The Middle East and Northern Africa
Click one of the images below to reach a Scavenger Hunt link:
View Mrs. Morse's Middle East PowerPoint by clicking here
Try this web site to practice for our next map test
Try this site to practice the countries of Africa
We will begin studying this region of the world on March 18th. Mrs. Morse will introduce the region to us, and we will continue our studies by applying what we have learned about the land and people through a Middle East Webquest during which we look at both sides of the Isreali/Palestinian conflict, and attempt to find a peaceful solution.
New books (Asia and the Pacific) will be distributedfor this unit during this unit. Students will need to have their books covered by March 21st, and will not receive the Asia book until their Europe book has been returned.
Obviously this region is becoming more and more familiar to our students, as the threat of war with Iraq has become reality and we are being exposed to continuous media coverage of the events as they happen.
While we will be addressing the current war during this unit, our focus will continue to be one that recognizes conflict, but focuses on peaceful resolutions and the pursuit of world peace. Students will take on the role of U.N. Peacekeepers as we journey to this region. We will look at past and current events that affect the people of the middle east, and use some of the skills we learn about conflict management to help us find ways to deal with conflicts in a peaceful manner.
We will begin the unit by examinining the physical geography of the middle east, with an emphasis on water, or the lack there of. We will also look at culture with an emphasis of religious differences and how they play a role in the conflicts both current and past. Reading and connected Geo-Journal assignments are an ongoing homework component of this unit. These dates are posted to schoolnotes.com. It is very important that students keep up with these assignments and are prepared for classroom discussions on the reading topics.
Our unit will culminate with a "Peace Talk". To prepare, students will research the Arab/Israeli conflict as well as the United Nations role in the creation of Israel. Students will apply this knowledge by participating in a student-led discussion of a peaceful resolution to this conflict.
Parents may be of great help to your child in preparing for this event by looking over their materials with them, and helping them make sense of the events leading up to and resulting from the creation of the nation of Israel while looking at both sides of the issues. While there will be daily assignments due during this unit, listed below are due dates for several of the unit assignments. It will be helpful to post these to your student planner.