9th-grade Inquiry Unit - Identify Lesson 

 

Lesson Title: What Are Our Questions about the Human Geography of Denton County?

Inquiry Phase: Identify

Grade Level: 9th Grade

 

Essential Questions:

1. How can we use data and information to describe the human geography of Denton County, pinpoint problems, and suggest solutions?
2. How does where you live affect how you live?
3. In what ways do humans interact with one another?

 

Lesson Plan Objectives: At the end of this lesson, students will be able to:

1. Conduct a personal interest inventory in relationship to the assets and needs in Denton County.
2. Develop open-ended questions about one or more human geography characteristics in Denton County: education, income, health, or mental health.

 

World History – Human Geography TEKS (for this unit lesson):

§113.43. World Geography Studies

(9) Geography. The student understands the concept of region as an area of Earth's surface with related geographic characteristics. The student is expected to:

(A) identify physical and/or human factors such as climate, vegetation, language, trade networks, political units, river systems, and religion that constitute a region.

(11) Economics. The student understands how geography influences economic activities. The student is expected to:

(C) assess how changes in climate, resources, and infrastructure (technology, transportation, and communication) affect the location and patterns of economic activities.

(16) Culture. The student understands how the components of culture affect the way people live and shape the characteristics of regions. The student is expected to:

(B) describe elements of culture, including language, religion, beliefs and customs, institutions, and technologies.

 

ELA-R TEKS (for this lesson):

§110.31. English Language Arts and Reading, English I

(20) Research/Research Plan. Students ask open-ended research questions and develop a plan for answering them.

Students are expected to:

(A) brainstorm, consult with others, decide upon a topic, and formulate a major research question to address the major research topic.

 

Standards for the 21st-Century Learner Indicators:

1.1.1 Follow an inquiry-based process in seeking knowledge in curricular subjects, and make the real-world connection for using this process in own life.

1.1.2 Use prior and background knowledge as context for new learning.

1.1.6 Read, view, and listen for information presented in any format (e.g., textual, visual, media, digital) in order to make inferences and gather meaning.

 

Assessment Tools:

Personal Interest Inventory

Question and Decision Maker Matrix

 

Resources for this Unit of Study

 

Resources for this Lesson:

Current article from the Denton Record Chronicle about Denton County for one of these four broad topics: education, income, health, or mental health

Human Geography of Denton County Pathfinder

Personal Interest Inventory

Question and Decision Maker Matrix

 

Estimated Lesson Time: Two 50-minute Lessons or One Block

 

Instructional Plan Outline:

Classroom Teacher – School Librarian(s) Collaboration:

• The classroom teacher and school librarian review the Personal Interest Inventory and Question and Decision Maker Matrix; they prepare to use think-alouds to support students in completing these two graphic organizers.

• Educators co-monitor the students guided practice as they work individually, with partners or in small groups to develop open-ended questions in the categories on the matrix.

• Educators assess the students’ questions and form inquiry groups (optional).

 

Measurable Outcome or Final Product: With educator guidance, individual students complete an interest inventory, and individuals, partners, or small groups develop open-ended questions related to the human geography of Denton County.

 

Preparation

• The educators make one copy of the Personal Interest Inventory and the Question and Decision Maker Matrix for each student or provide these graphic organizers electronically.

• The educators review the students’ Exit Tickets from the Immerse Phase lesson and select several student questions to be used as examples for this lesson.

• Integrate general academic vocabulary into think-alouds: skim, scan, data, information, inquiry, and open-ended questions.

• Integrate discipline-specific academic vocabulary into the lesson: human geography, assets, needs, demographic indicators, economic activities and development, human factors, and open-ended questions.

 

Day 1 or First Half of the Block

Motivation

1. Project the Personal Interest Inventory and read through or invite students to skim the topics and subtopics.

2. Educators share a current Denton Record Chronicle newspaper article about Denton County that relates to one of the four broad topics: education, income, health, or mental health. (If possible, base the selection on several of the top open-ended questions from the students’ Exit Tickets from the Immerse Phase lesson.)

3. Educators use think-alouds to complete the first column on the personal interest inventory. Show a diversity of responses and how they connect to the topics and subtopics on the graphic organizer (column three).

4. Ask students to circle several subtopics from column three and write in several personal interests in the first column.

5. Let students know they will complete this graphic organizer after they have had the opportunity to review the UWDC “Assets & Needs” data and information.

6. Educators invite students into the inquiry by noting that rather than answering the questions in a textbook, they will be developing and answering their own questions using data and information found in the UWDC “Assets & Needs” Assessment as well as other resources.

7. Educators post the lesson objectives and let students know they are to develop open-ended questions and record them on the Question and Decision Maker Matrix.

 

Presentation

8. Educators project the Question and Decision Maker Matrix and note the question stem: “The data and information on the UWDC ‘Assets & Needs’ Assessment caused me to think about…”

9. Define an open-ended, researchable question as one that cannot be answered with “yes” or “no” and requires research.

10. Along with students, define the category terms.

11. Educators use think-alouds to ponder the questions raised by the topic of education, subtopic of high school dropouts.

12. Ask students to speculate how the “Don’t Put YOUR Future @ Risk!” infographic prompted each question.

13. Educators point out the bolded keywords in each open-ended question that relate to the question category.

14. Educators take turns sharing several examples of students’ questions (from the Immerse Lesson Exit Tickets) and use think-alouds to determine if each question fits in one (or more) of these categories.

 

Day 2 or Second Half of the Block

Presentation (continued)

15. Educators demonstrate recording a question on the Question and Decision Maker Matrix.

16. Let students know they are to develop open-ended questions in as many categories as possible. (Note: All students will complete the matrix whether they are working individually, in partners, or in small groups to develop questions.)

17. Remind students to keep their personal interests in mind as they select a topic and subtopic and develop questions.

18. Students skim and scan the UWDC resources, the resources on the Human Geography of Denton County Pathfinder, and independently accessed resources while they develop open-ended questions.

 

Guided Practice

19. Educators monitor as students develop and categorize open-ended questions and record them on their individual graphic organizers.

20. Educators prompt students who need support in developing open-ended questions.

 

Closure

21. Students circle the initial question that is the most engaging to them.

22. Ask students to turn to a neighbor and share why they chose that particular question.

23. Refer to the Personal Interest Inventory graphic organizer.

24. Educators demonstrate making a connection between a personal interest and an open-ended question. Ask if any of the questions students circled fit in the center column of that graphic organizer.

25. Let students know their initial questions may change as they engage with various resources.

 

Reflection

26. How can data and information prompt open-ended questions?

27. How do graphic organizers help you organize your thinking?

 

Assessment

28. Educators review students’ Question and Decision Maker Matrices for both the quantity and quality of the open-ended questions students recorded, how the questions relate to students’ personal interests, and whether or not the questions are appropriately categorized.

 

Follow Up:

29. Educators determine whether students should work individually, in partners, or in small groups to continue their inquiry into the human geography of Denton County.

 

Lesson Plan Resources

For Students

9th_Grade_Identify_Personal_Interest_Inventory.docx

 

9th_Grade_Identify_Question_Decision_Maker_Matrix.doc

 

 

For Educators

9th_Grade_Identify_Question_Decision_Maker_Matrix.doc

 

Lesson Plans

9th_Grade_Identify_Lesson_Plan_Only.doc

 

9th_Grade_Identify_Lesson_Plan_Full.pdf