Step+4

November 11, 2010 Thematic Unit Plan:

East Africa (Hopefully) Target date: Still not known from CT (she said that we have to be closer to the date of the unit)


 * a) NC General Course of Study Competency Goals **


 * 2-3 NC General Course of Study Competency Goals for SS: **

3.01-Identify ways in which people of selected areas in Africa, Asia, and Australia have used, altered, and adapted to their environment in order to meet their needs and evaluate the impact of their actions on the development of culture and regions

7.02-examine the causes of key historical events in selected areas of Africa, Asia, and Australia and analyze the short- and long- range effects on political, economic, and social institutions.

9.03-Identify the ways in which government in selected areas of Africa, Asia, and Australia deal with issues of justice and injustice, and assess the influence of cultural values on their practices and expectations


 * 2-3 NC General Course of Study Competency Goals for LA: **

2.01- Respond to informational materials that are read, heard, and/or viewed by determining the importance of information

6.01- Model an understanding of conventional written and spoken expressions by determining the meaning of unfamiliar vocabulary words using context clues, a dictionary, a glossary, a thesaurus, and/or structural analysis (roots, prefixes, suffixes) of words.


 * b) Initial draft of Unit Map/Narrative Overview **

__Day 1-__ East African Countries; Locate it on the map (on the Red Sea and the Indian Ocean); Analyze how the economies of the landlocked countries in East Africa are affected by their location. Understand the physical features (the rift valleys, mountains and highlands, plains, rivers and lakes) __Day 2-__ Climate and Vegetation of East Africa. Mention the volcanoes that surround Uganda's Lake Mutanda. __Day 3-__ History of East Africa (Christianity and Islam and Slave Trade) __Day 4-__ More of East African History (the European Influences and conflicts with them) __Day 5-__ Culture of East Africa (languages and religion; add in arts, lifestyles) __Day 6-__ East Africa today (Tanzania and Kenya today- by its economy and resources) __Day 7-__ Cities of East Africa today __Day 8-__ The two most populated ethnic groups (Rwanda and Burundi-today) __Day 9-__ Sudan and Uganda today __Day 10-__The Horn of Africa (Ethiopia, Eritrea, Somalia, and Djibouti) __Day 11-__ Reviewing vocabulary terms and places __Day 12-__ Comprehending and critical thinking about each the history, culture, and East Africa today. __Day 13__-Use the Internet to understand the different cultures in East Africa. Visit websites about their culture and create a chart that compares East African ethnic groups. It might include a comparison of languages, beliefs, traditions, foods, and much more things. __Day 14-__ Mapping activity, questionnaires and doing “fieldwork” __Day 15-__ Review for an exam. Write a letter: perhaps they could imagine they are going to spend their summer vacation visiting Africa. They will want to write a letter home to a friend describing the land and its people at the end.


 * c) A drafted lesson plan for the opening of the unit (how will I kick off the unit and hook the students to the theme and content?) **

What is the difference between nation, country, and continent? Start off with a brief discussion with the class. A continent is the land that contains many nations in it. Ask the students, “How many nations do you think are within Africa?” After students guess, explain to the students that there are 53 nations to be exact! Pull out a large map of Africa and point to the boundaries lines that separate the nations from each other. Read some of the names out and add that Sudan is the largest country and Seychelles is the smallest country as well. Show the students the East African countries. Afterwards, the students will receive a unlabeled map that will show the boundaries of the African continent, and they can color and label each of the Eastern African nation so each country will stand out (including the rivers).