European Geography, Week One, 6th Grade Study Unit

This is one week of study for European Geography, 6th Grade 

Using the map above draw a map of Europe on a large poster board. If you know any of the countries, fill their names in. For any countries you do not know, use the map below to fill the names in for the countries on the map you create. Please also fill in the oceans and seas.

Today you are going to add the capitals of the European countries on your big map using this map below.

Using the map on the next page answer the following questions in your main lesson book. Use your best penmanship, full sentences and correct punctuation.

How many different language types are found in Europe?

In which countries do they speak romance languages? Are they close together?

In what countries do they speak Germanic languages? Are they close together?

Give an example of an English word that comes from a romance language and one that comes from a Germanic language.

Where do they speak Slavic languages. Does the Slavic language use the same alphabet we do?

Today you are going to draw pictures of two European castles, then find where the castle is located on your European map and mark that spot.

Blarney Castle, County Cork, Ireland

Blarney Castle, as viewed by the visitor today, is the third to have been erected on this site. The first building in the tenth century was a wooden structure. Around 1210 A.D. this was replaced by a stone structure which had the entrance some twenty feet above the ground on the north face. This building was demolished for foundations. In 1446 the third castle was built by Dermot McCarthy, King of Munster of which the keep still remains standing.

Schloss Neuschwanstein, Bavaria, Germany

Not an ancient castle, Neuschwanstein Castle (Schloss Neuschwanstein) was built by Bavarian King Ludwig II in the late 19th century (kids will find it looks familiar, as the castle was copied by Disney for Sleeping Beauty Castle).

Today we are continuing with castles. Draw these two castles and place their location on your map.

Tower of London, London, England

Go to http://www.hrp.org.uk/TowerOfLondon/families/gamesandmakes and choose a Tower of London game to play for 20 minutes

Go to http://great-castles.com/amboisegallery.php and draw pictures of Château d'Amboise in Indre-et-Loire France

Using white paper glued to cardboard from old cereal boxes create a 3D image of one of the castles you have studied this week.