#2550. Introduction to Africa

Social Studies, level: Middle
Posted Sat Apr 6 10:10:23 PST 2002 by Juliana Galiyas (iupjul@hotmail.com).
Indiana University of Pennsylvania , Indiana, PA
Materials Required: 45 minutes-1hour

II. RATIONALE AND BACKGROUND

The purpose of this lesson is to introduce the students to Africa. The purpose of this lesson is to find out what the students all ready know about the continent of Africa, and what the students are interested in learning more about Africa. This lesson will also introduce the students to the physical features of Africa.

The teacher will find out what background knowledge the students have on the continent of Africa by beginning the lesson with a KWL chart.

III. LESSON OBJECTIVES

TLW tell what they already know and what they want to know about Africa. (OU #1; cognitive, psychomotor)

PI: The students will create a map of Africa's physical features [Large group and individual assessment]

IV. RESOURCES AND MATIERALS

• Chart Paper
• Markers
• Map of Africa's Physical Features
• String: blue, green, and red
• Sugar Cones

Bernstein, V. (1998). World Geography and You. Austin, Texas; Steck-Vaughn Company.

V. CONCEPTS

The continent of Africa has a variety of different physical features.

VI. PROCEDURES

A. Introduction and Motivation

The teacher will present the students with this riddle:

I am one of the seven continents. I am located on the equator. I am located in the western hemisphere. I have more countries than any other continent. Who am I? Africa, and that's what we are going to begin studying about today.

The information came from World Geography and You.

B. Body

KLW

The teacher will place a large piece of chart paper on the front chalk board. The teacher will label the paper Africa. The teacher will divide it into three sections: Know, Want to Know, and Learn. The teacher will ask the students to raise their hand and tell them everything they know about the continent of Africa. The teacher will write their responses on the chart. Then the teacher will ask the students what information they want to learn about Africa, or what questions do they have about Africa. This poster will stay on the back wall during the entire unit.

Africa's Physical Features

The teacher will gather the students to the meeting area. The teacher will make a map of Africa on the ground using red string. The teacher and students will use blue string for the rivers, green for the Great Rift Valley, and sugar cones for the mountains.

The students will find:
• Nile River
• Niger River
• Congo River
• Atlas Mountains
• Great Rift Valley
• Mount Kilimanjaro

The information came from World Geography and You.

C. Closure

The students will be given a blank map and a map from an atlas to fill out for homework along with a completed map.

VII. EVALUATION

A. Student Assessment

1. Assessment Plan

The teacher will informally evaluate the students through teacher observation during the discussion and the map activity.

2. Reflection on Assessment of Student Performance

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3.

A. Self-Evaluation

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