Stepping Back and Reviewing the Vocabulary

On Friday we took a step back and in our notebooks wrote the definitions for the following geography terms:

- compass rose

- map

- symbol

- legend

- cardinal directions

- title

This exercise should have prepared us well for the upcoming Class Work #1.

Bringing Everyone On Board for Class Work #1

Yesterday we continued our efforts toward getting the entire class ready for class work #1. Most students who kept engaged and focused eventually had "aha" moments when we worked through specific questions together. I am optimistic for a good outcome on Class Work #1.

Reviewing our New Geography Skills

Yesterday we spent time reviewing the skills we have picked up over the past couple of weeks. There were some bumps in the road in terms of student conduct and understanding/communication of directions, but overall momentum is positive and the 3rd Grade will be ready to do our "quiz-like" activity.

Building Steam Toward "Quiz"

"Quiz" is in quotes because while assignment we will do shortly has many of the qualities of a "quiz"--no talking, a limited amount of time to complete--it will be quite simple and straightforward.

On Tuesday the 3rd grade classes finished p. 12, "Reading Symbols on a Map."

Next up is the Skill Check on p. 13. Hint; the "quiz" will strongly resemble the Skill Check!

Building Positive Momentum-Quiz Soon

3rd Grade classes are moving smoother thanks to clearer and firmer guidance and consequently stronger student engagement. On Monday classes reviewed "Reading a Resource Map" on p. 10, moved forward with "Reading a Population Map" on p.11, and made ground on "Reading Symbols on a Map" on p. 12.

There will be a quiz soon (probably Friday)-students who were not informed yesterday will be informed today.

Reading a Resource Map

After clarifying the definition of a "resource," the group worked on a "Resources in Ohio" map, the students practicing their skills with cardinal directions (N, S, E, W) and using a legend and its corresponding symbols.

Reading a Resource Map

Yesterday we tackled ¨Reading a Resource Map¨ on page 10 of the book after reviewing answers to ¨Directions and Legends.¨

Directions and Legends

The 3rd graders settled into an effective rhythm in their work on Directions and Legends. After reviewing the compass and its directions (N, S, E, W, as well as the intermediate directions) we worked on p. 8-9, using the compass (directions) and legends as a tool and responding to questions.

Some of the questions in the book were tricky, which unsurprisingly led to student inquiries. It is my responsibility to maximize the preemption of such unclarity.

We fell a little bit behind the first few of days of school but we will push forward and catch up, making sure to keep everyone on board as we continue to learn about geography.

Testing Our Knowledge of "History´s Stage"

4th graders today continued their reading about ¨History´s Stage¨ (a.k.a. Planet Earth). I was pleased with the performance on the Lesson One review, as students showed a solid grasp of basic geography concepts. We are ready to move on to learn about the first ¨actors¨ on this stage--Early Man.

Geography Themes (and Vocabulary)

Things settled down after a hectic first day and the start of the first full week looks bright. On Friday we covered p. 4-7 ("The Five Themes of Vocabulary"-Location, Place, Human/Environment Interaction, Movement, and Regions), focusing on vocabulary. In the next class we will answer the questions together before moving on to p. 8-9 ("Directions and Legends").

A Busy First Day!

Good afternoon dear students. We did a lot today; we passed out books and the syllabus, did introductions, and generally got a feel for how we would proceed. The real work starts tomorrow. I am looking forward to learning with you as we cover geography and world affairs.