Ireland

=Back= = (Lesson Plan)= =(Notes Worksheet)= =Get Ready! Let’s Jet… To Ireland! =


 * LESSON PLAN SEQUENCE:** Day 1 of 4


 * AMOUNT OF TIME:** 60 minutes


 * GRADE LEVEL:** 6th

A. Identify key regions/counties in Ireland and know characteristics of each region. B. Work collaboratively in groups C. Compile information on a certain region in a clear format D. Research through literature and the internet E. Look for basic elements(climate, currency, language, tourist attractions, and cuisine) when planning for a trip
 * OBJECTIVES**: At the conclusion of this lesson, students will be able to:

1. **1.02** Generate, interpret, and manipulate information from tools such as maps, globes, charts, graphs, databases, and models to pose and answer questions about space and place, environment and society, and spatial dynamics and connections. 2. **2.01** Identify key physical characteristics such as landforms, water forms, and **climate**//,// and evaluate their influence on the development of cultures in selected South American and European regions. 3. **3.01** Identify ways in which people of selected areas in South America and Europe have used, altered, and adapted to their environments in order to meet their needs, and evaluate the impact of their actions on the development of cultures and regions.
 * RELATED STANDARDS AND CURRICULUM GOALS:**

A. One computer per group B. Travel brochures, books, and maps of Ireland or specific places in Ireland C. Map of Ireland with counties and regions highlighted (teacher and student copies) a. [] (green map) b. [] (site of detailed maps) D. Example travel posters from previous years and real-life (google images) E. Teacher computer and projector with internet access F. Celtic Hymns CD (from Cracker Barrel)
 * MATERIALS:**

G. Blank notes sheets on specific region characteristics (to be completed during walk-throughs)
H. Butcher paper or rolled paper, markers, colored pencils, pens, painter’s tape, and rulers

1. Bellringer: (7 minutes) - Written on Board: **"****Céad míle fáilte romhat”** (A thousand welcomes to You!) and **"Lig dúinn taistil go hÉirinn!** " (Let us travel to Ireland!) This is in Gaelic. a. As students are walking in, have the Celtic Hymns CD playing. b. Students to complete: a. Students pick up map on way into class b. Answer question: What do you think the two phrases on the board mean? What language are they in?  c. Discussion of bellringer: have students volunteer their thoughts d. Pull out travel poster examples and pull up google images of travel posters. Have students discuss what makes the travel poster enticing. Look at two.
 * PROCEDURE:**

2. **ACTIVITY SET-UP:** (8 minutes) I will form 7 groups in the class (pre-assigned). Each group will be given a county/city in Ireland to research as tourists. a. Counties/Groups a. Dublin (Baile Átha Cliath, "Town of the Ford of the Hurdles") b. Wicklow ( Mhantáin) c. Belfast ( Feirste) d. Kilkenny ( gCill Chainnigh) e. Cork ( Coirc) f. Limerick ( Luimnigh) g. Galway ( Na Gaillimhe) b. “Class, in your groups, you will be going on a vacation to a certain county/city/region in Ireland. Looking at your maps, you can see the different regions and locations in Ireland. You will need to know a few things before you begin your trip. You will be gone for several days. Find out about the: a. weather /climate b. tourist attractions + what makes this county “the best” c. currency/exchange rate d. language/ both common and historic e. cuisine f. laws that matter for your age g. brief historical background/upheaval related to this area h. religion/government

In your groups, you will need to record your findings in a clear format in the form of a travel poster (as seen earlier). Your group travel poster should include the name of the location, pictures or words that describe the “a-h” elements you researched (for example: if it is sunny and cool the majority of the time, draw a sun somewhere with a thermometer on a cooler temperature), and be accurate and highly informational. Try to attract as many people to your location as possible by your words, colors, and depictions. Travel posters try to allure people into traveling to a certain destination.” - Leave these instructions on the projector so that students can refer back to them during their research.

3. **ACTIVITY:** (45 minutes) Groups will then begin their research. (These websites will be helpful: [] and http://www.ireland-information.com/irelandmaps.htm) Some students in the group should begin work on the poster as soon as information is found. Butcher paper and crafting supplies will be available on a table so that groups can pull the resources they need whenever they are ready. a. I will move around the room and answer any questions that students may have. b. Groups will have the remainder of the period (45 minutes) and 20 minutes of the following day to complete their research and posters. c. I will hang the posters up around the classroom on day 2 for the class to take notes from.

- NOTE: Glogster can be used for this activity to create the final posters depending on the availability of laptops and student experience with them. If using Glogster, groups will create one travel poster and will post them to the site so that all students, and myself, can look over the posters.

a. During Activity: I will look for engagement and the quality of contribution from each student. b. Following Activity: I will look at the posters for overall neatness, quality, correctness of information, and cohesiveness. I will ask myself questions about the posters like: “Is the information correct?”, “Can I comprehend the message here?”, “Is this neat and clear?”, etc. c. Also, the following 3 days will be part of the assessment. Day 2: Students will go around the room, with their blank notes sheet, and record all of the information listed on each travel poster. The notes sheet(s) will have space for the “a-h” elements that were required. All students must fill one out for each region. Then, there will be a short reflection where students will record their favorite poster and the rationale for their decision. I will tally the favorite posters and announce the winner on Day 3. Days 3 and 4 will be a look at Ireland on a larger, broader scale and, as a class, we will look into Ireland’s history. There will be an emphasis on the civil unrest and religious wars. d. As a closure for the 4th day, I will show a commercial that advocates traveling to Ireland or a brief video of people traveling through Ireland.
 * ASSESSMENT:**

= Narrative of Ireland Lesson Plan =

Ireland has always had a magical appeal for me. It’s been the setting in movies that I love, the people have a wonderful accent, and I thoroughly enjoy the music. The graceful sheep on those mist-covered mountains, the rolling green hills, the overcast skies, and the rich history all compose this wonderful Irish package that begs me to go visit. Unfortunately, I know very little about this country. I will be student teaching a group of sixth grade students and I know they are currently looking at Greece under the umbrella topic of Europe. Thus, Europe was on my mind. I think I have always thought of Ireland as a separate entity away from the “Europe” title, but, when I class taught with Hannah, I remember seeing that Ireland was very much a part of Europe. So, I asked, how can I fuse this fascination with Ireland with both the Standard Course of Study and the trajectory for the Europe plan that my Cooperating teacher is teaching? Aha! A short investigative study into Ireland will do the trick to both appease my interest and satisfy the NC goals. Plus, I can put a vacation/travel twist to it that will give the activity some meaning for the students in the class.

There are so many amazing things to be learned and understood about the whole of Ireland, but not enough time to reach beyond the surface. When I was researching information on Ireland, I found a great website, [|www.irishtourist.com]. Here, you can find specific details about different regions and counties that are interesting and handy for the general public. It’s not overwhelming, it’s practical and easily accessible. Though it does only provide the basic tourist needs, it’s a great starter site. Also, I found this maps site ([]) with maps of regions, road maps, and precipitation. It would be very handy for students. For the students, I want them to be able to take away something interesting and novel that they did not know before. I would love for them to recognize names of counties/cities in Ireland, remember key features of certain regions, and understand large concepts that make Ireland unique. They should also be able to report on their findings in an interactive and creative way so that other people will be //attracted// to the information they have found. Further, I would like for students to make a personal decision (where they would most like to travel to in Ireland) based off of their peers research and posters. These goals mesh with three of the SCOS objectives: 1.02, 2.01, and 3.01. In summary, these goals are that SWBAT “generate, interpret, and manipulate information from tools” like maps and databases to “pose and answer questions about space and place”. Also, climate will be addressed and students can speculate on its influence on cultural development. Lastly, by looking into the culture a bit, students can see how people have been able to use the environment to meet their needs.

Learning about Ireland fits into the SCOS and it is also interesting. Students need to know about Ireland because very few do. It is a country often overlooked in Social Studies class and I’m not sure why. Teachers will spend 3 weeks on Greece, 3 weeks on Rome, and never once talk about smaller, yet important countries, like Ireland. It has a culture all its own just like Rome and Greece.

So, my premise will be to have students, in groups, research 7 different areas in Ireland that I think are important. They will look for touristy things to do in these places, what the weather will be like, government, currency/exchange rate, language, food, legality, brief history related to the area, and religion. Using this information, they will create a travel poster that is accurate, clear, and inviting. Later, the students, using a blank notes sheet that I create (it should have separate columns for each of the areas and the aforementioned specificities so that students can keep the notes organized), will go around the room and look at the posters and record what they learn. There will be a brief reflection at the end of the notes so that students can choose a place they want to visit as well as the most effective poster and provide their rationale. Throughout the following days, we will look broadly at Ireland and the history associated with it. I’ll probably emphasize the unrest and religious upheaval that has plagued the country.

I kind of like the buildup of events for student learning: the zooming in onto specific areas and then pulling the lens back onto the broader essence of Ireland. Students can look at specific areas in Ireland, very separate in themselves, and then look at them all as a whole and see how they work (and don’t work) together. It will be interesting to look at the separate cultures and religions of Ireland and see their interactions.

How do I know that they have learned what I want them to know? I’ll pay specific attention to their group interactions and contributions as well as to their poster. Did they provide quality information? Did they contribute? How well is the information displayed? Did they cover all of the information? Then, their reflection will tell me something about what they have learned. I will collect their notes and look over them (and return them the following day). Was their reflection sincere? Are their notes complete? Then, there will be a short assessment at the end of the four days that will be a good indicator of what they have learned.

At the end of this small unit, I may find that using Glogster for the posters, instead of butcher paper and markers, will be more efficient and beneficial to the students. This will depend on how much technology is available. Also, this unit may need to be extended or shortened based on the amount of information. I may choose to include more historical information which will extend the unit beyond four days. I’ll have to sit down at the end of teaching this and reflect on how well I accomplished what I set out to do. Did the students enjoy this? What was learned? Can I apply this same approach to other countries that we will study? What did not work? Research needs to be done before I officially teach this- plenty of research on Ireland, the culture, history, etc. I need to be a mini-expert on this before I actually teach it so that when students ask me questions, I can answer them to the best of my ability.