Lesson Overview:

In this lesson, students will learn about the processes that lead to the formation of an island and study the impact that an island's geographic and geologic history has on the culture of the people who live there. Students will divide into groups to research a specific island. Ultimately, the students will present a dramatic skit representing a day-in-the-life of island inhabitants.

Length of Lesson:

Six 45-minute periods

Notes:

This lesson is particularly suitable for grades 6-8.

Instructional Objectives:

Students will:

• demonstrate knowledge of an island culture and empathy with its inhabitants by writing and performing a dramatic skit depicting life from the perspective of island residents.
• discuss the impact that the geography and geologic history of an island has on the culture and population of the island.
• learn about the various geologic processes that lead to the formation of an island.
• work in groups to research a specific island and make connections between its present-day culture and its geographic location and geologic history.

Supplies:

• Video Camera

Instructional Plan:

Warm Up

Ask students to define the word "island." Steer the class discussion until you come up with the correct definition:

island: A land mass, especially one smaller than a continent, entirely surrounded by water.

Ask students to discuss words and ideas that they associate with the word "island." Make a list on the board. To spur discussion, ask if anyone has ever visited an island. If so, what was it like?

Developmental Activity

Explain that there are two main types of islands: oceanic and continental. Oceanic islands were formed in the ocean, while continental islands were once connected to larger land masses, but were separated from them over time. (You will explain the reasons for this in the next section.)

Explain to students that islands are formed in the following various ways. (As you introduce each method of formation, ask students whether they would produce oceanic or continental islands.)

Islands can become isolated from larger land masses due to rising water levels. Explain that there are peaks and valleys on the earth's surface. Long ago, the oceans were much shallower because a vast amount of water was frozen in the earth's polar ice caps. As the polar caps melted, the sea level rose, and water covered up the lower areas of land or "land bridge" between the higher areas of land. Therefore, the island was isolated from the larger land mass.

Examples of islands formed in this way include:

• New Zealand
• Manhattan
• The British Isles
• Trinidad

Ask students whether an island formed in this way would be oceanic or continental.

Some islands are pieces of continental crust that have broken off of a large land mass and drifted out to sea.

Examples of islands formed in this way include:

• Cuba
• New Caledonia
• Madagascar

Again, ask students whether an island formed in this way would be oceanic or continental.

Some islands are created by living organisms that begin to grow on the submerged portion of a larger land mass, usually a volcanic island. The skeletons of these organisms (mostly corals) grow together and get bigger and bigger until they rise above the water's surface and form a coral reef. There are various types of reefs, including "barrier reefs" (which grow further out from land and create a barrier to a larger island), "fringing reefs" (which fringe the ring of an island's shoreline), and "atoll" (which are formed when the island land mass sinks, but the reef continues to grow and remains above the surface.)

Examples of islands formed in this way include:

• The Florida Keys
• The Great Barrier Reef
• Bermuda

Islands can also be formed by volcanic activity. Explain that volcanoes exist underwater, as well as on land. As they erupt, the material in the lava flows can accumulate higher and higher until the surface of the volcano rises above water. This is the most common way that islands are formed.

Examples of islands formed in this way include:

• The Hawaiian Islands
• Japan
• The Philippines

Be sure to point out that islands can be formed by a combination of the processes above. For example, a raised coral reef may be covered by sediment from a nearby volcano.

Explain that the way an island is formed has a significant impact on the biodiversity on the island (the plants and animals that live there). The plant and animal population of continental islands may be similar to those of the land mass of which they were originally a part. On oceanic islands, the plant and animal life has to start "from scratch" or travel to that island from other areas.

Ask students how plant and animal life might develop on such an island. (Seeds can travel through the air, animals can swim or float to them from nearby islands. Today, humans can import plant and animal life to islands.) Note that the island's formation also affects the natural resources that are available, such as soil type and composition, minerals, and groundwater.

Life on an Island

Explain that—just as biodiversity is affected by an island's origin and location—so is the culture that develops there.

Ask students if they have ever seen a movie, read a book, or watched a television show that depicts life on an island. What do they think it would be like to live on an island? How would their lives be affected?

Ask students to think about the ways that an island's geography would influence the culture that evolves there (i.e., climate, isolation, limited natural resources, dependence on importation of goods).

Divide the students into small groups. Tell the class that each of the groups is about to be exiled to an island. Their job is to find out what daily life is like on the island today, and identify ways that the culture on the island has been influenced by its geography and geologic background.

To determine the island to which each group will be "exiled," place the names of several islands in a bowl and have one student from each group select a name. Be sure to include islands that represent a variety of geographic, geological and cultural elements. A sample selection follows:

• The Galapagos Islands
• Krakatau
• Crete
• Manhattan
• Cuba
• Tristan da Cunha
• The Shetland Islands
• Madagascar
• The Aleutian Islands
• Mayne Island
• Sardinia

Tell students that in their research, they must report on:

• The way the island was formed.
• The type of plants and animals that live there.
• Information about the present-day population of that island (including the number of people living there, typical occupations, immigration or emigration patterns, language, customs, ethnic make-up, etc.).
• The political history of the island. (Was it colonized? Is it an independent nation?)
• Unique or important events in the island's history and/or legends associated with the island.
• Information about art forms that are indigenous or typical of the island.

Note: To focus the research task, you may wish to instruct the groups to designate a "specialist" for certain research areas (for example, each group might include a geology specialist, a political specialist, a labor specialist, an arts and culture specialist, a history specialist etc.).

Tell students that at the end of their research, they will work together to produce a skit about "A Day in the Life of Our Island." In the skit, the students are to portray life on the island from the perspective of island residents.

Give students the guidelines below in order to help them prepare their script. (These are also included on the accompanying Skit Guidelines)handout:

Guidelines for Writing Your Script

The skit should be approximately 10 minutes long. It should include a variety of characters, each of whom should represent a specific role and act out typical activities that would occur on the island. When developing each character, think about the following issues:

• How would he/she talk?
• What is the character's job or role in society?
• How would he/she relate to others?
• Are there any specific customs or roles that the character would follow (i.e., shaking hands, bowing, behaving differently when interacting with members of a different age group or gender, etc.)?
• How would the character's role in society affect his or her physical appearance and/or behavior?
his/her age affect physical movement?

Your script should include a short setting description and, where appropriate, stage directions.

The script should be realistic, but engaging and entertaining to the audience.

You may wish to appoint a director to oversee the rehearsal process.

Ideas to Help Focus your Skit
Have your skit take place on a special day; for example, a holiday that is unique or important to inhabitants of the island.

Focus the script on a day in the life of one or two "lead characters" and show how they interact with other members of the society.

Explore a day in a certain season that is important on your island (i.e., harvesting season, tourist season, etc.).

Set the skit on a day of extreme weather and have characters react to it (i.e., an oncoming hurricane, a heat wave, a rainy season, a snowstorm, etc.).

Assessment:

Evaluate the dramatic presentation on the following criteria:

• Completeness of the script
• Accuracy and believability of the characters
• Originality and creativity of the presentation
• Accuracy of the portrayal of island life
• Appropriate incorporation of research materials

As a further assessment, have students write an essay addressing the following question:

Based on what you have learned about the island that you have studied, discuss the impact that the island's formation had on the culture that developed there, and the daily life of island residents today.

Have students present their skits to the class. If possible, record them on video.

Extensions:

Theatre:
Have students extend the skit performance by including costume elements, sets, and/or props.

Language Arts:
Coordinate this unit with your school's Language Arts teacher. Teach it in conjunction with a literature unit on Treasure Island, Island of the Blue Dolphins, or Robinson Crusoe.

Visual Arts:
Have students create a relief map of their island, using materials that would be found on the island itself.

Sources:

Web:

• Islands: Oceanography from the Space Shuttle
  http://disc.gsfc.nasa.gov/oceancolor/shuttle_oceanography_web/
  oss_contents.shtml

Authors:

• Eileen Ewald , teacher
  Thomas G. Pullen Arts Magnet School
  Landover, MD