Map CA Regions Using Scratch 3.0 (4th)
In this project, students use Scratch 3.0 to show their understanding of California’s geographic regions. Students use a Map Template to build an interactive map with labels, images and descriptive text. The project can be extended in several ways: students can place dots for the major metropolitan areas and CA Missions locations. They can use the map to help write explanations for the locations of CA’s major cities. Students can also use their maps to respond to the NGSS question: How do natural resources, climate, and landforms affect how plants, animals, and people live?
The two Scratch projects below show a template on the left for students to use, and a final version on the right for teacher reference.
HISTORY SOCIAL SCIENCE FRAMEWORK (2016)
Chapter 7: 4th Grade
Physical and Human Geographic Features That Define California
a) How do climate and geography vary throughout the state? How do these features affect how people live?
The study of geography is a natural place to integrate technology into the classroom. Students may use Google Earth to zoom in to view regions and landmarks or annotate a map of California with their ongoing notes about geographic features with an app such as ThingLink. Teachers who wish to design interdisciplinary or problem-based learning units may connect the study of geography to the Next Generation Science Standards through an essential question: How do natural resources, climate, and landforms affect how plants, animals, and people live? As students study the major regions of California, they might also explore how rainfall helps to shape the land and affects the types of living things found in a region.