LEARN NC

K–12 teaching and learning · from the UNC School of Education

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.

Resources aligned to this objective

Diseases of Africa
Students will demonstrate an ability to research diseases in Africa and the causes, symptoms, treatment, and long-range solutions involving infrastructure development. They will compare and contrast countries and diseases. Working in groups, students will do research and prepare a multimedia presentation on the disease.
Format: lesson plan (grade 7 English Language Arts, Social Studies, Computer Technology Skills, English Language Development, and Science)
By Teachers Connect.
East Asian Trading Ships
Each student will work with a partner as an owner of an overseas shipping company with one cargo ship in East Asia. Students are given these instructions in the overview: In each Asian country that you travel to you will fill your cargo ship with items that you can buy from the list of exports. You will then try to sell these items when you travel to another country that is willing to import these commodities. The winner of the game is the company with the biggest profits at the end of the pretend 15 day time period. Good Luck!
Format: lesson plan (grade 7 Social Studies)
By Tami Kaiser Polge.
Picturing Vietnam
This lesson plan is intended to introduce students to Vietnam’s geography, climate, culture, history, natural history, arts, economics, and government. Students will view a collection of documentary photographs and use these for making logical observations, drawing conclusions, and as a basis for creative writing.
Format: (grade 7 Social Studies, English Language Arts, and Information Skills)
By Edie McDowell.
Regions of Nepal: A virtual trek
This lesson for grade seven helps students understand the connections between geography and culture. Students experience a virtual trek through the different regions of Nepal, conduct research about the ethnic groups living in each region, and maintain travel logs documenting what they've learned.
Format: (grade 7 Social Studies and English Language Arts)
By Edie McDowell.
Vietnam waterways: Ecology and conservation
In this interdisciplinary lesson for grades 6-8, students will examine the relationship between the physical environment and cultural characteristics of the Mekong River valley in Vietnam. Students will evaluate the current conditions of the Mekong River and suggest long-range solutions for improving, restoring, or preserving the quality of the river.
Format: (grade 6–8 Social Studies, Science, and Information Skills)
By Edie McDowell.

Lesson plans on the web

Animals of the nomads
In this Xpeditions lesson, students learn about nomadic pastoralism by examining the roles of animals and the relationship between available natural resources and nomadic life in Central Asian societies. (Learn more)
Format: lesson plan (grade 7 Social Studies)
Provider: National Geographic
The Aral Sea: Then and now
Students consider what happens when a sea shrinks and to compare pictures of the Aral Sea at different times. (Learn more)
Format: lesson plan (grade 7 Social Studies)
Provider: National Geographic
Geography matters in history
Students consider the ways in which historical events and processes have been affected by geography. (Learn more)
Format: lesson plan (grade 6–8 English Language Arts and Social Studies)
Provider: National Geographic
GIS: Helping to save the African wild
In this Xpeditions lesson, students learn about a geographic tool known as GIS, Geographic Information Systems, and about how it is assisting the conservation efforts of ecologically-minded researchers. (Learn more)
Format: lesson plan (grade 7 Social Studies)
Provider: National Geographic
Interpreting the evidence
This lesson, the second of a two-part series from Science NetLinks, offers useful information and activities to help students understand how scientists learn about civilizations that have disappeared. (Learn more)
Format: lesson plan (grade 6–8 Science and Social Studies)
Provider: American Association for the Advancement of Science
Kings of the Kalahari
In this Xpeditions lesson, students study the defining characteristics of deserts and apply this knowledge to a study of the Kalahari Desert. (Learn more)
Format: lesson plan (grade 7 Social Studies and Science)
Provider: National Geographic
Making a mummy the natural way
Students examine the relationship between climate and the mummification process in ancient Egypt and other parts of the world. (Learn more)
Format: lesson plan (grade 7 English Language Arts and Social Studies)
Provider: National Geographic
Mapping the past
Students gain experience in working with historical maps as cultural artifacts that reflect the views of particular times and places. (Learn more)
Format: lesson plan (grade 7–8 Social Studies)
Provider: National Endowment for the Humanities
Oil and water in the Middle East region
In this lesson, from Xpeditions, students explore the roles of oil and water in the Middle East, especially in Iraq. Students use maps to look at the distribution of oil in the Middle East and discuss what it means for the different countries in the region. (Learn more)
Format: lesson plan (grade 7 Social Studies)
Provider: National Geographic
Rich, poor, or somewhere in the middle
This Xpeditions lesson offers students an opportunity to use economic and social indicators to identify the connection between a country's access to resources and its economic development. (Learn more)
Format: lesson plan (grade 6–7 Social Studies)
Provider: National Geographic
River sources and stories
In this lesson, from Xpeditions, students learn about the differences in precipitation levels and elevation in the regions of the Nile and its source rivers (the White Nile and the Blue Nile). (Learn more)
Format: lesson plan (grade 7 Social Studies and English Language Arts)
Provider: National Geographic
Trekking to Timbuktu—student version
Students take the role of the makers of a TV travel adventure show and research Timbuktu as a potential location for an episode of the series. (Learn more)
Format: lesson plan (grade 7 English Language Arts and Social Studies)
Provider: National Endowment for the Humanities
What does a picture tell you about culture?
This lesson examines pictures to create an understanding of cultural landscapes. (Learn more)
Format: lesson plan (grade 6–7 Social Studies)
Provider: National Geographic