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Grade Level: 2^nd Grade

Time:

Day 1: Steps 1 & 2 – 30 minutes
Day 2: Step 3 – 30 minutes (or as long as necessary for researching)
Days 3 & 4: Step 4 & 5 – 30-45 minutes to finish projects and have students present them if you choose to do so

Essential Question: How can we be stewards of Wyoming’s public and private lands to benefit current and future generations?

Objective: Students will demonstrate how well they can identify Wyoming’s unique terrain, its multiple uses, the importance of caring for it, and how to be a steward of it.

Purpose: Students show what they can do to be stewards of Wyoming’s lands for current and future generations.

Required Materials/Resources:

• Talking chips (other items can be used like blocks, counters, etc.)
• Wyoming State Parks website https://wyoparks.wyo.gov/index.php/places-to-go/view-full-list-of-wyoming-state-parks (Source 1)
• Brochure template (one per student and one for teacher to model). It is a bifold. Copy front and back.
• Brochure rubric (one per student and one for teacher to review)
• Park Maps & Brochures pages from the Wyoming State Parks website (either a different one per student or a copy per student of the same park)
• Park Map & Brochure for teacher to model (Must be different than the one(s) students are assigned. If possible, choose two.)
• Electronic devices (optional)
• Highlighters
• Colored pencils, markers

Suggested Teacher Preparation:

• Decide if you will have students present their brochures to the class or another class after they have finished them.
• Choose a specific park(s) or national forest(s) in Wyoming for students to use and one or two for you to model that is/are different than what the students will use. Students can each do a different park, or every student can do the same park. Follow instructions in next bullet to print the Maps & Brochures.
• Go to the Wyoming State Parks website https://wyoparks.wyo.gov/index.php/places-to-go/view-full-list-of-wyoming-state-parks. Choose a park. Once on a
park page, look for the green box on the left, and click on the Maps & Brochures option. Download and print the copies needed for the class.
• If you do not want to make copies of the Park Maps & Brochures, have students directly access the maps and brochures themselves on electronic devices. If doing so, set up the devices beforehand, so students do not have navigate through the website to find the maps and brochures.
• Review the Talking Chips Kagan strategy. (Source 2) https://www.kaganonline.com/free_articles/dr_spencer_kagan/281/Kagan-Structures-A-Miracle-of-Active-Engagement,3
• For days 3 & 4, post a checklist of brochure requirements for students to reference.

Standards:

Social Studies: SS2.1.1 (Practiced/Encountered)
ELA: 2.W.7, 2.W.8 (Explicit), 2.W.2 (Practiced/Encountered)
CVE: CV5.1.4, CV5.3.2, CV5.4.1, CV5.4.4 (Practiced/Encountered)

Vocabulary: No new terms are introduced in the lesson.

Instructional Procedure/Steps:

Day 1:

1. Introduce the Talking Chips Kagan Strategy, so students can review ways that Wyoming’s terrain is unique; the many different uses of the terrain; ways that lands are
managed and cared for with rules and regulations; and the definition of stewardship. Put students into small groups. Each student gets 3 chips. Say: “We are going to review the learning from this unit by discussing questions in five rounds. You can only answer a question if you have a chip to put in the pile. By the time the rounds are finished, all of your chips must be used. If you are out of chips, you cannot answer, so everyone has a chance to participate. Once everyone in the group has used all of their chips, everyone can retrieve their chips and continue answering if necessary. Questions?” Monitor groups to make sure they are following the directions. Pose the following questions for each round:

• Round 1 – “What are some different types of terrain found in Wyoming?”
• Round 2 – “What are some activities or uses for lands in Wyoming?”
• Round 3 – “What are some rules or ways to care for our lands in Wyoming?”
• Round 4 – “How can we be stewards of Wyoming’s lands by following established rules and laws in those areas?”
• Round 5 – “What is a job you might like to have that would help people who visit Wyoming?”

2. Say: “You are going to create a brochure for a Wyoming State Park. Let’s review what a brochure is and talk about how it ensures stewardship.” Go to the
Wyoming State Parks website. Choose a park. Once on a park page, look at the green box on the left and click on the Maps & Brochures option. Do this for a few parks. For each brochure you view, ask:

• “What is the terrain of this park?”
• “What activities are available at this park?”
• “How do we know how to care for this park?”
• “Why is this brochure important for visitors of the park?” So visitors know what activities are available, what the rules are, where the land is located, etc.

Day 2:

3. Model how to complete/fill in the brochure template using one of the State Parks you discussed in the previous part of the lesson. Make sure the sample highlights a different park than the one(s) students will use. Pass out the rubrics and begin by showing the blank template and explaining each of the sections that need to be included in the brochure. Model how to highlight terrain types, uses, and rules/regulations from the printed Wyoming State Park brochure or electronic version on the website. Using the brochure instructions below, model for students how to paraphrase information from the published brochure and put it into your own words to complete the student brochure template. Review the rubric and write a checklist of required sections on the board, so students have clear expectations about what they need to do and how they will be scored. Also, as a whole group, create a word bank that may be commonly used in the brochures for student reference.

Brochure Instructions:

The following items need to be included in the brochure:

• At least two examples of stewardship.
• Naming the terrain (mountain, body of water, forest, or grassland), describing what it looks like, and drawing the area.
• At least two uses of terrain.
• At least two rules/regulations describing how to care for public lands.
• Each section above is labeled and organized.

Days 3-4:

4.

Pass out research and necessary materials, and have students work on their individual brochures. Provide as much time as needed for students to complete their brochures. If you are having students present their brochures to the class or possibly to a lower grade level, allow sufficient time for the presentations, as well. (Students’ presentations would address ELA standard, 2.SL.2.)

Assessment:

Use the rubric provided to score student brochures and presentations if applicable. It will show how well students know how to identify terrain, the uses of our land, how to care for our public lands, and how to be a steward of our public lands in Wyoming.

Credits/Sources:

1. WYO PARKS. (2017). Wyoming State Parks. Retrieved
August 9, 2017, from
https://wyoparks.wyo.gov/index.php/places-to-go/view-full-list-of-wyoming-state-parks
2. Kagan, Dr. Spencer. Kagan Publishing & Professional
Development. (2018). Kagan Structures: A Miracle of
Modern Engagement – 6 Talking Chips. Retrieved August 26,
2018, from
https://www.kaganonline.com/free_articles/dr_spencer_kagan/281/Kagan-Structures-A-Miracle-of-Active-Engagement,3