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3rd Grade  Project 4 weeks

Orange County Geography Quest

Kyra S
Updated
VA:Cr2.3.3a
ESS.3.A
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.3.7
ESS.3.C
3-5.AF.6.1
+ 5 more
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Purpose

Students investigate how Orange County’s geography shapes how people live and care for local environments. In addition to stepping into the field to experience geography live, students will analyze landforms, examine photos, and partner with a county park ranger. They synthesize their learning by creating detailed atlas pages with professional symbols, legends, and directional terms, then share their work through a published class atlas.

Learning goals

Students identify major Orange County landforms and water features and use maps, photos, and simple models to explain how these features shaped Orange County's history. Students apply map-making skills by creating and revising representations with labels, symbols, legends, and direction words, and by using illustrations and text together to build understanding. Students investigate historical events on local land and water. Students communicate their learning through photo studies, peer discussions, oral map talks, and a gallery walk while using feedback to improve their work.

Standards
  • [National Core Arts Standards] VA:Cr2.3.3a - Individually or collaboratively construct representations, diagrams, or maps of places that are part of everyday life.
  • [Next Generation Science Standards] ESS.3.A - Natural Resources
  • [Common Core] CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.3.7 - Use information gained from illustrations (e.g., maps, photographs) and the words in a text to demonstrate understanding of the text (e.g., where, when, why, and how key events occur).
  • [Next Generation Science Standards] ESS.3.C - Human Impacts on Earth Systems
  • [Next Generation Science Standards] 3-5.AF.6.1 - Construct an explanation of observed relationships (e.g., the distribution of plants in the back yard).
Competencies
  • Effective Communication - Students practice listening to understand, communicating with empathy, and share their learning through exhibiting, presenting and reflecting on their work.
  • Critical Thinking & Problem Solving - Students consider a variety of innovative approaches to address and understand complex questions that are authentic and important to their communities.
  • Collaboration - Students co-design projects with peers, exercise shared-decision making, strengthen relational agency, resolve conflict, and assume leadership roles.
  • Self Directed Learning - Students use teacher and peer feedback and self-reflection to monitor and direct their own learning while building self knowledge both in and out of the classroom.
  • Content Expertise - Students develop key competencies, skills, and dispositions with ample opportunities to apply knowledge and engage in work that matters to them.

Products

Students create a small Orange County map poster that includes labels, symbols, a legend, and direction words to show major landforms and water features. They also contribute to a ranger-inspired class atlas page set, with one page for each major landform that includes a simple map, a drawing, and a short writing prompt about how the feature impacted an event in Orange County's history. Along the way, students will examine historical photos from Orange County, draft posters for a mid-project "new" county map, and practice oral map talks with a peer using a checklist.

Launch

Students kick off the project by examining archival photos from the Orange County Historical Archives to uncover how our local landforms and water features looked in the past. From there, they dive into rotating through local photo sets, a large Orange County map, to predict how the geography affects people and wildlife in Orange County.

Exhibition

Students will display their county map posters and the class atlas pages for families, staff, and the parks ranger. Each student gives a short oral map talk, pointing to coastlines, hills, valleys, trails, and water features while explaining one way geography changes travel or recreation in Orange County. Students' work will be available for temporary public viewing at Peter and Mary Muth Interpretive Center at Upper Newport Bay Nature Preserve .