go around and talk about each item, with an open dialogue so students can add
any comments or ideas. We will talk directly about the uses of each tool. At the end of the block, students will write an exit slilp
on what geographic tool they learned most about, and why they think it is important to our society.
Day 2: All about Satellites and Google Earth
This day will be all based around technology. First, we will discuss satellites and how they are connected to the Global
Positioning System, or GPS, that students may have seen. We will talk about the data transfer between the satellite and the
GPS by watching a video that talks about that connection (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IoRQiNFzT0k). We will discuss
the video and Ill ask students to give examples of times that they use Satellite throughout the day. Before doing this for
themselves, I will give them an example of google earth. We will brainstorm uses for Google Earth, what we might accomplish
with it, and why it exists. We will also talk about the information that we can pull from an aerial view. Together, we will look up
our school building on Google Earth. Then, we will use the going back in time feature to look at the land around our school
years ago. Students will be able to see the transformation from when they were born to the way the school and surroundings
looks now. This will spark a good discussion about population growth and expansion. Next, I will pass out the iPads. Students
Source: Understanding by Design, Unit Design Planning Template (Wiggins/McTighe 2005)

Haley Janssen

6th Grade Social Studies

will each receive an address. They will all look up their address and then go back 20 years. On their exit slip, they will write
what they learned by examining that locations growth over time.
Day 3: Map Keys & Symbols
We will be focusing on different features of a map. First we will talk about the compass and cardinal directions. I will have
students come up with a acronym for North, East, South, West. After the students have a chance to share out, we will go more
in depth with cardinal directions. Adding Northeast, Southwest, etc. to our compass. I would provide a template for all students
to prepare a big compass together. After that, I would focus on our cardinal directions surrounding us. Which way is Jordan
creek mall from here? How can we figure that out together? Using a compass and taking the students outside would be ideal.
As a wrap up-why is this important? Why should students learn that? A small class discussion will take place, with the list of
reasons why cardinal directions are important posted up on the wall. As their assessment, students will write their acronym for
North, East, South, and West and then write one situation that they can think of where they would need to know how to use a
compass.
Day 4: Population Density
Today we will be doing another hands-on activity that simulates population density. To start out, I will give students two quarter
pieces of paper. Then, I will give them a full baggie of cocoa puffs. I will ask them to pretend that the square represents the
state of Iowa. Iowa is around 55,000 square miles, so this is a good example of a scale. Ask the students to put 12 cocoa puffs
on their quarter piece of paper, or Iowa. Then, on their next paper, they will have New York represented. New York is similar
size to Iowa, around 55,000 square miles. Ill ask the students to put 75 cocoa puffs on their New York paper. It might take
them a while to count these. Then, I will ask students what they believe this represents. We will talk about how each cocoa
puff represents around 250,000 people. So, 12x250,000 is about the number of people in Iowa. If you take 75 x 250,000,
however, that is the population of New York. That is a big difference! This will provide an actual visual representation for
students to see the differences in these places, and understand what population density really means.
Day 5: How does population density affect me?
For the last day, we will be talking about population density and what it affects related to the earth. To start off, we will be
making a Venn Diagram together. One side will be Iowa, the other side will be New York. The students will highlight everything
that they know about similarities and differences between the two. Things to bring up include transportation, population, land
structure, and major jobs. When we are looking at the similarities and differences, I will ask students to pay attention to how
they think the population density that we discovered yesterday might play a role in the factors that are listed on our Venn
Diagram. On their exit slip, I will ask students to write about how they are directly affected by population density.

Source: Understanding by Design, Unit Design Planning Template (Wiggins/McTighe 2005)