Classroom Guide for
Vanishing Cultures: Far North

1. Why is the reindeer so important to the Sami?
2. How is Sara’s family like yours? How is it different?
3. Why don’t the Samis stay in the mountains all year?
4. What beliefs about nature do the Samis have?
5. How might snowmobiles and roads change the life of the Sami?

1. The book tells about a reindeer race, but it doesn’t explain what the rules are. Write a set of rules that you think would make sense for a reindeer race.
2. The Samis enjoy yoiking, singing traditional poetry. Write your own poem about the Sami way of life.
3. Write a compare-and-contrast paragraph explaining how your clothing is similar to and different from Sami dress.

1. Have students find Lapland or Finmark (a province of Norway) on a world map or globe. Then ask students to find the answers to questions such as: On what continent is Lapland? What pole is it near? What imaginary line is it near? What bodies of water border it?
2. Discuss the role of a shaman for the Sami. What persons in our culture do some of the things a shaman does?

1. Point out that the region where the Sami live is known as the Land of the Midnight Sun. Have students investigate why the sun doesn’t set during the summer months north of the Arctic Circle and why it barely shines at all during the winter.
2. Have students find out more about reindeer: how this animal is adapted to its climate, what its migratory patterns are, what predators it has, and so on. Students might make booklets, accompanied by drawings or photos, to showcase their research.

Vanishing Cultures Classroom Guide

Next Section: Frozen Land

Teacher's Guides