Teacher Guide:
Visiting Countries Around the World
About This Unit:
This collection of virtual reality mini-lessons takes students on short field trips to many countries around
the world. For each country, students will go on 3-4 field trips to different locations. After the field trips,
students will learn some basic facts about the country and have the opportunity to reflect on the
similarities and differences they noticed between their own country and the country they visited.
Recommendations:
● Not sure when to use these mini-lessons? Try using them as sponge activities, short geography
lessons, hooks for social studies or current events lessons, comparison/contrast practice, and/or
ways to introduce a literary setting.
● Print out the attached graphic organizer for students to record their observations and questions
during field trips.
● If there’s extra time before the final reflection activities in each lesson, give students a chance to
research some of the questions they come up with about the countries.
● Note: For the United States lesson, students will be asked to reflect on what they learned instead
of comparing and contrasting.
Resource
Required or Recommended
for student use
Notes
Field Trip Notes
Recommended
Print & copy
Elementary Assessment
(Venn Diagram)
Optional
Print & copy if you
would prefer to have
students submit a
hard copy of their
Venn diagrams.
Secondary Assessment
(Country Comparison Writing
Assignment)
Optional
Print & copy if you
would prefer to have
students submit a
hard copy of their
paragraphs.
Name:
FIELD TRIP NOTES
Directions:​ ​For each location you visit, record your observations and questions.
COUNTRY NAME: ___________________________________________________________
OBSERVATIONS
QUESTIONS
Name:
VENN DIAGRAM
Directions​: What are the similarities between your country and​ the country you just learned
about? ​Complete the Venn Diagram below.
My Country: _____________________
_____________________
Name:
COUNTRY COMPARISON WRITING ASSIGNMENT
Directions​: In one or two paragraphs, discuss some of the similarities and differences between
your country and the country you just learned about.
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