Name: Lauren Brenner

Southwest Region
Name: Lauren Brenner
Time Allotted: 60 Minutes
Grade Level: 4th Grade
Subject(s): Social Studies
Materials Required: (create a bulleted list, including texts -- books and articles-- using APA format)
Southwest PowerPoint
The Southwest lyrics
Karaoke Music to Pompeii
Interactive worksheet and pencil for every student
Center directions: Hoover Dam, Colorado River, Census Bureau
Census Bureau Website
o U.S. Department of Commerce. (2013). Census Data Mapper. Retrieved from
http://tigerweb.geo.census.gov/datamapper/map.html
Hoover Dam YouTube
o National Geographic. (January, 2009). New Hoover Dam. Retrieved from
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D7_rzojvKdE
The Colorado River Facts handout
o Primary Facts. (June, 2013). Colorado River Facts. Retrieved from
http://primaryfacts.com/1895/colorado-river-facts/

Southwest Region Project

Southwest Region rubric
Laptop
Student Artifacts
Michigan Content Expectations: S.S. Grade Level Content Expectations (GLCE), E.L.A. or Math Common Core
State Standard (CCSS) or Next Generation Science Standard (NGSS) include both the code AND fully written out
expectation.
4- G1.0.4 Use geographic tools and technologies, stories, songs, and pictures to answer geographic questions about
the United States.
* This lesson is in preparation for the standard: 4-G2.0.2 Compare human and physical characteristics of a
region to which Michigan belongs (e.g., Great Lakes, Midwest) with those of another region in the United
States. First we will learn about each region, and then compare them with the Midwest.
Objective(s): A specific, measurable portion of a GLCE, CCSS, or NGSS (may more clearly state with Blooms
taxonomy verb) including the level of proficiency. (3Cs = Content/Performance, Condition and Criteria i.e. The student
will {Blooms taxonomy verb}{level of Blooms taxonomy learning} so that they demonstrate 4out of 5 or higher proficiency on the {end
of lesson assessment rubric}.

Objective 1: The student will identify human and physical characteristics of the Southwest region so that
students can create a final project where they describe the Southwest, and earn a 2/3 on the rubric.

Name: Lauren Brenner

Assessment: Throughout the entire lesson (For-formative and Of-Summative) how do you assess that students are
progressing towards or have mastered EACH objective? (Formally- tests, quizzes, worksheets, rubric based projects or
performances/Informally observations, conversations). Make sure to include necessary rubrics and/or scoring guides and
answer keys.

Objective 1 Informal Formative Assessment: Through listening to student discussion and answer, I will be
able to generate if students understand the basics of the Southwest region. I will also be able to witness
students critical thinking skills and their ability to collaborate with one another as they attempt to discover
important aspects of the Southwest region.
Objective 1 Formal Formative Assessment: Through reviewing student notes, I will be able to generate if
students are writing down, and understanding the correct information. I will be able to decipher if they are
gaining important knowledge about the Southwest, so that they can later use it for different lessons.
Objective 1 Formal Interim/Summative Assessment: The student will create a final project displaying their
knowledge of the Southwest region. This project requires students to either create a song, poem, drawing, or a
paragraph that describes a minimum of 7 facts about the Southwest. In order for students to be considered
proficient, they must receive a minimum of 2/3 on the rubric. Through students completing this project, the
teacher will be able to see if they clearly understand the key information about the Southwest region.
Directions and Rubrics for this assessment have been attached to this lesson, and will be handed out
individually to each student.

ALSO answer: What data could you generate? What happens if they have/have not met the minimum level of
proficiency on the summative assessment? Please cross-reference where the assessment occurs with the component below (i.e.
formative conversation about the objectives/topic during the anticipatory set; 10-question, summative, whiteboard quiz after independent
practice, before closure).
Through my assessments, I will be able to generate if students are proficient in their understanding of the Southwest region. I will clearly be
able to see this through their summative assessment by how many facts about the Southwest they are able to convey. However, before the
summative assessment I will be able to get a feeling for who is struggling with this subject based on class discussion and participation. When
a student is not active in conversation, and is not able to critically discuss topics, then there is a large chance that they are struggling with this
topic. I will also be able to see how much information students are getting out of the lesson depending on how many notes they are writing
down. If their paper has little to no writing on it, then I know that something in their learning has broken down here and will find a way to
resolve it. If students have not met the minimum proficiency level on the summative assessment, then those students would get together in a
small group with the teacher the next day. Together, we will go over their notes to see what information they wrote down (because if they did
not do well on their summative assessment it is either one of two reasons: they were just lazy on their assessment and didnt care, or they did
not take good notes). After going over their notes, I will be able to see where student learning broke down and will be able to reintroduce
important information to students, and will aid them in discovering some new information for themselves. After they have completed this and
I feel confident in their knowledge, I will have students redo the assessment in order for them to have a better grasp on the concept.
Note: You will embed the names of your assessments into the sections below to communicate when during the instruction part of your lesson
you will implement each assessment and the allotted time necessary. Depending on how quality and detailed your section above is, you
should be able to minimally explain below to keep from repetition.

Instructional Procedure: What information do students need to accomplish the objective?

(The following steps do NOT have to occur in number order 1-6, nor are they necessarily separate components. You may structure
your lesson however you like to best meet your planning needs but make sure to somehow still identify that you have each
component.) Consider and plan how you will transition and other classroom management components that will affect your
instruction.

Name: Lauren Brenner

1. Anticipatory Set: (Allotted Time: 2 minutes)

a. Sing the song The Southwest to the tune of Pompeii (created by Lauren Brenner)
i. Lyrics will be provided on the PowerPoint, and are attached.
b. Previously we have learned about the Midwest and Northeast regions.
c. In the next few lessons we will be learning about the West and Southeast regions, in order to be able to
compare all regions to the region in which we live (the Midwest region).
d. During our lesson, it is important that we respect one another. This means that we do not talk when
someone else is talking and we are active listeners.
e. Let students know that at the end of class, they will be given an opportunity to share their artifacts that
they have from the Southwest with their classmates.
2. State Purpose and Objective of Lesson: (Allotted Time: 1 minute)
a. Today I want you to learn about the human and physical characteristics of the Southwest region.
b. This is important for you to know because it will allow you to understand the differences between your
Midwest region and other reasons, and could impact the decisions you make in the future of where you
would like to live.
c. This connects to our upcoming lessons because after learning about all of the different regions you
will need to understand how to compare and contrast them. This relates to our theme Theres No
Place Like Home because it allows us to see the characteristics of the United States (which is our
home country) and the characteristics of the Midwest Region (which holds our home state, Michigan).
3. Instruction (45 minutes):
a. Direct Interactive Instruction:
i. The teacher will guide students in discovering physical characteristics of the Southwest region
through CGI, and will create centers for students to allow them to discover different human
characteristics of the southwest.
ii. The students will take control of their learning in discovering physical and human
characteristics of the Southwest region through center work and group discussion. Throughout
this process, students will be filling out a work sheet to aid them in comprehension of the topic.
As a final activity, students will be creating a project that displays student understanding of the
Southwest region. Students will be presenting this small project the next day in class to a group
of peers.
b. Modeling (11 minutes):
i. Students will be given an interactive worksheet to fill out during this lesson to aid them in
future comprehension. They are to fill out this worksheet throughout modeling and guided
practice. A copy of the worksheet has been attached to this lesson plan, and a copy will be
given to each individual student.
ii. A map of the United States will be posted on a PowerPoint
1. Ask students, Using your previous knowledge, where on this map do you think the
Southwest region is?
a. Have students come up to the screen and point out to students the area in which
they believe to be southwest
b. Have the student explain to the class their reasoning
iii. One the next slide, there will be a picture of the Southwestern states
1. Have students read together the four states that make up the southwest region: Arizona,
New Mexico, Texas, and Oklahoma.

Name: Lauren Brenner

a. Ask students reasons why they think these states have been considered the
southwest?
b. What do you think these states have in common?
iv. Ask students to share with a partner what they think the weather in the southwest region may
look like.
1. After students have shared with a partner, choose a few students to share their thoughts
out loud with the class,
2. Then go through the different types of weather found in the southwest with the
students.
a. This information will be written down by the students on their worksheet
b. The information can be found on the PowerPoint attached to this lesson
v. The students will now look at topographic map of the United States. They will focus on the
southwest region.
1. The teacher will ask students what information they notice about this map
vi. Students will now be split into 4 different groups to discuss different landforms that are found
in the southwest region. These areas include: Canyon, Plateau, Mesa, and Desert. Pictures of
each landform will be up on the screen.
1. The groups are to come up with a definition for each landform.
2. After students have discussed, they will come together as a class to share their
definitions with one another and explain their reasoning.
3. Then, students will be given the definition of the landforms through the PowerPoint to
write down on their worksheet.
c. Guided Practice (24 minutes):
i. Students will now be split into three separate centers
a. Each center will be three minutes long
b. Within each center, students will be split up into three groups. This way,
students will have smaller groups to work with and will be able to have better
conversation and accomplish more.
2. Census Bureau Website
i. During this time, each group of students will be working off of a
different computer to allow for more research!
b. Students are to explore the website, and discover information about the
Southwest population and race
c. Students are to write down their findings on their notes
d. Directions for this station are attached to this lesson, and will be posted at each
station.
3. Hoover Dam Informational Video
i. During this time, students will all watch the video as a large group
b. Students are to watch this informational video and take notes on it
c. Directions for this station are attached to this lesson, and will be posted at each
station.
4. Colorado River Article
a. Students are to read the information within the article
b. After reading, students are to discuss how the Colorado river affects the lives of
citizens of the southwest.
c. Students are to write notes on their discussion
d. Directions for this station are attached to this lesson, and will be posted at each
station.
d. Independent Practice (10 minutes):
i. Students will be reminded about the song that Ms. Brenner sang at the beginning of the class as
an example of what the teacher is looking for.

Name: Lauren Brenner

ii. As a final assessment, students will create a project to display their understanding of the
Southwest region.
1. In order to complete the assessment, students will choose one of the four options: song,
poem, drawing, or paragraph.
a. Students will pick one project, and will follow the directions for that single
project. A rubric will also be attached in order to give students a better
understanding for what the teacher is looking for.
2. Students will be allowed to work on the assignment at the end of the lesson if there is
time, but will need to take what they have not finished home for homework.
iii. Students will be informed that the following day they will present their projects to small
groups in order to make their learning more concrete.
4.

Differentiated Consideration (Adjust instruction and assessments, tools, resources or activities for students
who):
Students who finish centers early, but may not have mastered the objectives will be told to share their
notes with a partner. This way they will be able to discover more information that they may have not
found on their own, and will be able to hear the information from a different angle. Students will be able
to write this new information on their notes so that they can use it as a source for later on.
Students who struggle to complete the activity will be given extra time and resources in order to enhance
their learning. Due to the way in which the materials are presented, students who struggle with work
individually with the teacher or aid, or in a small group, to enhance instruction. The teacher can aid them
in writing their notes to help them with further comprehension.
Students who show proficiency early will be given more informational topics to research on their own.
This will deepen their understanding of the topic, and allow them to share new information that they have
discovered with others when they share their final project.
Students who are still not proficient at the end of the lesson will be given individual instruction on note
taking and will be given different tools to aid them in comprehension. These students will not do the
assessment that night, and will instead meet with a teacher aid in the morning to go over and deepen their
personal notes. Once students notes are correct and understandable, students can take their notes home
with them and complete their final project.
Students who struggle with writing their information down on paper may have the option of writing using
the Ipad for their personal notes.

5. Closure: (Allotted Time: 10 minutes)

a. With the last 10 minutes of class, I will bring the students all back together to conclude the lesson. I
will restate the objectives for the students from the lesson.
b. To have the students summarize the objectives and what they have learned, they will be given a piece
of paper that resembles a yellow brick, from the yellow brick road. On the brick they will write one
complete the sentence Theres no place like home because... The students will write one way there is
no place like home in regards to the lesson they have created. This brick will be their ticket out of the
door for each lesson. After each lesson the brick will be added to the yellow brick road, leading the
students one step closer to Oz.
c. The students can share with a partner about why theres no place like home based on the lesson.
i. An example would be Theres no place like home because the southwest region is made up of
deserts, mesas, plateaus, and
d. This lesson connects to our theme of Theres No Place like Home because they will be identifying
different aspects of how their home is unique. Each lesson throughout this thematic unit will be
building the students knowledge of what makes their home unique.

Name: Lauren Brenner

6. References:
a. U.S. Department of Commerce. (2013). Census Data Mapper. Retrieved from
http://tigerweb.geo.census.gov/datamapper/map.html
b. National Geographic. (January, 2009). New Hoover Dam. Retrieved from
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D7_rzojvKdE
c. Primary Facts. (June, 2013). Colorado River Facts. Retrieved from
http://primaryfacts.com/1895/colorado-river-facts/
d. Social Studies Alive: Regions of Our Country. (2003). Palo Alto, CA. Teacher Curriculum Institute.

Name: Lauren Brenner

The Southwest
Today you will learn about the southwest region
There it gets very cold, but can also snow
Oklahoma, Arizona, New Mexico, and Texas
Are the states in the southwest region of the wonderful United States
If you open your eyes
You will see the landforms of this countryside
Because they have plateaus,
Mesas, canyons, deserts, and rivers flow
The culture of the region is very diverse
Caucasian, Native American, and Hispanic

Name: Lauren Brenner

Southwest Region Project

Directions: Choose ONE of the following options to display your learning about the
southwest region. Rubrics for each
option can be found attached to this
sheet.

Song

Picture

Create a song about the Southwest

region using the information that you
have learned in class today. The song
can be to any tune that you would
like, and can be however long you
desire. However, the song must
contain minimum of 7 facts about the
Southwest region within it in order to
be given full credit.

Draw a picture about the Southwest

region using the information that you
have learned in class today. The
drawing must convey at least 7 facts
about the Southwest region in order
to be given full credit. Your drawing
must also be labeled in order for the
teacher and classmates to fully
understand your drawing.

Poem

Paragraph

Create a poem about the Southwest

region using the information that you
have learned in class today. The
poem can be in any form that you
desire, but must contain a minimum
of 7 facts about the Southwest region
in order to be given full credit.

Write a paragraph about the

southwest region using the
information that you have learned in
class today. The paragraph must
have proper sentence structure, and
needs to flow smoothly (use
transitions). In order to earn full
credit, the paragraph must contain a
minimum of 7 facts about the
southwest region.

Name: Lauren Brenner

Rubrics

Songs and Poems

3/3

2/3

The student has used

information learned in
class, and has at least 7
facts about the
Southwest region within
their song or poem.

The student has used

information learned in
class, and has between
5-6 facts about the
Southwest region within
their song or poem.

1/3
The student has less
than 5 facts about the
Southwest region.

Picture
3/3
The student has used
information learned in
class to create a
drawing. The drawing
displays at least 7 facts
about the Southwest
region and each aspect
of the drawing is clearly
labeled.

2/3
The student has used
information learned in
class to create a
drawing. The drawing
displays between 5-6
facts about the
Southwest region and
each aspect of the
drawing is clearly
labeled.

Paragraph

1/3
The student has
displayed less than 5
facts about the
Southwest region, or
has not labeled any of
their drawing.

Name: Lauren Brenner

3/3
The student has used
information learned in
class to write a
paragraph. The
paragraph provides at
least 7 facts about the
Southwest region and
uses proper sentence
structure.

2/3
The student has used
information learned in
class to write a
paragraph. The
paragraph provides
between 5-6 facts about
the Southwest region
and uses proper
sentence structure.

1/3
The student has
provided less than 5
facts about the
Southwest region.

Center Directions
Center One: Census Bureau
Directions:
Follow the directions on the left hand side of the website where it states Census Data Mapper.
i. Follow These Steps to Customize Your Map
ii. Discover data about the Southwest region population and race
iii. Write down any and all observations that you find through looking at this site on your
interactive worksheet.
iv. If you have extra time, explore other parts of the site involving the southwest and write
down your observations

Center Two: Colorado River

Directions:
a. Read the worksheet on the Colorado River Facts
b. After reading the facts, discuss with your group ways in which the Colorado river affects the
lives of those living in the Southwest region (example, farming, electricity, survival)
c. Write down your observations on your interactive worksheet.

Name: Lauren Brenner

Center Three: Hoover Dam

Directions:
a. Watch the video on the Hoover Dam with your group
b. During the video, write down information that you have learned
c. After the video, discuss your notes with your group, and write down any extra observations on
your interactive worksheet.