Unit Three…Africa
SS7G2 The student will discuss environmental issues across the continent of Africa.
Element Component
Student Understanding
Explain how water pollution and the unequal distribution of
Living off rivers, very little water treatment plants, water is
water impacts irrigation, trade, industry, and drinking water.
dirty and contaminated...Sahara region has very little water so
trading by ships is limited
Explain the relationship between poor soil and deforestation
Poor soil-nothing grows and soil will wash away when you cut
in Sub-Saharan Africa.
down too many trees
Explain the impact of desertification on the environment of
Africa from the Sahel to the rainforest.
Desert is growing into the Sahel and this is impacting humans
and animals
SS7G3 The student will explain the impact of location, climate, and physical characteristics on population distribution in
Africa.
Element Component
Student Understanding
Explain how the characteristics in the Sahara, Sahel, savanna,
Sahara-camels, desert animals, very hot and dry, considered
and tropical rain forest affect where people live, the type of
part of SW Asia (the Middle East) because of similar
work they do, and how they travel.
culture/ethnic groups, climate, and history
Sahel-little farming, ranching , droughts (Sudan and Ethiopia),
desertification, irrigation is essential here
Savanna-tall grasses, the Serengeti (the great migration,
Kenya, and Tanzania), farming, some cities
Rain Forest-rains a lot, many Trees and jungle, deforestation,
native groups (Congo and Democratic Republic of Congo)
SS7G4 The student will describe the diverse cultures of the people who live in Africa.
Explain the differences between an ethnic group and a
Can't change your ethnic group but you can change your
religious group.
religious group...Jews are both an ethnic group and religious
group, the Arabs are an ethnic group in the Middle East and
Muslims are a religious group
Explain the diversity of religions within the Arab, Ashanti,
Bantu, and Swahili ethnic groups
Arab-Islam, Middle East, some in East Africa, and many in
North Africa
Ashanti-supernatural spirits, West Africa, slaves mainly came
from this group (Ashanti and Catholic faiths blended to create
Voodoo)
Bantu-Southern Africa, largest ethnic group in Africa, religion
is mostly a belief in supernatural spirits but there are some
Christian influences
Swahili-Eastern Africa, influenced by Islam
Evaluate how the literacy rate affects the standard of living
The more educated the people the better the economy and
the higher the standard of living
SS7CG2 The student will explain the structures of the modern governments of Africa.
Compare the republican systems of government in the
Kenya-President and Prime Minister and is somewhat
Republic of Kenya and the Republic of South Africa
unstable
distinguishing the form of leadership and role of the citizen in
terms of voting and personal freedoms.
South Africa-Prime Minister and President, stable democracy
Explain how political, economic, and social conflicts resulted
in the independence of South Sudan.
The Sudan has struggled for many years with violent dictators
(who call themselves Presidents) who control the people
through fear and intimidation. This has led to conflicts with
other nations, has required international intervention, and
has led to many fleeing the country. South Sudan got its
independence in 2011 and has formed a true democracy
SS7CG3 The student will analyze how politics in Africa impacts standard of living.
Compare how various factors, including gender affect access
Sudan-due to its political struggles and cultural beliefs...only
to education in Kenya and Sudan.
35% of the women can read while 55% of the men can
read...women are typically less educated in many parts of
Africa including Kenya
Describe the impact of government stability on the
AIDS-1,000,000 new cases a year in South Africa alone, lack of
distribution of resources to combat AIDS and famine across
education and medicine and the unwillingness to change
Africa.
cultural beliefs has made AIDS an epidemic in Africa
Famine-Ethiopia and Sudan experience this more than most
parts of Africa due to desertification and drought. Also,
corrupt govt. in Sudan has increased the amount of deaths
caused by famine (when thousands of people die by
starvation in a short amount of time)
SS7E1 The student will analyze different economic systems.
Compare and contrast the economic systems in South Africa
and Nigeria.
South Africa-Mixed economy and has highest GDP in Africa
Nigeria-mixed economy and has a stable GDP that is lower
than South Africa's but higher than many other African
nations
SS7H1 The student will analyze continuity and change in Africa leading to the 21st century.
Explain how the European partitioning across Africa
They created countries with tribes of Africans who didn't get
contributed to conflict, civil war, and artificial political
along and forced these tribes to live side-by-side with each
boundaries.
other, created businesses using Africa's natural resources,
when African nations got their independence, these tribes
began to fight again and this led to genocides, revolutions,
military coups, and dictatorships
Explain how nationalism led to independence in South Africa,
They demanded independence without violence, whites who
Kenya, and Nigeria.
remained became the dominant social/economic group in
South Africa, this led to the Pan-African movement (domino
effect...African nations getting their independence after
WWII)
Explain the creation and end of apartheid in South Africa and
Mandela-apartheid was when only whites could run for
the roles of Nelson Mandela and F.W.de Klerk.
office...Mandela was a peaceful leader who protested
apartheid for many years, he eventually used violent protests
and found himself in prison for 27 years. With the help of de
Klerk, he became the first black president of South Africa in
1994
Explain the impact of the Pan-African movement.
de Klerk-white president of South Africa who pardoned
Mandela and released him from prison in 1990, together he
and Mandela worked on ending apartheid and they both won
Nobel Peace Prizes for their efforts
When all of the African nations gained their independence
around the same time (1945-1965), there were a few like
Zimbabwe (1980) that got their independence later in the
20th Century