Tour the Land of
Fire and Ice

a WebQuest for 3rd grade Social Studies

by
Donna Breece Suzanne Craw Sharon Kapicka

Introduction | Task | Resources | Process | Evaluation | Conclusion

Introduction

Do you think your friends and family would like to journey to Iceland with you? It will be your task to convince them through a travel brochure you will create with your classmates. You will learn about the rich history which includes Vikings and great fishermen. You will discover some of the animals that live in Iceland such as horses, Keiko, and other ocean life. You will find out why Iceland is called the "Land of Fire and Ice" and then have the opportunity to share what you have learned with others.

1. In the reading center on the top shelf, you will find books related to your search topics.
2. The encyclopedias and atlases are also on the reference bookshelf for your use.
3. In the listening center there is a cassette tape and a read-along book on whales.
4. Please utilize your assigned computer time to investigate your assigned topic on the CD-ROMs that have been provided for you at the computer center.
5. On Fun Friday this week, we will watch excerpts from three videos relating to Iceland.
6. On the World Wide Web, you'll find an interesting introduction to Iceland at the Iceland Embassy in Washington, D.C. You can watch a Real Video presented by the Icelandic Tourist Board entitled "Iceland: The Hot Spot." There is also a very good cartoon history of Iceland on this page. If you will check under the Culture and Science section you can listen to the national anthem of Iceland.
7. Would you like to look at a Map of Iceland?
8. Check out Landscapes of Iceland to see some photos of Iceland.
9. There's a page that lets you hear the Icelandic language being spoken at Icelandic Broadcasting Company. If you click on one of the top two Real Audio buttons you will hear an Icelandic radio broadcast.
10. You can find information about Icelandic horses at Icelandic Horse Acres, Inc. and The Iceland Horse.
11. For information about volcanos and glaciers, you can find interesting information at Jason Project in Iceland. You can find more information about volcanoes at Volcano World. The class can email the volcanologist at this site to ask a question.
12. You can read about Vikings at The World of Vikings. This site has links to many resources on Vikings.
13. Visit Keiko Society of Iceland, Ocean Futures, or Iceland Welcomes Keiko Back to learn more about Keiko and other life in the Icelandic oceans.
14. You can learn about the importance of the fishing industry to Iceland at The Herring Era Museum in Siglufjördur. You can also see photos of some of the fish native to Iceland at the Westmann Islands Aquarium.

1. Your class will be creating a travel brochure about Iceland, "The Land of Fire and Ice."
2. You will begin this project with the whole class by participating in a brainstorming activity completing KWL charts about Iceland.
3. You will watch "Iceland: The Hot Spot" on Real Time video and read the cartoon history of Iceland.
4. You will also watch the Icelandic videos on Fun Friday.
5. You will then be divided into groups of three students. Each member of the group will have a specific job. Your group will have a reader, a recorder and a reporter. Your group will be assigned a specific topic to research. The topics are volcanoes, glaciers, fishing, horses, Keiko, and history.
6. During your unit time each day for the next week, your group will be using the resources provided to complete your KWL charts.
7. Next Friday, your group will report to the class what you have learned about your topic.
8. Using the information you have gathered, you will write a paragraph, choose a graphic and meet with the teacher for conferencing.
9. You will then go to the writing lab to complete your contribution to the brochure.
10. Your teacher will collect the completed paragraphs and pictures in order to assemble them into the travel brochure.
11. You will each receive your own copy of the brochure. Next Wednesday you will go with your other group members to your assigned Reading Soulmate classrooms. You will read your brochures to the students and answer any questions they may have. The brochure is yours to keep. You may take it home and share it with your family and friends.

Click Here for the Conclusion

Last updated May 3, 1999

Based on a template from The Webquest Page.