IRELAND

Marcy Jackson
Second Grade
Geography/Social Studies

PURPOSE:
The purpose of this lesson is to teach the students about Ireland. They will be able to locate it on a map and know
some interesting facts about Ireland.

CONNECTION TO THE NATIONAL GEOGRAPHY STANDARDS:
No. 1 Knows and understands how to use maps, globes and other graphical tools to acquire, process and report
information. Students will be able to use maps an globes because there will be various ones in the classroom.

No. 2 Uses mental maps to give spatial perspective to the world. Because we will be using maps and globes,
the students will be able to give spatial perspective to the world.

No. 4 Knows and understands the physical and human characteristics of places. Since we will be learning different
things about Ireland, the students will understand some of the physical and human characteristics of Ireland.

No. 10 Knows and understands the complexity of the earth's cultural mosaic. Learning about Ireland will give
the students the chance to explore another culture. They will understand that the way that the United States is,
is not the way the whole world is.

OBJECTIVES:
Students will demonstrate their ability:
1. To locate Ireland on a world map and globe.
2. To know the difference between Irish money and American money.
3. There will be a lot of centers for the students to be able to go to learn about various things such as the
Irish flag, castles in Ireland.

OVERVIEW OF PRESENTATION:
In this lesson, the students should learn a lot about Ireland. They should be able to locate Ireland on a map.
They will be learning about Irish money and will be able to compare it to American money. We are also
going to learn about the Irish flag and also compare it to the American flag. I also want the students to learn
about castles and be able to make their own castle. Another important thing to teach the students, would be
to tell them about the importance of sheep in Ireland. We will also be able to tie in what is important in
America, such as cows. Through this project, I hope that my students will have a better understanding about
Ireland and its culture. I do not want them to think that all countries are the same.

PROCEDURES:
Sponge Activity: On the first day, I think a great activity for the students to do would be to have an outline
map to color. I will have Ireland labeled on their map and other places will be labeled also.
Opening: Every day, I will introduce the various subjects that we will be discussing for that day. I will ask
them questions to see what they know about the areas of discussion. A sample question for the first day would
be something like, "Have you or anyone you know ever visited Ireland?" If there is a positive response, then
I will ask them if they are able to locate it on a map.

Day 1:
Guided Practice: We will locate Ireland on a map and discuss where it is located. There will be a blank map
in the front of the classroom and I will see how many places we can label and see how full the map gets. Today,
I will have many different artifacts from Ireland for the students to see and touch.
Independent Practice: There will not be independent practice today because we are just learning about the
background of Ireland.

Day 2:
Guided Practice: I will have numerous flags from different countries and see if any of the students can match
a flag to its country.
Independent Practice: The students will have the opportunity to color flags from the United States and Ireland.

Day 3:
Guided Practice: Today the students are going to learn about castles. I will have pictures of different
castles and have a model in the classroom.
Independent Practice: Today, the students are going to write a story. They will get to be creative and
tell what they think would happen in a castle like the one in the classroom.

Day 4:
Guided Practice: I am going to teach my students about sheep today. In Ireland, sheep are one of the
most important industries. We will relate this to cows in the United States.
Independent Practice: I am going to let my students make sheep today. They will have a lot of cotton
balls, glitter, and anything else that is available for them to be creative in making their sheep. They will
have a piece of cardboard to put this on.

Day 5:
Guided Practice: Today, the students will be learning a geography related web site using the classroom
computer and LCD projector. I will demonstrate accessing a web site and how to seek information with
the following web site site. http://www.travelchannel.com/spot/ireland/images/ireland.jpg
Independent Practice: In the school computer lab, students will complete the following worksheet from
the web site of Ireland: http://homearts.com/depts/pastime/eireb1.htm

Evaluation/Assessment/Feedback:
To make sure the students understand what they have learned each day, I will have a time each day to
review what we learned the previous day.

Closure:
Each day, I will close by telling the students what we are going to be studying the next day and tell
them to see what kind of information they can find on the next day's lesson.

MATERIALS:
Materials include several maps of the world, Ireland and a globe of the world. Other materials include
flags from various countries, money from Ireland, a model castle, and art supplies for the art projects.

EXTENSIONS:
Math: Learning about Irish money would be a great way to tie math in with a unit on Ireland.
Science: Ireland has lot's of rain, so the teacher could teach about different types of precipitation and tie
Ireland in there.
History: When learning about the United State's history, the teacher could talk about Ireland and what
role they had on America's history.

"Ireland" Web Site Worksheet

(http://homearts.com/depts/pastime/eireb1.htm)

Please complete the following questions while browsing through the web site that I have given you. You
may browse through anything in this web site that you would like. To answer the following questions, just
follow the directions given.

Click on the highlighted word "Limerick."
Look at the map of Limerick and tell me the name of the island it is located._______________________
Next, click on "Images of Ireland." T
here you will find different pictures of different places.
Enjoy the pictures, and click on the Blarney Castle.
Tell me something about the Blarney Stone that you find interesting.
___________________________________________ __________________________________________

Now, click on the Trinity College icon and tell me what the population of Dublin is.
_______________________
Back up now and go to the Irish Lighthouse's section.
Look up the Hook Head Lighthouse and tell me when it was established.
_______________________

BIBLIOGRAPHY:
Breen, Richard, et al. Understanding Contemporary Ireland. New York: St. Martin's Press, 1990.
Description: This book talks about various items in Irish culture, such as politics, education, employment,
agriculture, etc...

Butler, Anthony. The Book of Blarney. New York: Bell Publishing Company, 1969.
Description: This is a cute little book that describes the Blarney Stone in a humorous way. It also has
some of the Irish customs that are prevalent in Ireland today.

Guinness, Desmond. Portrait of Dublin. New York: The Devin-Adair Company, 1966.
Description: This is a great book that tells about all of the various visitor attractions in Ireland. This
book is useful for showing my class the importance of Ireland.

Web site: http://homearts.com/depts/pastime/eireb1.htm
Description: This web site has real pictures of Ireland, and will give students the opportunity to
browse a web site, and also get the chance to see real pictures of Ireland.

Web site: http://www.travelchannel.com/spot/ireland/images/ireland.jpg
Description: This is a map of Ireland that could be helpful. It shows many of the cities in Ireland

Web site: http://www.charweb.org/organizations/international/irish/ir_map.htm
Description: This is also a map of Ireland that divides Ireland into it's counties, instead of cities.

Web site: http://www.edunet.com/ire-map.html
Description: This is a very detailed map of Ireland that shows main cities, rivers, railroads, etc...

Created 4-27-97

Return to http://ejw.i8.com/97/plans97.htm