Oil and water in the Middle East region
http://www.nationalgeographic.com/xpeditions/lessons/01/g68/iraqoil.html
A lesson plan for grade 7 Social Studies
In this Xpeditions lesson, students explore the roles of oil and water in the Middle East, especially in Iraq. This lesson has opportunities for whole class discussion, small group collaboration, and individual practice.
Students will:
- study maps of Iraq and the Middle East to learn the basic geography of the region;
- analyze the role played by the distribution of oil and water in the Middle East, and how this sometimes contributes to conflicts in the region;
- create maps showing all the major sources of water in the Middle East and including other geographic names and features;
- read about conflicts in the Middle East region caused by water and answer questions; and
- study satellite imagery of Iraq and study specific aspects of the conflicts it faces relating to water.
Xpeditions provides links for all necessary web resources, detailed instructions and discussion questions, and suggestions for assessment and extension activities.
North Carolina Curriculum Alignment
Social Studies (2003)
Grade 7
- Goal 1: The learner will use the five themes of geography and geographic tools to answer geographic questions and analyze geographic concepts.
- Objective 1.01: Create maps, charts, graphs, databases, and models as tools to illustrate information about different people, places and regions in Africa, Asia, and Australia.
- Objective 1.02: Generate, interpret, and manipulate information from tools such as maps, globes, charts, graphs, databases, and models to pose and answer questions about space and place, environment and society, and spatial dynamics and connections.
- Objective 1.03: Use tools such as maps, globes, graphs, charts, databases, models, and artifacts to compare data on different countries of Africa, Asia, and Australia and to identify patterns as well as similarities and differences.
- Goal 2: The learner will assess the relationship between physical environment and cultural characteristics of selected societies and regions of Africa, Asia, and Australia.
- Objective 2.01: Identify key physical characteristics such as landforms, water forms, and climate and evaluate their influence on the development of cultures in selected African, Asian and Australian regions.
- Objective 2.02: Describe factors that influence changes in distribution patterns of population, resources, and climate in selected regions of Africa, Asia, and Australia and evaluate their impact on the environment.
- Objective 2.03: Examine factors such as climate change, location of resources, and environmental challenges that influence human migration and assess their significance in the development of selected cultures in Africa, Asia, and Australia.
- Goal 3: The learner will analyze the impact of interactions between humans and their physical environments in Africa, Asia, and Australia.
- Objective 3.01: Identify ways in which people of selected areas in Africa, Asia, and Australia have used, altered, and adapted to their environments in order to meet their needs and evaluate the impact of their actions on the development of cultures and regions.
- Objective 3.02: Describe the environmental impact of regional activities such as deforestation, urbanization, and industrialization and evaluate their significance to the global community.
- Goal 5: The learner will evaluate the varied ways people of Africa, Asia, and Australia make decisions about the allocation and use of economic resources.
- Objective 5.01: Describe the relationship between the location of natural resources, and economic development, and analyze the impact on selected cultures, countries, and regions in Africa, Asia, and Australia.
- Objective 5.02: Examine the different economic systems, (traditional, command, and market), developed in selected societies in Africa, Asia, and Australia, and assess their effectiveness in meeting basic needs.
- Goal 6: The learner will recognize the relationship between economic activity and the quality of life in Africa, Asia, and Australia.
- Objective 6.01: Describe different levels of economic development and assess their connections to standard of living indicators such as purchasing power, literacy rate, and life expectancy.



