Faith Vespremi
Fourth Grade
Social Studies
PURPOSE:
To inform children of many aspects of Iceland. To teach the children
about Iceland's history, culture, and land formation using hands on
materials.
CONNECTION TO THE NATIONAL GEOGRAPHY
STANDARDS:
No. 4. Knows and understands the physical and human characteristics
of places. This will apply to my lesson because I want the children to
learn how Iceland came to be and the types of people that live there.
No. 14. Knows and understands how the earth's physical and human
systems
are connected and interact. This will apply because I want the children
to learn how Iceland received it's name and how it is related to the
world.
No. 17. Knows and understands how to apply geography to interpret the
past. I want the children to learn how the past of Iceland is related
to
how it was named and created and some of the occurrences that have
happened
on the country.
OBJECTIVES:
Students will demonstrate their ability:
1. To show on a world map where Iceland is located.
2. To tell how Iceland received its name.
3. To explain the different types terrain Iceland is made up of.
4. To tell some parts of Iceland's culture.
5. To tell some basic facts about Iceland.
OVERVIEW OF PRESENTATION:
I plan to talk about many aspects of Iceland. I will divide the project
into a five day lesson plan. Each day will focus on a different aspect
of Iceland. I will talk about how it is considered to be part of Europe
even though it is not connected to the mainland. I will also focus on
how
Iceland is really a huge volcano sitting on top of the Mid-Atlantic
ridge.
Then I will discuss the history of Iceland and how it was named by the
Vikings. I will also incorporate the culture of the country and the
habitat.
PROCEDURES:
Period 1:
Introducing Iceland
Sponge Activity: (5 minutes) Ask the children to write down any words
that come to their mind when they hear the word Iceland.
Introduction: (15 minutes) Ask the children if they have ever heard
of Iceland and let them brainstorm about where they believe Iceland
would
be located in the world. Here I will discuss with the children why
Iceland
was named Iceland when it should have been named Greenland and why
Greenland
was named Greenland instead of Iceland. This was because the Vikings
wanted
to make Greenland seem a wonderful place to live when Iceland was the
place
they wanted to keep a secret. This is discussed in Enchantment of the
World
by Emilie U. Lepthien on pages 35-40. I believe these interesting facts
and the pictures in the book will get the children interested in the
country.
Opening: (20 minutes) I will hand out maps for the whole class and
let the children identify where Iceland is on their maps. We will
discuss
if Iceland is located in the North, Central, or South part of the
Earth.
Let the children debate where they believe Iceland should be located.
When
one of the children discover where Iceland is let him/her share it with
the class. Now relating back to how Iceland was named discuss why it is
located in the North, but not near the Arctic circle.
Discussion: (20 minutes) Now divide the blackboard into two categories.
Using the first two parts of KWL write "what I know" and "what I want
to
know" on the board. Go around the room and ask each child to contribute
at least one item into each category. This will give the children a
chance
to share their knowledge with the other children in the class and you
as
the teacher a chance to find out what points to focus on that the
children
want to learn. The third category is "what I learned" and this will be
assessed in the fifth period.
Period 2:
Land Formation and Location:
Sponge Activity: (5 minutes) Ask the children to think about what kinds
of land formations would be in Iceland. Would it be volcanoes, deserts,
mountains, etc.
Opening: (25 minutes) Using the book Enchantment of the World by Emilie
U. Lepthien pages 9-20 and Iceland: Land of the Sagas by David Roberts
and Jon Krakauer I will discuss how Iceland is really a huge volcano
sitting
on top of the Mid-Atlantic ridge. Using the pictures I will show the
diverse
ranges of land that is in the country. Everything from a waterspout
called
Strokkur, huge icecaps, to erupting volcanoes. I will explain that even
though Iceland is a small country they have a very diverse landscape.
Guided Practice: (30 minutes) I will explain the parts of the URL and
demonstrate logging onto a computer in the classroom with an LCD
projector
entering the following URL: http://www.lib.utexas.edu/Libs/PCL/Map_collection/europe/Iceland.GIF
This is a map of Iceland that includes a key with the capital,
all-weather
roads, seasonal roads, and km/miles scale. Using the information in the
key ask the children to decide why these particular elements were
included
in the key. Especially focus on why the key would include
all-weather-roads
and seasonal roads. Ask the children if the state they live in would
have
the road elements on the keys in their state's map? Get the children to
write down at least five cities, four rivers, one body of water, and
one
mountain on a piece of paper to turn in. This will be graded only on
completion
and following directions.
Period 3:
History
Sponge Activity: (5 minutes) Ask the children to take out their journal
and write their own story of how they believe Iceland received it's
name.
Tell them to be creative!
Opening: (20 minutes) Discuss with the children what they know about
Iceland's past. Hopefully one of the children will remember from the
first
day that they learned how the Vikings named the country. Now I will
branch
out from this fact first discussing what happened before the Vikings
settled
on Iceland. In Lepthien's book she also talks about how Irish Monks
lived
at Iceland until pagans came and they disappeared. This was the time
that
the Vikings came onto the land. There were many other settlers
including
Eric the Red in 960 AD. When Red settled in Iceland the land was
already
filled with settlers, so this leads to land disputes. It wasn't until
1918
that Iceland was recognized as a sovereign state. I will discuss many
other
parts of Iceland's history when I teach the class.
Guided Practice (15 minutes) As a class we will log onto our computers
and type in the URL:
http://www.lysator.liu.se/(ns)/nordic/scn/faq51.html#5.1
We will briefly go over the site that includes many facts about Iceland
as a class. I will have a LCD on the overhead and guide the children
across
the web site. This way the children will be able to see someone
demonstrate
the web before they are let loose on the web. I will discuss some of
the
facts such as Iceland's name in Icelandic is Lyoveldio Island and
Iceland
is only 39,758 square miles.
Independent Practice (20 minutes) I will pass out a work sheet that
will let the children go through the site and evaluate it looking for
specifics
on the site. This work sheet is easy to make. All you would need to do
is look at the site before hand and decide what you want the children
to
discover. This work sheet will be graded on accuracy and a version of
it
will be provided at the end of the lesson plan.
Period 4:
Culture
Sponge Activity: (5 minutes) Ask the children to be writing about how
they believe countries affect each other in their journal. To spark
their
minds ask them to compare Mexico's Spanish with Texas' English or
Canada's
French with the north's English. Has they affected the U.S.?
Opening (20 minutes) I will share a magazine article in The Chronicle
of Higher Education, February 2, 1996 edition. The author is Carolyn J.
Mooney. The article discusses how Iceland is aggressively trying to
preserve
its cultural heritage and identity through its language. The government
and academic leaders have been working closely together to develop new
Icelandic terms for foreign words such as computers and telephones.
However,
many linguists have found it difficult to translate specialized terms
such
as those used in medicine and science. As a class I want the children
to
discuss how words from other societies affect languages. What kinds of
words affect the English language? Does Spanish and French affect it?
How
and why?
Discussion (20 minutes) Discuss what kind of language the children
think that people from Iceland would speak. For example we call the
country
"Iceland" because that is how you would speak it in English, but in
Icelandic
it is called " Lyoveldio Island" and it contains hyphens over the y and
I and it has "~" over the two o's. Talk to the children and ask where
they
think the language originated. How is the language different from
English?
Guided Practice (15 minutes) At this point I will ask the children
to pull out the work sheet that they did the period before over the web
site of facts. We will go over this as a class discussing the answers
that
the children got. For instance one question was how many cars per 1000
inhabitants? The answer is 458 which means that less than half of the
people
have a car in Iceland. Compare this result with the United States. Do
the
same kind of comparison with the other questions on the work sheet.
Inform
the children that there will be a test in the next period.
Period 5:
Wrap up and Test
Sponge Activity: (5 minutes) The children should be preparing any kinds
of questions they want to ask the teacher about the test at this time.
Opening (20 minutes) At this point I will assess the third part of
KWL which is "what I learned". I will go around the room and ask
everyone
of the children to name at least one example of something they learned.
This will act as a review for the children. I will make sure that I go
over everything that will be on the test. If the children have been
paying
attention then they will have no problem with the test. Evaluation (20
minutes- rough estimate) At this point I will find out how much the
children
have learned by passing out a test. This test will be multiple choice
and
graded on correctness.
Closure (15 minutes- any time leftover) Now I will pass out a dish
that I have prepared the night before. The dish is Skyr and it is the
national
dish of Iceland. It is made from nonhomogenized milk and is a favorite
dish at breakfast or as a dessert when it is sprinkled with sugar or
served
with fruit. As a class we can try to think of other foods that might be
popular in Iceland. This will be a treat for learning about Iceland. We
can end on a good note.
MATERIALS:
Internet Accessible Computer and LCD screen in the classroom
School computer lab with Internet capability
Books about Iceland Maps of the World to hand out Blackboard Markers
APPENDIX:
Internet Work Sheets
Multiple Choice Test
Copy of the 2 Internet Sites, if there is not a computer in the
classroom
EXTENSIONS:
Science- Plate Tectonics
History- Iceland's Past
Math- Iceland's size and population compared with the US
BIBLIOGRAPHY:
Briem, Helgi P. Iceland and the Icelanders. Maplewood, N.J.: John
Francis
McKenna Co., 1945.
Burks, John B., ed. Iceland ... in Pictures. Minneapolis: Learner Publications Company, 1991.
Central Intelligence Agency. "Iceland-Map." Terry-Castanda Library Map Collection. http://www.lib.utexas.edu/Libs/PCL/Map_collection/europe/Iceland.GIF (15 March 1995).
Lahelma, Antti. "Introduction: Iceland, basic facts." http://www.lysator.liu.se/(ns)/nordic/scn/faq51.html#5.1 (November 1996).
Lepthien, Emilie U. Enchantment of the World: Iceland. Chicago: Childrens Press, 1987.
Mooney, Carolyn J. "Keepers of the Word: Creating a Modern Language from Iceland's Medieval Past." The Chronicle of Higher Education 2 Feb. 1996: V42.
Roberts, David. Iceland: Land of the Sagas. New York: Times Mirror Company, 1990.
Scherman, Katharine. Daughter of Fire: A Portrait of Iceland. Boston: Little, Brown and Company, 1976.
This is the work sheet you could use during Period 3:
Iceland - Evaluation of a Web Site
After you have typed in the Internet address of:
http://www.lysator.liu.se/(ns)/nordic/scn/faq51.html#5
First click on "5.1 Fact Sheet" and see where the Internet takes you. This is where you will find the answers to the questions below. Please answer the following questions correctly.
1. What is the population of Iceland as of 1993?
2. What is one of Iceland's exports?
3. What kind of language do Icelanders speak?
4. How many phones are there per 1000 inhabitants?
5. What religion is Iceland?
6. What is the life expectancy for a male? a female?
7. What is one of Iceland's natural resources?
8. What is the name of Iceland's highest mountain?
9. What is the Icelandic name for Iceland?
10. What is Iceland's capital?
Created April 17, 1997
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