|
Catchy Title: Geography Matters & Cancer
Theme/Topic of Lesson: Viewing Cancer Through Geography's Five Themes
Time Commitment: Two 90-Minute Periods
Subject Area(s):
Health
Language Arts
Social Studies
Grade Level(s): 6,7,8
Standards Alignment:
Class Challenge Question: What do we know about cancer and what do we want to learn?
What are the five themes of geography and how can they help us to compose questions about cancer?
Overview:
In social studies classrooms nationwide, students study the five themes of geography: location, place, human/environment interaction, movement, and region. These themes were designed by geographers to help students understand the study of the earth and the life upon it. Most middle school students bring some prerequisite knowledge of these themes, but yearly review helps students to use the themes more effectively. The first of a two-part lesson, this lesson guides students to review the themes, to quiz themselves on the themes, and then to use the themes as a way to think about the topic of cancer. The purpose of the lesson is to promote inquiry and to lead students to an understanding of why cancer is a topic of particular concern in Maryland. Using statistics obtained from the Maryland State Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, students will learn that Maryland has the seventh highest cancer death rate in the nation, and they will study maps that show cancer mortality nationwide. They will learn that close to 24,000 Marylanders will be diagnosed with cancer this year, and they will learn that lung cancer accounts for the majority of cancer deaths in Maryland. They will be offered an opportunity to think about how cancer has touched their lives and how it may touch their lives in the future. They will be offered an opportunity to reflect on how their lifestyles and the choices they make can reduce their risk of getting cancer.
After reviewing the five themes using the National Geographic Society's website, students will take an on-line quiz. When they have earned a satisfactory score on the quiz, they will analyze maps and cancer data to learn facts about cancer mortality rates in the United States. Some of the students will have prior knowledge of cancer and risk factors, and other students will need more support and direction. The teacher will model the process of composing questions about cancer with the class using the facts about cancer mortality and the five themes of geography as a guide. For example, using the theme of location, we could form the question, "Where in the United States do we see more cancer deaths?" Using the theme of Human/Environment interaction, we could form the question, "Why did tobacco become a cash crop in Maryland?" Some students will be able to compose these questions with very little assistance, and some will need teacher and peer modeling before they feel comfortable with the process. Students will work in pairs to compose the questions. The questions that the partners compose will become a focus for research in a subsequent lesson. The teacher should determine the partners ahead of time and pair students to accommodate their needs as learners. Some student pairs may also need assistance from a special educator, if that support is available. If a special educator is available to assist in the computer lab, provide a print out of the lesson and all student materials so that the special educator can preview the materials ahead of time and suggest additional accommodations.
The lesson will take place in a computer lab setting, with each student using an Internet-connected computer. The students will enjoy using the Internet to review the five themes of geography. The quiz will serve as a pre-assessment and will be on-line as well for motivation purposes. Students will earn satisfactory scores on the ten-point, multiple- choice quiz before moving on. In order to learn facts about cancer, students will visit the University of Maryland Medical Videos web site at http://www.umm.edu/videos/ to view a short, on-line video, which presents an overview of cancer treatment at the Greenebaum Cancer Center. The video shows cancer patients of different ages and races and briefly describes their experiences at the center. Students will also be able to learn more about cancer by analyzing maps that show cancer mortality rates. Additionally, they will study fact sheets derived from sources such as the Maryland Cancer Registry and the American Cancer Society. Students will have the option of practicing their word processing skills by composing their questions about cancer using Microsoft Word.
|
Social Study Skills
(6-8) | Maryland Content Standards
Students will demonstrate an understanding of historical and current events using chronological and spatial thinking, develop historical interpretations, and frame questions that include collecting and evaluating information from primary and secondary sources.
| Maryland State Indicators
1.1.8.2
find, evaluate, and organize information specific to social studies disciplines by reading, asking questions, investigating and observing (MLO 1.2.) | Reading
(K-12) | Maryland Content Standards Indicators
Students examine, construct and extend the meaning of a variety of self-selected and assigned text (traditional and electronic) by applying a range of reading strategies and analytic techniques.
| | Writing
(6-8) | Maryland Content Standards
Students produce informational, practical, persuasive, and narrative writing that demonstrates an awareness of audience, purpose and form using stages of the writing process as needed (i.e., pre-writing, drafting, revising, editing and publishing). | Maryland State Indicators
3.8.2.3
use organizational features of electronic information and library and interlibrary computerized catalogs to research information for specific purposes | Reading
(9-12) | Maryland Content Standards
Students examine, construct and extend the meaning of a variety of self-selected and assigned text (traditional and electronic) by applying a range of reading strategies and analytic techniques.
| Maryland State Indicators
1.12.5.1
synthesize the content and ideas from several sources dealing with a single issue or written by a single author, producing evidence of comprehension by clarifying the ideas and connecting them to other sources, related topics, or prior experience (CLG 1.1.1, CLG 1.1.2, CLG 1.1.3, CLG 1.3.1, CLG 1.3.2, CLG 1.3.3, CLG 2.3.1, CLG 2.3.4, CLG 2.3.5, CLG 4.3.4)
| Language
(K-12) | Maryland Content Standards Indicators
Students understand and use the structures and conventions of the English language (i.e., vocabulary, spelling, grammar, mechanics and usage) in their oral and written communications. | | Language
(6-8) | Maryland Content Standards
Students understand and use the structures and conventions of the English language (i.e., vocabulary, spelling, grammar, mechanics and usage) in their oral and written communications. | Maryland State Indicators
4.8.2.2
use language fluently and appropriately for a variety of contexts (e.g., academic, everyday settings) (MLO.L. 1.2.) | Technology research tools
(Gr. 6-8) | ISTE Technology Standards
5. Technology research tools
-
Students use technology to locate, evaluate, and collect information from a variety of sources.
-
Students use technology tools to process data and report results.
-
Students evaluate and select new information resources and technological innovations based on the appropriateness for specific tasks.
| ISTE Technology Performance Indicators
Collaborate with peers
Collaborate with peers, experts, and others using telecommunications and collaborative tools to investigate curriculum-related problems, issues, and information, and to develop solutions or products for audiences inside and outside the classroom.
| Technology communication tools
(Gr. 6-8) | ISTE Technology Standards
4. Technology communication tools
-
Students use telecommunications to collaborate, publish, and interact with peers, experts, and other audiences.
-
Students use a variety of media and formats to communicate information and ideas effectively to multiple audiences.
| ISTE Technology Performance Indicators
Collaborate with peers
Collaborate with peers, experts, and others using telecommunications and collaborative tools to investigate curriculum-related problems, issues, and information, and to develop solutions or products for audiences inside and outside the classroom.
| Technology research tools
(Gr. 6-8) | ISTE Technology Standards
5. Technology research tools
-
Students use technology to locate, evaluate, and collect information from a variety of sources.
-
Students use technology tools to process data and report results.
-
Students evaluate and select new information resources and technological innovations based on the appropriateness for specific tasks.
| ISTE Technology Performance Indicators
Select and use appropriat
Select and use appropriate tools and technology resources to accomplish a variety of tasks and solve problems.
| Technology problem-solving and decision-making tools
(Gr. 6-8) | ISTE Technology Standards
6. Technology problem-solving and decision-making tools
| ISTE Technology Performance Indicators
Select and use appropriat
Select and use appropriate tools and technology resources to accomplish a variety of tasks and solve problems.
|
Learning Objectives:
The Students will:
- Students will be able to identify and to demonstrate understanding of the five themes of geography.
- Students will be able to investigate and to analyze data and maps that relate to cancer prevalence in United States.
- Students will be able to compose questions about cancer to facilitate further study and inquiry.
Assessment
Students will tap their prior knowledge of cancer by completing a "K-W-L Chart."
Students will respond in their journals to record their personal thoughts and feelings about cancer.
Students will take a ten-point quiz titled, "The Five Themes of Geography: A Pre-Assessment Quiz," and earn an 80% or better to demonstrate knowledge of the five themes of geography.
Students will participate in an oral discussion about cancer in the United States.
Students will complete a worksheet titled, "Questions About Cancer," in which they demonstrate their ability to compose questions about cancer, which address each of the five themes of geography.
The student and teacher will use a checklist titled, "Student and Teacher Checklist for Part I: Geography Matters and Cancer," to determine if all of the required steps have been followed.
|
Resources
| Software | Microsoft Word | | http://office.microsoft.com/ | | Owl and Mouse Educational Software Owl and Mouse offers many hands-on geography activities to provide enrichment opportunities for students studying geography. | | http://www.yourchildlearns.com/geography.htm | Teachervision.com Teachervision provides printable teacher resources. The K-W-L chart used for this lesson came from this web site.
| | http://www.teachervision.com/lesson-plans/lesson-4301.html | | Print Materials | Unlocking the Five Themes of Geography Fraser, Celeste. Unlocking the Five Themes of Geography. Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey: Globe Book Company, 1993. | | Cancer Gold, John Coopersmith. Cancer. Berkeley Heights, New Jersey: Enslow Publishers, Inc., 2001. | | The Chemo Kid Lipsyte, Robert. The Chemo Kid. HarperCollins, 1992. | | Stopping Cancer Before It Starts Stopping Cancer Before It Starts: The American Institute for Cancer Research's Program for Cancer Prevention. The American Institute for Cancer Research. New York: St. Martin's Press, 1999. | | Video(s) | Geography: Five Themes for Planet Earth Geography: Five Themes for Planet Earth. National Geographic Video. P.O. Box 5049, Clinton, New Jersey. 07015-5049 | | Internet Sites | National Cancer Institute-Atlas of Cancer Mortality Teachers will use this link to show cancer mortality maps to students. | | http://www3.cancer.gov/atlasplus/ | | National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion Teachers will use this site to access national cancer data. | | http://www.cdc.gov/cancer/npcr/register.htm | United States Environmental Protection Agency Teachers will use this site to access current data on human health and the environment.
| | http://www.epa.gov/ | Maryland Cancer Registry Teachers will use this site to access data from the Maryland Cancer Registry. They publish a brochure that contains valuable background information for teachers.
| | http://mdpublichealth.org/cancer/registry/ | | Maryland Service-Learning Curricula Teachers may use this site to understand student service-learning requirements and to order student service-learning curriculum materials. | | http://www.mssa.sailorsite.net/curric2.html | University of Maryland Medical Videos Students will view this short, on-line video to get an overview of cancer treatment at the Greenebaum Cancer Center.
| | http://www.umm.edu/videos/ | National Geographic The students will use this link to review the five themes of geography.
| | http://www.nationalgeographic.com/resources/ngo/education/themes.html | National Geographic - Rachel Carson The students will use this link to read about the state of the earth 40 years after Rachel Carson wrote Silent Spring.
| | http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2002/04/0419_020419_rachelcarson.html |
|
Materials
Per class- One copy of a young adult novel, such as Robert Lipsyte's The Chemo Kid (HarperCollins, 1992) from which the teacher will read aloud.
Per Student- Computer with Internet access and Microsoft Word installed
- Pencil or pen
- Journal
- Packet with hard copies of all on-line activities:
1. "K-W-L Chart"
2. "Student and Teacher Checklist for Part One: Geography Matters and Cancer"-handout
3. "Five Themes of Geography: A Pre-Assessment Quiz"-handout.
4. Canc
Not Specified
Vocabulary
- Cancer - a term for diseases in which abnormal cells divide without control. Cancer cells can invade nearby tissues and can spread through the bloodstream and lymphatic system to other parts of the body.
- Diagnosis - the process of identifying a disease by the signs and symptoms.
- Location - A place's location is its position on the Earth's surface. A place's location can be expressed in two ways, absolute and relative.
- Place - The theme of place is used to describe the natural and cultural features of a place. Natural features, such as mountains or rivers, are made by nature. People make cultural features, such as bridges or buildings.
- Human-environment interaction - This theme shows how people use the environment and how their actions affect the environment.
- Movement - The theme of movement is used to find out how people, ideas, and products move from place to place.
- Region - A region is a part of the world that has natural or cultural features distinct from other places. The theme of regions is used as a base for making comparisons.
Procedures
The first day of the lesson may take place in classroom or a computer lab setting. The teacher will introduce the theme of cancer, motivate student learning, and tap prior knowledge of cancer topics. There are a number of ways to ascertain your students' prior knowledge of and interest in cancer topics. One way that students are very familiar with is the "K-W-L chart," which asks students to write what they know, what they want to learn, and what they finally learn about any subject. The students will be able to use this strategy to think about what they know about cancer before they share their thoughts aloud with a peer or the whole class. After the class discussion in which the whole class discusses the facts, thoughts, and feelings they wrote on their K-W-L charts, read a short excerpt from a young adult novel that focuses on a cancer theme. One novel that would work for this activity is The Chemo Kid by Robert Lipsyte, but there are many others. Choose an excerpt that will be motivating for your students. To conclude the first day of the lesson, direct students to write a journal entry in which they respond to the excerpt from the novel or they discuss how the subject of cancer is manifested in their lives. Introducing an important concept early gives students time to think and reflect on a topic ahead of time, and it may bring more thoughtful research questions on the day that they actually compose their questions in class.
The second day of the lesson will work best in a computer lab setting with each student having his or her own Internet-connected computer. The students will work independently at their own pace to review the five themes of geography using the National Geographic Society's website. After reviewing the five themes, students will complete an on-line quiz.
The teacher should actively monitor student progress. This activity is a pre-assessment to determine the students' knowledge of the five themes. The students who finish early may be able to assist students who need support. Encourage any student helpers to direct their peers to the review Internet links and to not give away correct quiz answers. When the students finish the quiz, ask them to begin reading the resources that students will use to find facts about cancer. Classroom resources will include Cancer Facts & Figures, 2002, a booklet published by the American Cancer Society and a brochure published by the Maryland State Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, entitled "Maryland Cancer Registry," which describes the computerized data system that records all cases of human cancer diagnosed or treated in Maryland. Students could also conduct an Internet search using the phrase "facts about cancer."
When all or most students have submitted their quizzes for scoring, the teacher should begin modeling the process of composing the research questions with the entire class. Explain to the class how geographers use the five themes to help them answer key questions. Explain how we can use the five themes to understand more about the important topic of cancer.
Have a few students share some facts aloud that they found interesting or surprising. Using the National Institutes of Health National Cancer Institute's Atlas of Cancer Mortality in the United States, 1950-1994, show students the map of all cancer mortality in the United States between 1974-1996. These maps are available on-line at http://www3.cancer.gov/atlasplus/ and you may also order a free copy of the 360-page book version at the same URL. Guide students to analyze the map by asking them to share their observations about the map. The students will be able to notice that the red areas mean more cancer deaths and the blue areas mean fewer cancer deaths. The students should be able to notice that Maryland is in a geographic region where there were many cancer deaths between 1974 and 1996. The teacher should then begin to model the questioning process with each of the five themes. Using the handout, "Questions About Cancer," students will begin to record the model questions that are shared aloud in class. With the class's help, the teacher should provide at least one example of a question for each of the five themes.
Explain that the students will now compose questions with their partners. Give students the option of composing either with paper and pencil or word processing.
The teacher should monitor the composing process and support students as needed. The teacher should select several questions that are especially good for research and inquiry and have them shared aloud during the last five minutes of class. The teacher should explain how students will use the questions that they composed in class to motivate further research. For homework, the students will share their questions with family members and add any additional questions. It may be helpful to give students two nights to complete this assignment.
Day 1: Geography Matters and Cancer: Tapping Cancer Knowledge (90 Minutes)
Daily Challenge Question: What do we know about cancer and what do we want to learn?
1 Day
Set-up Directions:
The part of this lesson that addresses the five themes of geography is a review lesson for most middle-schoolers and will probably be most appropriate for the beginning of a school year. It is important to make sure that all students have turned in the form that shows that they have parent approval to use the Internet in school. The teacher will need to provide materials in print for any students who do not have approval to use the Internet. (The National Cancer Institute will provide a free copy of the Atlas of Cancer Mortality. See teacher resources above for their website.) The packet of handouts will need to be ready for students as they enter the lab. It may be helpful to color-code the pages of the packet to make it easier for students to find the right page to turn to in the packet.
Teacher Presentation & Motivation:
Because time is precious in the computer lab, it makes sense to motivate students for the lesson the day before you will meet the class in the lab. The teacher may want to ask how many students are familiar with the five themes of geography. Many students use the acronym MR. LIP to help them retrieve the themes from memory. Asking this early will give the teacher an idea of how much time students will need for the review of the themes and the on-line quiz.
Activity 1 - K-W-L Chart (10 minutes)
The students will complete the first two columns of their K-W-L Charts.
Activity 2 - Pair/Share of Cancer Knowledge (10 minutes)
The students will share the information they wrote on their K-W-L Charts with a peer. The teacher should monitor discussions to find the best information to be shared aloud in the whole-class discussion.
Activity 3 - Class Discussion (20 minutes)
The class will discuss aloud the information that was shared in the peer discussions.
Activity 4 - Teacher Reads an Excerpt from a Novel (15 minutes)
The teacher will set up the scene for students and ask them to listen to how the author Robert Lipsyte uses cancer as a theme in his novel, The Chemo Kid.
Activity 5 - Students Compose Reflections about Cancer (10 or more minutes)
The students will discuss their reactions to the novel excerpt with a peer. Next, they will compose written responses to the excerpt they heard aloud.
Wrap Up:
(15 minutes)
Direct the students to record what they learned about cancer in the third column of their K-W-L charts. Have several students share that new knowledge aloud before dismissal.
Day 2: Geography Matters and Cancer: 5 Themes and Cancer Questions (90 minutes)
Daily Challenge Question: What are the five themes of geography and how can they help us to compose questions about cancer?
1 Day
Set-up Directions:
Teacher Presentation & Motivation:
Activity 1 - Drill Question (10 minutes)
What tools do geographers use to study the earth and everything on earth? Try to list three tools. (Possible answers include: maps, statistics, charts, globes, research, the five themes of geography, etc.)
Activity 2 - Review the Five Themes of Geography (10 minutes)
In teams of two, the students will use the National Geographic Society's website to review the five themes of geography.
Activity 3 - On-line Quiz on the Five Themes of Geography (20 or more minutes)
The students will complete a ten-point, multiple-choice quiz on the five themes. Some students are very speedy with this type of assessment and others are extremely slow. The teacher should be prepared to direct students who complete the quiz quickly to help others or to read the Cancer Fact Sheet.
Activity 4 - Discussion of Facts and the Five Themes (10 minutes)
The teacher will lead the class in a discussion that connects cancer and the five themes of geography. The teacher will show maps of cancer mortality and lead students to analyze the maps. The teacher will guide students to notice facts about cancer from the maps and other data.
Activity 5 - Teacher Modeling of Composing Process (10 or more minutes)
The teacher will model the process of using the data and maps to compose questions about cancer in each of the five themes of geography.
Activity 6 - Student Teams Compose Questions About Cancer (10 or more minutes)
Individually or in teams of two, the students will compose their own questions about cancer using the five themes of geography as a guide. The teacher will need to monitor students closely and help those who need more support. The teacher will also need to find some good examples of student-composed questions to be shared aloud during the last five minutes of class.
Wrap Up:
(10 minutes)
The teacher should remind students that their homework is to continue to think about these questions and to share them with their family members. Explain that they will be using these questions as a focus of on-going research. If time permits, ask students to share what they learned in today's class.
Enrichment Options
Parent-Home Connection
In order to promote dialog between parents and children about cancer, for homework students will be asked to share the questions they composed about cancer with their parents/guardians/family members. Students will ask family members if they would like to add any questions to the list. (This strategy will work well at schools where parent involvement is high. Students should not be penalized in any way if their parents are unable to be interviewed for this home assignment.)
Cross-Curricular Extensions
Language Arts
Students could write poems about the feelings and ideas that are stirred up by the topic of cancer. They could share those poems in a class literary magazine or submit them to an outside publication.
Students could read a novel with a cancer theme. The following websites provide lists of middle school novels with cancer topics:
http://www.nancykeane.com/rl/321.htm
http://www.owu.edu/~mggrote/mog/reading/page9.html
Fine Arts
Students could create posters or bumper stickers to share important ideas about cancer with the community. The school principal could act as a judge to select the best three posters and bumper stickers and prizes could be awarded. The winning poster and bumper sticker could be reproduced and sold as a fundraiser. The money earned could be donated to the American Cancer Society or another cancer charity.
Mathematics
Students can study data, graphs, and charts related to cancer mortality. They could complete math problems to determine percentages of cancer deaths. They could use the data they analyzed to explain why it is important for citizens to understand cancer prevalence in the United States and to work to reduce cancer mortality.
Science
Students can study cancer within a unit on human systems. They could define key terms relating to cancer and conduct experiments that would help them to understand mitosis.
Students can participate in Mitosis Run Amuck, a WebQuest created by William Blandford for the BioHealth Link Summer Institute, 2002.
http://www.pgcps.pg.k12.md.us/~hyattsms/blandford/mitosis/mithome.htm
Technology
Students can use computer graphics to create political cartoons that show themes relating to cancer awareness. They could publish those cartoons in a magazine, newspaper, or on a website.
|
As a reflective practitioner, note how this lesson could be adjusted after its initial implementation. How successful were the students? What did the assessment demonstrate about the students' learning? What skills do the students need to revisit? What instructional strategies worked and what made them successful? What will you change the next time you use this lesson? Why?
Author: Katy Burke Stanton
Modified by: William Blandford
Program: BioHealthLink
Author's School System: Baltimore County Public Schools
Author's School: Sudbrook Magnet Middle
|
|