LESSON PLAN SIX

Subject: Social Studies

Grade: 20-1 (11)
Date: March 25, 2013
Critical Inquiry Question: To what extent should we embrace nationalism?
Lesson: National interests and arctic sovereignty
SLOs: From the Program of Studies

Time: 90 minutes

2.3 Students will appreciate multiple perspectives related to the pursuit of national
interest
2.6 Students will examine how the pursuit of national interest shapes foreign policy
S.7.1 Students will develop and express an informed position on an issue
S.7.2 Students will develop conclusions based on evidence gathered through research of
a wide variety of sources
S.7.3 Students will use research tools and methods to investigate issues
S.8.3 Students will use a variety of oral, visual and print sources to present informed
positions on issues
Instructional Objectives: (Not outcomes, but lesson objectives. Not a description of
lesson procedure, but an indication of what students will know or be able to do by the
end of the lesson).
Knowledge:
- Students will understand the issues surrounding arctic sovereignty
- Students will understand the claims that each country feels they have towards
arctic sovereignty
- Students will understand the importance of looking at multiple perspectives
towards an issue
Skill:
- Students will have the ability to represent the perspective of one side
- Students will use the multiple perspectives presented to them and make an
informed decision as to who has the best claim
Key Questions:
What is the focus question for this lesson? What are some related questions?
What is arctic sovereignty?
What countries are involved in claiming the arctic?
What claims does each of these countries have to the arctic?
Which country has the most legitimate claims/national interests to the arctic?
Which country has the least legitimate claims/national interests to the arctic?
Materials:
- Poster (easel) paper
- Markers
- Envelopes with websites and handout on background of arctic

Maps of the arctic - PowerPoint?

o http://www.dur.ac.uk/resources/ibru/arctic.pdf
o http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/denmark/8520076/De
nmark-preparing-to-stake-claim-on-North-Pole.html
o Google continental shelf put in on powerpoint
Laptops
Tape
Poll everywhere poll
Cell phones
Group generator if all 30 show up, popsicle sticks if there are some students
missing so that we can make groups as even as possible
Textbooks
Traffic light exit slip poster

Preparation:
- Book laptops
- Find websites write them down
- Make background information sheet on Arctic sovereignty
- Put information sheet and websites in 5 envelopes
Adaptations:
- Popsicle sticks for if not all 30 show up so groups are even
- If I did not book laptops try to get at least 10 2 for every group, or 1 for each
group = 5
- if there are not enough laptops, make copies of the source they would find online
that I have so they have a personal copy reduces the need for a laptop and
students can still get information

Lesson Procedure:
(Use numbered or bulleted steps. Indicate lesson introduction, development and
conclusion if that helps clarify the flow of the lesson. Write it with enough detail that a
substitute teacher could teach the lesson.)
- I will begin the class by having students answer the poll everywhere question they
did prior to the Afghanistan essay to see if their answers differ much and discuss
any questions and ideas about it
- I will discuss with the class that as we have seen during World War One that some
aspects of national interest have been to claim sovereignty over territory
- I will ask students if they know what sovereignty is
- I will move on to discuss that claiming and gaining territory is something that is
still occurring today and an example we will be looking at is the Arctic
- I will inform them that in the case of the Arctic 5 major nations, Canada,
Denmark, Norway, Russia and the United States are all claiming sovereignty over
the islands and the seabed
- Each country has, in their own opinions, legitimate claims to parts of the ocean

Lately problems of melting ice caps are creating larger problems and greater
claims because there is slowly more access to uncharted territory and will only get
worse over the next few decades
The United Nations has had conventions on the Laws of the Sea and have stated
that countries have sovereignty over 22.2 of sea beyond their coastline and control
of the resources in and under the sea for 370 kms proving that the seabed is an
extension of their continental shelf (explanation of what the continental shelf is)
show pictures of the continental shelf and pictures of the arctic and the claims
Then I will explain what the activity of the day will be:
o Students will be broken into 5 groups
o Each group will research the national interests and sufficient claims they
have to the arctic
o Each group will be given an envelope with more detailed background
information on the issues in the Arctic along with a sheet that has 7
different websites I have found that they can gather information on their
claims and also the claims of the other countries just so they can see
them. If groups feel they have time to do extra research or would like to
look at other sites on the subject they can
o Each group will grab laptops and research their own claims groups
should try not to take more than 30-40 minutes to research
o When the group has gathered what they feel to be enough information they
will grab a piece of easel paper from the teacher and a couple markers
o Groups will create their own posters presenting their claims and justifying
themselves and why they should have sovereignty in the arctic take
about 10-15 minutes
o Once each group has completed their posters, or if there is only a half hour
left in class, groups will stand up one at a time and quickly Pitch their
claims to the class no more than 5 minutes each
o Each group will tape their poster to a spot in the classroom and students
will decide- as objectively as they can- which country has the strongest
claims to the arctic and stand by that poster
o We will quickly go through each group and ask why they chose that
country
o Ask students which country they think has the least claims whether it is
obvious or not based on where they stand and why
I will end the lesson by asking why it is important to look at all 5 countries and
their claims? I am looking for students to show that they understand the
importance of multiple perspectives.
I will then explain that this takes us to the end of chapter 5 and that we have
looked at what national interests are and examples of how countries pursue them.
If there is time I will ask students to consider what we have learned and look to
the traffic light exit slip we did a few lessons ago and decide if they need to move
their names and if they do to go ahead- this should take us to the end of class, if
we do not get to it then we will do it first thing the next class, I will tell them
about it after the placemat activity and they have till the end of class to change
anything they need to.

Assessment:
How will you know if students met your lesson objectives? What are you looking for in
this formative assessment?
I can see what research and understanding of Afghanistan has done to change or
strengthen students previous opinions
I will know if students have met my lesson objectives based on the information they pitch
to the class and the reasons they chose the country that had the greatest claims
Lesson Reflection:
This is a space for notes after youve taught the lesson.