Resources:
Large map of Africa
Encyclopedia
Books of Africa (ask Librarian)
Computers with Internet hookups and printers (computer lab)
Travel Brochures
Stapler for research to be turned in
Worksheet with questions the students are to answer (attached)
Hat
Slips of paper with countries names
Nigeria, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Madagascar, Algeria, South Africa, and Ethiopia
Slips of paper with numbers on itRationale
The purpose of the lesson is to have the students' research, in depth a country in Africa. It is important for the students to know a little about these places so they will develop a better understanding of the world around them. This lesson will be the end of a unit on Africa. The lesson and unit will focus on major facts about 6 countries in Africa. These facts deal with the history, geography, economy, and interesting things about each country.
Discovery learning and cooperative learning is incorporated into the lesson. Placed into groups, the students will find the answers to questions about one of the countries. The learners will find the answers to these questions using the Internet, the encyclopedia, and books.
The students have previous knowledge of Africa as a whole and will now be delving deeper into facts of each country as the lesson goes on.
Objectives
Upon successful completion on a unit of the continent Africa, grade six learners will be able to research facts about a certain country in Africa using the Internet and books and then create a travel brochure that deals with that country with 100 % accuracy.
1. TLW research one of the countries in Africa.
PI: As groups of four, the students will use the Internet and books to find answers to questions about the country they have been assigned.2. TLW collect information on a country and use this information to create a brochure on the country.
PI: After the research has been finished, the students will present the information they found and the brochure they designed to the class while their peers take notes to use as a study guide for the exam.3. TLW demonstrate that they can work cooperatively
PI: Working in their small groups, the students will share the workload by taking notes and/or printing out their findings. These notes will then be collected and looked over by the teacher as an assessment. The students will both present a portion of the research and brochure during the mini lesson.
Lesson ActivitiesDAY 1
A. INTRODUCTION AND MOTIVATION
(After the review lesson using the power point presentation)
The purpose of this lesson is to learn, in further detail about certain countries in Africa. We will deal with many different aspects of each country. We will use the Internet and different books to research the information. I will split the class in to six groups of four. Each person is responsible to do his or her share of work. The group work will be evaluated on the basis of the group plan, individual work, and the final presentation.
B. LESSON BODYExplain to the students that they will start a group activity where they will be researching six countries in Africa. (Hand out the worksheet).
T: Each of you will be paired with three other students. Together, you will research one of the countries in Africa. To fairly decide which group is doing what colony, one person will pick the name out of a hat. To see who goes first, you will all draw a number out of the hat. The worksheet that has been handed to each of you gives you a guideline of what you will need to be researching. While you are looking in the books or on the Internet, I want you to take notes and/or print out your findings. These will need to be stapled to your own worksheet for you to receive full credit. When the research portion of the assignment is finished, we will then go back to the classroom and begin working on the brochure section of the lesson. When every group is finished with their brochure, they will then be presented to the class. There will be a short exam sometime on these presentations so while the presentations are going on, each student is expected to take notes.
Split the children into groups of two. To do this, pick the groups ahead of time and write it down so not to forget. Explain that every person is to work efficiently to get the work finished.T: Every group is to split the workload evenly between themselves. To show me you can do this, I would like each group to take ten minutes and figure out who will be doing what. Use the worksheet to help you figure this out. I then would like a short paragraph handed to me dealing with who in your group is doing what. I will need to approve this before you can begin. I also want this paragraph stapled to one of your papers. You will have an hour in the computer lab to find your information.
(Give the students ten minutes to write the paragraph and for the teacher to approve them)
Does anyone have any questions? We will now line up to go to the computer lab. Please bring all your papers with you.
While the students are at work, the teacher shall provide them with needed help and observe how group members help each other. When ten minutes are left for the computer lab, tell the students to finish what they are working on. Explain that they need to clean up the lab and leave it as they found it. Line the students up and take them back to the classroom.
After returning to the classroom, have the students once again get into their groups to begin working on their brochures for a half an hour. Pass around travel brochures collected from travel agencies so the learners will have examples to look at. When time is up, explain to the students they will have time during class tomorrow to finish their brochures.
DAY 2
The students will be given an hour to finish their brochures. The teacher shall assess the group work by observing the interaction of the group members and by answering questions the students might have. When all groups are finished, give the students ten minutes to get together and decide who will present what portion of the research and brochure.
Have the students pick numbers again to see the order in which they shall present their information. Observe the presentations to see if each group answered the questions satisfactorily. Write down a few facts on a sheet of paper that will be asked as follow up questions after the presentations are finished.
B. CLOSUREHave the students gather the research they found into piles on the groups of desks and walk around and collect them along with the finished brochures.
Did any group find anything interesting about their country they would like to share now that the presentations are finished? Were there any facts or information that were difficult to come by? Which was easier to use to find information, the Internet or the books?
Ask a few questions about each country to assess if the students were paying attention to the presentations. Have the students clean up their desks and get their books out for the next class period.
Names_______________________________
Date________________________________
Country_____________________________
History:
Geography:
Economy:Other:
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