THE PLACE OF LIONS
By: ERIC CAMPBELL
_______________________________
AN AFRICAN ADVENTURE
WEBQUEST
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“So this is AFRICA,” said Chris.
“The adventure begins!” (19)
INTRODUCTION
(photo from Amazon.com)
JAMBO! I’m Chris Harris. I was ecstatic when my father told
me we were moving to Africa 10 years ago. I was just a teenager
then. Who wouldn’t be thrilled? Africa is 11,677,240 miles of pure
hard core adventure. With 54 countries, over 1,000 languages, 797
million people, and teeming wildlife, there are countless things to see
and do. So let’s get started…. our safari awaits.
TASKS
I’ve been living in Africa now for some time, but I’m still amazed
by her grandeur. You’ll be reading a story about my teenage years
that the locals love to tell all who live and visit here – The Place of
Lions. Some say I was lucky to have lived. Some… they think the
lion was dying…but I don’t want to give too much of my story away
now. Anyway, to understand this place that I’ve come to love,
admire, and respect, you’ll need to contribute to our safari. Gas is not
cheap here, but I’ll take you on the journey of your life in my Land
Rover. You simply have to share with others the glory of this place I
now call home. Help me convince others to visit Africa. Here’s what
you need to do:
 Keep and create an African journal
 Send postcards from your day adventure
 Create a magazine article for National Geographic
 Share information in class discussion
PROCESS
NOTE: Please complete the first 4 bullets of task 1 after you read
the first few chapters of my story - The Place of Lions. This will
help you understand where my plane crashes and the terrain of
Africa. The remaining tasks can be completed as you continue
through the novel. Your teacher will email you due dates and
criteria for specific tasks to ensure you’re staying on track. Do a
good job. I told her you’d be working hard even though you are
missing school for this exciting journey!
TASK 1 : National Geographic wants you to do a few write ups
upon your return so you need to keep an African
Journal. The journal will be mainly computer
generated. You need to create your own catchy
cover. The journal cover should have your full name
and class period. Inside you will need to have the
following pages and sections:
 KNOW IT – This page should have a list of all the
things you know about Africa.
- What have you learned in History with Mr. Williams?
- Have you seen any movies set in Africa?
- What do you think Africa is like?
 WANT TO – This page should have a list of
things you’d like to know about Africa.
- What has always fascinated you about Africa?
- Is there a particular place you’d like to know more
about?
- Are you curious about a specific African wildlife?
- Do you want to know more about African art, culture, or
daily life?
 MAPPING MANIA – This page should have a
map of Africa with the places we visit in the story
highlighted. Of course you should label other
countries and landmarks to familiarize yourself
with the vast continent. Try drawing your map
with a drawing tool such as word art. You can
also find a blank Africa map and type important
places and sites on it.
- “Such names! Names that sang of strangeness and
smelled of Africa.” (10) As you know, I bought a map
when my dad first told me we were moving to Africa. I
just couldn’t get over the strange names. As you look
at a map of Africa what names seem exciting and
different to you?
- Here are the places I mention in my story that must be
labeled and highlighted on your map: Arusha, Kenya,
Seronera, Rift Valley, Ngorongoro, Musoma, Naabi,
Lobo, Nairobi, Nyabogati, Moshi, Seroni, Tanzania,
Kilimanjaro, Sanya Plain, Serengeti, Loliondo, and
Ngorongoro Crater.
- Did you remember to label other countries and cool
land features of Africa on your map?
 FASCINATING FACTS – This section is where
you put facts about the places above that I
mention in my story. You will also write detailed
facts for a specific country you will be assigned.
You will each be assigned a different country so
we can create a class chart. Your country is
_________________________. Use Inspiration
to organize a visual representation for your
assigned country. Use the following categories
as headings: Political Information, Economic
Information, Historical Information, Geographical
Information, Social Information, and
Values/Beliefs. Of course you can include fun
facts your run across about countries other than
your own, animals, history, etc. Put this
information on a separate journal page. On the
next page is a simplified example of what you
should do in Inspiration for your assigned
country. Below each heading I have given you
suggestions of what could be included. Note that
Inspiration lets you use cooler shapes and
pictures to add spice to your visual aid. Use the
help button for ideas.
INSPIRATION MODEL for assigned Countries
Economic Information
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Historical
Information
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Background of country
Other
Agriculture
Industries
Natural Resources
GDP
Other
Political
Information
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Geographical Information
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Climate
Elevation Extremes
Natural Hazards
Environmental Issues
Other
Your Country Name
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Type of
government
Suffrage (Who
has the right to
vote?)
Other
Values & Beliefs
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Religion
Other
Social Information
(Pertaining to life welfare, and relations of
human beings in a community.)
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Literacy Rates
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Languages
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Life Expectancy at Birth
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Other
 PHOTO FAVORITES –This section is where you
place some of your favorite African photos with
captions. You need to include wildlife, people,
landscapes, and artwork. Please include at least
one photo from the country you were assigned.
Use good word choice in your descriptions. An
example of good word choice would be what I
said in the book on page 44 about flamingos:
“ I was astonished to see the pink edges
resolve themselves into a multitude of single
dots. As the plane shot over them, a million
heads with preposterously large black beaks
turned upward. Flamingos. Countless
numbers of pink-and-white forms, dipping and
sifting the edges of the lake, elegantly high
stepping on matchstick, ballet-dancer legs.”
(Photo taken from Google Images)
You should look for quality photos of African
wildlife and then write your own description.
- Do you remember some of the wildlife I came across
as a boy in the story? Think back to the many
possibilities.
- Do you know what a wildebeest or baboon looks
like? This might be the perfect time to look for a
picture of some creature you’ve never seen that was
in the story!
- Do you have at least 10 pictures? Africa is full of
beauty so make sure you take once in a lifetime
photos for the folks back home.
- Did you use words that will create a picture in the
reader’s mind? Try similes, metaphors, and charged
words.
 SWEET SWAHILI – This section is where you
put some of the new things you learn to say in
Swahili, one of Africa’s many languages. Include
the Swahili words you learn from my book, and
others you’re interested in learning. I suggest
learning at least 10 new words!
- You could probably have guessed that “SIMBA” means
lion if you’ve watched The Lion King, but I bet there are
some words that might stump you. I know when I first
arrived in Africa “wazunga” or whites confused me until
I looked it up.
- What common phrases and words do you want to
stump your friends and parent with?
 SPECIAL INTEREST – This section if for the
notes you will take for task 3.
TASK 2: Mike Taylor and Bennie have given many tours of
Africa. I was lucky that they were out on a safari
when I needed help. Since I’ve kept you busy
studying my old stomping grounds, I thought you
might enjoy spending a week with them. They can
help you get a better understanding of African daily
life. What is life like for young adults in Africa?
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Your findings about the daily life of African young adults
will be fascinating for your friends who did not get to
come along on our safari. Send at least 1 postcard back
home to a friend about your findings. The front of your
postcards should have meaningful photos.
What do you enjoy doing everyday? Are they the same
things adolescents in Africa enjoy?
Things to think about….sports, arts & crafts, music &
dance, food, speaking out, home life, leisure time, or
others you might think of.
Think about the differences and similarities. Once all the
adventurers get back you teacher will want to fill in a
chart like the one below:
AFRICA
BOTH
U.S.A.
TASK 3: Of course I knew Africa would knock your socks off so
I’m not surprised that you decided to spend more time
here to write a special exclusive article for National
Geographic. Didn’t I tell you this place was terrific?
I’ve never regretted moving here with my father.
Actually, I’m honored to have a story written about
me. I’m sure the reading of my book, your day safari,
photographs, and journal entries have left you with
many other exciting avenues you wish to explore.
Now you get to do some digging and investigating of
personal interest. Think about a topic you wish to
explore and write a magazine article. Put the notes
and drafts of your article in your journal under “Special
Interests.”
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Think about the things you want to explore further. Are
you interested in the pyramids, poaching, African art,
African languages or literature, driving rules, means of
transportation, hippos or other animals, clothing styles,
tribes, African food, Mount Kilimanjaro, or something
else?
Look at magazine articles to get ideas for your layout.
Do you have a grabber lead and hooking title? Should
you include a picture(s)? Is there a sentence you could
enlarge to get reader attention? Is your topic boring or
will your audience find it fresh and inviting?
Length always seems to be a question when writing is
involved. How long do you think your article needs to be
to get your information or point across?
If you are stumped for ideas I recommend going to
INSPIRE KIDS and doing an “Africa” search. This will
pull up magazine articles that might get you thinking.
You can also browse the African Pathfinder and/or
WORLD BOOK Online. Scanning articles is a great way
to get your creative juices flowing.
Do you think listing your sources will give your more
credibility for your article?
RESOURCES
I know I’ve been a great guide through Africa for you, but there are
other experts out there who can teach you a bunch too!
BOOKS:
Use your history textbook, and the special section of materials
in the school library labeled “AFRICA RESOURCES.” The school
has many new books on the topic. You can also think about checking
out your own books from the Allen County Public Library. Go to the
following Website to see what they have available for you:
http://www.acpl.lib.in.us/ Allen County Public Library
By clicking on the Library Catalog link you will get to a search station.
Use the power search to narrow the age group you want books for.
You can even select the type of information you prefer here:
software, books, video, DVD, etc. This catalog will be handy for you
to know how to use for other projects too!
WEBSITES:
Please feel free to look for other websites to compliment the ones
listed. Let your teacher know if you find a new one you are
bedazzled by. Note: numbers behind the description indicate the task
that the site will be most helpful for. Many sites support all three of
your task, therefore, this was the best way to organize the sites.
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http://cybersleuth-kids.com/sleuth/Geography/Africa/ (1,2,3)
CyberSleuth Kids Search Engine with Africa setting. A nice place to get
country and culture information.
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http://www.hmnet.com/africa/1africa.html (1,2,3)
A clickable map with general African facts based on each country
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http://www.sas.upenn.edu/African_Studies/K-12/AFR_GIDE.html (1,2,3)
A rich site compiled by the University of Penn State. See the “Languages
of Africa” link for help on your Sweet Swahili assignment:
http://www.yale.edu/swahili/
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http://www.naturalia.org/ZOO/indexing.html (1,3)
Zoo in the Wild. This site has a plethora of African animal pictures with
important information about each of them. Easy to search and sounds are
included! This site is nice for the “PHOTO FAVORITES” section of your
journal.
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http://library.thinkquest.org/50055/ (1,2,3)
Cultural Connections gives you a chance to see what daily life is like.
Clicking on the Kenya link lets you groove to African tunes as you search!
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http://42explore.com/egypt.htm (3)
If you are thinking about focusing in Egypt for your magazine article this is
a hot spot for you!
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http://www.cocc.edu/cagatucci/classes/hum211/timelines/htimeline.htm (3)
This timeline of Africa may spark some interest for a unique magazine
article.
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http://pbskids.org/africa/ (2)
This interactive Website will let you explore daily life and traditions of an
African boy.
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http://www.pbs.org/wnet/africa/explore/ (1,2)
Explore regions of Africa at this great site from PBS.
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http://www.yahooligans.com/Around_the_World/Regions/Africa/Countries/ (1,2)
Study African daily life in various countries at this site.
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http://www.odci.gov/cia/publications/factbook/index.html (1,2)
Site of the CIA World Fact Book.
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http://www.oxfam.org.uk/coolplanet/ontheline/index.html (2)
A Cool Planet Project Site. Discover what sports, arts & music, Food, and
daily life is like in several African communities.
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http://www.fi.edu/tfi/hotlists/africa.html (1,2,3)
The Franklin Institute's Educational Hot Lists is full of great information.
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http://www.worldbookonline.com/ (1,2,3)
World Book Online is a database full of information. Type in Africa and
find current articles, atlases, sounds, pictures, videos, special reports, and
more on Africa! Simply enter in our school’s password.
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http://www.nationalgeographic.com/pyramids/pyramids.html (3)
Are you a pyramid junky? Then this interactive site is for you. Find out all
you want to know about pharaohs, different pyramids, and who built them.
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http://lore.inspire.net/kids.php (1,2,3)
This database allows you to search a spot designed just for you –
INSPIRE KIDS. Typing in “Africa” will get you around 16,000 hits! You
can narrow your search to encyclopedias, magazines, and newspapers.
There is even a breakdown of the various articles found in each category if
you search them all together! Find out all the interesting Africa facts here
– animals, AIDS articles, and more. You can get here by going to the
school’s homepage and clicking “Resources.”
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http://www.multcolib.org/homework/cntryhc.html#afrcnt (1,2,3)
This site sponsored by the Multnumah Library contains popular African
sites for middle school students. Of particular interest are the African and
Congo Cookbooks. Also play games and find cool photos of African
wildlife. A nice Pathfinder.
PRODUCT
Make sure you pay attention to the due dates. Your teacher will be
upset with me if you fail to turn something in. I realize being in Africa
you can have many distractions, but you’re not allowed to say, “The
lions ate my homework.” You need to keep a neat journal with the
required sections. It would be a shame to return to the U.S. without
something to show others. Don’t forget to send your postcards to
someone explaining the similarities and differences of your life to
someone your age in Africa. Also upon returning to the U.S don’t
forget to turn in your magazine article. If you follow the process
carefully you will have all your needed information. I’m going to leave
the grading up to your teacher I believe she will be sending you all an
email soon.
EVALUATION
Class, this is Mrs. Brubaker. I’m sending you this email to let you
know what your tasks will be graded on. I hope Africa is treating you
well.
Journal:
Your journal will be worth 50 points. You will receive 10 points per
section. I’ll be looking for a need map with the required labelings.
Please include a legend for your map. Take some great photos. I’ll
want to see them when you return. We’ll also be using them for our
special Africa display in school. We’ve worked on good word choice
in your writing at school so use it with your 10 pictures. A large part of
your 10 points in this section will be based on the “Word Choice”
section of your writing rubric. (I hope you haven’t forgotten what the
six traits of good writing are.) For your Sweet Swahili section have at
least 10 words. In your Special Interest journal section, I'll just be
looking to see that you have taken some good notes on your topic.
Remember not to plagiarize!
Postcard:
Your postcard will be worth 20 points. It will be graded on the writing
traits of ideas & content (5 x 2), presentation, and conventions.
Obviously ideas & content will be weighed more heavily than the
other sections because you need to inform me of many things: sports,
arts & crafts, music & dance, food, family life, leisure time, and other
areas your interested in. Make sure the picture on the front in some
way is related to your subject material.
Magazine Article:
This piece of writing will be graded on all seven writing traits.
Remember Presentation is the trait not on your one pager, but we’ve
discussed it in class. Be sure to pick a topic that you enjoy and want
to know more about. I’ve attached the writing rubric to this email
incase you want to review it while in the bush!
See you soon and be safeMrs. Brubaker – 7th Grade Language Teacher CMS
CONCLUSION
I can’t believe our safari is over. Of course I’ll be here so you can
email or visit anytime you wish. I hope you cherish your journals and
hold this once in a lifetime experience in you heart forever. When
you get back to school I know your teacher will want to hear all about
your adventures. You will be having Africa Week upon your return to
share all your knowledge!
NOTE: 6+1 Writing Rubric on the next two pages. It was created by
the Northwest Regional Writing Laboratory and is used by Northwest
Allen County Schools.
Notes to: ADULTS, TEACHERS, & LIBRARIANS
This webquest was created for my 7th graders at CMS. Students are
led through the quest by Chris Harris. He is the main character in
The Place of Lions. My students read this story last year and loved it,
but I felt they could get more out of the book with a little investigation
of Africa. I will use this in conjunction with the 7th grade social studies
teacher in my building. Before creating the webquest, I made a
pathfinder on the topic of Africa. This helped me refine the
possibilities of the quest. With a little effort you could change the
tasks to fit your desires. Maybe you’d like to focus your learners in
different areas. I tried to leave my projects specific, yet with choice.
Choice is very important in middle school to hold interest. This project
should take about two-three weeks. Of course remember, I’m doing it
in conjunction with the social studies teacher. My students will be
allowed to work during his class period. The last day of the unit
should be a special day. This African theme can be a team project.
It is at our school. In art they make masks, in math they build huts to
fit certain geometric shapes, and in science they focus on classifying
mammals, reptiles, etc. It will take longer than a week to read the
novel and do some of the projects in this webquest, so in social
studies and language arts we spend more time. The final day is
always exciting. We dress up in our safari clothes, have an African
food taste test, invite a speaker in who teaches us Swahili and about
daily life in Africa, and watch a movie. This year I also want to have
students present their task 3 to the class. This is a project that can
only get better each and every year. The students love it. You may
decide to let students work in pairs on the postcard project. They
could trade the postcards with another middle school. The great
thing about this webquest is that it is linked to social studies, and
language arts standards.
INDIANA STANDARDS COVERED:
Language Arts:
7.2.1
7.4.1
Understand and analyze the differences in structure and purpose
between various categories of informational materials.
Discuss ideas for writing, keep a list or notebook of ideas, and use
graphic organizers to plan writing.
7.4.2
Use strategies of note taking, outlining, and summarizing to impose
structure on composition drafts.
7.4.5 Identify topics; ask evaluative questions; and develop ideas leading to
inquiry, investigation, and research.
7.4.6 Use a computer to create documents by using word-processing skills and
publishing programs to manage information and prepare reports.
7.5.6 Use varied word choice to make writing interesting and more precise
7.5.7 Write for different purposes and to a specific audience or person,
adjusting to tone and style as necessary.
Social Studies:
Standard 1: Students will examine the major movements, events, and figures
that contributed to the development of nations in modern Africa, Asia, and the
Southwest Pacific from ancient to early modern times.
Standard 2: Students will trace the historic development of different forms of
government and compare various contemporary governments in Africa, Asia, and
the Southwest Pacific.
Standard 3: Students will identify and categorize the major geographic
characteristics and regions of Africa, Asia, and the Southwest Pacific. They will
also name and locate major physical features, countries, and major cities.
Standard 5: Students will examine the role of individuals and groups in societies
of Africa, Asia, and the Southwest Pacific.
EDUCATOR WEBSITES:
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http://www.sas.upenn.edu/African_Studies/AS.html
A rich site compiled by the University of Penn State. A nice link on this
page is K-12 Resources. This link contains lesson plans, travel links, and
an African Library Link with further websites, books, and media to view.
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http://www.pbs.org/wnet/africa/
A site with something for everyone - PBS Africa. You can explore 43
regions of Africa through photos, take an Africa Challenge to test you
knowledge, visit the kids page and listen to music or make a craft, print out
lesson plans at the Teacher Tools links, and go to other sites by view the
Resources link. The resources link will allow you to download African
songs, get in the African diamond debate, and much more! Teacher
Lesson Plans are great. I used them as a basis for my daily life task.

http://emints.more.net/ethemes/resources/S00000465.html
EThemes is a resource tool for teachers with lesson plans and ideas. This
lesson allows students to explore the clothing of Ghana.
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http://emints.more.net/ethemes/resources/S00000506.html
EThemes is a resource tool for teachers with lesson plans and ideas. This
lesson focuses on Africa as a whole and has several sites for students to
visit with maps and history.

http://www.nwrel.org/sky/skysearch.asp?mySearch=africa&target=0
The site of Library in the Sky Search Tool that is sponsored by Northwest
Regional Educators. NWEA improves educational results for children,
youth, and adults by providing research and development assistance in
delivering equitable, high-quality educational programs. The Northwest
Regional Educational Laboratory (NWREL) provides research and
development assistance to education, government, community agencies,
business, and labor. This site has 94 plus websites to visit on various
African topics.
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http://africafocus.library.wisc.edu/
The immediate goal of this project is to provide the general public with a
selection of the images and sounds that have been contributed over the
years to the African Studies Program of the University of WisconsinMadison with the hope that this will enhance the study and understanding
of the many facets of the African continent. It brings together images
captured on slides and in photographs as well as sound recordings on
reel-to-reel and audiocassette that have been reproduced and stored on
digital files accessible by any computer of a reasonable minimum
capacity.

http://www.nationalgeographic.com/africa/index.html
A National Geographic site with resources for teachers, students, and
lovers of African art and decor. A nice link is the Faces of Africa. Also
take a Congo Trek, put an Africa Wallpaper on your computer, and buy
the latest DVD on Africa.