Grade 2 Spring History - Immigration Stories: Why Families Move, How They Journey, and How They Make Home
Lesson 16 40 min hist.g2.s.lesson_16

Our Class World Map - Where Our Families Are From

Skills targeted
Objectives
  • Students pin their family ancestral place(s) on MG-5 World Map.
  • Students identify the continent and approximate location of their pin(s).
Vocabulary
pinancestral placeorigincontinentcountry

Lesson plan

Warm-up

5 min

Recap continents and oceans. Today we PIN our family's place(s).

Teacher moves
  • Affirm continent knowledge
  • Set tone: this is a JOYFUL geography day

Direct instruction

12 min

Today the World Map gets filled in by US. Each child gets one or more pins. You pin the place(s) your family is from. If your family is from many places, you can use many pins. If your family does not know, you can pin a CHOSEN PLACE (a family-friend's place, a published-family's place). After we pin, we will fly on Google Earth from our school to one ancestral place per child.

Key examples
  • Every pin is a story.
    model Country / continent / pin.
    prompt Watch: I'll pin Naples, Italy on the map - that's where one part of my family came from. The pin is on the continent of Europe.
Checks for understanding
  • What is your country of origin (or chosen place)?
  • What continent is that on?
Sourcework
Source type
MG-5 World Map (collaborative artifact) + Google Earth visualization
Routine
MAP-PIN-NOTICE place-of-origin protocol
Media
M-2-S-GEO-16-B Interactive Physical / non-image

Smartboard/tablet display showing Google Earth interface flying from school location to one ancestral place per child (children choose). Each flyover ~15 seconds. Privacy protocol: only city/region level zoom (never to a specific street); children can opt to fly to a 'chosen place' instead of family place. Source: Google Earth educational use license.

Guided practice

15 min
Tasks
  • Each child pins their family ancestral place(s). Teacher photo-documents the growing map.
    scaffold Pre-prepared continent labels; adult-supported pin placement
  • Google Earth flyover: from school to ONE ancestral place per child (with privacy care - children choose which to fly to).
Media
M-2-S-GEO-16-A Map
Display map 60x40 landscape laminated showing world map with 7 continents, 5 oceans, country borders light gray, school

Display map 60x40 landscape laminated showing world map with 7 continents, 5 oceans, country borders light gray, school location starred. Pins are being added throughout the lesson. By end of class, the map shows multiple pins on multiple continents. Photo-documented after each addition. Style: warm, child-readable, scale bar and compass rose visible.

MG-5 Map
Mounted on classroom wall at child-eye-height. Built lesson by lesson as each child shares their family's place. Childre

Mounted on classroom wall at child-eye-height. Built lesson by lesson as each child shares their family's place. Children use the map in lesson 16 to discover continental and country patterns. Privacy protocol: a child may opt to pin a 'family-chosen' place rather than their own family's place if they prefer privacy. Companion tactile raised-relief version available.

Formative assessment

3 min
Exit ticket
  • Point to your pin. Name your continent.
scoring Pin placed and continent named = mastery

Closure

2 min
Moves
  • Count: how many continents represented in our class?
  • Preview: tomorrow we rehearse the Immigration Stories presentation
Media
M-2-S-GEO-16-C Chart
Chart 18x24 with 7 continent labels along x-axis and stack of pin-icons along y-axis showing class counts. Class fills i

Chart 18x24 with 7 continent labels along x-axis and stack of pin-icons along y-axis showing class counts. Class fills in after pinning. Style: clean, child-readable, cross-link to math G2 Spring data.

Homework

5 min
Tasks
  • Share a photo of the class world map with your family. Ask: what other places are special to our family?

Exercises in this lesson

hist.g2.s.cul.world_map_class_origins.ex_01
Pin your family ancestral place(s) on the class World Map. Then identify the continent.
 map pin continent · diff 1

Differentiation

Scaffolds
  • Pre-marked continents on personal world map page
  • Adult-supported pin placement
Extensions
  • Build a class pictograph (cross-link math): how many families came from each continent?
English Learners
  • Bilingual country name pronunciation cards
Ieps 504s
  • Tactile raised-relief map
  • Adult-placed pin with child direction

Teacher notes

PROTOCOL: This is one of the unit's most joyful lessons. The map becomes a permanent classroom artifact. Privacy is critical: children can opt to pin a CHOSEN PLACE rather than their own family's place if they prefer. Coordinate with caregivers in week 14 letter. Google Earth: keep zoom at city/region level (NEVER to a specific street or building) for safety. Pictograph cross-link to Math G2 Spring data-representation skill.