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Overview:
This lesson will give students a basic overview of the geography of islands. They will learn where islands are located throughout the world and will study two very different island groups (the Philippines and the British Isles) to illustrate the diversity of the world's islands. Students will explore the islands' flora and fauna, languages, and climates and cultures.
Connections to the Curriculum:
Geography, geology
Connections to the National Geography Standards:
Standard 4: "The physical and human characteristics of places"
Time:
Two to three hours
Materials Required:
- Computer with Internet access
- Copy of Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak
- Wall map of the world, or a globe
- Colored removable stickers to mark locations on the world wall map
- Large pieces of poster board or paper
- Blank Xpeditions outline maps of the United Kingdom and Ireland, and the Philippines, for reference; students will be drawing their own maps
- Writing and drawing materials
Objectives:
Students will
- learn what islands are;
- locate different islands around the world;
- study two diverse islands in detail; and
- learn about the geographical and cultural differences that exist in the regions where the islands are located.
Geographic Skills:
Asking Geographic Questions
Acquiring Geographic Information
Answering Geographic Questions
Analyzing Geographic Information
S u g g e s t e d P r o c e d u r e
Opening:
Begin the lesson by reading Where the Wild Things Are and have the students imagine where they might be if they were the main character, Max. Write their responses on the board. Did anyone imagine the story took place on an island?
If they don't already know, explain to students that an island is a body of land that is entirely surrounded by water. Mention to the students that not all islands are found in oceans—some are found in lakes and rivers, too. Point out things on the cover of the book (e.g., the palm trees or the sailboat) that might indicate that the story takes place on an island.
Development:
Ask students if any of them has been to an island. Have the students place a colored dot beside the islands they have visited on the world map. Explore the world map or globe to find other islands, making sure they notice islands in different parts of the world.
After identifying a number of islands, ask students if they think they would find different plants and animals on islands in different parts of the world. Explain that, like other land formations, islands have different climates, vegetation, and wildlife, depending on their location in the world.
To illustrate this point, assign half the class to the British Isles and the other half to the Philippines and ask them to create maps showing details about each. [Note: If the class is large, break it up into smaller groups and add other islands to compare (e.g., the Aleutians or the Falklands).]
Have the students in each group look at the sites below and do the following:
- Draw an outline of their country in the center of a large piece of poster board or butcher paper, using the Xpeditions atlas as a guide. Leave room around the borders to draw other pictures.
- Write in the names of countries, major cities, bodies of water, mountain ranges, and any other major geographic features on the maps.
- Write the names of the languages spoken in the countries.
- Near the edges of the paper, draw pictures of animals and/or plants native to the country, particularly those that are endangered. For example, students might draw a picture of a rare freshwater crocodile as an example of threatened wildlife in the Philippines.
- Next, draw pictures of cultural things that relate to the country, such as specific types of food or music. In the British Isles, for example, this could be bagpipes, a crown for royalty, or fish and chips.
- Finally, draw a picture of what a person would wear in the country in the winter and in the summer. This should include clothing choices, as well as things that would help combat the climate of the country (e.g., an umbrella in the British Isles or sunblock in the Philippines).
[Note: For younger children, you may need to read facts out loud.]
British Isles
National Geographic: Xpeditions outline map of the United Kingdom
National Geographic: Xpeditions outline map of Ireland
BBC Learning
Yahooligans! United Kingdom
Yahooligans! Ireland
Philippines
National Geographic: Xpeditions outline map of the Philippines
The Field Museum: Vanishing Treasures—Philippines
Philippines Photo Gallery
Yahooligans! Philippines
Closing:
Gather the class together and ask each group to show its map to the class, pointing out geographic features and explaining the pictures they have drawn. Encourage students to ask each other questions about the islands they have researched. If students don't know the answers, discuss as a class how the group might find out how to learn more.
Suggested Student Assessment:
Ask each student to fold a large piece of paper in half and use each half to draw and write about what they have learned about the British Isles and the Philippines, providing as much detail as possible. Then, on a separate sheet of paper, ask them to write a paragraph explaining which place they would like to visit and why.
Extending the Lesson:
Ask students to pretend that they are going away to live on an island for a month. They can choose either of the islands studied in the lesson, or a different island if they choose to do further research.
Have them form small groups and give each group a piece of poster board or a large piece of paper. Ask students to draw everything they think they will need. Ask each group to present to the class their ideas about what they would need and want to have for their month on an island.
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