Title of Unit: The West Title of Lesson: Resources and Economy Submitted By: Jessica Solomon

A. Summary of the Lesson Plan: This lesson examines the relationship between various resources and economy of the West. This lesson uses the 4th Grade Houghton Mifflin Social Studies textbook States and Regions (p. 256-261). B. Target Population: Grade Level: 4th Skill Level: students at all learning levels Grouping: Whole group discussion and reading, small group discussion and activity, individual assessment. C. Materials: Paper and pencils Reading Skill and Strategy (Unit Resources p. 72) for each student see last page of lesson plan for sample Vocabulary and Study Guide (Unit Resources p. 73) for each student see last page of lesson plan for sample Houghton Mifflin 4th Grade Social Studies Book: States and Regions (p. 256-261) D. Objectives: o NV State Social Studies Standards G7.4.4 - Describe historical and current economic issues in Nevada using geographic resources, i.e., illustrate demographic changes due to mining and gaming.

Student-Friendly Standards G7.4.4 I can show how natural resources affect the economy of the West.

E. Procedure: 1. Refer to notes on TE 256 Get Set to Read. o o Explain the Study Guide students will complete as we read. Call students attention to the photographs and charts in the lesson. o o Ask, What do you know about the natural resources in the West?

Complete the Reading Skill Strategy worksheet as a class as we read. Identify & Discuss the geographical conditions that might make the West a good place to make a movie. Create a word web of students responses.
EDEL 453 - Spring 2013 Karen Powell- Instructor page 1

Nevada State College

Title of Unit: The West Title of Lesson: Resources and Economy Submitted By: Jessica Solomon

Introduce vocabulary (national park, specialization).

2. As a class, read p. 256-259, stopping to ask questions as indicated in the margins of the TE. 3. Students should take notes and record information on their Study Guide while we are reading. They can continue working on it when we finish reading. 4. Ask questions listed in the margins of the TE as an ongoing check for understanding. Focus on these questions about the using resources: o o o o o o o o o (TE 257) How are natural resources of the West used? (TE 257) What jobs are created because of the huge forests? (TE 257) What industries depend on the Wests climate? (TE 258) What industries in the West are not based on natural resources? (TE 258) What are the benefits of specialization? (TE 258) What industry based on technology is located in Colorado? (TE 258) What can you learn from the chart? (After paragraph 2 on p. 259) Which parts of the West have the most technology companies? (Review question #2) What conclusions can you draw about the economy in the West?

5. CLOSURE: Discuss the three statements in the Review and Assess sections of TE 259. F. Assessment: What will you use to measure student understanding? Design a Product (TE 258) Students will design products made from one of the natural resources of the West. For example, they can design several pieces of furniture, jewelry made from gold, or a house made of wood. Students will draw and color their designs on a plain piece of paper. Have students gather in small groups to share their designs. Explain how you will know students understand the concepts from the lesson. Students will be able to show how natural resources affect the economy of the West through their designs and discussion about those designs. G. Reflection: 1. Which part of the lesson do you think will be the easiest for you to teach?
Nevada State College EDEL 453 - Spring 2013 Karen Powell- Instructor page 2

Title of Unit: The West Title of Lesson: Resources and Economy Submitted By: Jessica Solomon

The easiest part of the lesson to teach will be the group discussion. The group discussion will allow the students to share perspectives and learn from each others experiences. 2. Which part will be most challenging for you to teach? I think the most difficult portion of the lesson will be in describing the natural resources of the West. Students may not have any background knowledge of mines or the other natural resources used in the West. 3. How will you follow up or extend this lesson? In order to extend the lesson, we will as a class do the Extend Lesson 2 Harmful of Useful? on p. 260-261. 4. What will you do for students who dont grasp the concepts? I would pull any students that did not grasp the concepts aside and we would work on the Reteach Mini Lesson described at the bottom of TE 259. We would work together to fill out a two-column chart to reteach the economy of the West. 5. Which part of the lesson, if any, do you think might need to change? I do not feel like anything in this lesson needs to be changed. I think this lesson does an excellent job teaching how natural resources affect the economy in the West. 6. When you were writing this lesson plan, what was the most difficult part? The most difficult part was writing out the procedures. This was difficult because I wanted to include all the information in the TE that was important for this lesson. Procedures are what makes the lesson flow and go as planned, so having procedures that work well with the lesson will allow for more information to be learned.

Nevada State College

EDEL 453 - Spring 2013

Karen Powell- Instructor

page 3

Title of Unit: The West Title of Lesson: Resources and Economy Submitted By: Jessica Solomon

Nevada State College

EDEL 453 - Spring 2013

Karen Powell- Instructor

page 4

Title of Unit: The West Title of Lesson: Resources and Economy Submitted By: Jessica Solomon

Nevada State College

EDEL 453 - Spring 2013

Karen Powell- Instructor

page 5