Early Planning

Lets get the show on the road... at this point in the semester it is time to get down to business and start getting into the intty gritty work involved in this collaboration project. My teaching partner, the classroom teacher Andrea Jarvis and I have decided to focus our project on Michigan studies for third grade, which is the social studies curriculum stated by the Michigan Department of Education. Within the social studies curriculum for third grade there are many different focuses all revolving around Michigan. We have chosen to keep our focus on the geography aspect of the curriculum due to the ability to implement great inquiry based activities and lessons that can be incorporated into our unit, such as online scavenger hunts and the use of Google Earth. Because of this ability we will be able to seamlessly connect the Michigan benchmarks and standards with the Standards for the 21st-Century Learner.

The division of tasks are as follows:

Andrea Jarvis (classroom teacher):

• Essential Questions
• Resources
• School Narrative
• Lesson Plans

Rachel Menovcik (school librarian):

• Essential Questions
• Resources
• Benchmarks & Standards
• Pre & Post Assessments

Even though the tasks have been divided between us, we intend to work closely with one another to help make the unit plan as beneficial to student learning as possible. By having a close working relationship, we will also provide for optimal connections between all the different aspects of the unit, making each element connect and flow with the larger picture of the assignment.

We chose our essential questions for the unit, by using what the Michigan Department of Education stated for the Grade Level Content Expectations (GLCEs) for third grade social studies geography unit. We found that these questions fit with our idea of what was important for students' knowledge at the end of the unit. These questions will guide all aspects of the unit from the benchmarks and standards that fit with the unit, to the formation of the pre and post assessments of the whole unit, and the individual lessons that will teach students the information and skills to guide their inquiry based learning. The essential questions will keep the unit centered on what is important for student learning.

Big Idea:

Using geography to learn more about Michigan.

Essential Questions:

• What caused the shape of Michigan and determined its physical characteristics?
• How do maps of Michigan provide information about people places, and physical and cultural environments?
• How does geography affect how and where people lived in Michigan?

Goals for the Unit:

• How do you use cardinal directions (north, east, south, west) to describe locations and features on a map?
• How can we use thematic maps to identify and describe the physical and human characteristics of Michigan?
• Were students able to use a variety of visual materials and data sources to describe ways in which Michigan can be divided into regions?
• Can students describe the different regions to which Michigan belongs (Great Lakes, Mid-West, etc.)?

So far, our collaboration has been nothing but wonderful. We have been able to share ideas and come together to make good choices for our unit plan. We both have taken equal responsibility of the work and have been giving 100% effort. It has been rewarding thus far, to have a partner to collaborate with that shares such a good work ethic. This will help us collaborate to produce a quality unit plan. I am excited to continue working closely with Andrea on this teacher-librarian collaboration.