Lesson Plan | Active Learning | Maps and Photographs

Assumptions: This Active Lesson Plan assumes: a 100-minute class, prior student study with both the Book and the start of Project development, and that only one activity (among the three suggested) will be chosen to be conducted during the class, as each activity is designed to take up a significant portion of the available time.

Objectives

Duration: (5 - 10 minutes)

The Objectives stage is crucial to establish a clear foundation of what is expected to be achieved with the lesson. By defining specific objectives, the teacher guides the students regarding the skills that will be developed and how they relate to the prior study of the topic. This helps to focus the students' attention during practical activities and ensures that the content is assimilated effectively and meaningfully.

Main Objectives:

1. Empower students to identify landmarks and places of residence, such as schools and homes, on maps and photographs.

2. Develop the ability to understand and differentiate vertical view (maps and aerial images) from oblique view (photographs).

3. Encourage spatial reasoning and visual perception of students during the identification of geographic elements in different types of representations.

Side Objectives:

1. Encourage collaboration and communication among students during practical activities.
2. Foster students' interest in Geography and its practical applications in everyday life.

Introduction

Duration: (15 - 20 minutes)

The Introduction stage serves to engage students with the lesson topic, using problem situations that stimulate critical thinking and the practical application of prior knowledge. Additionally, contextualization helps relate the content to the real world, increasing students' interest and the relevance of learning. This moment prepares the ground for subsequent practical activities, ensuring that students are motivated and understand the importance of studying maps and photographs.

Problem-Based Situations

1. Imagine that you are a bird flying over your city. What would you see below you? How could you draw what you saw on a piece of paper in a way that others could understand?

2. Suppose you have a camera and must take photos of all the important places in your neighborhood. What would those places be? How would you decide the angle and height to take the best photos?

Contextualization

Maps and photographs are essential for us to understand the world around us. They help us navigate, plan trips, get to know new places, and explore different cultures. For example, a map can show how a city is organized or how a country is divided, while a photograph can capture the atmosphere of a place, showing details that a map cannot. These tools are used not only by geographers but by anyone who wants to explore and understand Planet Earth.

Development

Duration: (70 - 75 minutes)

The Development section is designed for students to practically and interactively apply the concepts of maps and photographs learned previously. The proposed activities aim to strengthen students' ability to identify and locate landmarks in different types of visual representations, promoting teamwork, communication, and spatial thinking. This stage is crucial for consolidating theoretical knowledge through practical experiences, ensuring student engagement and effective content learning.

Activity Suggestions

It is recommended to carry out only one of the suggested activities

Activity 1 - Cartographic Treasure Hunt

> Duration: (60 - 70 minutes)

- Objective: Develop the ability to interpret maps and photographs for locating landmarks.

- Description: In this activity, students will be divided into groups of up to 5 people, and each group will receive a simple map of the school with a few marked locations, such as the classroom, the cafeteria, and the playground. The challenge will be to identify these points on the map and locate them in the school, using aerial and real photographs. Each correctly identified point will reveal a clue to the next point.

- Instructions:

• Divide the class into groups of up to 5 students.

• Give each group a map of the school and a list of locations to find.

• Explain that each location found must be marked on the map and in real life.

• Provide groups with aerial and real photographs of the school to assist in identification.

• Upon correctly identifying each location, students will receive the next clue.

• The first group to find all the points and return to the classroom will complete the activity.

Activity 2 - Building the Neighborhood Puzzle

> Duration: (60 - 70 minutes)

- Objective: Enhance the ability to associate aerial and real images, and understand the spatial arrangement of elements in the neighborhood.

- Description: Students, in groups, will receive pieces of a large puzzle. Each piece contains an aerial image or photograph of a location in the neighborhood, such as the church, the park, the school, and the supermarket. The challenge will be to assemble the puzzle on the classroom floor, connecting the pieces according to the geographic location of these points in the real neighborhood.

- Instructions:

• Divide the class into groups of 5 students.

• Give each group a set of puzzle pieces, where each piece represents a location in the neighborhood.

• Students must use their prior knowledge and the images to assemble the puzzle on the classroom floor.

• At the end, groups should justify the position of each piece, explaining how the geographic location helped in the assembly.

• Promote a discussion about the difficulties encountered and what they learned about the geography of the neighborhood.

Activity 3 - Junior Photographers

> Duration: (60 - 70 minutes)

- Objective: Teach the difference between aerial and street views of a location, and how these views can be represented in photographs.

- Description: In this activity, students will become 'junior photographers,' but with a special challenge: they will need to capture images that represent different points of view of the same place, such as an aerial image (from above) and a 'street' photograph (at ground level). After taking the photos, they must categorize them and explain their choices.

- Instructions:

• Organize students into groups of up to 5.

• Distribute disposable cameras (or allow them to use their smartphones) and lists of locations to photograph.

• Each group must choose a point to photograph, trying to capture images from different angles (aerial and street).

• After the photo session, students must categorize and discuss the images, explaining the differences between the two types of photography.

• Each group presents their photos and explanations to the class.

Feedback

Duration: (15 - 20 minutes)

This feedback stage is essential for consolidating students' learning, allowing them to share their experiences and insights. Through this discussion, students have the opportunity to verbalize what they understood, clarify doubts, and hear different perspectives from their peers. This not only reinforces acquired knowledge but also promotes communication and collaboration skills. Moreover, the teacher can use this stage to assess students' understanding of the topic and identify areas that may require reinforcement or further exploration.

Group Discussion

At the end of the activities, gather all students for a group discussion. Start the discussion with a brief introduction: 'Now that everyone has had the opportunity to explore maps and photographs, let's share what we discovered. Each group will have the chance to present their findings and discuss the challenges encountered.'

Key Questions

1. What were the main difficulties when working with maps and photographs during the activities?

2. How did you use the vertical view (maps) and the oblique view (photographs) to solve the proposed challenges?

3. What did you learn new about your school/neighborhood through the representations in maps and photographs?

Conclusion

Duration: (10 - 15 minutes)

The Conclusion stage is designed to reinforce students' learning, ensuring they have understood the main concepts explored during the lesson. In addition to summarizing the content, this section emphasizes how theory was applied in practice and highlights the relevance of the topics covered for the students' everyday lives. This final moment not only consolidates the knowledge acquired but also reinforces the importance of Geography and its tools in daily life.

Summary

To conclude, let's summarize what we learned today. In this lesson, we explored the importance of maps and photographs for identifying landmarks and places of residence, such as schools and homes, from different perspectives, whether in the vertical view of maps or the oblique view of photographs. Students participated in practical activities that helped them differentiate and apply these perspectives, promoting a deeper understanding of geographic space.

Theory Connection

Today's lesson was structured to connect theory with practice. Initially, through problem situations, students could apply prior knowledge in practical contexts, such as imagining themselves as birds flying over their cities or deciding the best angles to photograph. Then, group activities allowed for a direct application of concepts, solidifying understanding. This approach helped visualize the relevance of maps and photographs in daily life and educational contexts.

Closing

Understanding maps and photographs is fundamental not only for the subject of Geography but also for various everyday situations, such as planning trips, participating in games that involve navigation, and even for understanding news that involves specific locations. These skills are valuable and continuously applied in different aspects of life, reinforcing the importance of geographic education from an early age.