NCSS Theme 3

John Stokes
Capstone Portfolio

NCSS Overview

Substrand: Geography
Substrand 1: Geospatial Skills

Standard 1 People use geographic representations and geospatial technologies to acquire,

process and report information within a spatial context.

Standard 2 Geographic inquiry is a process in which people ask geographic questions and
gather, organize and analyze information to solve problems and plan for the future.

Substrand 2: Places and Regions

Standard 3 Places have physical characteristics (such as climate, topography and vegetation)
and human characteristics (such as culture, population, political and economic systems).

Standard 4 People construct regions to identify, organize and interpret areas of the earths
surface, which simplifies the earths complexity.

Substrand 3: Human Systems

Standard 5 - The characteristics, distribution and migration of human populations on the earths
surface influence human systems (cultural, economic and political systems).

Standard 6 - Geographic factors influence the distribution, functions, growth and patterns of
cities and human settlements.

Standard 7 - The characteristics, distribution, and complexity of the earths cultures influence
human systems (social, economic and political systems).

Standard 8 - Processes of cooperation and conflict among people influence the division and
control of the earths surface.

Substrand 4: Human Environment Interaction

Standard 9 - The environment influences human actions; and humans both adapt to, and
change, the environment.

Standard 10 - The meaning, use, distribution and importance of resources changes over time.
Substrand: History
Substrand 3: World History

Standard 6 - Environmental changes and human adaptation enabled human migration from
Africa to other regions of the world. (The Beginnings of Human History: 200,0008000 BCE)

Additional Resources:
http://www.discoveryeducation.com/ (Discovery Education)
http://www.nationalgeographic.org/lesson/?q=&per_page=25 (National Geographic)
https://historyexplorer.si.edu/lessons (Smithsonian)
http://www.loc.gov/teachers/ (Library of Congress)
http://teachinghistory.org/teaching-materials/lesson-plan-reviews (Teaching History)
https://gai.uni.edu/lesson-plans-and-curricular-materials/9-12 (University of Northern Iowa)
http://www.educationworld.com/a_lesson/lesson/lesson325.shtml (Education World)
http://www.nea.org/tools/lessons/teaching-with-maps.html (National Education Association)
https://www.nps.gov/index.htm (National Park Service)

Summary of the Theme

As described on the National Council for Social Studies Website, NCSS Theme

3 relates to the idea of People, Places and Environment. The theme of

People, Places, and Environment also deal with various other subtopics

within the theme that educators should make sure when they cover the

theme and the key points that students will be able to learn in the theme.

The first main topic refers to how the study of people, places and

environment enables us to understand the relationship between human

populations and the physical world. During these topic students will learn the

influences of physical symptoms such as climate change, and natural

resources. The second main topic related to this theme talks about how
during this theme learners will develop an understanding of spatial

perspectives and examine changes in the relationship between people,

places and environment. During this topic students will study the

communications and transportation networks that link different population

networks, the reasons for the network and their impact. This can be done by

looking at railways in the city or examining urban centers. The third main

topic relates to the how students answer and can relate to questions. Some

possibilities of the questions they are talking about are why do people live

where they live, why do people move, how do people interact with the

environment, and why is location important. All of those questions are

important and can be answered by students being engaged in the content

and the teachers understanding the theme. The fourth main topic relates to

where this theme will be covered. This theme is covered in classes related to

courses dealing with geography, and world cultures. This fits the mold of

what Minnesota Eighth Graders have to cover in their social studies class. A

strength of this theme is that it answers a lot of questions about the world

we live in today. Students will learn about why people settled, why groups

moved and the push/pull effect that many regions have both in the United

States and the World. Another strength of this theme is that many students

can relate to what is being taught and understand why they live where they

live or what brought their parents here. A weakness of this theme is that you

could go in so many different directions with it and miss the point of the
theme or students could feel overwhelmed will all the material the theme

presents.

Lesson Plan 1

Lesson Plan 1: Building a Sod House

Objective: In this interactive activity, students will attempt to build a sod

house by making choices regarding the construction of their house. Too
many wrong answers and the house will collapse! This engaging and
lighthearted activity will help students understand the challenges settlers
faced while trying to survive on the open prairie. Our Story is a series of
modules designed to help children and adults enjoy exploring history
together through the use of objects from the Museum's vast collections,
quality children's literature, and engaging hands-on activities. Ideal for
afterschool use, OurStory resources will allow students to think critically, to
be creative, and to achieve academic standards both in and out of the
classroom.

Source: https://historyexplorer.si.edu/resource/building-sod-house

Minnesota K-12 Academic Standards in Social Studies: 8.3.3.5.1

The characteristics, distribution and migration of human populations on the

earths surface influence human system

Benchmark: Describe the locations of human populations and the cultural

characteristics of the United States and Canada.

Strengths and Weaknesses: A strength of this lesson is that it is

interactive. Students get to learn and be an active participant in the lesson
and students also get to learn about what setters lived in during the
westward expansion period. Another strength of this lesson is that it allows
students to complete at their own pace as it is a lesson that take places on
the computer. A weakness of this lesson is that it requires students and
teachers to have access to a computer and a computer program which can
be an issue for many students.
Lesson Plan 2

Lesson Plan 2: Around the World in Five Days

Overview: Students will learn the ways of the world, and also Students will
become healthy, educated, ethical and productive citizens

Source:
https://gai.uni.edu/sites/default/files/lesson_plans/9_12/around_the_
world_in_five_days_0.pdf

MN K-12 State Standards in Social Studies 9.3.1.1.1

People use geographic representations and geospatial technologies to

acquire, process and report information within a spatial context.

Benchmarks: Create tables, graphs, charts, diagrams and various kinds of

maps including symbol, dot and choropleth maps to depict the geographic
implications of current world events or to solve geographic problems.

Strengths and Weaknesses: A strength of this lesson is that it involves

students to be hands on in the specific lesson. This lesson allows students to
pick where they want to go around the world and allows them to pick places
they may be interested in. Another strength of this lesson is that it allows
students to be investigators and find where to go and the path it takes to get
there. A weakness of the lesson is that this lesson could take multiple days
so depending on time constraints could be more time then you can afford.
Another Weakness is that this lesson requires access to computers which
could be a problem for some schools.