GEO-Poems and ECO-Poems

1. GEO-Poems and ECO-Poems Lesson adapted by Sue Lynn Sasser, PhD, from Focus on Economics: Geography, National Council on Economic Education, 1996

2. Introduction • Geo-Poems and Eco-Poems help organize and present information • Creativity is an important part of using these “poems” • “Poems” allow students to express their understanding about a place in a fun, but non-traditional way • Maps, illustrations, diagrams, charts, etc can be used to complement and enrich the poems

3. “Poems” can be used to identify differences between geographic and economic perspectives of a place • “Poems” offer an excellent way to assess student learning or review for future activities or exams

4. Divide the class into small groups of students. Let each group decide if they want to work together on the same poem or work alone on their own poem. • Review the directions and present sample poems for students to follow. • Determine if students will be assigned specific places or if they can choose their place.

5. GEO-Poems

6. City or Country Name • Four physical features describing the place • Three cultural features • Neighbor of or bordering…. • Description of climate (temperature, precipitation, etc) in a season or year • Home of three distinct items that the place character • Three historical trends or events that have shaped this place • Two issues or problems of the place. • Country or region name

7. Extending the lesson • Draw a country or region outline of the place on colored paper, cut it out and mount the outline on a poster. • Write the GEO-Poem on the outline of the country or region. • Decorate the borders with small pictures, symbols or diagrams

8. ECO-Poems

9. City or Country name • Four abundant resources in this place • Three economic activities • Major trading partners • Type of economy and/or government • Home of three historic landmarks • Three events or historical trends that have shaped this place • Two economic issues or problems of current importance • Country or region name

10. Extending the Lesson • Draw a country or region outline of the place on colored paper, cut it out and mount the outline on a poster. • Write the ECO-Poem on the outline of the country or region. • Decorate the borders with small pictures, symbols or diagrams

11. Closing Questions • How does a geographic perspective differ from an economic perspective? • Geographic focus on physical processes and systems shaping the earth’s surface. • Economic focus on resources used to produce goods and services that consumers want or need, and how those goods and services are distributed.

12. What did you learn from writing the poems? • How did this lesson improve your understanding of a new or different place? • What was your favorite part of doing this activity? • Would you like to visit one of the places depicted in the poems? • Why would you like to visit there?

13. Evaluation • Assign each student a city or country that you have studied. • Allow them to write GEO or ECO-poems and illustrate them, write stories about them or create posters about those locations. • Encourage students to explore using music or producing multi-media presentations. • Be flexible and supportive!

14. Additional Resources • www.ocee-ok.org • Oklahoma Council on Economic Education • www.ncee.net • National Council on Economic Education • www.econedlink.org • Econ Ed Link, part of the Marco Polo Project; a source of classroom tested, Internet-based lessons for grades K-12

15. for additional information…. • Sue Lynn Sasser, PhD • President, Oklahoma Council on Economic Education • 100 N. University Drive, Box 103 • Edmond, OK 73034 • 405.974.5627 • ssasser@ucok.edu