African Country Report

African Country Report

by
Merrilynn K. Shinagawa

6th grade
June 1999

How do physical systems affect human systems? It is our goal to make our students appreciate the diversity of the African continent and to understand the relationships its physical systems has on its people. As stated in the National Geographic Standards,

No matter what the spatial scale, Earth's surface presents a picture of physical diversity in terms of topography. That diversity offers a range of environmental contexts for people. The geographically informed person must understand how humans are able to live in various kinds of physical environments-not only those of the familiar mid-latitudes but also those that seem less conducive to intensive settlement such as the Arctic tundra and the Equatorial rain forest-and the role physical features of those environments play in shaping human activities.

To live in any given physical environment humans must develop patterns of spatial organization, which take advantage of opportunities offered and avoid or minimize the effects of limitations. Physical systems and environmental characteristics do not, by themselves, determine the pattern of human activity. If the incentives are great enough settlement is possible, although at great cost and risk.

Cyclical environmental change, especially in semiarid environments, can pose particular problems for human use of that environment and can lead to desertification, famine, and mass migration, as has occurred in the Sahel of north-central Africa. The relationship between any environment and its inhabitants is mediated by decisions about how much to consume and in what ways to consume.

In this lesson the students will research a country in Africa. They will find information regarding its physical geography and make inferences into its relationship between its climate, natural vegetation and economy.

Geographic Question: How do the patterns of land use and economic livelihoods reflect the conditions of the physical environment of your African country?

Objectives: The students will be able to
1. Apply the inferring strategies of examining, selecting clues, interpreting clues and drawing a conclusion to create a graphic organizer.
2. Demonstrate the skills associated with report writing, drafting, revising, editing, etc.
3. Demonstrate an understanding of a variety of maps and their uses.
4. Create a variety of maps including natural vegetation, land use, and climate.

Themes: Human Environment Interaction

Hawaii Content and Performance Standards:
Define, use and apply elements of scale, symbols, and directions in the creation and use of maps.

Describe how human environment relationships develop and evaluate the consequences for people and for the environment.

The Writing Process (Planning, Writing/Drafting, Revising, Editing, Sharing/Publishing)

Geographic Standard: The geographically informed person knows and understands
Standard 1: How to use maps and other geographic representations, tools and technologies to acquire, process, and report information from a spatial perspective.
Standard 15: How physical systems affect human systems.

Geographic Skills / Thinking Skills / Thinking Behaviors:
1. Ask geographic questions, acquire geographic information, organize geographic information, analyze geographic information and answer geographic questions.
2. Acquiring information - Research skills (note taking, drafting, revising, editing)
3. Acquiring information - Examine a variety of maps and have students make their own map for the following: natural vegetation, land use, climate and a political map.
4. Summarizing information - Students summarize information acquired.
5. Inferencing - Students infer the relationship of the physical environment, climate and economy and create an appropriate graphic organizer.

Lesson Can Be Used With a Unit On: Map Skills, Culture, Economics, Africa

Materials Needed: See attachment

Procedure: See attachment

Vocabulary: See Culturgram Notes

Assessment:
1. Written information from the students included in their report.
2. Check the accuracy of the maps made by the students.
3. Did the students use a variety of resources? Did they summarize their information and include pertinent information?
4. Rubric assessment for the inferring graphic organizer (see attached)

Extensions:
1. Students can create a Powerpoint presentation that uses the facts they learned about their country to make a guessing game for younger students or their classmates.
2. Students could also include population dispersement in their comparisons.