Week 8--due Friday, October 4th

Hello Everyone,

Geographic Literacy--Latitude and Longitude Worksheets

First, work on the latitude and longitude worksheets I gave you in class last week.

Middle East & Turkey Map Work

You will work on three maps this week: two of the Middle East and one of Turkey.   You'll find the directions and things you need to label here, so just print this and label away.

Middle East Maps

Print this extra copy of the Middle East Map (your other copy is on the back of a blank Africa map).

Map #1 should label countries, cities, and places.  #2 will feature landforms, bodies of water, etc.  All maps should use some type of key for capitals, color codes for areas, etc.

You'll find the Middle East Geography by looking at online maps and at the Sheppard Software site.

Here's another map that may be helpful too.

Turkey Map

I also want you to print and create a separate map for Turkey. Because of its transregional and transcontinental geographic location, Turkey has been a historically pivotal place throughout history.  It's full of ancient cities and places that you've read about--Troy, Ephesus, Mount Ararat.  We'll find and label these and more.

Here are some maps to help you with your Turkey geography.

Turkey Map A

The city of Mecca, Saudi Arabia

Media to view/read about Arabia and Islam

Here's the study guide to fill out as you watch and read.

How Arabia Got Its Name  11:00

Introduction to Islam 3:30

Long Story Short, Islam 4:00

Read this article about prayer in Islam

Masjid al-Haram (Great Mosque of Mecca) from above
Check out more photos of this huge mosque here.

Week 7, Due 9/27

Hello Everyone,

I hope you enjoyed Pastor Rodney's presentation Friday.   Personally, I love hearing from different people's perspectives and what they observed when traveling.  I hope that you came away with some answers to your Middle East questions and that you came away with new questions. Any time you listen to a presentation, you should practice active listening and wondering; otherwise you are just killing time.

The best time of learning is like this:

1)You make yourself receptive--well rested, fed, carving out time in your schedule
2) You take new information in (from a book, a person, a website, a conversation) There are so many sources of information and people to learn from in all of life.
3)You reflect upon that new information.  You process it.  Consider the ways the new information fits with what you knew before, then adjust your understanding.
4)Finally, push yourself to wonder and ask new questions.

Middle East Reflection
As a way of practicing this learning loop and crystallizing new information, I'd like to record what we learned and now wonder as a result of Pastor Rodney's presentation.  We will do so by each contributing to this class document.  If you were absent, you may skip this step. Do this right away before the busyness of the coming week zaps your memory.

Middle East Geography Sheets
Complete all of the geography sheets that I gave you in class with the exception of the blank Middle East map and the Islam crossword (we'll work on those next week). A few of these sheets involve remnants from our focus on Africa, but most are Middle East related.  Note: if you were absent Friday, you'll have to wait and get these from me next week, then do them the following week.

Other Middle East Visuals

*Read this infographic carefully.  Answer these questions on paper as you read:

1. What's the title and focus on this infographic?  How current is it? (subject, occasion/context)
2. Who is the author/creator of this infographic? (speaker) What can you discern/infer/find out about them?
3. Why do you think it was created? (purpose) What does the author/creator hope to accomplish?
4. List a few interesting insights it shares.

Read this list of  Turkish proverbs.  Proverbs are traditional sayings that can shed light on a cultures values. Write down one proverb that you especially like/agree with and explain why.  Write down a second that reveals something interesting about the Turkish culture, values, or mindset.

Oops! I forgot to add the Jimmy Fallon clip about how to say gyro that Pastor Rodney mentioned.

Wow--look at all the ethnic groups!  Check out a bigger version of this map here.  Then click on it to zoom in.

Week 6--due Friday, September 20th

This week, we'll begin studying a new region of the world, the Greater Middle East.  You'll quickly discover that "the Middle East" is an inexact term, as the region is defined in many different ways.   

The Greater Middle East

The origin of the term "Middle East" is considered to be in the British India Office during the 1850s. It was popularized by Alfred Thayer Mahan, an American naval strategist who was referring to the region between Arabia and India in 1902. Mahan's definition of the Middle East was the area around the Persian Gulf.  -World Atlas.com

Where is the Middle East? (3:00)

Misconception of Middle Eastern Culture and Religion | Melika Rahmani  (10:00) Watch this video by Melika Rahmani was emigrated from Iran to the US when she was six-years old.  Make a table with two columns.  On one side list the misconceptions she's encountered. On the other, list facts/true things she shares about the Middle East/her culture.

Learn some of the countries of the Middle East, the georegions, seas and bays via Sheppard:

Sheppard Software Geography--Middle East

Work your way through Middle Eastern countries, starting with tutorial, beginner, advanced beginner and intermediate.  Then explore the georegions, seas and bays.

This Week's Focus--Egypt and Turkey

Pastor Rodney Howell will be visiting us this Friday and sharing bits of his recent trip to Turkey and Egypt.

Geography Now Egypt!  (12:00, a bit silly, but good overview) --define wadi, write down five significant things you learned about Egypt from this video.

Turkey's Geographic Challenge--  write down three things you learned.

Watch this 5:00 National Geographic short film:  Travel Around Turkey in 5 minutes.---gorgeous landscapes and interesting people.

Here's the description: On their travels in Turkey, filmmakers Vincent Urban, Clemens Krüger, and Stefane Templer captured soaring time-lapses and glimpses of quiet countryside moments. From the iconic, glistening skyline of Istanbul to the rocky hillside villages of Cappadocia, explore some of the country’s most beautiful treasures.

 *More to come.....just getting home from vacation this morning, but I will add a Google form for you to fill out in the next few days....just a quick survey of what you know and would like to learn about this area of the world (similar to the one we did for Africa).

Week 5--due Friday, September 13th

Games are part of culture too! This week we'll observe and learn about different types of play and games in Africa. We'll also prepare for our Africa map quiz.  Mrs. Harvey will be substituting for me this Friday.


Play & Games in Africa

Watch all of the videos below about traditional games and types of games in Africa. While you are watching, notice and think about how play time and activities in Africa are the same or different than play in the United States.  Sports are also very popular in Africa--soccer especially.  Rugby and Cricket are popular in South Africa.

On a blank piece of paper, create a Venn diagram similar to the one below and jot down your observations and thoughts:

Very creative kids in Africa

Children playing in Botswana

Traditional games Malawi

Zambian children at play

Skateboarding in Ethiopia

Read this article at World Vision too.





Make and Learn How to Play an African Game

This week you'll make a homemade version of an African game at home and learn how to play it. Watch the videos to learn and consult directions. Practice teaching it to someone at home and playing it with them so that you are comfortable teaching it and playing it.

Group #1 TEAM MANCALA 

The following students will make and learn mancala:  David, Caleb, Annaliese, Mia, Millie, and Lila

I gave most of you an egg carton in class to help you make your game.  You should find whatever additional materials at home to complete making the game.  Counters can be simple--use your creativity and whatever is on hand.  You don't have to buy them.

Directions and History of Mancala  Learn and share the history/origins of the game. Where is it played? How old is it? Other interesting facts?  Jot this down. You will share this with your partner when you play in class.
Watch this video of a Kenyan version of the game.


How to make and play mancala #1 video

How to play mancala #2 video

Group #2  TEAM SHISIMA

The following students will make and learn Shisima: Ivey, Josh, Caroline, Willa, Sophia

Find materials at home for this and do a nice job. Find sturdy materials. Be creative.   Also, jot down whatever history you can find about the game.  Teach the game to someone at your home so that you can practice.

How to make and play shisima
How to play shisima


STUDY and Practice for Your Africa Map Quiz

Practice so that you know all 54 African countries at the Sheppard Software site.  You should also know the following: Atlas Mountains, Sahara Desert, The Sahel, Great Rift Valley, Congo Basin, South African Plateau, Kalahari Desert, Congo River, Niger River, Zambezi River, and Nile River.  Also know: Mediterranean Sea, Mozambique Channel, Lake Victoria, Lake Malawi, Lake Tanganyika, and the Red Sea.

Bring your games to class and come prepared for the quiz.

Soccer in Malawi

Week 4--due on Friday, September 6th

Hello Everyone,

Great job with our first wave of Africa presentations this week! 👏🎉 Ivey, Caroline, Lila, and David kicked us off with intriguing and well planned presentations.  Next week, we'll have the second wave of remaining presentations.  I look forward to them.

The work this week is straightforward.

1) Prepare for your Africa presentation if you have yet to present (eight of you).

2) Complete all of the Africa pages I handed out in class.  Many of these are quick puzzles and ways to jog your memory or explore basic map work. They should just jog your memory and shouldn't take long.

3) Watch the following video and consider the following map and graphs.

Human Geography: Cultural Regions (12 minutes)
from this video define the following terms in your notes: cultural group, ethnic group, ethnocentrism, cultural region, subculture and counterculture.  What are some traits by which we can categorize culture?

What can you infer about internet usage from this map with regard to Africa?
Title: Internet users in 2015 as a percentage of a country's population
Source:  International Telecommunications Union

Hit play on this interactive graph and watch how sub-Saharan Africa compares to other regions with regard to the number of  children per family and life expectancy from the 1960's to 2015.  What can you infer? Write down a sentence about your inference.

Hit play at this interactive graph, but this time you are following the region of North Africa and the Middle East.  Compare it to the sub-Saharan dot and other countries.  Again, what can you infer?  Write down a sentence with your inference.

Finally,  hit play on this North America version of this graph.  What do you notice in comparison to the others? Write down a sentence with your inference.

3) For those behind on these pages, complete all of the Africa pages I have provided thus far.  Do some research, explore a bit when you define terms and look up items.  You will get out of this activity exactly what you are willing to put into it.  Be curious.  Let the material inspire questions in you; remember to let it "breathe." 😉 

4) Make time to master the 54 countries of Africa and land features on the Sheppard Software site if you have not already.   You should be able to find this link by yourself by now. A quiz will be coming up on 9/11.