2. The Energized Exhilarators
7th grade
Science- Courtney
Social Studies- Hayley
English Language Arts- Maggie
3. Overview
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.
7. Focus
Science: Water Cycle, Disease, Heredity
Social Studies: Sub-Saharan Africa
• Geography and Culture
English Language Arts: Culture of Sub-
Saharan Africa
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16. Science
Thursday: Heredity
Focus: Genetic Traits
TLW (general topic): Practice
using Punnett Squares to show
how traits are passed
genetically
Activity: “Where’d you get those
genes?,” Birth Certificate
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24. Social Studies
Tuesday: Urban regions of
Sub-Saharan Africa
Focus and Review: Population Density
TLW (general topics): Natural
resources, competition, mining industry
Activities: “Mining for Mysteries” and digital
advertisement for mining company
25. Day: Tuesday Subject: Social Studies
Goals & Objectives: 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). 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.
Information and Technology: 7.TT.1.1 Use appropriate technology tools and other resources to 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).
Activity Description of Activities and Settings Materials/Supplies Needed Time Allocated
1. Focus & The teacher will write “How does the environment affect the Laptops 10 minutes
Review (initial availability of natural resources?” on the board. (Theme of Pencil
motivation and the day from Advisement period.) Paper
relationship to previous Students will review countries that make up Sub-Saharan
learning or prior
experiences) Africa using the interactive map on
http://worldmap.harvard.edu/africamap/. Students will
apply the “Population Density” feature and, based on what
they have learned about climate and geographic regions,
make predictions about why there are more people living in
certain geographic regions than others.
2. Statement of
TLW: st
21 Century Skills
Objectives The students will investigate how environmental conditions such as
(specification of behaviors drought led to the development of the mining industry in Sub- __TC X CT X TL
students will perform;
Saharan Africa. Students will connect the competition for natural
TSW) __A X GA
resources to the large migration of the population to urban settings
in order to work in the mines. Students will also learn about the
types of natural resources found in Sub-Saharan Africa and their
uses.
3. Teacher Input 1. Students will present their theories about population GP Paper from previous activity 10 minutes
(Through some means, migration that they compiled during the Focus &
teacher presents Review to the class. The teacher should ask probing
information; tell, read,
relate, show, model) questions that guide discussion toward the scarcity of
4. Guided and competition for natural resources.
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29. English Language Arts
Thursday: Folktales
Focus and Review: “Mufaro’s Beautiful
Daughters”
TLW (general topics): Four types of
folktales and the elements of each
Activities: PowerPoint, folktale
activity, write own folktale
30.
31.
32. African Culture Day
Students will present the information
about their tribes.
Museum Box Tribe member
Mining Company
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Rain dance Folktale