Lesson 8: Reproducing Our Community Map With Technology



Aim: We will use the computer program SimTown to reproduce our community map through the use of technology


Implementation-Facilitation

A. Motivation
1. Before creating our map we will review what we learned about SimTown in the previous lesson.

SAMPLE QUESTIONS
a. Can someone tell us what we need to do to load in SimTown?
b. Can someone tell us how to find the picture that represents the school?

2. The class will review vocabulary words: terrain, businesses, bulldozer.

Below are examples of the students' version of Ridgewood,

created in the program, SimTown.

The main street is Fresh Pond Road. P. S. 88 is the blue building on the corner. Across from it is the Ridgewood Senior Citizen Center. The students counted how many stores and houses are on each block.

This is the corner of Fresh Pond Road and Catalpa Avenue. P. S. 88 is the building with the playground. The Ridgewood Senior Citizen Center is to its left.


B. Method
3. The teacher will choose three (the number of computers in the classroom) students to begin reproducing their map on SimTown.
4. The students will use the map that we drew as a class to help them reproduce it onto the computer.
5. They will begin by drawing the streets.
a. Ask the students which is the largest block on the map?
b. Where should we create that block?
6. Next, they will place the school in the appropriate place on the map.
a. Ask the students where they think the school goes in relation to the streets they already put down.
7. Then, allow the students to continue to reproduce the map through SimTown until the whole map is completed.

Grouping
1. The size of this group depends on the number of computers available.


Student Activities
1. The students will review vocabulary.
2. The students will recall information to be able to use SimTown.
3. The students will reproduce their maps through SimTown.


Materials
Student-drawn Maps
Computers
SimTown Computer Program


Reinforcers
1. The students will recall information from previous lessons.
a. How to use SimTown.
2. The students will receive praise for their ability to convert what they learned into reproducing their maps through SimTown.
a. Praise the students for their ability to recall the steps needed for using SimTown to make their own map.


Evaluation
1. Observation of the students ability to retrieve prior knowledge.
2. Measurement of students ability to recall facts.
3. Measurement of students understanding of technology.