Social Studies 2 to 3
Environment [I]

Prescribed Learning Outcomes

It is expected that students will:

• create and interpret simple maps using cardinal directions, symbols, and simple keys
• identify and describe major landforms and water bodies in British Columbia and Canada
• identify and locate British Columbia in Canada, North America, the Pacific region, and the world
• identify and locate the provinces and territories of Canada

• Have students draw maps of the schoolyard using symbols, directions, and simple keys.
• In pairs, ask students to take imaginary trips, telling their partners stories as they track with their fingers where they are going on a map.
• Ask students, through discussion and use of manipulatives and art materials, to build representations of landforms (e.g., mountain, valley, plateau, island) and bodies of water (e.g., ocean, lake, bay, gulf, river). Discuss characteristics common to each and develop class definitions.
• Set up terrarium stations depicting a variety of environments found in British Columbia or Canada (e.g., marine, desert, delta, bog, rain forest). Encourage students to closely examine the environments to discover how they are alike or different.
• Conduct a field trip or community walk to a river bank, mountainous area, or forest to experience diverse environments.
• In small groups, have students research specific regions in BC or Canada and present their findings in an Environmental Minute using video, film, skit, dance, or lecture. Presentations could include murals, models, charts, and other media.
• Ask students to identify major mountains, rivers, and lake systems in a range of environments in BC. Students then create relief maps of these features using papier m’chÈ, playdough, or Plasticine.

Suggested Assessment Strategies

• Before students draw maps showing the schoolyard, work with them to develop criteria such as:
  • drawn to scale
  • accurate location of streets and buildings
  • correct symbols and directions used
  • includes a title, correct labels, and a key
  • legible
• On a blank map, have students add specific landforms and bodies of water discussed in class. Look for evidence that students can locate and correctly label landforms and bodies of water.
• Cut up maps of Canada into provinces and territories to make puzzles. Form groups of students and ask each to put a map together, naming the provinces and territories and noting major landforms and bodies of water. Look for evidence that students are able to place provinces in their correct location and accurately name the geographic features.
• Ask students to demonstrate their knowledge of the location of Canada, North America, and the Pacific region by each sketching a map of the world. Collect their maps and look for evidence that students are able to:
  • correctly identify Canada, North America, and the Pacific region
  • accurately label major bodies of water in Canada
  • use prior knowledge of maps of the world