Todays date and implementation date

Todays date: March 16, 2015

Date of implementation: TBD
Title of lesson
Does the World Have More Oceans or Land?
Age level and number
Age level: Five year-olds
Number of students participating: 15
Curriculum Areas
Basic geographic literacy
Physical characteristics of places and regions
Production and performance Visual arts
PA PreK-K standards
7.1.K.A: Include representations of bodies of water
7.1.K.A: Discuss tools used to locate places
9.1.K.V: Participate in teacher-guided visual arts activity
Purpose
Engage the students in hands-on activities, through the integration of geography and art, in order for
them to identify the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans and to learn that oceans make up most of our world.
Behavioral Objectives
After listening to sounds of the ocean and sharing stories about going to the ocean, the students will
all independently contribute to the discussion of what they already know about the ocean and what
they want to know about the ocean.
During the passing around the inflatable globe activity, the students will verbalize whether their
thumb landed on water or land and correctly mark it on the chart paper.
Given blue and green salt dough, the students will create their own ocean and land on a cut-out
circular cardboard and correctly mark the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans.

Materials
Globe
Map of North America
Inflatable globe
CD player
Sounds of the ocean CD
Chart paper
Easel
Markers
Blue and green paper cut into rectangles
Tape
Pre-cut cardboard circles
Flour
Salt
Water
1 cup and cup
Blue and green food coloring
Smocks
Anticipatory Set
As the children are entering the classroom, the teacher will have the CD of sounds of the ocean
playing in the background. As they are getting situated and sitting down in their chairs, the teacher
will tell them to pay close attention to what is playing and the sounds that they hear. Teacher will ask
them what they think it is, and to describe it. After hearing some responses, the teacher will tell the
students that we are going to focus our thoughts on oceans today. The teacher will activate students
prior knowledge and learning experiences by asking them to share any stories they have of going to
the ocean. The teacher will then ask them to join me on the carpet in the circle area.
Motivation

The teacher will gain the students interest and attention by showing them the inflatable globe and
telling them that we are going to pass this around like a beach ball and see if our thumb lands on an
ocean or a piece of green land. Teacher will then ask them to listen very carefully to me. She will
explain that we need to pass and grab the ball with soft, quiet hands. The teacher will ask for a
volunteer to demonstrate how we should pass it to our friends. She will then tell the students that at
the end, we are going to get a little messy with our hands and make our own oceans and pieces of
land with a special kind of dough.
Procedures
The teacher will have the easel set up in the circle area with the KWL chart on display. The teacher
will be sitting in a chair, at the front of the group, with the supplies near her.
After finishing the anticipatory set and motivation, the teacher will show the students the KWL chart
and explain it. Ask them to raise a quiet hand and share with me something that they already KNOW
about oceans. The teacher will write a list of the responses under K. After receiving some answers,
she will continue with what we WANT to learn about oceans. The teacher will also write their
responses down under W. Explain to them that at the end of our lesson, we will write down the new
information that we LEARNED about oceans.
The teacher will refer to a map of North America and point out 2 large oceans; Atlantic and Pacific.
Ask them which ocean they think is closest to where we live. After hearing some responses, show
them which ocean is closest to where we live. The teacher will explain that the blue represents water
and the green represents land. Ask the following questions: Where is the water? Where is the Atlantic
and Pacific Ocean? Is there more water or more land?
Tell students that we are going to look at another way to show the oceans and land of the world. The
teacher will pull out the globe. Ask students to look at the globe and map and tell me some
similarities and differences of the two. The teacher will point out oceans and land on the globe.
Flip the KWL chart paper sheet over to reveal a T-chart that says WATER and LAND. Explain to
students that we are going to toss the inflatable globe softly, to each other. Teacher will say, When I
toss this inflatable globe to Johnny, he will catch it with both hands and then see if his thumbs are
covering mostly water or land. If his thumbs are covering mostly water, he will take a blue piece of
cut paper and tape it on the T-chart under the heading of water. If land take a green piece of cut
paper and tape it under land. The teacher will demonstrate with a student first, and then start.
When the chart is full, direct students attention to the chart and ask which has more; land or ocean.
Ask if they think Earth has more land or water.
Have students return to their tables and chairs to now work on an art project of designing their own
oceans and land. The teacher will be at the front of the class with flour, salt, water, 1 cup, cup, and
blue and green food coloring. The students will have the circular cardboard cut-outs with them.

Teacher will tell students that we are going to make salt dough in order to create our oceans and land.
Teacher will add all of the ingredients in a large bowl and have students take turns coming up to help
stir the mixture. Once it has reached a dough-like consistency, pass out blue and green dough to each
student for them to create their world on the cardboard circular cut-out.
Make sure all the students have on their smocks. Have students use the blue dough to cover the entire
cardboard cut-out. Show students the green piece of land. Ask students what they learned about this
piece of land and where it should go. After hearing some responses, demonstrate that the piece of
land will go right in the middle. Tell students that is the piece of land they live on. Mention that it is
called North America. Once every student is done, refer to the oceans on the map. Have the students
mark, on their creation, where the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans are.
As a closure, the teacher will invite students back to the carpet, after they have cleaned up, and fill
out the LEARN part of the KWL chart.
Assessment
The teacher will perform a formative assessment by listening to and taking note of the students
responses during the sharing of their thoughts on the ocean.
The teacher will perform a summative assessment when the students come up to the chart paper to
place a symbol (either a blue or green cut out piece of paper) under the correct heading (land or
water). She will keep track by using this chart:
Date

Student Name

Yes/No symbol marked

correctly

Comments

During the students creation of ocean and land, the teacher will assess that each student is correctly
marking the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans.
Reflection on Planning
At first, planning a geography lesson for a pre-school class was pretty difficult. I had an idea in my
head, but just couldnt seem to make it 4-5 year old friendly. I racked my brain for days, and did
some researching, until I finally put it all together. At first, I had that the student would pass around
the inflatable globe and see where their hand lands. I decided that this could get tricky; being that a
hand could cover water and land. I decided to change it to where their thumb lands instead. I figured

the thumb wouldnt be as confusing or difficult for the pre-school student. As far as the designing
their own ocean and land, I think it would be a good idea for next time to have the children design
what they think the ocean and land would look like instead of following an example from the teacher.
Art is supposed to be imaginative, but I am going for facts as well.