Journey to the North pole - CyberHunt Teacher's Guide - Brief Article

Directions: Head online to the northernmost region of the earth and learn about the arctic tundra. You can begin your hunt at www.scholastic.com/instructor Write your answers in the spaces below or on a separate sheet of paper.

1. The arctic ecosystem is known as the tundra, where there is a permanent frozen layer of ground beneath the topsoil called __________. www.r7.fws.gov/nwr/arctic/permpics.html

2. Visit this site and look closely at the map of the Arctic Circle. Locate two countries that are near the North Pole. __________, __________. www.matthewhenson.com/dcpole1/htm

3. Only about twenty species of land animals thrive on the harsh arctic tundra. Name three. __________, __________, and __________. www.factmonster.com/ce6/world/A0856684.html

4. Above the Arctic Circle, night lasts as long as 24 hours in the middle of winter. What happens in the summer? __________. www.yahooligans.com/content/ka/almanac/world/00018.html

5. In 1909 Robert E. Peary and Matthew A. Henson were the first explorers to reach the North Pole. How did they travel? __________. www.enchantedlearning.com/explorers/page/p/peary.shtml

6. The native people of northern Alaska and Canada, called the ___________, are skilled at hunting and fishing. http://collections.ic.gc.ca/arctic/inuit/people.htm

7. In the far north, you can sometimes see the Aurora Borealis or __________ in the night sky. www.alaskascience.com/aurora.htm

8. The narwhal, a type of whale that lives in the icy Arctic Sea, can be recognized by its __________. www.encyclopedia.com/articles/32861.html Journey to the North Pole

Lead your class on a cyberjourney with Instructor's Online CyberHunt. Students begin the hunt at www.scholastic.com/instructor Suitable for middle and upper graders, the CyberHunt is a great individual or group activity. See the CyberHunt kids' reproducible on the opposite page.

Answers:

1. Permafrost

2. Two of the following: Canada, Greenland, Denmark, Norway, and Russia

3. Three of the following: squirrel, moose, caribou, reindeer, polar bear, and musk ox

4. The sun never sets. Daylight lasts as long as 24 hours.

5. By dogsled

6. Inuit

7. The Northern Lights

8. Long tooth or tusk

CYBERHUNT SAFETY: All of the Web sites contained in the CyberHunt have been reviewed by Instructor staff. At press time, all links are safe and consist of educational material. However, we are unable to control transfers or purchases of URLs after publication. We strongly urge teachers to review all Web sites before sharing them with students.

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