The Pacific Islands UNIT 8 LESSON 5 DO

The Pacific Islands UNIT 8, LESSON 5

DO NOW • Take out your Oceania Study Guide. • You have ten (10) minutes to complete anything that is not yet completed on the study guide. • We will take your study guide quiz at the end of the period. No, I have no extra copies of the study guide!

OBJECTIVES & LEARNER PROFILE OBJECTIVES • SWBAT describe the cultural aspects of the native people of the islands of the South Pacific area known as Oceania. • SWBAT to compare and contrast the two types of islands (high and low islands), as well as the three primary groups of islands (Polynesia, Melanesia, and Micronesia). LEARNER PROFILE Knowledgeable We are starting this lesson with a base of information (coral reefs, atolls, archipelagos, high and low islands), so in this lesson we are building on that foundation.

Oceania: The Pacific Islands https: //www. youtube. com/watch? v=3 Sxccy. FAiz 0

The Pacific Islands comprise 20, 000 to 30, 000 islands in the Pacific Ocean. Most of the Pacific Islands lying south of the Tropic of Cancer are collectively referred to as Oceania. These islands are traditionally grouped into the three divisions of Melanesia, Micronesia, and Polynesia.

Melanesia means black islands. These islands lie south of the equator and were likely the first to be settled. In modern times these islands were given the name of Melanesia, because of the dark skins of the inhabitants.

Micronesia means small islands. Most of these lie north of the equator. Polynesia means many islands. These islands, mostly south of the equator. It is the largest of the three zones.

The islands of Oceania are classified into two groups, high islands and low islands. • Volcanoes form high islands, which generally can support more people and have a more fertile soil. • Low islands are reefs or atolls, and are relatively small and infertile. • Melanesia, the most populous of the three regions, contains mainly high islands, while most of Micronesia and Polynesia are low islands.

The ancestors of the Polynesians entered the area some 2, 000 to 3, 000 years ago, first settling on the western islands. The physical environment of the Polynesian islands is not as favorable for human habitation as it might at first seem. Early peoples had to bring with them a wide variety of subsistence items, including most of the useful plants and all of the domestic animals they required.

Polynesian cultures have been radically altered by Western colonialism. European explorers navigated much of the area in the latter quarter of the 18 th century. The first missionaries arrived in the late 1700 s and early 1800 s. Colonial powers that laid claim to various parts of Polynesia included Great Britain, France, Germany, New Zealand, the United States, and Chile.

NOTES • Missionary influence on Polynesian peoples increased over time, and Christianity eventually became an integral part of the islanders’ lives. In many areas Christianity was also influenced by local traditions and customs. • After World War II, local sentiments for decolonization began to spread. A constitutional monarchy survives only in Tonga, where a British-style parliament gives special status to traditional nobles. Most of the remaining island groups have gained some degree of independence from colonial rule at the end of the war.

GROUP PRACTICE

INDEPENDENT PRACTICE Study Guide Quiz! 1. Take out your Study Guide. You must have it out on your desk when the quiz begins; if it is not out when the quiz begins, you may not use it! 2. Use only YOUR study guide quiz, otherwise that is academic dishonesty and you AND the person letting you borrow their study guide will BOTH receive a zero for the quiz. 3. Eyes on your own paper; no talking. 4. When you are finished with the quiz, raise your hand I will collect it. 5. Begin working on your Review Strips for the Unit 8 Test.

GOOD LUCK ON THE STAAR EXAM! FOLLOW THE STRATEGIES you have been taught and you will do well. READ every questions and make sure you understand what is being asked. DON’T ASSUME you know and stop reading!