In this lesson, students investigate an atlas. At the end of the lesson, students are able to:
- Examine when and how to employ an atlas.
- Acquire knowledge of textual features and apply them to enhance understanding and obtain data.
- Examine an atlas to learn more about a nation.
- Make assumptions and judgments about a nation based on data from an atlas.

- How do we process information when reading to comprehend and react? 
- What is the purpose of learning new words? 
- What methods and tools do readers employ to decipher unfamiliar vocabulary? 
- How do students expand and improve their vocabulary?

- Research: A systematic inquiry into a subject or problem to discover, verify, or revise relevant facts or principles having to do with that subject or problem.
- Text Features: Conventions used in texts to guide the reader and provide additional or supporting information.

- a variety of children’s world atlases. You may need to check the atlases beforehand to make sure they have the necessary features to go with the lesson. The lesson can be adjusted to accommodate the resources you have. You will need at least one atlas for every two students. The following atlases are possible suggestions:
- Children’s World Atlas. (2011).  DK Publishing.
- Hammond Children’s World Atlas. (2008). Hammond World Atlas Corporation, 
- Belinda Weber. (2004). The Kingfisher Children’s Atlas. Kingfisher.
- National Geographic World Atlas for Young Explorers. (2007). National Geographic Children’s Books.
Teachers may substitute other books to provide a range of reading and level of text complexity.
- chart paper
- markers
- atlas activity questions (L-3-2-2_Atlas Questions)
- one item for each student that has a label indicating where it was made. Clothing, small toys, or canned food would work well.
- student copies of the Research Questions worksheet (L-3-2-2_Research Questions)
- student copies of the Text Features information page (L-3-2-2_Text Features)

- This lesson aims to strengthen and broaden students' knowledge of using atlases to discover information and conclude it. Evaluate each student's development using anecdotal notes and observation. To find out which students have achieved the objective, use the following exercise: 
- Assign every pupil a different nation to study than the one they have already studied. Students should finish the worksheet on research questions. Next, review their output. Work with pupils to help them grasp how to use the many text features in atlases. Model how to use each one, and then lead them through more practice.

Explicit instruction, modeling, and active engagement
W: Use an atlas to guide students' exploration.
H: Teach pupils to use an atlas' text features to improve comprehension.
E: Assist students in finding material in atlases and drawing conclusions about it through relevant activities.
R: Permit students to present their data to the class, debate their conclusions, and make sure they comprehend.
E: Use the fast evaluation exercise to determine each student's proficiency using the atlas.
T: Give students the chance to expand or confirm their comprehension of how to utilize an atlas.
O: This lesson's learning exercises include large-group instruction and discussion, small-group inquiry, pair work, and individual application of the material.

Focus question: How can information be found using an atlas and its features?
As partners, go through an atlas together. Say, "Make a list of the kinds of information that an atlas can provide."  Give students time to go over the atlas.

What did you discover in the atlas? Ask students. On two different pieces of chart paper, note the responses. One page should have the text features, and another should contain the other responses (L-3-2-2_Text Features).

Note: The table of contents, glossary, index, images, captions, maps, and key/legend are examples of text features. Facts like "There are seven continents on Earth" are examples of information to list on the other page.

Lead students through the atlas to find additional text features if they are unable to recognize them all.

Bring the pupils' attention to the text features you have written on the chart paper. You ask, "Why are there text features in an atlas? Do they aid in the reader's comprehension or grasp of the atlas's contents?" Go over every feature and talk about how it benefits the reader. Give pupils more time to learn how to use the index. Give pupils access to the L-3-2-2_Text Features information page so they have it for reference.

Select a page that the kids will read. Ask them to read aloud in pairs or small groups. Request that they evaluate the text features (such as tables, charts, graphs, legends, and insets) on the page. Question: "What made the author decide to include certain text elements? Which facts do they contribute to or support? Would the reader receive better guidance or help from other text features?" Students should share first in small groups and then with the whole group.

Have students compete to locate information in the atlas in a game. For instance, pose queries like "How many nations are in South America? Which region of the world is home to the most people? On page ___, which text feature is used?" Be sure to include a few questions that call for pupils to use an atlas glossary and index. Use L-3-2-2_Atlas Questions, the accompanying atlas activity questions, as a guide.

Assign students to examine the US maps in their atlases. "What details about the United States can you find in an atlas?" you ask. Put the students' responses on the chart paper. Assist pupils in finding out knowledge about the United States by using the following questions: Say, "Use the atlas's text features to find the answers to the questions I have just asked. Prepare your response and identify the text feature that held the information."

1. "What is the size of the United States?"
2. "Identify and designate two American mountains."
3. "What is the population of the United States?"
4. "Identify two lakes and two rivers in the United States by location and name."
5. "How is the weather in various areas of the United States?"
6. "Which other nations border the United States?"
7. "What textual elements aided you in finding that information?"

Utilize the following inquiries to assist learners in drawing conclusions:

1. "What styles of clothing do you believe are worn in various US regions? Why do you believe that?" (Weather-appropriate attire for the north due to frigid temperatures; lighter attire for warmer temperatures in the south.) "Where did you find that information?"
2. "What kinds of outdoor activities could you partake in across the nation? Why do you believe that?" (swimming and boating along the beaches due to the proximity to water; skiing and sledding in the north due to snowfall) "What text features helped you determine that information?"

Assemble the products and label them with the manufacturing location. Ask students to locate the nation of manufacture for an item by looking at it and using an atlas. Give out the Research Questions worksheet (L-3-2-2 Research Questions).

Assign partners to jot down any facts about the nation they can discover in the atlas. Instruct them to look for facts and make judgments about the nation using the text features.

Students should be encouraged to present to the class what they learned about the nation they were studying. Talk about how the text's features assisted students in answering their research questions and how they came up with solutions when the atlas didn't provide the answers directly. For instance, how could they have known what kind of homes or clothing individuals may be wearing in that nation?

Extension:

Assign writing assignments for a global journey to students who are prepared to go beyond the basics. Students should be instructed to develop questions whose answers can only be found by consulting the page of the atlas where each nation is located.
For students who require additional practice using an atlas, you could assign them to work in small groups to find information about a state, a country, or a continent. Ask pupils to identify the textual elements they relied on for information or assistance.