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All About Antarctica

All About Antarctica

Construct a twelve-sided paper globe to display images and facts about Antarctica.

Lesson Plan

Supplies Needed

Gather all the supplies needed to bring your craft ideas to life! From paints and markers to glue and scissors, our crafts section has everything to spark creativity and make every project truly special.

  • Compass
  • Heavy Paper

Steps

  • Step 1

    Have students research the continent of Antarctica to learn about its landforms, resources, climate, industry, agriculture, and wildlife. What special characteristics do animals need in order to thrive in such a frigid climate? How is it governed? Is there a year-round population? How do research labs collaborate? How is climate change affecting the region?

  • Step 2

    To make a dodecahedron - a 12-sided sphere - that displays facts about Antarctica, have students plan how they will divide up research insights into separate panels. Next have them use a compass to draw 12 circles and draw a pentagon within each circle. Each point of the pentagon should touch the sides of the circle. Next they will cut out the circles and illustrate the areas within the pentagon with images and facts they've learned.

  • Step 3

    To assemble the dodecahedron, fold the flat sides of each pentagon in each circle and attach them into a 3-D shape. Only glue the narrow folded portions together.

  • Step 4

    Have students give a virtual tour of Antarctica as they present their dodecahedrons.

Standards

LA: Add drawings or other visual displays to written text to clarify ideas, thoughts, and feelings.

LA: Integrate and evaluate information presented in diverse media and formats, including visually, quantitatively, and orally.

MATH: Create models that demonstrate math concepts and attend to precision.

SS: Time, Continuity, and Change: Understand linkages between human decisions and consequences.

SS: People, Places, and Environments: Use maps, globes, and other geographic tools. Demonstrate understanding of the use and misuse of the environment and the relationship between human populations and the physical world.

Adaptations

Research Admiral Richard Byrd, who led the first exploratory expedition to Antarctica. Write and illustrate an essay about the findings.

Have students divide into teams and plan an expedition to Antarctica. Where would they go? What would they like to see? What would they need to bring? Where would they stay? They can also research commercial cruise ships that visit the area and their itineraries.