Geography of the Middle East Learning Activities
1. Students will read and retain specific text information with Cloze Reading Pages 75-76
Fill in all information and turn in for a grade.
2. Students will identify specific countries/features on a blank Middle East Map. Staple the
two maps and the county/physical features list. Turn in for a grade.
3. Students will identify and label specific countries/features using a blank map and the
Overhead Projector. Mrs. Curtis will be pulling students from individual work
throughout the week to participate in this activity.
4. Geography Terms of the Middle East: Students will use the word list and definitions to
create a matching activity. You will need a word bank and the list of definitions. The
definitions must be scrambled. You will also need an answer key.
Middle Eastern Geography Terms
Afghanistan is a landlocked, mountainous country located northwest of India and east of Iran in
Southwest Asia
Arabian Sea is the northwest arm of the Indian Ocean between India and Saudi Arabia
Dead Sea is a Sea in Jordan that’s so salty nothing can live there
Euphrates River is one of the longest rivers in Southwest Asia; begins in Turkey and flows
through Syria and Iraq
Gaza Strip is a coastal region at the southwestern corner of the Mediterranean Sea bordering
Israel and Egypt
Iran is West of Afghanistan, one of the largest countries in Southwest Asia
Iraq is a country west of Iran which has the advantage of having two of the largest rivers in the
region, the Tigris and Euphrates
Israel is a republic on the Mediterranean Sea created in 1948 by the United Nations as a home
to the Jewish people of the world
Jordan River is a small but important river that begins in the southern Sea of Galilee and flows
into the Dead Sea
Persian Gulf is one of the main shipping routes for oil to be shipped out from the rich fields of
Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Iran and others
Red Sea is a sea that borders Egypt and the Arabian Peninsula
Rub al-Khali is a desert in Saudi Arabia whose name means “Empty Quarter”
Saudi Arabia is a largest country on the Arabian Peninsula in Southwest Asia; controlled by a
monarchy
Strait of Hormuz a very narrow waterway in which ships must navigate to and from the Persian
Gulf
Suez Canal is a canal in Egypt that allows water transportation between Europe and Asia
without traveling around Africa
Tigris River is a river that begins in Turkey and flows through Iraq
Turkey is a country located to the north and west of Iraq, where the Tigris and Euphrates
5. Students will practice and identify Middle East countries using an online interactive map
quiz. Mrs. Curtis will be placing students at the computers to participate in this activity.
Learning Activity 6: Musical Learning Style
http://www.learningassistance.com/2006/january/mnemonics.html
Mnemonics are memory devices that help learners recall larger pieces of information,
especially in the form of lists like characteristics, steps, stages, parts, phases, etc.
1. Music Mnemonics You can make a song or jingle using any type of music you choose for
any list of items. Music Mnemonics work best with long lists. For example, some
children learn the ABC's by singing the "ABC" song. Other children learn all the states in
alphabetical order using the "50 Nifty United States" song.
2. Name Mnemonics In a Name Mnemonic, the 1st letter of each word in a list of items is
used to make a name of a person or thing. Sometimes, the items can be rearranged to
form a more recollect able name mnemonic. Examples:
ROY G. BIV = colors of the spectrum
(Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, Indigo, Violet.)
3. Expression or Word Mnemonics This is by far the most popularly used mnemonic. To
make an Expression or Word mnemonic, the first letter of each item in a list is arranged
to form a phrase or word. Examples:
In English, the 7 coordinating conjunctions are For, And, Nor, But, Or, Yet, So
FANBOYS.
The order of operations for math is Parentheses, Exponents, Multiply, Divide, Add,
and Subtract = Please Excuse My Dear Aunt Sally.
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Directions:
Use one of the above Mnemonics to create a way to remember the location of the countries
in the Middle East.
Countries of the Middle East
Afghanistan, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Saudi Arabia, and Turkey
Use one of the above Mnemonics to create a way to remember the location of the physical
features in the Middle East.
Physical Features
Euphrates River, Jordan River, Tigris River, Suez Canal, Persian Gulf, Strait of Hormuz, Arabian
Sea, Red Sea, and Gaza Strip