Discovering+Connecticut

**Grade 4**  **Unit: Discovering Connecticut**  **Purposes:**

 **Description:** Students will begin to learn about Connecticut's geography, climate, landforms, historical sites and events, famous people, recreation, and resources by comparing Connecticut with other states. Students will use print and online resources, interviews with students from other states, a variety of maps, and 2 dimensional and 3 dimensional graphic organizers to learn about and compare states. The culminating product will be a visual presentation that shows their understanding of how Connecticut and another state are similar and different.

Desired Results

CT Grade Level Expectations

 * Connecticut Mastery Test Objectives**


 * **Understandings** || **Essential Questions** ||


 * **Knowledge:**

//The student will know...// || **Skills:**

//The students will be able to...// ||


 * Content Vocabulary ||

Assessment Evidence
 * **Performance Tasks** || **Formative Assessments** ||

Learning Plan
 * Resources**

Skype Webcam (See Jan)

[|The World Atlas]

[|The Fifty States] [|US States: Facts] [|50 States.com] [|Connecticut for Kids]

[|statefactstable.doc] [|Animoto] Connecticut Shutterfold ||
 * **Anchor Activities** ||
 * **1. What makes Connecticut unique?** Students research the features of Connecticut, using print and online resources and maps. They organize the information into a graphic organizer and make a class Animoto which shares facts about Connecticut. || [|graphicsforshutterfold.doc]
 * **2. What makes another state unique?** Students research the features of another state, using print and online resources and maps. They organize the information into a graphic organizer. || [|statefactstable.doc] ||
 * **3. Mystery State Skype Calls** Students ask a classroom from another state questions about their state, with the purpose of using the clues to identify the mystery state callers. They also use the information that they have learned about Connecticut to answer questions that the other class asks. The second time the classrooms connect, each share their guesses and some interesting facts about their states. The class shares the Animoto they created about Connecticut. || Mystery State Wiki ||
 * **4. In what ways are Connecticut and another state similar? In what ways are they different?** Students use the information gathered in their graphic organizers to create a visual presentation. The presentation shows how Connecticut and one other state compare. ||  ||