Utah Studies Geography Unit Plan

Utah Studies

Geography of Utah Unit Plan

The Big Questions:

Why did Utah Settlers settle were they in the mountain valleys? And how does Utah’s land affect the way we live?

Rational: All People need to have the ability to read and understand maps, as well as understanding conservation and our natural resources.

Lesson Name	State Standard	Brief Description	Primary Objectives	Secondary Objectives	Assessment
Utah on the Map (2 p)	I; 1: a b c	Groups of 3 will give a 5 minute presentation on what they found to be important from packets on cities or landmarks of Utah. Go through the counties, cities, landmarks etc.	Students will be acquainted with were Utah cities and landmarks are located regionally	Students will be able to read a map, learn the Counties of Utah	Presentation Map & County Quiz
Settling Utah (1 p)	I;1: c 4: a b c	Look at growth in the cities and Counties in Utah, discussion on major building projects and the people that live in the counties and how it has changed their way of life, tell stories about settlement of Utah with Eastern city people moving to Southern Utah and Northern Utah etc.	Students will be able to identify the counties of Utah, with their counties’ seats	Students will understand how people change landscape and how landscapes change people	County Quiz
The Wide Range of Utah’s  Climate (1p)	I; 2: a c d e	Watch Our Interior sea The GSL. Students will learn about Deserts and Mts and what lives there what the range of temp is and precipitation	Students will understand how elevation and latitude effect the Utah Climate		Next days starter question
Forming the Landscape of Utah (1p)	I; 2:b f	Geology! Basin and Range Formation, Earthquakes, erosion and the Colorado Plato	Students will be able to explain the formation of major landforms of Utah	Students will understand how land formations effect Utah’s environment	Test Question
Utah’s Natural recourses (1p)	I; 3: a b c d	If possible have a representative from the BLM come and present to the class, if not explain the difference between renewable resources and nonrenewable and of course WATER!!!	Students will learn the importance of Utah’s Natural Resources and understand the need for conservation		Exit slips: 3 things you fill was most important form the speaker?
Settling the Great Basin (2-3p)	I;1:c, 2:b, 3, 4:b c	Play a version of Settlers of Catan with variation w/ water as the key factor and canals as the tool to transport water to arid regions of the map.	Students should understand the importance of Utah’s natural recourses and understanding of why Utah Settlers settled were they did	students will understand the importance Utah’s recourses play in the American West	Participation in the Game and Debriefing essay
Review and Test (2p)		Give Study Guide or review sheet and have one period for Review game	Be prepared for the test and testing environment	Have extra credit w/s for those that finish early	Multiple Choice, Matching, & short answer

Total days to complete Unit approximately 10-12 Periods