Create your own Civilization

Sherrie Stocchetti
VIT CUSD #2
1502 E US 136
Table Grove IL 61482

Promoting Geographic Knowledge Through Literature Workshop
July 7-19, 2002

A. Preview of Main Ideas:

One person started every civilization at one time. Expose your students to how one child develops a whole civilization with his own language, writing and mathematical system.

B. Connection with the Curriculum:

This lesson can be used in Language Arts, Geography, Math, Art or Science.

C. Suggested Grade Levels: 2-6

D. Geography Essential Elements:

Places and Regions #4
Human Systems #11, 12, 14
Uses of Geography #17

E. Materials:

©Westlandia by Paul Fleischman
©paper
©pencils
©crayons
©water colors
©vocabulary words (see appendix)
©mortar and a pestle
©story webs (see appendix)
©leaves and flowers
©graph (see appendix)
©soil

F. Suggested Procedure for Lesson:

1. Talk about Paul Fleischman, the author, and how he was like the main character, Wesley, when he was younger.

2. Introduce the vocabulary words for the story by playing hangman on the board. It is played between teams. Once a team has figured out the word they receive a point. They may receive more points by telling the definition of the word or using it in a sentence.

3. As a class perform a picture walk of the book talking about what is happening in each picture.

4. Read the story aloud to the students.

5. As a class discuss the story and make a web of everything Wesley needed to create his own civilization.

6. The students will then create then own web to make their own civilization. Start out with giving a name to it. The rest of the web will describe the animal life, plant life, climate, transportation, economics, traditions and holidays, and sports and games.

7. Then they will turn this into a book about their civilization.

8. Then they are to create a picture of their civilization with crayons (make sure they are not washable crayons). Finally, they are to use the watercolors to paint over it. (Crayon Resist)

9. As a concluding activity have them take different leaves

and flowers and crush them with the Mortar and Pestle. Graph the results of what colors the different leaves and flowers produced. Then mix soil in with them to see if we could make our own ink.

G. Assessing Student Learning:

1. Story webs

2. Civilization pictures

3. Flower and leaf graph

4. Student created books

H. Extending the Lesson:

1. Have the students create their own oral and written language for their civilization.

2. Have the students design and decorate their own clothes out of brown shopping bags.

3. Have them make musical instruments out of things in the environment.

4. Make sundials and discuss how Wesley used base 8 to create a different math system.

REFERENECES:

Weslandia, Paul Fleishman, ISBN # 0-7636-1052-6