A Brief African Odyssey

Today, you will go on a journey across Africa using resources provided by Michigan State University. The links and questions below are designed to give you an overview of the continent's diverse cultural characteristics and physical features.

This activity is a series of maps of Africa studded with thumbnail pictures. If you click on a picture, a larger version of it will pop up. The pictures express a particular theme for that page, including: geography, culture, religion, making a living, transportation, and where people live.

You will complete this assignment in an e-mail to me. It is due at the end of today's class period. The assignment is worth a total of 20 points, with points deducted for grammar, completeness and accuracy of responses.

Map 1: Physical Geography
Click on the following link:
http://exploringafrica.matrix.msu.edu/students/curriculum/m3/activity1.php

Then, do the following for each picture:

1. Briefly describe the photo.
2. Name the landforms present in the photo.
3. Describe the climate shown in the photo.
4. Describe the vegetation visible in the photo.

When you've done this for each photo, imagine that you were really going on a vacation to Africa. How would what you see in these photos affect your packing?

Map 2: Culture
Click on the following link:
http://exploringafrica.matrix.msu.edu/students/curriculum/m3/activity2.php

Then, answer the following:

1. What types of music, art and culture do you see in the photos?
2. Does anything remind you of something similar you've seen in the U.S.? Explain.

Map 3: Religion
Click on the following link:
http://exploringafrica.matrix.msu.edu/students/curriculum/m3/activity3.php

Then, answer the following, including references to specific photo numbers when appropriate:

1. What are the different types of religious buildings you see in these pictures? Do you recognize any of them?
2. Can you definitively associate any religion with any of the buildings?
3. Do any of them look like anything you are familiar with in Chicago? Explain.

Map 4: Making a Living in Africa
Click on the following link:
http://exploringafrica.matrix.msu.edu/students/curriculum/m3/activity4.php

Then, answer the following:

1. What jobs are shown in the photos?
2. What can the location of these jobs tell you about the area? (HINT: think about climate, vegetation, landforms and natural resources)
3. Could you find employment in any of the industries shown in Chicago? If not, give an example of a place in the United States where a person might be able to find the type of job(s) shown.

Map 5: Transportation in Africa
Click on the following link:
http://exploringafrica.matrix.msu.edu/students/curriculum/m3/activity5.php

Then, do the following for each photo:

1. Describe the photo. Include the region in Africa in which the photo is located (using compass directions) and specific information about the environment shown.
2. Describe the type of transportation shown. Explain what this might tell you about the people living in the region.

Homework:
For tonight, read Chapter 18, Section 1 in your textbook (pp. 414-418). Take Cornell Notes on the section in your notebooks. If you need a refresher on the Cornell Note taking system, take a look at this link from Cornell University.

The notes are worth 10 points, and are due on your desk at the start of tomorrow's class period.