Brazil Lesson 2
Brazil Lesson 2
Brazil Lesson 2
Day Number: 12
Author: Bradley Strathmeyer
Unit: 3
Grade level: 3rd
Background information:
This lesson teaches the students about the Amazon River. In groups,
students will compare and contrast the Amazon River with the
Mississippi River using a Venn diagram. They will read an article
online, and use facts and pictures to describe both rivers.
Differentiation:
Upper level- the teacher will give a list of items that the students will
compare, like length, major cities it flows through, etc., not just any
facts from the article, which is what the rest of the class will be doing.
Lower level- the teacher will provide a sheet with key words and
phrases, to help the students in deciding which part of the Venn
diagram to place each fact.
Closure:
The class will come together at the end, and share the facts of each
river based off of their Venn diagrams. The teacher will ask one group
at a time to give one fact in each section of their Venn diagram. Once
the class is finished with the descriptions, the teacher will go over the
answers to the picture-matching portion of the activity.
Formative/Summative Assessment:
Formative
o The teacher will walk around the room during the small
group activity, making sure the students comprehend the
activity while participating with their group members
(learning objective 1 and 3).
o The students will turn in the Venn diagram at the end of
the activity for a grade based off of correctness (learning
objective 2).
Summative
o No summative assessment
Materials/Equipment:
Projector
White board
Dry erase markers
Tablets (iPads)
Large pieces of paper
Colorful markers
Bag of pictures
Reading material
o Amazon Riverhttp://www.socialstudiesforkids.com/articles/geography/amaz
onriver.htm
o Mississippi Riverhttp://www.socialstudiesforkids.com/articles/geography/missi
ssippiriver.htm
Technology:
Projector
Tablets (iPads)
Websites (links above)
Reflection on Planning:
Dont forget to ask for predictions, promote reference of
Mississippi in comparison to Amazon
Walk around classroom during small group time and ask why
students put each fact in specific column, or ask why they
matched a picture in the specific column
Have website links at the ready for kids, and directions on how to
get to the sites if the link doesnt work
Have extra bags of pictures in case more groups are needed
Content Outline:
a) Land of the Amazon
i) Ancestor relative who was born long ago
ii) Generation people born and living at the same time
iii) Brazil is largest country in South America
iv) Natural Resources: coffee, sugar, soya beans, timber,
and metals such as gold, nickel and platinum
v) Culture
Cut out the pictures below. Decide where each picture goes by placing
it on the Venn diagram. The pictures are of either the Amazon River or
the Mississippi River.
the rivers
Where the name of the river comes from
The source of the river
Where does it fall on the list of longest rivers in the world? For
example, the Nile is the #1 longest river in the world
When were the rivers first encountered?