Properties

Title: Graduated Difficulty

Type: Lesson Plan
Subject: Social Studies
Grade Range: 7th
Description: African Environmental Issues
Duration: 150 Minutes ! class "eriods#
Author(s): $icole %estermann
Instructional Unit ontent
Standard(s)!"le#ent(s)
ontent Area Standard
SS$G% The student &ill discuss en'iron#ental issues across the continent o( A(rica)
a& E'"lain ho( (ater "ollution and the une)ual distri*ution of (ater im"acts irri+ation, trade, industry, and drin-in+
(ater&
*& E'"lain the relationshi" *et(een "oor soil and deforestation in Su*.Saharan Africa&
c& E'"lain the im"act of desertification on the environment of Africa from the Sahel to the rainforest&
TAG Standard
/i+her 0rder and 1ritical 2hin-in+ S-ills
5& 2he student develo"s ori+inal ideas, "resentations, or "roducts throu+h synthesis and evaluation&
Su##ary!*'er'ie&
2he focus of this lesson is to +ive students the o""ortunity to dive further into the causes and effects of African
environmental issues and ho( humans "lay a role in them& 2hey (ill also loo- at ho( the issues affect the
economy& Students (ill learn the different reasons and then *ased on -no(led+e and understandin+ their (ill
create a differentiated "roduct throu+h a differentiated "rocess&
"nduring Understanding(s)
At the end of this lesson the student (ill understand that
a& 2he information on the environmental issues listed in the elements and their conse)uences effect on the economies and "o"ulations# for
Africa&
Students (ill -no(3
*& 2he main causes and effects of the main environmental issues in Africa
c& 2he location and descri"tion of the follo(in+3 the Sahara, Sahel, Savannah, 2ro"ical 4ain 5orest, 1on+o 4iver, $i+er 4iver, $ile 4iver,
La-e 2an+anyi-a, La-e 6ictoria, Atlas Mountains, 7alahari Desert, the Democratic 4e"u*lic of the 1on+o 8aire#, E+y"t, 7enya, $i+eria,
South Africa, and Sudan
Students (ill *e a*le to3
d& 2he student (ill understand that humans, their society, and the environment affect each other
e& Students should *e a*le to e'"lain ho( the environmental issues in Africa have affected its +ro(th and develo"ment&
f& Students should also *e a*le to e'"lain the im"act of (ater on a+riculture and the use of irri+ation to increase ara*le land for a+riculture
+& 1reate an action "lan that could *e im"lemented into a s"ecific country in order to *etter the environment
h& E'"lain the different environmental issues *ased on re+ion and relative location
1
Ma" and Glo*e Inter"retation
i& Direction. GPS 1,9
:& Location. GPS !,;
-& Scale<Distance. GPS =,10
l& Inter"retation. GPS >,7,19,1!
m& Information Processin+
n& Identify Issues<Pro*lems. GPS 1>
o& Gather Information. GPS 10
"& 0r+ani?e Information0 GPS 1,>,5,=
a& 1harts<Gra"hs. GPS ;,19
*& 2ime and 1hronolo+y. GPS 9,7,1!
)& Evaluate Information. GPS @,15,1=,17
"ssential +uestion(s)
Do outside factors im"act the enviromentA
oncept(s) to ,aintain
Place
Physical and human characteristics
Im"act of location, climate, "hysical characteristics, natural resources, "o"ulation
ulture
Ethnic Grou"s
Social and Political Interactions
Environmental Issues
"'idence o( -earning
2he "roducts# com"leted *y the student (ill do one of the follo(in+3
A.recall information a*out the different environmental issues and e'"lains (hy they are im"ortant& It (ill also hel" (ith their
+eo+ra"hy s-ills *ecause they (ill *e as-ed to locate the main re+ion the issue occurs in&
B.1reate<Desi+n a scra"*oo- not only of the different environmental issues *ut (hat causes them and (hat is the effect on the
surroundin+ area&
1.Identify the different environmental issues, e'"lain the causes and effects, and *e e'"ected to evaluate the role that humans "lay into
the e)uation as (ell as the role the different "ro*lems have on the economy&
D& 2he students (ould *e as-ed to create their o(n learnin+ tas- that incor"orates everythin+ from A,B, and 1, *ut also +oes a ste"
further&
Assess#ent o( -earning
2he students (ill *e ta-in+ a "re.test on environmental issues the day *efore this assi+nment& Also their starter
(ill *e list some environmental issues in Africa that you can thin- of, try to thin- a*out the +eo+ra"hy that (e
studied last (ee-&
9
Procedure(s)
Phase 13 .oo/
1& %hat (ould ha""en if the environment (as com"letely destroyedA %hat "ro*lems (ould you face in your everyday
lifeA %ould there *e anyA Is the environment truly im"ortantA %hat -ind of environmental issues do (e face here in
GA or the CS<
9& %e (ould +o throu+h a scenario (here I (ould say that the -ids have *een (or-in+ really hard today and I (anted to
re(ard them (ith some (ater& 2he catch is some of the (ater *ottles (ill have oil in them, others (ill *e em"ty, some
(ith have sand etc& 2his (ill sho( them that desertification, deforestation, and *usinesses "lay a role in the
environmental factors&
Phase 93 Ac0uiring ontent
!& Pose the "ssential +uestion& Do humans affect environmental issuesA
>& %e (ill *e loo-in+ at the African Environmental Pro*lems Po(erPoint& %hile (e are learnin+ a*out the causes and
effects, the students (ill *e fillin+ out their +uided notes and the causes and affects chart&
5& 2eacher directly instructs class usin+ a Po(er Point and facilitates discussion a*out the environmental "ro*lems&
2eacher (ill lead students to ans(ers and to thin- further and more in de"th as to solutions for these "ro*lems&
Phase !3 D"ID" and Practice and D"ID"
=& E'"lain DEou (ill no( *e +iven an o""ortunity to a""ly (hat you -no(& Because everyone learns at a different "ace,
I (ill leave it u" to you to decide (hich "ro*lem set is most a""ro"riate for you& 2o hel" you ma-e the *est choice
letFs consider a fe( )uestions&G
7& Distri*ute the DE1IDE handout and three tas-s& Provide time for students to e'amine the three tas-s and decide (hich
the most a""ro"riate challen+e to com"lete is& 5or students (ho are confused or not sure, I (ill (al- throu+h their
DE1IDE handout (ith them and discuss their stren+ths and areas for concern&
@& Students (ill com"lete the assi+nment of their choice and as- for "eer and teacher feed*ac-& Students (ho )uic-ly
and accurately com"lete their selected set should try the ne't level& Students (ill need to +et it chec-ed (ith the
teacher *efore movin+ on& 2his (ay I can ma-e sure that they students understand the content and can move on
(ithout :ust tryin+ to rush to the end& Students (ho )uic-ly and accurately com"lete Level 1 should create a more
difficult Level D (ith a corres"ondin+ ans(er sheet& 2hey can then trade "ro*lem sets (ith other Level D students and
hel" the other students finish u" level A and Level 1&
;& %hen all students have had an o""ortunity to com"lete and receive feed*ac- from ta*le mate and teacher on at least
one tas-, I (ill then lead the students in a discussion to identify the criteria they used to ma-e their choice, determine if
the first choice (as the *est choice, and determine the -no(led+e<s-ills needed to move to the ne't level& %e (ill also
have an o"en discussion on ho( they could have "ic-ed a harder one from the *e+innin+& Motivation (ill "lay a role in
our discussions&
10& Each student (ill esta*lish a learnin+ +oal to im"rove their o(n achievement related to understandin+ and a""lyin+
their -no(led+e of this time "eriod and attem"ted solutions& Students (ill identify (hat they still do not understand in
full or cannot "redict& I (ill also have them (rite (hy they "ic-ed them choice they did& 2his (ill allo( me to see if
they do truly not understand the material or if they :ust "ic-ed the first activity *ecause it (as seemin+ly the easiest&
Su##ari1ing Acti'ity
Sum It C"H3 E'"lain the environmental "ro*lems that Africa faces today.. 1reate a sym*ol re"resentin+ one of
the environmental "ro*lems facin+ $orth Africa today.. 1reate a sym*ol re"resentin+ one of the environmental
"ro*lems in the $orthern re+ion of Africa.. 4elate these "ro*lems to today, (hat environmental "ro*lems are
affectin+ the Cnited States as a hole and +ive su++estions as to ho( they can *e addressed and fi'ed&

!
Technology:
Po(er "oint3 Africa Environmental Issues , ActivBoard
.andouts:
/andout 13 DE1IDE /andout 9& 1auses and Effects of Environmental Issues
/andout !3 Level A.D 2as-s /andout >3 African Environmental Issues PP2 $otes /andout 53 Sum It C"
E'tra resource3 htt"3<<(((&+allo"ade&com<client<PD5s<GA7IStudent%-*-ISec1Icha"ter1&"df
,odi(ications
.Grou"s are selected accordin+ to academic a*ility and *ehavior&
"2tension or "nrich#ent
.E'tended time (ill *e "rovided for those (ho need more time to "rocess&
.Students (ho finish early (ill com"lete the African Geo+ra"hy lesson on Study Island& 2his "ro+ram identifies
studentFs stren+ths and (ea-nesses and "rovides scaffolded activities accordin+ to the studentFs a*ility level&
2his "ro+ram also includes +ames if students reach certain levels of mastery& Students (ho are hi+h achievin+
find this "ro+ram to *e motivatin+, yet educational&
>
Determine (hat you need to -no( a*out the environmental issues in Africa&
%hat s-ills or -no(led+e to I need to e'"lain and ela*orate on the environmental concerns in
AfricaA
E'amine the levels of difficulty and choose the level that is *est for you&
%hat ma-es one level harder than the ne'tA
%hat level do you thin- (ill (or- *est for youA %hyA
1hec- your (or-& 1han+e your level or create a ne( level if you com"leted Level !&
%hat (as easy a*out the level you choseA
%hat (as difficult a*out the level you choseA
Identify the criteria you used to ma-e your choice&
%hat criteria did you use to select the level at (hich you (anted to (or-A
If you are +iven another o""ortunity to choose the difficulty of your class (or-, (ill you
chan+e the criteriaA %hyA
Determine if you made a +ood choice and decide (hat you need to -no(<understand to move to
the ne't level&
%as your choice a +ood one for youA %hy or (hy notA

%hat do you need to -no(<do to move to the ne't levelA

Esta*lish a +oal for im"rovement&
5
=
Level of
Difficulty
Descri"tion of 2as-
A 1reate a *rochure outlinin+ the
environmental "ro*lems in Africa& 2he
*rochure should include a descri"tion of
the s"ecific "ro*lems&
&&
B 1reate a scra"*oo- of each of the
environmental "ro*lems of Africa& 2he
scra"*oo- should a descri"tion of the
s"ecific "ro*lems the causes and the effects
of the "ro*lems
1 1reate a commercial (hich descri*es
environmental "ro*lems in Africa& 2he
commercial should include a descri"tion of
the s"ecific "ro*lems the causes and the
economic and human effects of the
"ro*lems&
D 1reate your o(n ideaH It needs to include at
least one of the environmental "ro*lems,
causes and effects, and the economic and
human effects of the "ro*lemsH
7
Environmental Issues in Africa PP2 $otes
%ater3 "ollution J distri*ution
Soil and Deforestation
Desertification
5inal Statement
2he environment is directly related to the economic success of a country& %ater affects all as"ects of a countryFs
economy& It is needed for a+riculture 1ro"s#, trade success 1oastline# , industry 0"erate Machinery and create "roducts#,
and the (or-force 1lean drin-in+ (ater#&
%ater Issues
Pollution. due to "esticides, fertili?ers, human (aste, minin+, and manufacturin+&
/alf of the hos"ital "atients in Africa are due to unclean drin-in+ (ater&
2his im"acts the economy *y reducin+ the (or-force&
%ith "o"ulation increase, clean drin-in+ (ater decreases&
0ther %ater 5acts
0nly >7K of "eo"le in su*.Saharan Africa have access to safe drin-in+ (ater&
Industry is not the "rimary cause of (ater "ollution in Africa&
.$atural "ro*lems. snails, (orms, insect larvae, J other "arasites&
.2hese or+anisms cause (ater*orne diseases (hich reduce life.e'"ectancy, lessen the )uality of life,
and decrease economic +ro(th&
%hat Does Polluted %ater DoA
/arms the fishin+ industry
4uins the land. 2here is an avera+e of t(o oil s"ills a day in $i+eria&
%hile a country *enefits from income +enerated *y industry, it suffers due to "ollution created *y the industry&
%ater. A Shrin-in+ Su""ly
5e( "laces in rural Africa have "lum*in+ or (ater "urification&
%omen and children (al- daily to the nearest stream to collect (aterL&& 0ne *uc-et at a time&
5acts
1limate chan+e, deforestation, and "o"ulation +ro(th have contri*uted to a (ater im*alance&
A+riculture used to +et @@K of the (ater su""ly& Since many are movin+ to the cities, (ater is *ein+ diverted there&
Irri+ation systems are in need of re"air
La-e 1had has shrun- ;5K in the last >0 years&
5acts
2here is a tu+ of (ar *et(een ur*an "o"ulations and farmers&
Since the *ul- of trade in Africa is (ith countries outside of the continent, Landloc-ed countries are the "oorest&
Soil
Deforestation
$early ;0K of coastal rainforests in %est Africa have *een cut do(n since the 1;00Fs&
In the 1;;0Fs, 1! million acres of African forest lo++ed&
2his causes erosion and loss of nutrients&
Erosion has harmed 75K of AfricaFs soil
2he Sahara. Gettin+ Lar+er
Bet(een the Sahara Desert and the rainforests is the Sahel&
2his is a +rassland area that has *een affected due to "oor farmin+ "ractices, land clearin+, over+ra?in+ livestoc-, and
drou+ht&
Sahara and Sahel
1ause and Effect of Cne)ual %ater Distri*ution
1ause and Effect of Cne)ual %ater Distri*ution
@
Su# It Up3
;
Explain the environmental problems that Africa faces today.
Create a symbol representing one of
the environmental problems facing
North Africa today.
Create a symbol representing one of
the environmental problems in the
Northern region of Africa.
Relate these problems to today, what environmental problems are affecting the United
States as a hole and give suggestions as to how they can be addressed and fixed.