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Amazing Icebergs

Students will investigate icebergs and create a 3-D model of this ice formation

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.

  • Heavy Paper

Steps

  • Step 1

    Icebergs are pieces of freshwater ice that break off a glacier and float freely in open water. Typically, only about 10% of an iceberg is above water. They vary in size with the smallest (called growlers) measuring less than 16 feet (5 meters) long by less than 3 feet (1 meter) high and the largest measuring greater than 670 feet (204 meters) long by greater than 240 feet (75 meters) high. Fun fact: the next size up from growler is called a "bergy bit."

  • Step 2

    Have students research these amazing structures to find out where they're located, how they form, how they're monitored, etc.

  • Step 3

    Have students create a 3-D model of an iceberg in the sea. They can design a background and ocean floor with heavy paper, markers, and paint, and create the iceberg and any other scenic details out of Model Magic.

  • Step 4

    Ask students to present their iceberg models and talk about some of the facts they learned.

Standards

SCI: Convey designs through sketches, detailed drawings, or physical models to communicate ideas and solutions.

SCI: Design pictorial or graphic representations/models that are useful in communicating ideas.

SS: People, Places, and Environments: Use data to analyze human behavior in relation to its physical and cultural environment.

Adaptations

Have students learn about some of the animals that live on glaciers and icebergs, such as polar bears, ice floe penguins, and seals, and the conditions needed for them to survive.

Students can do a simple experiment to demonstrate why we only see 10% of an iceberg ("the tip of the iceberg"). Have them put water in a clear plastic cup and mark the level with a marker. Place the cup in the freezer overnight. When the water is frozen, take the cup out of the freezer and note the level of the ice. Is it higher than the marker line? That's because water expands when it freezes.