Around the World

By: Libby Kasen

North America Literature

Fiction • Song of the Swallows by Leo

Politi • The Story of the Jumping Mouse

by Amanda St. John • Cendrillon: A Cajun Cinderella

by Sheila Hebert Collins • Lola’s Fandango by Anna Witte • Shota and the Star Quilt by

Margaret Bateson-Hill Nonfiction • North America by Allan Fowler

South America Literature

Fiction • The Umbrella by Jan Brett • The Rainforest Grew all

Around by Susan K. Mitchell • The Magic School Bus in the

Rainforest by Joanna Cole • The Great Snake: Stories from

the Amazon by Sean Taylor and Fernando Vilela

Nonfiction • South America by Allan Fowler • South American Animals by

Caroline Arnold

Africa Literature

Fiction

• The Rain Stick: a fable by Sandra Chisholm Robinson

• Bringing the Rain to Kapiti Plain by Verna Aardema

• Jungle Drums by Graeme Base

• Gift of the Nile by Jan M. Mike

Nonfiction

• Africa by Allan Fowler

• African Critters by Robert B. Haas

Europe Literature

Fiction

• Little Red Riding Hood by Trina Schart Hyman

• The Story of Ferdinand by Robert Lawson

• The Mitten by Jan Brett

• Children of the Forest by Elsa Beskow

Nonfiction

• Europe by Allan Fowler

Asia Literature

Fiction • The Dancing Dragon by

Marcia Vaughan • Ms. Frizzle’s Adventure’s:

Imperial China by Joanna Cole

• Lon Po Po by Ed Young • Babushka’s Doll by Patricia

Polacco • One Grain of Rice by Demi Nonfiction • Asia by Allan Fowler

Australia Literature

Fiction

• To the Top End by Roland Harvey

• Big Rain Coming by Katrina Germein

Nonfiction

• Australia by Allan Fowler

Antarctica Literature

Fiction • Something to Tell the

Grandcows by Elleen Spinell • Antarctic Antics by Judy

Sierra (poetry) • The Magic School Bus In the

Arctic by Joanna Cole Nonfiction • Antarctica by Allan Fowler • The Emperor Lays an Egg by

Brenda Z. Guiberson • Ann and Liv Cross Antarctica

by Zoe Alderfer Ryan

Literature

Nonfiction

• Talking Walls by Margy Burns Knight

• Children’s World Atlas

• Beginner’s World Atlas

• My School in the Rain Forest by Margriet Ruurs

• Me on the Map by Joan Sweeney

Theme Study

• Students will take part in a thematic unit on countries around the world. This unit will integrate reading and writing with social studies, science, mathematics, art, music, and physical education.

• Students will develop an understanding of the world’s seven continents, the animals that live there, the climate, and the culture.

Language Arts: Reading Activities

• Students will read various fiction and nonfiction books about the seven different continents through silent reading, partner reading, guided reading, reading aloud, and reader’s theatre.

• Students will create a Venn diagram by comparing unique versions of the popular story Little Red Riding Hood.

• Students will work on predictions in the book The Mitten. • Students will identify rhyming words in Bringing Rain to

Kapiti Plain. • Teacher will read aloud Talking Walls to students. • Students will read aloud their research reports/poems.

Language Arts: Writing Activities

• Students will write letters to students in schools in other countries. • Students will write in journals about their jungle safaris and what

they see. • Students will write about their own families, traditions, and

cultures. • Students will research a country that interests them and the

climate, animals, culture, and other information they find interesting.

• Students will write about the meaning of their Aboriginal hand print picture as well as their Egyptian etchings.

• Students will write their own poems about some aspect of Antarctica.

• Students will write a report on “A Day in the Life of…” as a safari animal.

Language Arts: Speaking Activities

• Students will participate in reader’s theatre of Umbrella.

• Students will choose an Antarctic Poem to recite. • Students will participate in grand conversation

about traditions from their cultures and traditions from other cultures.

• Students will use author’s chair to read their stories and poems aloud.

• Students will take part in a literature discussion circle on The Story of Jumping Mouse by Amanda St. John.

Language Arts: Listening Activities

• Students will listen to audio versions of literature from different continents.

• Students will listen to music from the different continents. • Students will listen as the teacher discusses the overall

culture, climate, and population of animals in the seven continents.

• Students will listen respectfully to their peers as they share stories, poems, and journal entries.

• Students will listen to their peers’ opinions during grand conversations.

• Students will listen to guest speakers talk about their culture.

Language Arts: Viewing Activities

• Students will view paintings from different continents. • Students will examine photographs of animals, climate, and the terrain of

different continents • Students will go on a safari to “see” what the jungle is like. • Students will watch the Reader’s Theatre performances. • Students will visualize the spellings of words on the World Word Wall. • Students will appreciate masks, Egyptian etchings, quilt, rain sticks, paper

lanterns, and Aboriginal hand prints. • Students complete Venn diagram of the two versions of little red riding

hood. • Students will view pieces of art from around the world. • Students will watch the Magic School Bus in the Rainforest

(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Szwyo0XHJLk). • Students will create flags to go with their country research project.

Language Arts: Visually Representing Activities

• Students will construct a Venn diagram of Lon Po Po and Little Red Riding Hood to visually represent the similarities and differences.

• Students will create a World Word Wall.

• Students will use design techniques to create artwork from different cultures around the world.

• Students will display their poems in an artistic fashion.

Science Activities

• Students will identify the animals from the different continents on a classification chart.

• Students will graph the climates of the continents. • Students will investigate the water cycle through experiments such as

making snow. • Students will investigate the animals and wild life on a South American

jungle safari. • Students will research a day in the life of a safari animal. • Students will learn about the food chains in the jungle, grasslands, and

desert habitats. • Students will experiment with water, ice and shortening to see how fat

keeps animals warm in Antarctica and the Arctic. • Students will examine the annual average rainfall across the world and

graph the results. Are there countries that do not receive enough rain? (Big Rain Coming by Katherine Germain)

Mathematics Activities

• Students will identify, model, and build 3-D pyramids and other 3-D shapes with marshmallows and toothpicks.

• Students will create bar graph to compare precipitation levels of different continents.

• Students will take a survey about their favorite wild animals and graph the results.

• Students will play mancala to work on counting. • Students will measure while baking different recipes from

around the world. • Students will create paper snowflakes to work on

symmetry. • Students will graph the average temperatures of the

continents.

Social Studies Activities

• Students will learn what a continent is and how to read a map. • Students will create a map of the different continents and countries they

learn about. • Students will identify their location on the map. Teacher will show

students playground/school on Google Earth and zoom out to city, state, country, etc. so students can get visual for their location on a map.

• Students will identify characteristics of a good citizen in the books Babushka’s Doll and The Blue Jackal from Stories from India.

• Using literature, students will examine different customs and cultures from around the world through a research report or poster.

• Students will share their own traditions and culture with the class. • Students will compare and contrast their traditions in small groups. • Students will identify how much average precipitation each continent

receives on a map. They will identify areas that receive the least/most amount of precipitation.

Music and Art Activities

• Students will create South American fiesta masks. • Students will paint Aboriginal hand print art (Australia). • Students will listen to music from the different continents and

cultures (http://mamalisa.com). • Students will build rain sticks (Africa). • Students will sing along with the song from the book Song of the

Swallows. • Students will build paper lanterns (Asia). • Students will make Egyptian etchings (Africa). • Students will design quilts (North America). • Students will draw flags from different countries. • Students will sing continent song. • Students will analyze music and the meaning of the songs.

Paintings

North America • Albert Bierstadt, Valley of Yosemite • Helene Khoury Nassif, Broadway On My Way South America • Pablo Amaringo, Amaznica Romantica • Kelly Berg, Amazonia Europe • Vincent van Gogh, The Café terrace on the Place du Forum, Arles, at Night • Leonid Afremov, Germany- Medieval Rothenburg Africa • J. H. Pierneef, Trees Asia • Guo Xi, Early Spring • Ando Hiroshige, Famous views of 53 stations of the Tokaido Road Australia • Colin Jones, Hunters and Gatherers • Naiura, The Friendship Antarctica • Jane Vaidya, Antarctica Paintings

Physical Education Activities

• Students will learn dances from different countries. (www.fitforafeast.com/dance_cultural.htm)

• Students will play “London Bridges Falling Down.” • Students will play “Skippyroo Kangaroo.” • Students will play traditional games from around

the world. (http://library.thinkquest.org/J0110166/)

• Create a giant map and have students play a version of map twister.

Technology

• http://www.parents.com/fun/games/educational/games-from-around-the-world/ • www.scholastic.com/teachers/lesson-plan/magic-school-bus-arctic (insulation

experiment) • http://www.google.com/earth • http://library.thinkquest.org/J0110166/ (traditional games from around the world) • http://www.sheppardsoftware.com ( • www.fitforafeast.com/dance_cultural.htm (dances from different countries) • http://www.mamalisa.com (music from different countries) • http://www.janbrett.com/the_umbrella_play.htm (The Umbrella Reader’s theatre) • Audiotapes of recommended literature from around the world • Digital photography • The Magic School Bus in the Rainforest episode

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Szwyo0XHJLk • Jungle Drums Reader’s Theatre

Language Arts Strategies

• Activating background knowledge: students will think about what they already know about their own culture and country when they are learning about other countries and their cultures.

• Analyzing: students will analyze music to decipher meaning of songs.

• Brainstorming: students will brainstorm ideas related to different cultures, animals, and climate in writing activities.

• Connecting: students will relate other cultures and traditions to their own lives.

• Predicting and Monitoring: students will make predictions in experiments and while reading.

• Playing with Language: Students will use language creatively through stories, poems, songs, and journals.

• Visualizing: Students will draw pictures in their minds.

Grouping Patterns

• Large Group: grand conversations, field trips, culture dances, culture games, viewing videos, word wall, reader’s theatre, making quilts, graphing climate, and comparing and contrasting books.

• Small Group: shape building, small group discussions, identification of the continents, comparison of cultural tradition, creation of flags, and baking.

• Individual: writing stories, poems, letters, journal entries, making cultural art, research reports, and animal classification chart.

Assessments

• Journal entries, research reports, and poems: Rubric • Participation in grand conversations • Analytical Writing Trait Rubrics and peer conferences for stories and

poems • Informal observation of author’s chair, reader’s theatre, small group

experiments • Math graphs, Venn diagrams, shape building activity, and Social

Studies maps: checklist • Spelling test with words from the World Word Wall • Active participation in physical education and musical

performances. • Portfolio of art work: Rain sticks, Aboriginal hand print art, quilts,

flags, paper lanterns, Egyptian etchings, and South American fiesta masks.

Morning Monday-

Introduction

Tuesday-North America Wednesday- North

America

Thursday- Africa Friday-Africa

Language Arts -Read aloud: Me on

the Map

-Introduce spelling

list

-Read aloud My School

in the Rain Forest

-Write letters to

students in other

countries

-Read aloud: Shota

and the Star Quilt

- Revise letters

-Read aloud The

Rainstick

-Talk about rainsticks

-Read aloud Jungle

Drums

-Spelling list

Social Studies -Identify school on

Google map

-Explain definition

of continent

-Identify North America

on map

-Native American

guest speaker

-Identify Africa on

the map

P.E -Map twister

-Play traditional North

American games

-North American

dance

-Play traditional

African game

-African dance

Afternoon Math - -Precipitation bar graph -Measure while

baking traditional

recipe

-Precipitation bar

graph

-Mancala

-Precipitation bar

graph

-Measure while

baking traditional

recipe

-Precipitation bar

graph

Science -Create animal

classification chart

-Talk about animals and

climate of N. America

-Classify animals

-Draw an animal from

N. America in its

habitat

-Talk about climate

of Africa

-Classify African

animals

Art/Music -create “Me on the

Map” book

-Teach continent

song

-View North American

paintings

-Listen to music from

North America

Create quilt Make rain-sticks -View African

paintings

-Listen to music

from Africa

Morning Monday- South

America

Tuesday- South

America

Friday- Antarctica Thursday-Antarctica Friday- Australia

Language Arts -Read aloud The

Umbrella

-Reader’s Theatre

-Introduce Spelling

List

-Writer’s workshop:

safari journal

-Read aloud Liv and

Ann Cross Antarctica

-Read several poems

from Antarctic Antics

–Create Antarctica

poems

--Read aloud

Talking Walls

-Teacher talks about

different ways to

communicate

Read aloud To the

Top End

-Spelling test

Social Studies -Identify South

America on map

-Talk about culture of

South America

-Identify Antarctica on

map

-Talk about animals and

climate

Identify Australia

on map.

P.E -Play traditional

South American

games

South American

dance

-Australian dance

-Play traditional

Australian game

Afternoon Math -Graph students

favorite animals

-Precipitation bar

graph

-Measure while

baking traditional

recipe

-Precipitation bar

graph

-Create snowflakes-

symmetry

-Precipitation bar graph

-Precipitation bar

graph

Science -Jungle safari

-Animal

classification chart

-Talk about climate -Read aloud The Magic

School Bus in the Arctic

-Fat experiment to show

students how animals

stay warm in Antarctica

-Survey students

favorite animals

Art/Music -create masks -watch the Magic

School Bus in the

Rainforest

-view paintings from

Antarctica

-listen to music from

Antarctica

-Aboriginal hand

prints

-Write about hand

prints and message

trying to get across

Morning Monday- Europe Tuesday- Europe Wednesday- Asia Thursday- Asia Friday- Wrap up

Language Arts -Read aloud The

Mitten

-Writer’s workshop:

write about

traditions

Read Little Red Riding

Hood

-Read Lon Po Po

-Create Venn diagram

to compare and

contrast Lon Po Po

with Little Red

Riding Hood

-Read The Dancing

Dragon

Social Studies -Identify Europe on

map

-Read Babushka’s Doll

-Talk about good

citizenship

-Identify Asia on map -talk about culture of

Asia

P.E -Play traditional

European games

-European dance -Play traditional

Asian game

Asian dance

Afternoon Math -Precipitation bar

graph

-Measure while

making traditional

recipe

-Precipitation bar graph -Precipitation bar

graph

-Measure while

making traditional

recipe

-Precipitation bar

graph

Science -Animal

classification chart

-Graph climate of

Europe

-Animal

classification chart

-Graph climate of

Asia

Art/Music -View Europe

paintings

-Listen to music

from Europe

European dance -View Asian paintings

-Listen to music from

Asia

-Paper lanterns