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Birth of Islands

Learn how islands are formed and create models of these landforms.

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.

  • Craft Materials
  • Index Cards
  • Recycled Cardboard
  • Toothpick(s)

Steps

  • Step 1

    Discuss how islands are formed. Have students divide into small teams of three or four and ask them to identify a island group they'd like to learn about. Have them find it on a map and learn about its history and current status. Ask them to explore changes that may have impacted the region due to climate change.

  • Step 2

    Have each team create a replica of the island group they selected using Model Magic that they will mount on recycled cardboard. Encourage them to use craft items such as tooth picks, cotton balls, small twigs, etc. to form some of the island's features. They can add paint to their scene to indicate water, mountains, grasslands, etc.

  • Step 3

    Ask the teams to prepare a display card for their creation indicating the name of the region and any key features found there, such as coves, lakes, mountains, peninsulas, etc.

Standards

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

SS: People, Places, and Environments: Learn where people and places are located and why they are there. Examine the influence of physical systems such as climate, weather and seasons, and natural resources, such as land and water, on human populations, such as the causes, patterns, and effects of human settlement and migration.

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

Adaptations

Have students learn about Charles Darwin's studies on the Galapagos Islands and how the finches of those islands help provide visible evidence of evolution.

Climate change poses a dire risk to many island nations. Ask students to research how people in these regions are impacted by the effects of climate change, such as through threats to food security, rising acidity of water levels, greater incidence of disease, etc.