Resources for English Learners

TE p. 10 EP-FA IA p. 7
IDRS p. 2 RSGS p. 5 MLG
RSGS Audio
CHAPTER 1 LESSON 1

The World’s Geography

CST 3; ELA 2.4, ELD Cluster 3ES; ELA 1.1, ELD Cluster 7

CHAPTER 1
STEP 1 The purpose of this step is to have students contribute information about
Activate Prior something in their own life that can be related to the lesson. Teachers should
Knowledge isolate and emphasize student contributions that most closely parallel concepts
in the lesson, and explain their relationship to what students are about to learn.
Engaging students by beginning with what they know more easily engages them
in learning new material.
Use a Round Robin activity to have students discuss the ways in which
where they live affects how they live. Ask students to describe the climate
and landforms of their particular geographical location and list the natural
events that occur. Then have them list effects of these factors on their clothing,
transportation, indoor and outdoor activities, and so forth.

STEP 2 Connect Visually Using visuals to preview the content of text material is
Preview Main important for English learners.
Ideas and This activity has students connect with a visual in their text that illustrates the
Language main theme or idea of the lesson. Have students examine the map on p. 9 and use
it to answer the following:
1. Which continent has land that extends the farthest north? the farthest south?
2. Which is the smallest continent?
3. Is there more water or land on Earth’s surface?
4. Which ocean separates North America from Europe?
5. Which ocean separates South America from Africa?
6. Which ocean is partly surrounded by Africa, Asia, and Australia?
Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

Build Vocabulary The purpose of this activity is to clarify student understanding

of vocabulary that is essential for understanding the section. The key term or terms
that explain the main concepts of the lesson must be defined and discussed. It is
important that teachers check for accurate understanding of terms and clarify as
needed.
Use Part A of Activity Sheet 1.1 to preview key terms. Use an Inside-Outside
Circles activity to have students teach each other the meanings of the terms.
Then have students complete the matching activity on the sheet. Review student
answers as a class and clarify understanding as needed.

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 CHAPTER 1 LESSON 1 LESSON PLAN CONTINUED

STEP 3 It is important to clarify objectives before having students read a section so that
CHAPTER 1

Make Objectives they understand why they are reading. Making objectives clear helps students
Explicit focus on what is most important in the section. There is one objective given for
each major heading. The language of the objectives listed here may vary slightly
from that of the TE to make them more easily understood by English learners.
Preview the objectives by reading each one aloud and writing it on the board or
on an overhead projector.
• Identify the continents and the major oceans on Earth.
• Name the five themes of geography.
• Explain how environment affects people.
Then have students turn to a partner and explain in their own words what
they will be learning, based on the objectives. Be sure to clarify student
understanding. If students’ first language is Spanish, have them read the lesson
summary in the Reading Study Guide (English or Spanish).

STEP 4 Cooperative Work Cooperative learning is especially important for English

Support Student learners. One of the key principals for making information comprehensible to
Reading English learners is increasing interaction in the classroom. Increased interaction
promotes communication which, in turn, provides increased practice with
language skills. It has been shown that this cooperative work helps students
retain new language as well as new content knowledge.
Have students work in pairs and use a Pair-Share activity to complete Part B of
Activity Sheet 1.1. Be sure to review student answers as a class. Using graphic
organizers helps English learners visualize complex information in a systematic and
orderly fashion. Graphic organizers allow students to take concepts learned through
verbal skills and represent them visually, which helps to increase understanding.

Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

On One’s Own These questions are intended to check student comprehension.
By previewing them and clarifying their meaning before students read, English
learners will have a tool to guide and focus their reading. To further help students,
the page and paragraph indicating the location of the answer is provided.
Preview the following questions by asking students what they understand the
questions to mean and providing clarification as needed. Then have students
search for answers while reading. Once students have finished reading, help
them create complete sentences in their notebooks.
1. What are the seven continents into which Earth is divided? (p. 9, par. 3)
2. What are the major kinds of landforms and bodies of water on Earth?
(p. 10, pars. 2–3)
3. Which geographical theme is useful for making comparisons between
areas? (p. 11, par. 1)
4. Which geographical theme deals with immigration? (p. 11, par. 1)
5. Which affects people more over the long term, weather or climate?
(p. 12, par. 1)
6. How does climate affect a location’s vegetation? (p. 12, par. 2)

4 Chapter 1, Lesson 1
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 CHAPTER 1 LESSON 1 LESSON PLAN CONTINUED

STEP 5 Alternative Assessment This activity allows English learners to demonstrate

CHAPTER 1
Prepare for understanding of the material without formal testing. It also prepares students
Assessment for more qualitative types of assessment.Break students into small groups and
have them review the text under one of the main headings in the lesson. (Assign
different headings to different groups.) Then have the groups summarize the
main ideas of the text in a chart, graphic, cartoon, poster, or other visual. To
assess students’ work, use the Standards for Evaluating a Cooperative Activity
on p. 7 of Integrated Assessment.
Formal Assessment This activity provides preparation, practice, and options for
undertaking formal testing. To check comprehension, have students complete the
Chapter 1, Lesson 1 Quiz on p. 5 in Formal Assessment.
Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

Chapter 1, Lesson 1 5
Modified Lesson Plans for English Learners

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