Unit Title:
Africa
Date Range:
Standard(s): SS7G1a-b; SS7G2ac; SS7G3a; SS7G4a-c; SS7CG1ac; SS7CG2a; SS7CG3a-b;
SS7E1a-c; SS7E2a-b; SS7E3a-d;
SS7H1a-d
Unit Essential Question: How
do geographic, government,
economic, and historical
understandings influence
Africa?
Teachers: T. Hall, M. Davis,
P. Antczak
Enduring Understandings
Government/Civics: The student will understand that as a society increases in complexity and interacts with other societies, the
complexity of the government also increases.
Geography: The student will understand that humans, their society, and the environment affect each other.
The student will understand that the culture of a society is the product of the religion, beliefs, customs, traditions, and
government of that society.
The student will understand that a region’s location affects its economy, culture, and development of the region.
Economics: The student will understand that a region’s location affects its economy, culture, and development of the region.
The student will understand that the production, distribution, and consumption of goods/services produced by the society are
affected by the location, customs, beliefs, and laws of the society.
History: The student will understand that when there is conflict between or within societies, change is the result.
Concept 1:
Concept 2:
Concept 3:
Concept 4:
Geography
Government/Civics
Economics
History
Lesson Essential Questions:
Lesson Essential Questions:
Lesson Essential Questions:
Conflict & Resolution
16. How did European
Location
Power, Authority, &
Production, Distribution, &
1. Where are the major nations
partitioning of Africa contribute
Governance
Consumption
of Africa located? (SS7G1b.)
9. What distinguishes the form
12. What are the similarities and to conflict, civil war, and to
2. Where are the major physical of leadership, public voting
differences of the economic
artificial political boundaries?
features of Africa located?
procedures, and personal
systems in South Africa and
(SS7H1a.)
(SS7G1a.)
freedoms of the governments of Nigeria? (SS7E1c.; SS7E2c.)
17. How did nationalism lead to
the Republic of Kenya, the
(Include where these countries
independence in South Africa,
Human-Environment
Republic of South Africa, and
are located on a continuum
Kenya, and Nigeria? (SS7H1b.)
Interaction
3. How do the Sahara, Sahel,
the dictatorship of the Republic between pure market and pure
18. What role did Nelson
savanna, and tropical rain forest of Sudan? (SS7CG2a
command economies, and the
Mandela and F.W. deKlerk play
influence trade, where people
10. How does gender affect
system for exchanging
in the end of apartheid in South
live, the type of work they do,
access to education in Kenya
currencies)
Africa? (SS7H1c.)
and how they travel in Africa?
and Sudan? (SS7CG3a.)
13. How does specialization
19. What is the impact of the
(SS7G3a.)
11. What is the impact of
encourage trade between
Pan-Africa movement on the
government stability on the
countries in Africa? (SS7E2a.)
continent of Africa? (SS7H1d.)
4. What is the impact of water
pollution and the unequal
distribution of water on
irrigation, trade, industry, and
drinking water? (SS7G2a.)
5. How do poor soil and
deforestation distress SubSaharan Africa? (SS7G2b.)
6. What is the impact of
desertification on the
environment of Africa from the
Sahel to the rainforest?
(SS7G2c.)
Culture
7. What is the diversity of
religions within the Arab,
Ashanti, Bantu, and Swahili
ethnic groups? (SS7G4b.)
8. How does literacy rate affect
the standard of living in Africa?
(SS7G4c.)
Vocabulary 1:
Places
Sahara
Sahel
savanna
tropical rainforest
Congo River
Niger River
Nile River
Lake Tanganyika
Lake Victoria
Atlas Mountains
Kalahari Desert
distribution of resources to
combat AIDS and famine across
Africa? (SS7CG3b.)
14. How do trade barriers affect
countries in Africa? (SS7E2b.)
15. What factors have influenced
the economic growth of Nigeria
and South Africa? (SS7E3a-d)
Vocabulary 2:
Parliamentary democracy
Monarchy
Republic
dictatorship
Constitutional Monarchy
Federal Republic
Republic of Kenya
Republic of South Africa
Republic of Sudan
Voting rights
Personal freedoms
AIDS famine
Vocabulary 3:
Nigeria South Africa
Diamonds
Gold
Uranium
Oil
Pure market
Pure command
Mixed economy
Continuum
Specialization
Trade barriers
Tariffs
Vocabulary 4:
Partitioning
Nationalism
Apartheid
Pan-African movement
Nelson Mandela
F.W. deKlerk
South Africa
Kenya
Nigeria
Artificial boundaries
Egypt
Kenya
Nigeria
South Africa
Sudan
Democratic Republic of the
Congo (Zaire)
Terms
ethnic group
religious group
desertification
deforestation
Arab
Ashanti
Islam
Christianity
Muslims
inanimate object
Bantu
Swahili
Scarcity
unequal distribution
Human capital
(education/training)
Natural Resource (oil)
Population distribution
Standard of Living
Literacy Rate
Gross Domestic Product (GDP)
Unitary
Confederation
Federal
Autocratic
Oligarchic
Democratic – parliamentary,
presidential
monarch
President
Prime minister
Quotas
Embargos
Exchange rates
Currency
Human capital
(education/training)
Gross Domestic Product (GDP)
Investment Capital
(factories, machinery, and
technology)
Entrepreneurship
Taught throughout each unit
Taught throughout each unit
Assessment
Today’s Africa is a veritable hotbed of intrigue, scandal, and political turmoil. The student will get the opportunity to document this
information in your own newspaper. Using the Publisher template provided by the teacher, the students are to create their own
newspaper. It should include information that would be relevant to anyone who wanted to know about Africa Today. They may choose
any of the following countries to serve as the primary focus of their newspaper, but in the World Today section they may mention any
of the other listed regions in Africa. Democratic Republic of the Congo (Zaire), Egypt, Kenya, Nigeria, South Africa, and Sudan. The
student’s newspaper should include several of the following sections:
Weather and Climate
In each section, the student will highlight some aspect of culture, governance, or location. Students should indicate how that aspect
influences the environment or the people who live there. For instance, in the Weather and Climate Section, the student will note
climate and weather trends as they relate to water pollution, or unequal distribution of water, or deforestation, or desertification.
NOTE: It would be helpful for students to reference the concept wall during the project to assure that each standard and element is
included in the final product for the nation selected. Teachers may also require students to reference each standard when and where
covered. The newspaper should not be longer than 5 double-sided pages. Students may complete this task alone, in pairs, or by
group.
Learning Experiences
Teaching Strategies
Resources
 Collaborative groups
 Flexible groups
 Powerpoints
 Class Discussions
 Guided practice
 SmartBoard/ActiveBoard
 Independent practice
 Modelling
 CRCT Coach Book
 Use rubrics
 Direct Instruction
 Invited Speakers
 Use templates
 Vocabulary Instruction
 Cloze writing activities
 Questioning
 Use thinking maps
 Review Games
 Benchmark assessment
 Videos
 Unit assessment
 Preferential Seating
 Summarizers
 Additional Time
 Activators
 World Cultures and
Geography
 Videos(DVDs)
 United Streaming
 Safari Montage
 Digital Media
 World Wide Web