TITLE:  Current Events

AUTHOR:  Rosina Phillips, Las Vegas, NM

GRADE LEVEL/SUBJECT:  3-5; social studies, language arts

OVERVIEW:  Since most students are unaware or not interested
in current events, it is of utmost importance that we first
strike an interest in students about other nations and their
location.  This lesson enables students to familiarize
themselves with different nations, their locations, and
cultures.

PURPOSE:  To acquaint students with different nations, their
locations, and their cultures.

OBJECTIVE:  Students will learn to locate information in an
encyclopedia and write a report.

RESOURCES/MATERIALS:  Encyclopedias, paper doll, dowel,
construction paper, markers, stencils, handmade costumes,
Song "It's a Small World"

ACTIVITIES AND PROCEDURES:
1.   Important - Teacher creates a list of various nations
     around the world, and students choose the nation they
     would like to learn about.  Each student should have a
     different nation.
2.   Research may be done for different purposes, depending
     on teacher:  culture, geography, population, size,
     location, production, industry, etc.  For this lesson I
     am focusing on culture, symbols (flags), and location.
3.   Once students have researched their nation, located it
     on a world map, and written a report, they will make a
     paper doll image to represent their nations' form of
     dress.  They will draw a flag that symbolizes their
     nation and mount it on a dowel with the nation's name
     stenciled behind the flag.
4.   Upon completing their paper doll, students will then
     design their own costume to match their paper doll and
     present to their class with an oral report about their
     nation.

TYING IT ALL TOGETHER:  As a culminating activity we had two
classrooms do the same project and present it to the school
(without reports) for our annual talent show.  We had over
50 nations represented.  The students marched in to the song
"It's a Small World", and sang while they proudly displayed
their flags.  It was a HIT!