Re: [LM_NET] 4th grade atlas lesson

["Thiebaud, Linda" <thiebaudl@LISD.NET>]

Just reading this email:  There is a fabulous lesson for using the Atlas in Stretch 
Library Lessons:  Research Skills.  It is called The Great Race.  Each pair of 
students get 10 envelopes, a laminated set of clues, sheet of notebook paper, an 
atlas and a scenario.  It is similar to the tv show The Amazing Race.  Fun!

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From: School Library Media & Network Communications 
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Sent: Friday, February 12, 2010 8:20 AM
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Subject: HIT: 4th grade atlas lesson

Thanks to everyone who sent me ideas for a 4th grade atlas lesson!

Replies are below:


Go over basic layout of the atlas then read How To Make an Apple Pie and See
the World by Marjorie Priceman....as you read, have them use the index in
the atlas to find the country the character is visiting. Not too long and
they enjoy the activity.

Good Luck!



I just finished doing a little intro lesson on Atlases for my 3rd grade.  I
start by telling them the story of how Hercules held up the celestial sphere
for Atlas in the garden of the Hesperdes. The kids appreciate making the
connection to how the reference book borrowed it's name from this famous
Titan.  (I use the version in D'Aulaire's Book of Greek Myths).  We  play a
game similar to Battleship using the lines of longitude and latitude.  I
give them the coordinates, then they try to name the state or country.  Then
I work backwards, and name a state or country and ask them to give me the
coordinates.  They like this quite a lot.  I try to get at least 5-10 hands
in the air before I let someone answer.  To be tricky, I'll throw in an area
shown in the inset maps, such as Hawaii or Alaska when we're working with
the US map.  This is a very simple game, but they like it, and it really
helps them get familiar with the Atlas.  good luck!



While all my atlas lessons are in my files at home, I can't offer anything
complete but a couple of things I did incorporate include:

-Creating a Venn diagram to compare the functions a globe and a map (you
could even compare these with GoogleEarth)

-Pointing out that their individual atlases may have a table of contents and
an index and how they are similar to/different from those found in other
fiction/non-fiction books in the library



We do a great lesson of atlas skills that the kids really enjoy, but you do
need a classroom set or two of the same atlases, and some pre-planning.  We
call it gastronomic geography, and I have gone through the atlases, and
located a bunch of names of things that all have something to do with food,
for example, Champagne, Illinois, Table Rock, Goose Island, China, Turkey,
etc.  I use two atlases, one of the world, one of the USA.  I have made up
cards that have six questions each, such as "A city in central Illinois" or
"A country in the Orient" or " a river in southern Texas" and the kids have
to search the map to find the one that has something to do with food or
eating.  The cards are all different, so everyone has to do their own work,
and the harder questions will have visual clues, little pictures of the food
item.  I warn them that many of the answers are PUNS.  It is great practice,
and fun for the kids as well.



I do a lesson where I log into the Internet and we take a virtual field trip
to the Biltmore Estate, one of the castles in America.  We then go into the
atlases to find where it is (use index and map coordinates), how far away
from us it is, and how long it will take to get there.  You could even map a
route on how to get there.  I do this with 3rd grade but it could be adapted
to 4th grade.  I've attached the handout I use.



Thanks again,



Carol Smallwood

School Librarian

Elzie Patton Elementary

Mt. Juliet, TN

smallwoodc@wcschools.com

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