This inquiry engages third-grade students in exploring world geography through the compelling question “Where are we?” This question sparks students’ intellectual curiosity through the study of geographic location and the impact of humans on their environment. Working with evidence from sources, students should understand that, although we can be in different “places,” our impact on Earth is worth considering.
Where Are We?
Where are we, as a class community, located?
Formative TasksDescribe the location of the school using geographic tools and vocabulary.
SourcesSource A: Google Maps
Where are we, as people on Earth, located?
Formative TasksComplete a two-column chart that describes the location of the world’s people in terms of population density.
SourcesSource A: Population density map<br /> Source B: Earth’s City Lights
Why are we where we are?
Formative TasksAssemble an I Notice/I Think chart drawing conclusions about geographic factors that encourage or deter human settlement.
SourcesSource A: Global climate zone map<br /> Source B: Global elevation zone map
Where are the “human footprints” on Earth?
Formative TasksCreate a concept web that makes and supports a claim about how the choices and actions of people influence our planet.
SourcesSource A: Diaper Disaster <br /> Source B: Human Footprint Consumption <br /> Source C: US Environmental Protection Agency website on climate change
Argument: Where are we? Construct an argument supported with evidence that addresses the compelling question from the concrete (our class) to abstract (human impact on the environment).
Extension:
Understand: Accomplished through Formative Tasks 1 and 2
Assess: Accomplished through Formative Tasks 3 and 4
Act: Host an environmental fair or Earth Day celebration to share information about “human footprints” with the local community.
C3Teachers.org facilitates open collaborative conversations among teachers as they tinker with their own instructional practice as it relates to the C3 Framework.
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