Unit Plan

Name:

Jim Ivory
Subject:

Social Studies

Grade:

5th - 6th

Unit Topic:

Creating your own country

Overarching Goal of Unit:
There is more to a country than what you see on the surface. Many things going into shaping countries identity: demographics,
economics, physical geography. Other countries are very different in makeup than the United States and what makes them different.
To take all aspects learned and apply them to creating their perfect country they think they could sell their peers on moving to.

Rationale:
The students will see that each country is unique and has its own ideals, geography, population make up, economy, and . This will give
the student a better idea of the diversity of the increasingly smaller global community. The students should also find in creating their
own country and trying to sell their peers on it, their views of what might be perfect will probably be just their view. It will also give
them resources to find current and creditable information in the future on government statistics.

Sketch of Learning Activities Throughout Unit: What will students do to meet those goals? (10-15 days of lessons)

Day 1

Day 2

Day 3

Day 4

Day 5

Lesson Rationale:

Lesson Rationale:

Lesson Rationale:

Lesson Rationale:

Lesson Rationale:

Introduce idea there are many

countries outside USA

Introduce Demographic Data and

terminology

Computer lab: Researching

and filling out demographic
worksheet for three countries

Introduce six common forms

of government

Sharing different types of

news stories and what
categories they fall into

Lesson Objectives:

Lesson Objectives:

Lesson Objectives:

Lesson Objectives:

Lesson Objectives:

Students will be able to name

three more countries than
they could before class.

Students will be able to give

three examples of demographic
data.

Students will be able to locate

demographic information on
the web.

Students will be able to list

four of six types of
governments discussed in
class.

Students will be able to locate

information in the media
pertaining to a foreign
government.

Students will be able to

pronounce each country
mentioned by their
classmates.

Sketch of lessons
activities:

Students will be able to find

population statistics, life
expectancy, and
unemployment rates of a
country and know how to
compare them to other
countries.

Students will be able to

provide an example of a
country outside North America
and what their form of govt. is.

Students will be able to share

two categories the news
stories fell into.

Students will know the

difference between continents
and countries.

Begin by having groups use

dictionaries to complete a
matching worksheet of 10
demographic terms.

Sketch of lessons
activities:

Go over terms as a whole group

and provide them with real life
examples.

Five minute, three question

lesson pre-test

Smart board used to highlight

demographic data of USA.

Whole class in a circle: Globe

beach ball is passed around
and students who catch the
ball have to name a country
one of their fingers is pointing
to and name the continent it is
on.

Students are shown several

websites where this information
can be accessed including CIA
World Fact Book which will be
used for next days activity.

Have students list as many

more countries as they can in
three minutes on their own.
Share that list with a small
group and come up with their
groups master list.

Assessments:
Exit sheet name two examples
of types of Demographic data for
five points

Sketch of lessons
activities:
Go to computer lab and log on
to the CIA World Fact Book
website
Students will be given a
worksheet where they fill in
the columns with three
countries of their choice that
start with the first letter of
their first name or last name.
Find the answers to the
demographic data already in
the rows.

Sketch of lessons
activities:
Six groups will each take a
form of government and
define it, find two to three
examples of it being used, and
present the form to the class.
Teacher provides additional
information not presented by
the groups to clarify each form
of government.
Assignment of finding a semicurrent event article or story
in a newspaper, magazine, or
online relating to a foreign
country is discussed in class

Assessments:
Assessments:
Students will show turn in
their worksheets at the end of
the class period.

Sketch of lessons
activities:
Go around the room and each
student tells what country
they found an article on and
briefly what it was about
List on board what types of
things made the news about
these countries and why they
might be news worthy for us in
the United States.
As a class, categorize the
stories into political,
economic, tourism, physical,
or entertainment.

Assessments:
Each student presents a form
of semi-current event about a

Assessments:

Exit ticket: list of four types of

government and one country
outside NA and their form of
government for 5 points.

Turn and talk with neighbor

tell them three new countries
they have never heard of prior
to lesson.

foreign country.
Exit ticket two types of news
stories

The whole class will repeat the

name of each country a
student says during the beach
ball game to learn
pronunciation.

Day 6

Day 7

Day 8

Day 9

Day 10

Lesson Rationale:

Lesson Rationale:

Lesson Rationale:

Lesson Rationale:

Lesson Rationale:

Role of geography in shaping

a country. Imports, Exports,
and currency

Role and introduction of basic

Economics: Role play to enhance
comprehension of every action
has an equal reaction

Creating a new countries

Demographic Profile

Create a class legend for their

country maps. Begin Creating
Map of Country

Finish up Country Map

Lesson Objectives:

Lesson Objectives:

Lesson Objectives:

Lesson Objectives:

Lesson Objectives:

Students will be able to list

three physical features that
play roles in economy of a
country.

Students will be able to observe

how one decision effects other
future decisions.

Students will be able to

combine
previous
lessons
information to create own
demographic data for their
new country.

Students
will
coordinate
together on general symbols
they will all use to delineate
items on their maps.

Students will be able to

construct
a
unique
map
utilizing the legend they
created with their peers.

Students will be able to

classify which physical data
they have created can go on
their maps.

Students will be able to

highlight the key geographical
features that make their
country unique.

Sketch of lessons
activities:

Sketch of lessons
activities:

Show and explain three types

of maps on the smart board:
road, political, and physical.

Break out the maps started

the day before and continue
creating an outline in pencil.

In groups of five, come up with

Get out colored pencils and

Students will be able to

compare different currencies
to the US dollar.
Students will be able to
identify USAs top import and
export and hypothesize why
each is the top.

Sketch of lessons
activities:
Introduce

some

new

Students will discover how one

nations actions can change
history.

Sketch of
activities:

lessons

Students will create an account

on
http://www.worldgameofeconomic
s.com/
Individually on classroom iPads
and role play the daily duties of

Students will be able to

identify 3 key aspects of their
country that they think makes
it unique.

Sketch of lessons
activities:
Take first five to ten minutes
to review the broad concept
ideas we have discussed over
the last week and a half. Ask

terminology by way
crossword puzzle.

of

Powerpoint of showing the

diversity
of
different
currencies around the world.
Watch three short youtube
videos
showing
how
geography
affects
local
economies: tourism, trade,
and agriculture.
View .pdf of USAs top imports
and exports and discuss in
groups of five why the top
three of each are what they
are. Then comeback as whole
class and discuss groups final
thoughts.

Assessments:
Exit ticket: Name two ways
Geography can affect an
economy? What is USAs top
import/export? What is your
favorite new currency? Why?

the chief economic advisers to

the president, the legislature, and
the
central
bank
of
their
countries.
Students will break into groups
created by counting off 1-5 and
take turns talking about what
types of things came up during
their role play.
Come back together as a whole
class and have a discussion on
what similarities their groups
came across and highlight what
struck
the
students
as
unexpected.

Assessments:
Walk around the room while
students are engaged in their
online role play and check on
understanding of basic idea of
how economics effects the role
play.
Observe the group discussions

for volunteers to summarize

the key topics.

a list of features one might

find on a legend.

Hand out a new worksheet

similar to the one filled out for
three countries in previous
lesson and have class fill out
data for their own newly
created country.

As a whole class, list on the

board all the different types of
physical features that could
show up on a map.

Last five minutes, have class

partner up and share their
favorite highlights they came
up with.

Assessments:
Students will share some
details of their new country
with a classmate.
Students demographic sheets
will
be
filled
out
with
appropriate information.

Once the official list is made,

have the volunteers come up
to the board and draw
possible symbols for each.
Have
the
class
decide
democratically by majority
rule which symbol will be used
for each feature.
Once symbols are created,
show the class what US
Geological Survey uses as
their customary symbols on
legends to see how they
compare.
Hand out blank tag board and
show the class three examples
from previous years of how
their maps could end up
looking like.
Let them begin sketching out
their initial drawings of their
country.

Assessments:
Class will have come up with
symbols for each of the
features on the board.
Among groups, teacher was
able to observe students
participation in creation of a
list of possible features.

markers so students can use

them to trace and color in
their country map sketches.
Halfway through the
have them stop for
minutes. At their tables,
them share two things
are excited about on
maps.

hour,
five
have
they
their

Finish maps up

Assessments:
Teacher will walk around
during work time and check in
on students and provide
constructive feedback.
Students will share highlights
with peers
Each student will turn in a
unique map of their new
country
which
highlights
physical
geography
and
possible economic clues using
the agreed upon legend.

Day 11

Day 12

Day 13

Day 14

Lesson Rationale:

Lesson Rationale:

Lesson Rationale:

Lesson Rationale:

Write brief history of country,

conflicts,
and
present
interests. Last minute finishing
touches

Present Country to class

Present Country to class (day

2)

Assemble our World Map!

Lesson Objectives:

Lesson Objectives:

Lesson Objectives:

Lesson Objectives:

Students will be able to create

a fictionalize paragraph or two
about their countries history
using
terminology
studied
over past two weeks.

Students will be able to present

their country in an interesting
fashion by highlighting what
makes their country unique and
why it would be successful.

Students will be able to

present their country in an
interesting
fashion
by
highlighting what makes their
country unique and why it
would be successful.

Students will be able to work

together to combine each
others work into a cohesive
wall map of their shared new
world.

Sketch of lessons
activities:

Students will provide constructive

feedback
while
listening
to
presentations by giving reasons
for and against why they would or
would not want to be a citizen of
presenters country.

Students gather around in a

circle and you pass out one
slip of paper to each of the
students. The paper will have
a different idea relating to the
history, conflicts, or interests
of a country on it. Each
student will read their word or
phrase and say the first thing
that comes to mind. Teacher

Sketch of
activities:

lessons

Students
will
provide
constructive feedback while
listening to presentations by
giving reasons for and against
why they would or would not
want to be a citizen of
presenters country.

Sketch of lessons
activities:

Students

Students will partner up and

given

five

Lesson Rationale:

Lesson Objectives:

Students will be able to

understand what limitations
and compromises might be
needed when a country is run
by you but made of many.

Sketch of lessons
activities:
are

Day 15

Sketch of lessons

elaborates
each is.

or

explain

what

The group breaks off to their

tables and are given twenty
minutes to write a fictional
history for their growing
country using some of the
terminology learned over the
course of the unit.
Last five minutes are spent
partnered
up
with
each
reading or highlighting their
countries history.

Assessments:
Students will
history
with
classmate.

share
one

their
other

Students will use ideas from

circle discussion in their
country history papers.

Students are given five minutes

to share the highlights of their
country to the whole class. This
can be done using a powerpoint,
giving a state of the union type
speech, sharing fake spread
sheets of data, a tourism
brochure, etc.

minutes
to
share
the
highlights of their country to
the whole class. This can be
done using a powerpoint,
giving a state of the union
type speech, sharing fake
spread sheets of data, a
tourism brochure, etc.

share some of the comments

they received from their
presentations. The pairs will
focus on the reasons their
peers choose not to move to
their country and discuss why
or why not to make any
changes.

Students who are in the audience

for
presentations
will
have
individual cards with Why I
would move to your country on
one side and Why I would not
move to your country on the
other side. Students will be asked
to try to have at least one thing
written on each side explaining
their reasoning in a short
sentence or two. Cards will be
collected and shared with student
to help them understand how
other people think of what they
see as a perfect country might
not be the same. It will help the
students realize how diverse the
thinking in their own class is and
therefore
have
a
better
understanding of the diversity of
our world.

Students who are in the

audience for presentations will
have individual cards with
Why I would move to your
country on one side and
Why I would not move to
your country on the other
side. Students will be asked to
try to have at least one thing
written
on
each
side
explaining their reasoning in a
short sentence or two. Cards
will be collected and shared
with student to help them
understand how other people
think of what they see as a
perfect country might not be
the same. . It will help the
students realize how diverse
the thinking in their own class
is and therefore have a better
understanding of the diversity
of our world.

Students will arrange their

countries on a wall that
already has blue paper laid
out as the background. They
will try to match up the
countries that are land locked
and also try to take into
account of position compared
to the equator.

Assessments:
Each
student
will
turn
in
assessment cards from each of
the days presentations with front
and back filled in.
Teacher will observe students
presentations and see which
items taught over the course of
the unit are used by the student
to try and sell their country.

Assessments:
Each student will turn in
assessment cards from each
of the days presentations with
front and back filled in.
Teacher will observe students
presentations and see which
items taught over the course
of the unit are used by the
student to try and sell their
country.

Assessments:
One giant wall map will be
displayed
including
all
students countries.
Exit ticket: What is one thing
you would change about your
country from comment cards
or after group discussion?
Why?

activities:

Assessments:

Reflection
First of all, I really enjoyed this process. This was my first attempt at a Unit Plan and a Lesson Plan (at least
a formal one) as I have not had Theory to Practice yet. It seemed a little daunting initially trying to come up with
an idea that could provide an end result and last for close to three weeks. I remembered a lesson I used a couple
years ago working at a Boys and Girls Club which had students creating maps, flags, and brief histories of their
newly created countries but that was all done in stations and completed in 45 minutes. I figured I would be able
to flesh it out some and see where it went. I was a geography major so this idea gave me an opportunity to

finally use some of the things I was taught and shape it in a way that would be rudimentary enough for 5 th or 6th
graders to grasp and highlight some of things that drove me down that path of study initially.
The hardest part of the unit plan for me was coming up with assessments. I think this will be easier down
the road when I actually have students in front of me who I am assessing. I found myself leaning on exit tickets
and turning in something at the end of class but feel there would have to be ways of assessing that wouldnt
involve something tangible every time. I did experiment with using some observation ideas but am not sure if
those would be good enough. I figured when I have the students working in groups discussing the topic at hand,
if I can see that all members are adding to the discussion then I could use that as assessing workable knowledge
of the topic presented. Again, not sure if that would work and I guess would like to learn more about assessment.
When sketching out my initial Unit Plan, I was surprised by the amount of ideas I had and was constantly
inserting and moving days around to make the whole plan more seamless. Something that also came to mind
was how many aspects of this plan would have to be place holders depending on the group I have each year. Not
knowing what skill level or how the group dynamics are might play a role in how I present some of the material. I
think as whole the plan would be easy to adjust to as I kept this in mind throughout the process. I also imagine
that teachers are constantly tweaking their plans for the future as they do them and see how things work and
dont work going from paper to the classroom.
It was cool seeing the whole thing come together and I am genuinely excited to see my first classes World
Map grace the wall of our room.