Instruction and Assessment in Elementary Social Studies
Digging Into Blood on the River
Agenda
Adapting Primary Sources
Teachers can adapt primary sources in the following ways:
See Adapting Documents for the Classroom: Equity and Access for additional suggestions.
Focusing
Focusing includes:
Simplification
Simplification includes:
Presentation
Presentation includes:
Link to primary source.
Additional Examples
These are examples we viewed in class last week.
Anticipation Guide
How did you do?
About Historical Fiction
Excerpt from p. 231
“This book, like my other historical novels, is a mix of what really did happen and what could have happened. All of the major events and most of the minor events are based on what happened on the journey from England and in Jamestown as described in the narratives written by the settlers themselves.”
Understanding the Characters
Excerpt from p. 231
“All of the “characters,” once the story leaves England, were real people.”
How can we found about more about them?
1617 Engraving of John Smith, Unidentified artist
This engraving was created c. 1617 and provides students with an image of the Captain John Smith. It is suggested that he published this portrait of himself in 1616.
John Smith. (c. 1617). John Smith [Engraving on paper]. Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery. https://npg.si.edu/object/npg_NPG.72.113.
John Smith by Simon de Passe
This portrait of John Smith appears alongside a map of New England. Created in 1616, John Smith would have been about 37 years old at the time it was created.
de Passe, S. (1616). John Smith [Line engraving]. National Portrait Gallery. https://www.npg.org.uk/collections/search/portrait/mw08969/John-Smith?LinkID=mp06266&role=sit&rNo=0
Secondary Sources
Essential Question
What stories do maps tell us about places and spaces?
John Smith Map Activity
Group Work
With your group, examine the John Smith map. Use a magnifying glass to see the finer details.
When the timer ends, please finish your work and prepare to share.
20 min
John Smith Map Questions
What other questions might you pose to students?
More Map Questions
Exploring An Atlas of Virginia
Independent Work
Open An Atlas of Virginia
Skim pages 38-43 in the atlas. What do you notice? What do you wonder? Record your work on the handout.
Reflect on how these pages connect to Blood on the River.
When the timer ends, please finish your work and prepare to share.
20 min
What is Geography?
Geography is the study of the Earth and its peoples.�
It is how we study the Earth’s surface and make connections among people, places, and the environment.
Geographic Skills
5 Themes of Geography
Location
Using Grids
Every site has a unique location on planet Earth (or in space).
Location can be defined in reference to a grid.
Can be latitude and longitude or alphanumeric.
Maps and Globes
Maps and globes can be used to find location, but they also show other geographic elements.
Thematic maps provide location and distribution of a particular factor.
Road maps and navigational charts show routes for travel.
World Map Activity
Group Work
Draw a map of the world and label the following locations and features:
When the timer ends, please finish your work and rejoin the class..
10 min
Map Projections
How can you represent our round Earth on flat paper?
Conformal vs. Equivalent
What is more important?
The more accurately you depict shape, the less accurate your depiction of size, and vice versa.
No projection can do both.
Mercator Projection
Mercator Comparisons
How Big IS Africa?
Goode Projection
Hobo-Dyer Projection
Fuller Dymaxion Projection
Gall-Peter’s Projection
Robinson Projection
Winkel Tripel Projection
Robinson vs. Winkel Tripel
Why Every World Map is Wrong
Place
What are the distinctive characteristics or features that make one place different from or similar to other places?
Physical Characteristics
How Many Oceans Are There?
While there is only one global ocean, the vast body of water that covers 71 percent of the Earth is geographically divided into distinct named regions. The boundaries between these regions have evolved over time for a variety of historical, cultural, geographical, and scientific reasons.
How Many Ocean Basins Are There?
Historically, there are four named oceans: the Atlantic, Pacific, Indian, and Arctic.
How Many Oceans Are There Today?
The Southern Ocean is the 'newest' named ocean. It is recognized as the body of water extending from the coast of Antarctica to the line of latitude at 60 degrees South.
Human Characteristics
US Map Activity
Group Work
Draw in and label the following locations and features on a map of the United States:
When the timer ends, please finish your work and rejoin the class..
10 min
Human-Environmental Interactions
What is the relationship between humans and the environment?
environment to meet their needs. For example, they build dams, plow and irrigate fields, and dig mines. They build houses, schools, and shopping centers on land.
Movement
How and why are places connected with one another?
Regions and places are connected by movement or human interactions.
Relationships between people in different places are shaped by the constant movement of people, ideas, materials, and physical systems such as wind. Our world is in constant motion, constantly changing.
Regions
A region is a basic unit of geographic study. It is defined as an area that has unifying characteristics.
Uniform Region
Uniform regions are defined by some uniform cultural or physical characteristic. Examples include:
Functional Region
A functional region has a focal point (often a city) and is the organized space surrounding that central location. Examples include:
Cultural Diversity
Understanding regions can lead to understanding human diversity.
Regions illustrate cultural differences and similarities between areas of the world and groups of people
Regions illustrate ways in which national, racial, or ethnic groups interact with each other in different contexts
Closure
The Daily Dozen
Respond to ONE of the following prompts: