Georgia Standards of Excellence - Social Studies
SS7G1 Locate selected features of Africa. a. Locate on a world and regional political-physical map: Sahara, Sahel, savanna, tropical rain forest, Congo River, Niger River, Nile River, Lake Victoria, Great Rift Valley, Mt. Kilimanjaro, Atlas Mountains, and Kalahari Desert. b. Locate on a world and regional political-physical map the countries of Democratic Republic of the Congo, Egypt, Kenya, Nigeria, South Africa, and Sudan. SS7G2 Explain environmental issues across the continent of Africa. a. Explain how water pollution and unequal access to water impacts irrigation, trade, industry, and drinking water. b. Explain the relationship between poor soil and deforestation in Sub-Saharan Africa. c. Explain the impact of desertification on the environment of Africa. SS7G3 Explain the impact of location, climate, and physical characteristics on population distribution in Africa. a. Explain how the characteristics in the Sahara, Sahel, savanna, and tropical rain forest impact trade and affect where people live. SS7CG2 Analyze how government instability in Africa impacts standard of living. a. Describe the impact of government instability on access to education and the distribution of medicine and food to combat diseases and famine across Africa. SS7H1 Analyze continuity and change in Africa. c. Explain the creation and end of apartheid in South Africa and the roles of Nelson Mandela and F.W.de Klerk |
Georgia Standards of Excellence - Science
S7L4. Obtain, evaluate, and communicate information to examine the interdependence of organisms with one another and their environments. a. Construct an explanation for the patterns of interactions observed in different ecosystems in terms of the relationships among and between organisms and abiotic components of the ecosystem. c.Analyze and interpret data to provide evidence for how resource availability, disease, climate, and human activity affect individual organisms, populations, communities, and ecosystems. d. Ask questions to gather and synthesize information from multiple sources to differentiate between Earth’s major terrestrial biomes (i.e., tropical rain forest, savanna, temperate forest, desert, grassland, taiga, and tundra) and aquatic ecosystems (i.e., freshwater, estuaries, and marine). ISTE Objectives 3. Knowledge Constructor: Students critically curate a variety of resources using digital tools to construct knowledge, produce creative artifacts and make meaningful learning experiences for themselves and others. a. Students plan and employ effective research strategies to locate information and other resources for their intellectual or creative pursuits.d. Students build knowledge by actively exploring real-world issues and problems, developing ideas and theories and pursuing answers and solutions. 6. Skilled Communicator: Students communicate clearly and express themselves creatively for a variety of purposes using the platforms, tools, styles, formats and digital media appropriate to their goals. a. Students choose the appropriate platforms and tools for meeting the desired objectives of their creation or communication. b. Students create original works or responsibly repurpose or remix digital resources into new creations. d. Students publish or present content that customizes the message and medium for their intended audiences. |
Teacher implementation notes
Suggestions for modifications
- Introduce the idea of a photo safari in Africa one week before the project begins by having students complete the backpack assignment (on the Introduction page). This can be done in class or for homework.
- There are amazing collaboration opportunities in the project with your ELA and science teachers. Students can Read A Long Walk to Water (720L) in ELA (summary and discussion guide). Students can research and write in their science and ELA classes if possible.
- The scenarios in each biome have a theme.
- Desert scenarios are about limited water access.
- Sahel scenarios are about conflict.
- Savanna scenarios are about diseases and poaching.
- Rainforest scenarios are about the interdependence of organisms and human effects on the environment.d
- Conclusion scenarios are about apartheid. The host families are characters from the Disney film The Color of Friendship, which does an excellent job portraying the apartheid era of South Africa. I highly recommend using it to help teach this topic, however it is not necessary for students to respond to these journal prompts.
- Provide students with this list of vocabulary terms from social studies and science to use in their journal entries. Enlarge it and post it on the wall if possible.
- Students can complete their journals digitally or physically. Google Slides is a good option for digital travel journals. Encourage students to add illustrations, photos, maps, etc to make their travel journal seem more realistic. If you would like samples of student work, use the contact form at the bottom of this page and I will send you scans of student's physical journals. I do not have digital examples.
- Check in with students frequently so they do not fall behind. Ideally there should be 9 check-ins: (1) Backpack assignment, (2) Choosing a journal medium, (3) Journal Entry #1, (4) Desert, (5) Sahel, (6) Savanna, (7) Rainforest, (8) Savanna, and (9) Conclusion.
- Give students consistent writing time in class during this project. Fifteen or twenty minutes per day for 5 days will allow them to write much of their journal. I find students concentrate best when I change my classroom atmosphere during writing time; I turn on lamps, turn off the overhead lights, and play the same jazz music every time students write.
Suggestions for modifications
- You can use this handout for the backpack assignment.
- Students can choose their scenarios, or they can be assigned via the random number generator on each biome page. If students choose all of their scenarios randomly, award 10 bonus points on their final grade. Another alternative is to print the scenarios and have students choose each one randomly from a stack.
- Work with struggling writers in small groups. Have them use the same scenario (perhaps you pick for them) and brainstorm together, then write individually. Print the Student Checklist for them to reference as they write.
- Assign fewer journal prompts for struggling writers. Give them the option of "flying over" a biome of their choice, or only assignn one Savanna scenario.
Africa Trek WebQuest by Nicholas Hussain is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License. Permissions beyond the scope of this license may be available at http://africatrek.weebly.com/teacher-resources.html. |
Credits
Thank you to Teresa Johns, Cory Cain, and Audrey Hughes for collaborating to plan the original version of the Africa Trek. Thank you to Hilary Hughes from UGA and Christine Trinter from VCU for support in planning an interdisciplinary project. All images are Creative Commons (CC0 1.0) licensed from pixabay.com. [TheStrieflersTV]. [2014, September 24]. How To Survive a Plane Crash - Minecraft Animation [Video file]. Retrieved from https://youtu.be/53qdg3wQtkk [StudioBAS]. (2017, May 17). Travel Journal – Japan [Video file]. Retreived from https://youtu.be/RVSog5WRq8k Bushmeat Crisis Task Force. (n.d.). Bushmeat: A wildlife crisis in west and central Africa and around the world. New York. Retrieved from http://www.bushmeat.org/sites/default/files/BCTFBRIE.pdf Cain, C. (2016, March 22). What is in a travel journal? [Google Slides]. Retrieved from https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1SmBYlu6R14cThJM0WagUcdYL_S6YOfFC5rrgnotBGKM Eveleth, R. (Producer). (2016, February 23). The Ultimate Swatting [Audio podcast]. Retrieved from http://www.flashforwardpod.com/2016/02/23/episode-04-the-ultimate-swatting/ Fairbairn, L. (2014, June 27). Do You Realize How Often You Already Use Pictogram Symbols? [Blog post]. Retrieved from http://journeyjottings.com/blog/2014/06/pictogram-symbols/ Hance, J. & Butler, R. (2011, September 13). Palm oil, poverty, and conservation collide in Cameroon. Mongabay. Retrieved from https://news.mongabay.com/2011/09/palm-oil-poverty-and-conservation-collide-in-cameroon/ Kakande, Y. (2017, March 22). For Ugandan children, hunger and HIV make a deadly mix. Reuters. Retrieved from http://news.trust.org/item/20170322060706-dhll3 McCune, M. & Kestenbaum, D. (Writers). (2013, June 28). Planet Money Episode 469: Rhino Horns And Clean Water [Audio podcast]. Retrieved from http://www.npr.org/sections/money/2013/06/28/196696304/episode-469-rhino-horns-and-clean-water Nelson Mandela Quotes. (n.d.). Brainyquote. Retrieved from https://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/n/nelson_mandela.html Semberya, D. (2014, January 15). Farmers, pastoralist’s conflicts: Where have we failed? [Blog post]. Retrieved from https://docs.google.com/document/d/12hyqDjnschc8SFnOUx2o06sEQ-BzRBQbDUZwiDHDqAY and http://digalusalfred.blogspot.com/2015/09/farmerspastoralists-conflicts-where.html Steve Biko Biography.com. (2014, July 7). Biography.com. Retrieved from https://www.biography.com/people/steve-biko-38884 What are the Threats to the Rainforests? (n.d.) Retrieved from https://ypte.org.uk/factsheets/rainforests/what-are-the-threats-to-the-rainforests |