Integrated Unit Project Master

EDUC 365 Courtney Phillips, Maggie Pogue, Hayley Redding

Team: The Energized Exhilarators

Theme: Sub-Saharan Africa

7th grade: Social Studies, Science, English Language Arts

Summary: We will investigate how geography, demographic trends, and environmental
conditions affect the modern societies in Sub-Saharan Africa. We will focus on the urban, rural,
and tribal regions of Sub-Saharan Africa and investigate how trends in weather patterns, disease,
and other genetic conditions affect cultures and societies.

Science

Summary: Students will be introduced to the water cycle and discuss and analyze what
happens when there is too little or too much water in an environment. Malaria and sickle
cell will be discussed—and after Punnett squares and hereditary are taught, students will
construct a tribe member based on their characteristics.

Monday: Introduction of the Water Cycle/Regions in Africa

Science: 7.E.1.2 Explain how the cycling of water in and out of the atmosphere and atmospheric
conditions relate to the weather patterns on earth.

ELA: 7.W.3.a. Engage and orient the reader by establishing a context and point of view and
introducing a narrator and/or characters; organize an event sequence that unfolds naturally and
logically.

Social Studies: 7.G.1.1 Explain how environmental conditions and human response to those
conditions influence modern societies and regions (e.g. natural barriers, scarcity of resources and
factors that influence settlement).

Activity: Study the water cycle and write a narrative from the point of view of a raindrop.
Students will investigate the region of Africa (desert, grasslands, mountains or tropical forest)
that they were assigned during the Advisement period, and write the narrative as if the raindrop
fell in that region. Students are to have illustrations and a descriptive narrative. This narrative
will be uploaded on to the group Museum Box.

Tuesday: The Effects of Drought in Africa/ Natural Resources

Science: 7.E.1.2 Explain how the cycling of water in and out of the atmosphere and atmospheric
conditions relate to the weather patterns on earth.

Social Studies: 7.G.2.1 Construct maps, charts, and graphs to explain data about geographic
phenomena (e.g. migration patterns and population and resource distribution patterns).


Activity: What happens when there is not a lot of water? Discuss drought and how it forces
people to not be able to farm; consequently, mining becomes a prevalent way to bring in income.
(Southern tip of Africa). Use information on the natural resources found in Africa (coal, copper,
oil, diamonds and gold) to construct an income graph (circle/bar) based on the value of each
resource. This chart will be uploaded to the group Museum Box.

Wednesday: Heredity/Malaria and Other Diseases

Science: 7.L.2.2 Infer patterns of heredity using information from Punnett squares and pedigree
analysis. 7.L.2.3 Explain the impact of the environment and lifestyle choices on biological
inheritance (to include common genetic diseases) and survival.

Social Studies: 7.H.2.4 Analyze the economic, political, and social impacts of disease (e.g.
smallpox, malaria, bubonic plague, AIDS and avian flu) in modern societies.

Math: 7.SP.5 Understand that the probability of a chance event is a number between 0 and 1 that
expresses the likelihood of the event occurring. Larger numbers indicate greater likelihood. A
probability near 0 indicates an unlikely event, a probability around 1/2 indicates an event
that is neither unlikely nor likely, and a probability near 1 indicates a likely event.

Activity: What happens when there is too much water? Areas where there is a lot of water in
Africa include: grasslands and rainforest/Angola, Zambia, and Malawi. These are areas where
malaria is prevalent. What is the connection with sickle cell anemia? AIDS? Start with Punnett
squares—introduce the concept of heredity and discuss probability.

Thursday: Heredity (Continued)

Science: 7.L.2.2 Infer patterns of heredity using information from Punnett squares and pedigree
analysis.

Social Studies: 7.H.2.4 Analyze the economic, political, and social impacts of disease (e.g.
smallpox, malaria, bubonic plague, AIDS and avian flu) in modern societies.

Math: 7.SP.5 Understand that the probability of a chance event is a number between 0 and 1 that
expresses the likelihood of the event occurring. Larger numbers indicate greater likelihood. A
probability near 0 indicates an unlikely event, a probability around 1/2 indicates an event
that is neither unlikely nor likely, and a probability near 1 indicates a likely event.

Activity: Demonstrate how to create Punnett squares. Use Punnett squares and probability to
create a member from a tribe. Use characteristics such as eye color, earlobes (attached/detached),
complexion, sickle cell, widow‟s peak, blood type, etc. This person is then to be drawn and
added as a member of each tribe. This drawing will be scanned and uploaded to the group
Museum Box.


Social Studies

Summary: In Social Studies, the goal for students is to connect how elements of
geographic regions, weather patterns, natural resources, and genetic conditions affect
cultures and modern societies within Sub-Saharan Africa. The focus of the unit will
progress from a general overview on the specific biomes in Sub-Saharan Africa, to more
individualized lessons on the urban, rural, and tribal areas of the region. Over the course
of the week, students will complete activities that will be included in their virtual
Museum Box, the integrated curriculum project for this unit. Activities that will be
completed in the Social Studies class for this project include: a weather forecast for a
specific region in Sub-Saharan Africa, an advertisement (flyer) for a mining company
located in an urban area, examples of newspaper and/or journal articles on Malaria, and a
short essay discussing the presence of tribes in modern Africa. The information gathered
throughout the week in Social Studies, Science, and English Language Arts will be
presented on Friday during the African Culture Day.

Monday- Overview of Geography of Sub-Saharan Africa

Social Studies: 7.G.1.1. Explain how environmental conditions and human response to those
conditions influences modern societies and regions (e.g. natural barriers, scarcity of resources
and factors that influence settlement).

Science: 7.E.1.4. Predict weather conditions and patterns based on information obtained from:

• Weather data collected from direct observations and measurement (wind
speed and direction, air temperature, humidity and air pressure).
• Weather maps, satellites and radar
• Cloud shapes and types and associated elevation

Information and Technology: 7.TT.1.1 Use appropriate technology tools and other resources to
access information. 7.RP.1.1 Implement a collaborative research process activity that is group
selected. 7.TT.1.3 Use appropriate technology tools and other resources to design products to
share information with others (e.g. multimedia presentations, Web 2.0 tools, graphics, podcasts,
and audio files).
Activities: After being introduced to the countries and biomes present in Sub-Saharan Africa,
students will work in their cooperative learning groups to research the region they were assigned
during the Advisement period. Based on their research, students will create a 7-day weather
forecast for their region. Students will then upload their weather forecasts to the group Museum
Box.


Resources:

Interactive maps of Africa: http://worldmap.harvard.edu/africamap/
http://www.sheppardsoftware.com/Africa-georegion.html

http://www.pbs.org/wnet/africa/explore/index_flash.html

Climate/Weather: http://www.wunderground.com/

http://www.climate-zone.com/continent/africa/

Museum Box (used all week): http://museumbox.e2bn.org/

Tuesday: Urban regions of Sub-Saharan Africa

and factors that influence settlement). 7.E.1.1. Explain how competition for resources affects the
economic relationship among nations (e.g. colonialism, imperialism, globalization and
interdependence).

English Language Arts: 7.SL.5. 5. Include multimedia components and visual displays in
presentations to clarify claims and findings and emphasize salient points.

access information. 7.TT.1.3 Use appropriate technology tools and other resources to design
products to share information with others (e.g. multimedia presentations, Web 2.0 tools,
graphics, podcasts, and audio files).

Activities: The students will learn about the environmental and economic factors that lead to the
development of large urban areas in the southern region of Sub-Saharan Africa. The lesson will
focus on the abundance of natural resources available in these areas. Students will each create an
advertisement (flyer) for a fictional mining company in this region on their laptops. Students
must include the location of the company, the natural resource that is being acquired, salary for
employees, etc. Students will then present their digital flyers in hopes of convincing others that
their company is superior to the rest. The digital flyers will then be uploaded on to the group
Museum Box.

Resources:
Interactive map of resources in African Countries:
http://exploringafrica.matrix.msu.edu/teachers/curriculum/m6/activity4.php


Wednesday: Rural regions of Sub-Saharan Africa

and factors that influence settlement). 7.H.2.4. Analyze the economic, political, and social
impacts of disease (e.g. smallpox, malaria, bubonic plague, AIDS and avian flu) in modern
societies.

Science: 7.L.2.3 Explain the impact of the environment and lifestyle choices on biological
inheritance (to include common genetic diseases) and survival.
English Language Arts: 7.RL.2. Determine a theme or central idea of a text and analyze its
development over the course of the text; provide an objective summary of the text. 7.SL.4. 4.
Present claims and findings, emphasizing salient points in a focused, coherent manner with
pertinent descriptions, facts, details, and examples; use appropriate eye contact, adequate
volume, and clear pronunciation
access information.
Activities: The students will learn about the characteristics of people living in rural regions of
Sub-Saharan Africa. The focus of the lesson will be on how diseases, specifically malaria, affect
the health of people in these regions. The class will read a variety of news and journal articles
about the impact of malaria and discuss how the authors develop their ideas over the course of
the text using statistics and other forms of scientific data for support. Students will then use their
laptops to find an additional article on the topic and present it to the class. Students will upload
their articles to their group Museum Box.
Resources:
Interactive map (population density, presence of disease, etc.):
http://worldmap.harvard.edu/africamap/
News articles about malaria: “10 Facts on Malaria in Africa”
http://www.afro.who.int/en/clusters-a-programmes/dpc/malaria/features/2287-10-facts-on-
malaria-in-africa.html
“Africa‟s Malaria Death Toll Still „Outrageously High‟”
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2003/06/0612_030612_malaria.html
“Progress Against Malaria in Africa Is Real but Fragile”
http://www.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,2068667,00.html

Thursday- Tribes/tribal regions in Sub-Saharan Africa
Social Studies: 7.G.1.3. Explain how natural disasters (e.g. flooding, earthquakes, monsoons
and tsunamis), preservation efforts and human modification of the environment (e.g. recycling,


planting trees, deforestation, pollution, irrigation systems and climate change) affect modern
society and regions. 7.C.1.1. Explain how culture unites and divides modern societies and
regions (e.g. enslavement of various peoples, caste system, religious conflict and Social
Darwinism).
English Language Arts: 7.W.7. Conduct short research projects to answer a question, drawing
on several sources and generating additional related, focused questions for further research and
investigation.
organize information (e.g. graphic organizers, databases, spreadsheets, and desktop publishing).
Activities: Students will need to draw from prior knowledge gathered during the week on the
urban and rural regions of Sub-Saharan Africa to investigate and answer the question: “Why
have tribal groups remained in Africa?” Students will conduct research on the recent history of
modern tribes in Africa searching for evidence of the presence of slavery, social caste systems,
religious practices, and/or Social Darwinism. Students will then create a graphic organizer
outlining the benefits and consequences of people remaining in tribes vs. joining modern society.
The charts will be uploaded to the group Museum Box.
Resources

Information about tribes: http://www.africaguide.com/culture/tribes/index.htm

http://newswatch.nationalgeographic.com/2011/04/01/uncontacted-tribes-the-last-free-people-
on-earth/

Graphic organizer templates: http://www.exploratree.org.uk/

English Language Arts

Summary: Students will be making connections with what they have learned in the
Science and Social Studies Classes in their English Class. They will be learning about the
Kalahari Desert and how the environment affects a tribe that lives there. They will learn about
the African rain dances and make their own rain dance instruments, dance, and videotape it to
show on Culture day. They will learn about the traditional African Healers and compare and
contrast the healthcare in sub-Saharan Africa to the United States‟ healthcare. They will also
learn about the different types of folktales and be able to distinguish one type from another. The
students will work on their public speaking by telling their own made-up folktales on culture
day.


Monday: Tribes: Kalahari Desert/ Bushmen Tribe

English Language Arts: 7.L.2 Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English
capitalization, punctuation, and spelling when writing. 7.RI.1 Cite several pieces of textual
evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the
text. 7.W.2.a Introduce a topic clearly, previewing what is to follow; organize ideas, concepts,
and information, using strategies such as definition, classification, comparison/contrast, and
cause/effect; include formatting (e.g., headings), graphics (e.g., charts, tables), and multimedia
when useful to aiding comprehension. 7.W.2.b. Develop the topic with relevant facts,
definitions, concrete details, quotations, or other information and examples. 7.W.3. Write
narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective technique, relevant
descriptive details. 7.W.6.Use technology, including the Internet, to produce and publish writing
and link to and cite sources as well as to interact and collaborate with others, including linking to
and citing sources. 7.W.7 Conduct short research projects to answer a question, drawing on
several sources and generating additional related, focused questions for further research and
investigation.

Social Studies: 7.C.1.2. Explain how cultural expressions (e.g. art, literature, architecture and
music) influence modern society.

Information and Technology: 7.TT.1.1. Use appropriate technology tools and other resources
to access information.

Activity
I will make a webquest where they will research for the following assignment:
Students are to write an email (at least 100 words) to a friend. In the email students are to:
1. Describe the environment the Bushmen Tribe live in
2. Describe the different ways the Bushmen have adapted to the environment (in terms of
movement, building their shelters, search for food and water and clothing)
3. Explain the impacts the Bushmen have on their environment
This email will be saved and uploaded to the group Museum Box.

Resources:

http://www.child-sponsorship.com/kalahari_desert.html
http://myths.e2bn.org/mythsandlegends/origins2490-kaangs-people.html

Tuesday: Water Cycle- Rain in Africa

English Language Arts:

Social Studies: 7.C.1.2 Explain how cultural expressions (e.g. art, literature, architecture and


access information.

Activity: Talk and read about the history of rain dance. In their tribal groups, students will make
a rain stick and drums. After viewing a video of a tribal rain dance, students will use their
instruments and choreograph their own. The dances will be recorded and uploaded to the group
Museum Box.

Resources:

http://www.jpanafrican.com/docs/vol4no6/4.6-10KilumiRain.pdf

http://www.krugerpark.co.za/africa_bushmen_p2.html

Wednesday: Medicine and Healthcare

English Language Arts: 7.L.2 Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English
capitalization, punctuation, and spelling when writing.7.RI.1 Cite several pieces of textual
evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the
text.7.W.1.a Introduce claim(s), acknowledge alternate or opposing claims, and organize the
reasons and evidence logically.

Science: 7.L.2.3 Explain the impact of the environment and lifestyle choices on biological
inheritance (to include common genetic diseases) and survival

access information.

Activity: Learn about Inyangas and Isangomas. Make a chart comparing and contrasting the
healers of South Africa to United States healthcare

Resources: http://wiki.ulwazi.org/index.php5?title=South_African_Traditional_Healers_-
_Inyanga_and_Isangoma

Thursday: Folktales

English Language Arts: 7.SL.1.c Pose questions that elicit elaboration and respond to others‟
questions and comments with relevant observations and ideas that bring the discussion back on
topic as needed. 7.L.2. Demonstrate command of the conventions of standard English
capitalization, punctuation, and spelling when writing. 7.W.9. Draw evidence from literary or


informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and research.7.RL. 3. Analyze how particular
elements of a story or drama interact (e.g., how setting shapes the characters or plot).

Social Studies: 7.C.1.2 Explain how cultural expressions (e.g. art, literature, architecture and

Activity: Students will learn about four different types of folk tales and the elements of each
kind. Students will then split in to their tribal groups and write their own folk tale. Students
should memorize their folktale to tell on culture day. The folk tales should be uploaded to the
group Museum Box.

Resources:

http://images.library.uiuc.edu/projects/tdc/lessonplans/AfricanFolkTales.asp

http://www.slideshare.net/amie2372/elements-of-a-folktale#btnNext

Friday: Integrated African Culture Day

Social Studies: 7.C.1. Understand how cultural values influence relationships between
individuals, groups and political entities in modern societies and regions. 7.C.1.2. Explain how
cultural expressions (e.g. art, literature, architecture and music) influence modern society.

English Language Arts: 7.SL.1.Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-
on-one, in groups, and teacher led) with diverse partners on grade 7 topics, texts, and issues,
building on others‟ ideas and expressing their own clearly. 7.SL.1.a. Come to discussions
prepared, having read or researched material under study; explicitly draw on that preparation by
referring to evidence on the topic, text, or issue to probe and reflect on ideas under discussion.
7.SL.5. 5. Include multimedia components and visual displays in presentations to clarify claims
and findings and emphasize salient points.

design products to share information with others (e.g. multimedia presentations, Web 2.0 tools,
graphics, podcasts,
and audio files).

Activity: There will be no formal class periods this day. In the morning, during an extended
advisement period, students will get in their cooperative learning groups and make sure they
have completed the Museum Box checklist. The checklist must be signed off by the Advisement
teacher. After the Advisement period, all students will meet in the auditorium, and Culture Day
will begin. Throughout the day, the different tribes will present information that they have


gathered all week in each of the classes. Some presentations/activities include: general
information about the tribe, performance of the rain dance, presentation of tribe member created
in Science, and group folk tale. Students will use their group Museum Boxes to present the
information.


Resources

Integrated:

Museum Box- http://museumbox.e2bn.org/

Social Studies:

Interactive maps of Africa: http://worldmap.harvard.edu/africamap/
http://www.sheppardsoftware.com/Africa-georegion.html

http://www.pbs.org/wnet/africa/explore/index_flash.html

Climate/Weather: http://www.wunderground.com/

http://www.climate-zone.com/continent/africa/

Interactive map of resources in African Countries:
http://exploringafrica.matrix.msu.edu/teachers/curriculum/m6/activity4.php

Interactive map (population density, presence of disease, etc.):
http://worldmap.harvard.edu/africamap/
News articles about malaria: “10 Facts on Malaria in Africa”
http://www.afro.who.int/en/clusters-a-programmes/dpc/malaria/features/2287-10-facts-on-
malaria-in-africa.html
“Africa‟s Malaria Death Toll Still „Outrageously High‟”
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2003/06/0612_030612_malaria.html
“Progress Against Malaria in Africa Is Real but Fragile”
http://www.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,2068667,00.html
Information about tribes: http://www.africaguide.com/culture/tribes/index.htm

http://newswatch.nationalgeographic.com/2011/04/01/uncontacted-tribes-the-last-free-people-
on-earth/

Graphic organizer templates: http://www.exploratree.org.uk/

English Language Arts:

Kalahari Desert-http://www.child-sponsorship.com/kalahari_desert.html

Bushmen-http://myths.e2bn.org/mythsandlegends/origins2490-kaangs-people.html

Rain Dance/ Instruments- http://www.jpanafrican.com/docs/vol4no6/4.6-10KilumiRain.pdf

http://www.krugerpark.co.za/africa_bushmen_p2.html


Medicine- http://wiki.ulwazi.org/index.php5?title=South_African_Traditional_Healers_-
_Inyanga_and_Isangoma

Folk Tales- http://images.library.uiuc.edu/projects/tdc/lessonplans/AfricanFolkTales.asp

http://www.slideshare.net/amie2372/elements-of-a-folktale#btnNext


Museum Box Integrated Unit Project

For this unit, students will work in groups to complete a virtual Museum Box presentation about
Africa. The box will contain information and documents that students create throughout the week
in each of the classes. Students will be required to have a compartment in their Museum Box for
each day of the week. Students will present the information from the Museum Boxes on Friday
during the African Culture Day.

List of items that should be included in the Museum Box:

Advisement:

 Tribe information: name, location, language, religion, etc.

Science:

 Raindrop narrative
 Chart of natural resources in Africa
 Results of heredity activity, including scanned image of the drawn tribe member

Social Studies:

 Weather forecast of specified region
 Advertisement for company
 News articles on malaria in Africa
 Graphic organizer on the presence of tribes in Africa today (pros/cons)

English Language Arts

 E-mail about the Bushmen
 Recorded rain dance/ picture of instruments made in class
 Comparison/Contrast chart about Inyanga and Isangomas
 Group folk tale


Advisement : Daily Topics

Students will get a brief overview of the theme being covered in the blocks each day. Students
will be able to have a general idea of what topics and key terms they will hear throughout the
day.

Monday: Students will be split into groups of four by their homeroom teacher. These will be
their cooperative learning groups for the week in all classes. These groups will become their
“tribe” for the week, and they will complete work in each class to help them develop their tribal
identity. Today, they will also be assigned a geographic region/biome in Africa (desert,
grasslands, mountains or tropical forest) that they will explore in Social Studies and Science.
Students will complete a Museum Box presentation that will be used on Friday during the
African Culture Day to help display information about their tribe.

Tuesday: Advisors will present students with information on drought. Students will then
brainstorm what effects they believe drought has on an environment. How will environmental
conditions affect the economy? Will people be able to farm, or will they need to find other
natural resources to make money? Throughout the day, students will learn about the effects and
compare them with their previous assumptions.

Wednesday: Advisors will briefly introduce the topic of malaria. Students will learn how the
disease is spread, the effects it has on humans, and how it can be treated.

Thursday: Advisors will present information on the various tribes that remain in Africa.
Students will learn about characteristics that define tribes including: language, religion, roles in
the community, art, music, etc. Students will need to create defining characteristics for their
tribe, and include it on the Museum Box.

Friday: Advisement will be extended to 1 hour today so students may complete their Museum
Boxes. All elements from the checklist must be met in order for groups to present during African
Culture Day.

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