Looking at landmarks: Using a picture book to guide research
http://www.readwritethink.org/lessons/lesson_view.asp?id=841
A lesson plan for Grades 4–5 English Language Arts and Social Studies
In this lesson, students research famous landmarks from around the world presented in Ben’s Dreams, a picture book by Chris Van Allsburg. Students develop research skills by using reference materials such as nonfiction books, atlases, encyclopedias, and online resources. Working in small collaborative groups, students write about a selected landmark and publish their research in a flip book project created by the whole class. The lesson plan provides guiding questions and world maps to assist students with the research process. Rubrics and helpful online resources are provided for teacher support.
North Carolina Curriculum Alignment
Social Studies (2003)
Grade 5
- Goal 1: The learner will apply key geographic concepts to the United States and other countries of North America.
- Objective 1.01: Describe the absolute and relative location of major landforms, bodies of water,and natural resources in the United States and other countries of North America.
English Language Arts (2004)
Grade 4
- Goal 2: The learner will apply strategies and skills to comprehend text that is read, heard, and viewed.
- Objective 2.03: Read a variety of texts, including:
- fiction (legends, novels, folklore, science fiction).
- nonfiction (autobiographies, informational books, diaries, journals).
- poetry (concrete, haiku).
- drama (skits, plays).
- Objective 2.06: Summarize major points from fiction and nonfiction text(s) to clarify and retain information and ideas.
- Objective 2.07: Determine usefulness of information and ideas consistent with purpose.
- Objective 2.08: Verify the meaning or accuracy of the author's statement(s) by referencing the text or other resources.
- Objective 2.09: Listen actively by:
- asking questions.
- paraphrasing what was said.
- interpreting speaker's verbal and non-verbal messages.
- interpreting speaker's purposes and/or intent.
- Objective 2.03: Read a variety of texts, including:
- Goal 3: The learner will make connections with text through the use of oral language, written language, and media and technology.
- Objective 3.05: Analyze and integrate information from one or more sources to expand understanding of text including graphs, charts, and/or maps.
- Objective 3.06: Conduct research for assigned projects or self-selected projects (with assistance) from a variety of sources through the use of technological and informal tools (e.g., print and non-print texts, artifacts, people, libraries, databases, computer networks).
- Goal 4: The learner will apply strategies and skills to create oral, written, and visual texts.
- Objective 4.02: Use oral and written language to:
- present information and ideas in a clear, concise manner.
- discuss.
- interview.
- solve problems.
- make decisions.
- Objective 4.03: Make oral and written presentations using visual aids with an awareness of purpose and audience.
- Objective 4.05: Use planning strategies to generate topics and organize ideas (e.g., brainstorming, mapping, webbing, reading, discussion).
- Objective 4.07: Compose fiction, nonfiction, poetry, and drama using self-selected and assigned topics and forms (e.g., personal and imaginative narratives, research reports, diaries, journals, logs, rules, instructions).
- Objective 4.08: Focus revision on a specific element such as:
- word choice.
- sequence of events and ideas.
- transitional words.
- sentence patterns.
- Objective 4.09: Produce work that follows the conventions of particular genres (e.g., personal and imaginative narrative, research reports, learning logs, letters of request, letters of complaint).
- Objective 4.10: Use technology as a tool to gather, organize, and present information.
- Objective 4.02: Use oral and written language to:
- Goal 5: The learner will apply grammar and language conventions to communicate effectively.
- Objective 5.01: Use correct capitalization (e.g., names of languages, nationalities, musical compositions) and punctuation (e.g., commas in a series, commas in direct address, commas and quotation marks in dialogue, apostrophes in possessives).
- Objective 5.07: Use established criteria to edit for language conventions and format.
- Objective 5.08: Demonstrate evidence of language cohesion by:
- logical sequence of fiction and nonfiction retells.
- time order sequence of events.
- sustaining conversations on a topic.
- Objective 5.09: Create readable documents through legible handwriting and/or word processing.
Grade 5
- Goal 2: The learner will apply strategies and skills to comprehend text that is read, heard, and viewed.
- Objective 2.03: Read a variety of texts, such as:
- fiction (tall tales, myths).
- nonfiction (books of true experience, newspaper and magazine articles, schedules).
- poetry (narrative, lyric, and cinquains).
- drama (plays and skits).
- Objective 2.07: Evaluate the usefulness and quality of information and ideas based on purpose, experiences, text(s), and graphics.
- Objective 2.09: Listen actively and critically by:
- asking questions.
- delving deeper into the topic.
- elaborating on the information and ideas presented.
- evaluating information and ideas.
- making inferences and drawing conclusions.
- making judgments.
- Objective 2.03: Read a variety of texts, such as:
- Goal 3: The learner will make connections through the use of oral language, written language, and media and technology.
- Objective 3.06: Conduct research (with assistance) from a variety of sources for assigned or self-selected projects (e.g., print and non-print texts, artifacts, people, libraries, databases, computer networks).
- Goal 4: The learner will apply strategies and skills to create oral, written, and visual texts.
- Objective 4.03: Make oral and written presentations to inform or persuade selecting vocabulary for impact.
- Objective 4.04: Select a self-evaluated composition for publication and justify rationale for selection.
- Objective 4.05: Use a variety of preliminary strategies to plan and organize the writing and speaking task considering purpose, audience, and timeline.
- Objective 4.07: Compose a variety of fiction, nonfiction, poetry, and drama using self-selected topic and format (e.g., poetry, research reports, news articles, letters to the editor, business letters).
- Objective 4.10: Use technology as a tool to enhance and/or publish a product.
- Goal 5: The learner will apply grammar and language conventions to communicate effectively.
- Objective 5.01: Consistently use correct capitalization (e.g., names of magazines, newspapers, organizations) and punctuation (e.g., colon to introduce a list, commas in apposition, commas used in compound sentences).
- Objective 5.02: Demonstrate understanding in speaking and writing by using:
- troublesome verbs.
- nominative, objective, and possessive pronouns.
- Objective 5.05: Spell most commonly used words accurately using a multi-strategy approach to the learning of new spellings.
- Objective 5.06: Proofread for accuracy of spelling using appropriate strategies to confirm spelling and to correct errors.
- Objective 5.07: Edit final product for grammar, language conventions, and format.
- Objective 5.08: Create readable documents through legible handwriting and word processing.



