Grade Level: K-3

Essential Elements:

Geography Standards:

Human Systems

#7 The characteristics, distribution, and migration of human populations on Earth’s surface.

Environment and Society

#14 how human actions modify the physical environment.

The Uses of Geography

#18 How to apply geography to interpret the present and plan for the future.

Overview: Children will be able to relate to the story Pigsty, by Mark Teague about their bedrooms and how crowded and messy they become when they don’t take care of it. We’ll be able to extend this story outside of our room to our environment and world around us. What will happen to our world if we treated it like our room, filling it up with junk and stuff. The children will become more aware of how humans affect the Earth.

Materials Needed: Pigsty, by Mark Teague, (Scholastic)

Common Ground, The Water, Earth, and Air We Share, by Molly
            Bang, (The Blue Sky Press, 1997, ISBN 0-590-10056-4)

   Window, by Jeannie Baker, (Penguin Books USA Inc., 1991,
             ISBN 0-14-054830-0)

   12x18 white construction paper

Crayons, markers, scissor

Procedure:

Introduction: First read the story Pigsty and discuss the cause and effects of not cleaning our room. Let the children share their experiences.

Next share the story Common Ground, by Molly Bang. Before reading it do a quick picture walk and see if they can predict what the story might be about.

Then read the story and discuss how it’s similar and different from Pigsty.

Follow that reading, with the picture book, Window, by Jeannie Baker. Discuss what the authors purpose of writing this book might be and how does it relate to the other stories.

Follow up these stories with a flipbook activity.

cut	fold	cut

1. Give each child a 12x18 piece of white construction paper.

2. Fold it like hot dog (length ways)

3. Fold it in thirds then open up.

4. cut the top two folds to the middle

5. Fold back over

Window to the Past

Window of Today

Window of the Future

6. Have children write the above words in each box

7. Draw curtains to the sides

8. Discuss what their rooms look like today. Close eyes and make a mental map of what it looks like now

9. Then open up the Window of Today (middle one)

10. In this box draw what their room looks like today.

11. Now brainstorm what your room looked like when you were a baby.

12. In the Window of the Past draw what their room looked like when they were a baby.

13. Now do a mental map of what you would like your room to look like in the future when you’re a teenager or adult.

14. In the Window of the Future they are to draw what their room will look like when they are an adult or teenager.

Evaluation: Class discussion

Flipbook

Sharing their flip books

Extension: Instead of drawing their rooms have the children take this home and look our one window of their house. Have them draw what it looks like now inside the middle box. For the In the Past have them discuss with their parents what it might have looked like in the past. And for the future box what could happen to their view in another 50 to 100 years from now.

Return to Table of Contents

Return to IGA Home Page