Subjects
Subject(s)
Arts & Humanities
--Architecture
--Language Arts
Mathematics
--Applied Math
--Measurement
--Statistics
Health
--Environmental
Science
--Agriculture
--Life Sciences
----Botany
--Physical Science
----Environmental
--Natural History
Social Studies
--Current Events
--Economics
--Geography
--Government
--Regions/Cultures
Grades
Grades 2-up
News Content
A huge vault on an Arctic island is the new home for billions of seeds.
Anticipation Guide
Before reading, ask students
News Words
Before sharing this weeks news story about a special way of keeping the worlds crops safe from harm, you might introduce the words Norway and Norwegian. In addition, you will want to introduce these words that appear in the News Word Box on the students printable page: vault, government, deposit, refrigeration, ensure, and system. Discuss the meanings of any of those words that might be unfamiliar. Then ask students to use one of those words to complete each of these sentences:
Read the News
Click for a printable version of this weeks news story Underground Vault Protects Worlds Seeds.
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Comprehension Check
Think About the News. After reading this weeks news story, talk again about the reasons people want to keep things such as food, money, photographs safe from harm. Then, discuss the Think About the News question at the bottom of the students printable news page. (Why, do you think, scientists want to keep seeds safe from harm?) Students will share many reasons. According to scientists, the seed vault is the world's ace in the hole." It is designed to protect the worlds crop diversity from extinction by a variety of possible causes, including
Recalling Detail
More Facts to Share
You might show on a world map the location of the seed vault [see map]. It is located in a remote part of the Arctic Ocean between Norway and the North Pole. It is located on the island of Spitsbergen, one of a group of islands known as Svalbard (pronounced svall-bar). The islands, part of Norway, are about 650 miles from the North Pole. In the Norwegian language, the word svalbard means cold edge."
You might share these additional facts with students after they have read this weeks news story:
Follow-Up Activities
Language arts -- dictionary skills (young students). Present students with a random list of crops to alphabetize. You might select crops from this list: alfalfa, apricot, banana, beet, broccoli, carrot, celery, corn, cucumber, eggplant, fig, ginger, grapefruit, lentil, lettuce, maize, mango, melon, mushroom.
Language arts -- dictionary skills (grades 4-up). Write this list of crops on a board or chart paper: oats, radish, pecan, pea, macadamia, lentil, plum, millet, nectarine, persimmon, mango, rhubarb, potato, okra, onion, pumpkin, safflower, lettuce, peanut, nutmeg, lime, sesame, papaya, mushrooms. Ask students to identify which crops on the list would appear in an encyclopedia volume (or a page in a Dictionary of Foods Around the World) that included topics from Maize Peach? The correct answers are in bold type.
Math -- measurement. To help students visualize some of the numbers in the article, you might take them outside to measure an area 425 feet long. (This is the length of the tunnel that leads to the seed vault. This is how deep in the mountain the vault is buried.) While you are outside, measure an area that is 32 feet wide by 88 feet long. This is the size of each of the vaults inside the mountain.
Math -- large numbers. Often, it is difficult for students to visualize large numbers such as 4.5 million different types of seeds and a vault built to store 2.25 billion seeds. You might share with students the MegaPenny Project, which will visually illustrate how a million or a billion pennies would look. Another resource, What Is a Billion?, puts into words what the word billion means. And What Is a Billion Dollars? provides another powerful visual image of that large amount of cash.
Science -- plants. Extends students knowledge with some of the activities from Education World found in the article Plant Seeds of Learning: Classroom Lessons Bring Plants to Life. For another fun way to introduce the concept of seeds to students, use Vicki Cobbs Showbiz Science lesson, Out! Out! Damp Sprout!
Assessment
Use the Comprehension Check (above) as an assessment. Or have students work on their own (in their journals) or in their small groups to respond to the Think About the News questions on the news story page or in the Comprehension Check section.
Lesson Plan Source
Education WorldNational Standards
LANGUAGE ARTS: English
GRADES K - 12
NL-ENG.K-12.1 Reading for Perspective
NL-ENG.K-12.2 Reading for Understanding
NL-ENG.K-12.6 Applying Knowledge
NL-ENG.K-12.7 Evaluating Data
NL-ENG.K-12.8 Developing Research Skills
NL-ENG.K-12.9 Multicultural Understanding
NL-ENG.K-12.11 Participating in Society
NL-ENG.K-12.12 Applying Language Skills
MATHEMATICS: Number and Operations
GRADES Pre-K - 2
NM-NUM.PK-2.1 Understand Numbers, Ways of Representing Numbers, Relationships Among Numbers, and Number Systems
GRADES 3 - 5
NM-NUM.3-5.1 Understand Numbers, Ways of Representing Numbers, Relationships Among Numbers, and Number Systems
GRADES 6 - 8
NM-NUM.6-8.1 Understand Numbers, Ways of Representing Numbers, Relationships Among Numbers, and Number Systems
GRADES 9 - 12
NM-NUM.9-12.1 Understand Numbers, Ways of Representing Numbers, Relationships Among Numbers, and Number Systems
MATHEMATICS: Measurement
GRADES Pre-K - 2
NM-MEA.PK-2.2 Apply Appropriate Techniques, Tools, and Formulas to Determine Measurements
GRADES 3 - 5
NM-MEA.3-5.2 Apply Appropriate Techniques, Tools, and Formulas to Determine Measurements
GRADES 6 - 8
NM-MEA.6-8.2 Apply Appropriate Techniques, Tools, and Formulas to Determine Measurements
GRADES 9 - 12
NM-MEA.9-12.2 Apply Appropriate Techniques, Tools, and Formulas to Determine Measurements
MATHEMATICS: Representation
GRADES Pre-K - 12
NM-REP.PK-12.1 Create and Use Representations to Organize, Record, and Communicate Mathematical Ideas
SCIENCE
GRADES K - 4
NS.K-4.3 Life Science
GRADES 5 - 8
NS.5-8.3 Life Science
GRADES 9 - 12
NS.9-12.3 Life Science
SOCIAL SCIENCES: Geography
GRADES K - 12
NSS-G.K-12.1 The World in Spatial Terms
NSS-G.K-12.2 Places and Regions
NSS-G.K-12.4 Human Systems
NSS-G.K-12.5 Environment and Society
TECHNOLOGY
GRADES K - 12
NT.K-12.2 Social, Ethical, and Human Issues
See recent news stories in Education Worlds News Story of the Week Archive.
Article by Ellen Delisio and Gary Hopkins
Education World®
Copyright © 2008 Education World
03/12/2008