Description
Contemporary geography is about the study of the distribution, patterns, and processes that shape the physical and human landscapes of Earth and, in particular, the interactions between people and the environment. This third grade unit develops students' understanding of patterns, an essential skill necessary in geographic understanding (Shell, Roth, & Mohan; 2013). In this unit students will be engaged in a place-based unit borrowed from Amy Demarest’s, Place-based Education framework. The materials for implementing this unit include: maps, primary source documents, informational text, and a community park. Activities for this unit include: observation, prediction, planning, journaling, documenting, photography, and inquiry; and are assessed by evaluating transfer of knowledge.
This standards based unit follows the College, Career, and Civic Life (C3) framework as well as the Delaware State Social Studies Standards for Geography. The unit can be replicated anywhere that a community park can be found. This unit is based on a State of Delaware park, The Brandywine State Park, located in Wilmington, Delaware. The park was selected for its beauty, history, and diverse geographic features, but more importantly because of its location near several urban elementary schools. It is felt by the author that often times students of urban, high poverty, high minority schools lack opportunities to examine local areas with a geographic lens. This skills learned and applied by students participating in this unit are skills that are transferable and will serve them well as adults in college, career, and civic life.
