Design Topic Regional Virginia Subject(s) Virgnia Studies Grade 5 Designer Emily Brannock

Understanding by Design

Unit Cover Page

Unit Title: ___Regional Virginia_______ Grade Levels: _____5th ____

Topic/Subject Areas: __Virginia Studies_______________________

Key Words: _Virginia, Piedmont, Tidewater, Appalachian Mountains, Chesapeake Bay

Designed By: __Emily Brannock________ Time Frame: ___Two Weeks____

School District: Regent University School: Teacher Ed & IDS Dept.

Brief Summary of Unit (including curricular context and unit goals):

In this unit, students will explore and discover the land of Virginia and that
which surrounds it. Students will be learning about the bordering states as well as the
five regions of Virginia. Students will learn and understand the reasoning behind the
study of Virginia in its early days. Students will learn about the American Indians and
their settlements and impacts on the state of Virginia.
At the end of this unit, students will be able to successfully label bordering
states, bodies of water, and the five regions of Virginia. Students will also be able to
discuss the differences of the regions and the impact the American Indians had on
Virginia.

Unit design status: X Completed template pages – stages 1, 2, 3

Completed blueprint for each performance task X Completed rubrics

Directions to students and teacher Materials and resources listed

x Suggested accommodations x Suggested extensions

Status: Initial draft (date: ___________) Revised draft (date: ____________)

Peer Reviewed Content Reviewed Field Tested Validated Anchored

Source: Understanding by Design, Unit Design Planning Template (Wiggins/McTighe 2005) 1

Design Topic Regional Virginia Subject(s) Virgnia Studies Grade 5 Designer Emily Brannock
STAGE 1 – DESIRED RESULTS

Unit Title: Geography of Virginia

Established Goals: VDOE 5th grade Virginia Studies: VS.2 The student will know the physical
geography of the past and the present of Virginia.

Understandings: Students will understand that… Essential Questions:

 Virginia is divided into five different
regions based on characteristics of the land
each having specific uses for early settlers;
these practices (farming, trade, fishing, and
forestry) are still used today even though it
may not be as much as in early settlement.
 There were three major language groups of
American Indians who first settled into
Virginia and adapted to the different
regions.
 How do the Virginia regions differ from
one another?
 How were the bodies of water used in early
Virginia life?
 Why is understanding location important to
understanding history?
 Why do we study the American Indians?

Students will know: Students will be able to:

 How to describe relative location  Locate different regions of Virginia on a

appropriately.
 The bordering bodies of water and states of
Virginia.
 The five different geographical regions of
Virginia.
 The definitions of: fall line and peninsula.
 That waterways were very important
aspects for the early cultures of Virginia.
 That the Algonquians, the Siouans and the
Iroquoians are the main language groups of
Virginia.
map.
 Label surrounding states and bodies of
water to Virginia.
 Explain what Virginia water ways were
used for in the early history of Virginia.
 Point out the location for each American
Indian language group on a map of
Virginia.
 Label all important points on a map of
Virginia.

Source: Understanding by Design, Unit Design Planning Template (Wiggins/McTighe 2005) 2

Design Topic Regional Virginia Subject(s) Virgnia Studies Grade 5 Designer Emily Brannock

STAGE 2 – ASSESSMENT EVIDENCE

Performance Tasks: Other Evidence:

 G.R.A.S.P.S.: Students are asked to create  Virginia Geography Quiz

an accurate shoebox diagram with labels of
the five Virginia regions including large
bodies of water. Students are asked to
direct early European settlers to their
desired homes within the state of Virginia.  White boards: Students will use their white
Students will write responses regarding boards to respond to the teachers questions
each settler’s wants/needs, resulting in the concerning locations within Virginia.
appropriate region the settler should travel
to.

 Learning Logs: Students will keep learning

 Label the Essentials: Students will be given logs for notes taken during class lecture
a regional map and successfully label the time. Teacher will review.
surrounding states, regions of Virginia,
rivers and major bodies of water.

Student Self-Assessment and Reflection

 Students self-assess at the end of the learning period (Virginia studies): What did we do?; Why
did we do it?; What did I learn?; What questions do I still have?

 3 – 2- 1 (Rutherford, 2008, p. 114). Students are required to write 3 things that they have learned,
2 things that they found interesting and 1 thing that they still have a question about.

 A B C (Rutherford, 2008, p. 119). Students are assigned a random letter of the alphabet and are
asked to think about the lesson (Virginia Studies) and a word that would associate with what we
just learned.

Source: Understanding by Design, Unit Design Planning Template (Wiggins/McTighe 2005) 3

Design Topic Regional Virginia Subject(s) Virgnia Studies Grade 5 Designer Emily Brannock
STAGE 3 – LEARNING PLAN
Summary of Learning Activities:
1. Teacher will pre-assess students on the state of Virginia using “Exclusion Brainstorming” (Rutherford,
2008, p. 108)
2. Teacher will use a youtube video discussing the state of Virginia as a hook
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-vdIOmCv2B8
3. Teacher will introduce this unit’s standards and goals.
4. Teacher will introduce the first two essential questions along with the big idea.
5. Teacher will discuss relative location. With the students help, the teacher will create a “Word Splash”
on ways that relative location can be described (Rutherford, 2008, p. 18).
6. Teacher will pass out specific note taking page and have students take notes while teacher is
discussing relative location and bordering states. Students will place note taking page in their Virginia
Studies notebooks.
7. Learning Logs: Student keeps notes during class/lecture time.
8. 3-2-1: Students self-assess & write 3 things they learned, 2 things interesting and 1 question they have
9. Students will complete the worksheet, “Virginia Borders” in pairs. (Retrieved from
https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/FreeDownload/VS2-Virginias-Borders-543182)
10. Teacher will hook students with a Virginia Trekkers Video about the Fall Line to introduce students
to part of regional Virginia as well as teach them important vocabulary.
(http://www.virginiatrekkers.com/FallLine/FallLine.html )
11. Teacher will pass out a new note taking page for students to take notes about regional Virginia and
students will place notes in Virginia Studies notebook. Teacher will use video to provide students with
information https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1NqROuJiRXc.
12. Teacher will discuss final project and assign regions of Virginia to students.
13. Pair Up: Half of the students are given characteristics of a region in Virginia while the other half are
given a region of Virginia. Students need to find their match.
14. Students will use previous partner and find a pair that has a region different than theirs and the group
with compare and contrast regions.
15. White boards: students respond to teachers questions concerning bordering states/regions within
Virginia.
16. Virginia Jeopardy Game for in class practice covering both bordering states and regions of Virginia.
17. Virginia Geography Quiz
18. Teacher will introduce the second two essential questions along with the big idea.
19. Teacher will pass out note taking map for students to label major rivers and bodies of water. Teacher
will discuss what bodies of water were used for in early Virginia.
20. ABC: Students are assigned a letter and they must write about the lesson and a word that would
associate using their letter.
21. Group work: Students will work together to complete the Virginia puzzle which includes the
bordering states, regions and bodies of water. Students must label the puzzle after completion. Student
then work together to think of acronyms to help remember regions, rivers and bordering states.
22. Label the Essentials:Students will label surrounding states, regions of VA, rivers & major bodies of
water.
23. Teacher will go over Prezi discussing Native Americans in Virginia.
24. Webquest:
(http://web.archive.org/web/20080504042558/http://mal.sbo.hampton.k12.va.us/fourth/socstudies/indian
webquest/quest.html )
25. Students will complete webquest
26. End of lesson reflection on what was learned, why it was learned
27. Students will complete the final assessment. Students will also peer evaluate each other’s diagrams.

Source: Understanding by Design, Unit Design Planning Template (Wiggins/McTighe 2005) 4

Design Topic Regional Virginia Subject(s) Virgnia Studies Grade 5 Designer Emily Brannock

Stage 3 – Plan Learning Experiences and Instruction

Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday

1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

1.Pre-assessment of 5.Word Splash: relative 9. Worksheet: 13. Pair Up: Match 16. Virginia
Virginia location Virginia Borders up activity Jeopardy Game

2.Hook:Youtube 6.Notetaking/Instruction 10. Hook: Virginia 14. Compare and

video of the state of on relative Trekkers Video contrast activity
Virginia location/bordering
states 11. 15. White boards
3. Introduction of Notetaking/Instruction formative
standards/goals 7. Learning Logs on Regional Virginia assessment

4.Introducation of 8. 3-2-1, Exit ticket 12. Introduction to

essential final
questions/big idea project/assignment

6. 7. 8. 9. 10.

17. Virginia 21. Group work: 22. Label the 25. Complete Web 27. Final Project
Geography Quiz Complete and label Essentials: Formative quest and peer
Virginia puzzle. assessment evaluations.
18. Introduction of 26. End of lesson
essential questions 23. Prezi on Native reflection
and big idea. Americans

19. 24. Web quest

Notetaking/instruction
on bodies of water

20. ABC Exit ticket

Source: Understanding by Design, Unit Design Planning Template (Wiggins/McTighe 2005) 5

 Design Topic Regional Virginia Subject(s) Virgnia Studies Grade 5 Designer Emily Brannock
VIRGINIA DIAGRAM & WITTEN RESPONSE RUBRIC
YOUR 3 2
SCORE Excellent Good
I was very creative and
spent time and thought
DIAGRAM ____ of 3 to create my Virginia
CREATIVITY diagram. My diagram is
colorful and shows the
different landscapes
well.
I accurately built my
Virginia diagrams with
CONTENT ____ of 3 all five regions. I
ACCURACY labeled all regions and
large bodies of water. I
completed the diagram
accurately.
I was able to help the
ABILITY TO ____ of 3 European settlers find a
HELP region that would be
EUROPEAN best for them and I was
SETTLERS able to explain why.
I was very detailed in
writing. I explained my
WRITTEN ____ of 3 reasoning for each
RESPONSE response. I had little to
no errors in spelling and
punctuation.
COMMENTS:
SCORE: _____/12 _
Source: Understanding by Design, Unit Design Planning Template (Wiggins/McTighe 2005)
I was somewhat creative
and put some time and
thought into my diagram.
My diagram had some
color and texture.
I built the Virginia
diagram with a few
errors. I tried to label all
regions and bodies of
water correctly. I
completed the diagram
somewhat accurately.
I was able to help most of
the European settlers find
a region and tried my
best to explain why.
I made a few errors in my
writing. I did not explain
my reasoning to the best
of my ability.
1
Poor
I did not put any special
time and thought into
my diagram. I have no
color and there is no
texture.
I built my diagram with
many errors. I am
missing regions, bodies
of water and/or labels. I
did not complete the
diagram accurately at
all.
I was not able to help
the European settlers. I
am not knowledgeable
about the five Virginia
regions.
I made many errors in
my writing. I did not
explain my reasoning at
all.
TOTAL
6
Design Topic Regional Virginia Subject(s) Virgnia Studies Grade 5 Designer Emily Brannock

References

Rutherford, P (2008). Instruction for All Students. Alexandria, VA: Just ASK Publications.

Source: Understanding by Design, Unit Design Planning Template (Wiggins/McTighe 2005) 7