Sessions

​

Session 1: North Africa - Egypt

LESSON OBJECTIVES: 

Students will define delta, fellaheen, sandstorm, bazaar, basin irrigation, reservoir, perennial irrigation and capital.

Students will analyze how physical characteristics have influenced Egyptian patterns of settlement.

Students will describe how Egypt's past has influenced its culture.

Students will explain how efforts to control the Nile River affected agriculture in Egypt.

Students will identify the factors that influence economical activities in Egypt.

HOMEWORK:

Suppose you are an Egyptian government official. Develop a plan that would encourage economic development of Egypt's desert lands and reduce the population density along the Nile River.  Be ready to share your plan with the class in the next session. 

​

Session 2: North Africa - Libya and Maghreb

LESSON OBJECTIVES: 

Students will define wadi, caravan, medina and souk.

Students will share their economical development plans with the class.

Students will examine how physical characteristics and changing perceptions of geography have affected cultures in Libya and the Maghreb. 

Students will describe how cooperation and conflict has led to a cultural change in North Africa.

Students will identify the main settlement patterns in North Africa.

Students will discover how the ideas of government and citizenship vary among North African nations.

HOMEWORK:

Use the internet to learn more about the quality of life in Libya and Maghreb. Choose one quality-of-life indicator such as literacy rate. Then, create a bar graph comparing that indicator in each of the four countries we covered in North Africa. Be ready to present your bar graph to the class in the next session. 

 

Session 3: West and Central Africa: The Sahel

LESSON OBJECTIVES: 

Students will define shifting agriculture, forage, deforestation, desertification, refugee and landlocked.

Students will share their bar graphs with the class. 

Students will describe how trade and learning were important in the history of the Sahel. 

Students will describe the environmental challenges that face the Sahel today. 

Students will identify the three main goals of nations location within the Sahel.

HOMEWORK: 

Search the internet for information about desertification. Choose one aspect of the topic that interests you -  for example, to what extent the Sahara has spread in the past 50 years. Be prepared your oral report to the class in the next session. 

​

Session 4: West and Central Africa: The Coastal Countries

LESSON OBJECTIVES: 

Students will define coup, ancestor worship and animism.

Students will present their oral reports to the class. 

Students will describe how location has encouraged the development of trade in the coastal countries of West Africa.  

Students will explain how power struggles have affected West African nations since independence. 

Students will explain the relationship that exist between the traditional cultures of West African peoples and their countries' economies. 

HOMEWORK: 

Choose a country we have discussed in this session. Review the information about that countries' history following its independence, and do more research on your own. Using your findings, create a line graph that expresses that country's movement toward democracy, beginning with its independence and extending to the most recent information you can find. Annotate your graph with notes that explain trends and any sudden "ups" and "downs" in the line. Be ready to present your timeline to the class in the next session. 

​

Session 5: West and Central Africa: Nigeria

LESSON OBJECTIVES: 

Students will define World Bank, International Monetary Fund and structural adjustment program.

Students will present their timelines to the class. 

Students will identify the characteristics that define different regions in Nigeria.

Students will explain how military leadership affected economical and political condition in Nigeria.

HOMEWORK:

Using maps as guides, think about how Nigeria's economy might change if the land was used differently or it the nation pursued new or additional economical activities. What challenges would your ideas introduce? . Be ready to present your findings to the class in the next session. 

​

Session 6: West and Central Africa: Central Africa

LESSON OBJECTIVES: 

Students will define watershed, mercenary and barter.

Students will present their findings to the class. 

Students will describe how the physical characteristics of Central Africa affect movement in the region. 

Students will identify the types of renewable and nonrenewable resources that exist in Central Africa. 

Students will explain how political turmoil has affected the Democratic Republic of the Congo. 

HOMEWORK:

Draw a sketch map of the Congo River. Indicate the origins of the river, and plot cities along its route. Include the locations of waterfalls that prevent travel along some stretches of the river. Be ready to present your map to the class in the next session.

​

Session 7: East and Southern Africa: Kenya

LESSON OBJECTIVES: 

Students will define harambee, pyrethrum and malnutrition.

Students will share their maps with the class.

Students will identify some of the major physical characteristics of Kenya.

Students will explain how in the past, British rule affected patterns of settlement in Kenya.

Students will identify the economical activities that have helped Kenyans build a solid economy for their own country. 

Students will explain who citizens of Kenya are concerned about the political stability of their government. 

HOMEWORK:

Ecotourism is an important economic activity in Kenya. Gather some additional information about Kenya's wildlife reserves from the library and/or internet. Then, plan a safari for tourists. Include information about key places to visit and the approximate cost. Keep in mind that ecotourism is responsible travel to natural areas, meaning that all efforts should be made by visitors to conserve the environment and maintain the well-being of the local community. Be ready to share your safari with the class in the next session.  

​

Session 8: East and Southern Africa: Other Countries of East Africa

LESSON OBJECTIVES: 

Students will define strategic value, villagization and ethnocracy.

Students will present their safaries reports to the class.

Students will describe how several countries on the Horn of Africa are strategically located. 

Students will identify the physical characteristics and regional issues that divide the people of the Sudan.

Students will explain how drought and political conflict have slowed the growth of many of the landlocked countries in this region. 

Students will explain why Tanzania changed its government.

HOMEWORK:

Draw a sketch map of the region we covered in class. Then draw three waterways that would connect the landlocked countries to the sea. Explain the challenges of construction at each site and the benefits that each waterway would produce. Be ready to present your map to the class in the next session.

​

Session 9: East and Southern Africa: South Africa

LESSON OBJECTIVES: 

Students will define apartheid, segregation and sanction.

Students will present their maps to the class.

Students will describe the racial and economical conditions that divide life in South Africa for most of the twentieth century.

Students will identify the systems of control that released an international backlash against the white South African government.

Students will explain how in the 1990's the government of South Africa transformed the nation from a repressive police state to a  model for peaceful political change.

HOMEWORK:

Use the internet to locate some articles about present-day issues in South Africa. Then, create a summary about the lasting effects of apartheid. Be ready to share your summary with the class in the next session. 

​

Session 10: East and Southern Africa: Other Countries of Southern Africa

LESSON OBJECTIVES: 

Students will define enclave, white flight and land redistribution.

Students will present their summaries to the class.

Students will describe how Malawi and Botswana are affected by the wealth and policies of the Republic of South Africa.

Students will explain how colonialism affeted Angola and Mozambique in the past. 

Students will describe how attitudes toward farming explain the current condition in the countries of Zambia and Zimbabwe.