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Overview:
In this lesson, students will visit the World Viewer exhibit in Xpedition Hall and explore the different geographic information about counties around the globe. Students will consider the role of national anthems in preserving a nation's identity in changing times.
Connections to the Curriculum:
Geography, music
Connections to the National Geography Standards:
Standard 3: "How to analyze the spatial organization of people, places, and environments on Earth's surface"
Time:
One hour
Materials Required:
- Computer with Internet access, including a media player
- Blank Xpeditions outline maps of the World, one for each student
- Journals (for extending the lesson)
Objectives:
Students will
- read geographic information on an interactive map;
- listen to anthems of various nations;
- discuss what the lyrics to the anthem indicate about the history of a nation's people; and
- select nations about which students would like to learn more.
Geographic Skills:
Asking Geographic Questions
Acquiring Geographic Information
Organizing Geographic Information
Analyzing Geographic Information
S u g g e s t e d P r o c e d u r e
Opening:
Ask students if they are familiar with their own national anthem. Review the lyrics of your national anthem. What are the major themes in the song? Does the song describe the landscape of the nation, praise heroes of historic battles, reference a great struggle that the people of a nation have overcome? Is the song sad, sweet, or uplifting? In the students' opinions, what should a national anthem sound like?
Development:
Let students know that some cultures are fading, meaning that few people that practice the traditions of that culture are still alive. Have students click through the World Viewer, paying special attention to the language, population, and religion areas. As the students visit the site, ask them to take notes about the nations that seem to be losing some of their population and/or traditions. Have them note which continents appear to be most affected and be prepared to report this back to the class.
Closing:
Ask students to share their findings with the group by explaining which continents seem have the most countries at risk. As students offer the names of countries or continents, play the anthems for those nations. Read the lyrics to the class and encourage students to listen to the tone of the music. Remind students to listen for key words, such as freedom, soldier, peace, and references to "forever." Which songs do the students like the best, and why? How do these ideas correspond to the information on the map?
Suggested Student Assessment:
Ask students to take out their world maps and find the countries that have the national anthems that they liked the best. Have students shade in the countries that have anthems that were their favorites. As they color in the nations, ask students to think about what the culture of the people living in that nation would need to grow stronger. For example, is the country almost too hot to make a home or are there very few languages spoken there now?
Extending the Lesson:
Do the lyrics of the anthem match the ideas the students had about the nation after using the world viewer or were they different? Have students write in a journal what their ideas were before visiting the World Viewer and how they were influenced after learning more about that part of the world.
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