Our story is a little different. Our biological daugher is 10 years old and really looks nothing like us. Our adopted daughter is 6 years old. We’ve had her about 1 1/2 years and she looks much more like me. People who don’t know us but know we’ve adopted would assume the 10 year old is the adopted child.

1. 2 days ago Laramie County School District 1’s Social Studies Department is conducting a curriculum materials adoption and the public can help in the adoption process. Social studies materials for grades four, five and six, along with materials for AP Human Geography and AP World History-Modern, will be available to the public for a 45-day review.
2. A wide range of different Geography activities for children that help make learning Geography fun. You can find colourful geography worksheets here as well as flag quizzes and map quizzes. There are also flags to colour in and blank maps, all useful for the study and learning of Geography.
3. Turns out, his dad Thad Smith also saw the Facebook post, and discussed adopting the children with his wife, Loryn. 'I think we're called to a deeper purpose than coming home, and closing our.

Back to lesson plans archiveJune 13, 2013

Middle East and North Africa geography – Lesson Plan

By Leah Fabel, Washington, DC

Subjects

Geography and History

Estimated Time

Two or three 45-minute class periods

Grade Level

9 – 12

Objective

Students will be able to:

1. Find the Middle East and North Africa on a map of the world, and know the location of the countries and capitals within the Middle East and North Africa.
2. Understand and give examples of the diversity in the region, distinguishing from prevailing stereotypes.
3. Understand and analyze the geographic history of the region, from its ancient empires to its 20th century colonial powers.
4. Apply geographic knowledge to a 1941 newspaper article about the political future of the region.
5. Evaluate the arguments made in the article, and the cultural perspective of the writer.
6. Embark upon further study of the region, whether the unit concerns history or current affairs.

Overview

This lesson plan gives students an overview of the region’s geographical past, while exposing students to the complexity and diversity of the region. It also ensures a basic geographical starting point for any unit plan about the region, or for any mini-unit delving into Middle Eastern current affairs.

Background

Throughout history, the geography of the Middle East has been at the heart of many of its most critical political and cultural moments. An understanding of not only its present-day geography, but also its historical geography, is essential for any student eager to understand what’s going on in the region, and why.

Procedure

DAY 1

1. Hand out unlabeled maps of the Middle East and North Africa to each student. (Maps can be found at National Geographic — there is a specific one for the Middle East Region, but a map of Africa needs to suffice for North Africa.)
2. (5 min) Working with a neighbor and a sheet of scratch paper, have students brainstorm a list of as many Middle Eastern and North African countries and capital cities as they can think of. Ask who was able to come up with 10/20/30 responses. Gauge to what extent students actually have a geographic knowledge of the region.
3. Come back together as a class for a short discussion before labeling the maps together.

Discussion questions:

1. What is the Middle East? Where did the term come from? (Is it in the “middle” of anywhere?)
2. Is it a defined land mass, or can it have different definitions?
3. If we don’t mean an defined set of countries, what do we mean by Middle East?
4. As a class, come up with a list of qualities generally assumed to be similar about Middle Eastern countries. As students do this, point out anomalies. They might say “Muslim,” for example. That’s generally true, but point out that several Middle Eastern countries (e.g. Egypt, Lebanon, Jordan and Syria) have sizable Christian populations, and that more than 80 percent of Israeli citizens are Jewish. If they say “Arabic,” point out that Moroccan Arabic is almost unintelligible to an Arabic speaker in Jordan or Syria, for example. In Iran, the majority speaks Farsi (also called Persian).
5. Using an overhead or a projection screen, label the countries and capitals/major cities of the Middle East and North Africa: Turkey (Istanbul, Ankara), Syria (Damascus), Iraq (Baghdad), Iran (Tehran), Jordan (Amman), Israel/Palestine (Jerusalem, Tel Aviv), Lebanon (Beirut), Saudi Arabia (Riyadh, Mecca), Kuwait (Kuwait City), Bahrain (Manama), Qatar (Doha), UAE (Abu Dhabi), Oman (Muscat), Yemen (Sanaa), Algeria (Algiers), Libya (Tripoli), Morocco (Rabat), Tunisia (Tunis), Egypt (Cairo), as well as major bodies of water (students may find this is more neatly done on a new map altogether): Mediterranean Sea, Black Sea, Red Sea, Suez Canal, Persian Gulf, Strait of Hormuz, Gulf of Oman, Arabian Sea, Gulf of Aden, Bab el Mandeb (Teacher’s note: Strait of Hormuz and Bab el Mandeb are especially important if you’re going to do a lesson on oil production/transportation.)
6. Working with a partner and using in-class resources such as the Internet or almanacs, list on a graphic organizer each country’s predominant religion and % who identify with it; predominant language and % who identify with it; form of government, current leader, and his/her years in power. (Teacher’s note: If you do not have access to the Internet, make copies of almanac pages for each country — or for the countries on which you want students to focus. Scatter the pages around the room, and have students move from station to station gathering the info from each page.)

Homework

The boundaries of the modern Middle East largely are a 20th century, post-WWI creation. To understand the modern dynamic of the region, however, it’s important to be aware of the boundaries and the leaders that existed for centuries before.

In a summary paragraph of 10 sentences or less (rubric below), summarize the time period, geographic reach and defining political and cultural traits of of one of the following: (Or, assign students one of the following, so as to make sure at least one person does each empire or caliphate.)

• The Ottoman Empire
• The Byzantine Empire
• The Abbasid Caliphate
• The Fatimid Caliphate
• The Umayyad Caliphate

(Differentiation for special needs students: Depending on the skill level of your students, assign this as a completely independent research project, or give them a reading such as a Wikipedia page or a section from a textbook that contains the information requested. As a modification for students with disabilities, highlight for them key passages of the reading.)

10-point rubric:

2 pts: Paragraph includes the time period that this empire or caliphate was in power.

3 pts: Paragraph includes the capital of the empire/caliphate, as well as its reach at the peak of its power.

2 pts: Paragraph includes the dominant religion of this empire or caliphate. Student should distinguish whether the Muslim rulers are Sunni or Shiite.

3 pts: Paragraph includes one of the most important historical legacies of this empire or caliphate (e.g. brought Islam to North Africa), and at least two cultural or political details of the empire or caliphate.

DAY 2:

1. For each empire/caliphate, call on one student to share his/her summary. Students should take notes or use a graphic organizer to record information about each empire/caliphate.

2. Discussion: What does this information tell you about the region’s history with democratic rule? What about its history as individual countries? In the absence of a strong sense of nationality, to what do you think people felt loyal? (Tribe? Religion? Town? Employer? Family?)

3. Explain to students that you will now focus on post-WWI Middle East. After the fall of the Ottoman Empire, European colonial powers became a greater influence. Using maps and colored pencils, have students shade countries based on their colonial power (or, in some cases, their relative independence in the 20th cent.)

• Turkey: independent (following fall of Ottoman Empire)
• Syria: France
• Iraq: Great Britain
• Iran: independent
• Jordan: Great Britain
• Israel: independent (gained statehood in 1948)
• Palestine: Great Britain
• Lebanon: France
• Saudi Arabia: independent
• Kuwait: Great Britain
• Bahrain: independent (with some British oversight)
• Qatar: independent (with some British oversight)
• United Arab Emirates: independent (with some British oversight)
• Oman independent (with some British oversight)
• Yemen: independent (with some British oversight)
• Algeria: France
• Libya: Italy
• Morocco: France
• Tunisia: France
• Egypt: Britain

Homework

Have students read “Moslem Federation,” Washington Post, May 1941. Working in pairs or groups, have students start on homework questions.

Differentiation for special needs students

Highlight for students the key passages in the article. For students who struggle with comprehension skills, answer question number two for them. Also, if necessary, delete question number five.

Extension Activities

Students can research a country currently facing political turmoil and write a piece in the tone of “Moslem Federation” offering modern day guidance concerning U.S. foreign policy.

Further learning:

Depending on how teachers choose to focus their unit plans, the following video clips are excellent examples of recent protests and democracy movements in the Middle East. Each would require a briefing for students about the modern history of the country. In Libya, for example, students would need to know that following Italian colonial rule, Libya was led by King Idris (1951-1969). Qaddafi took power from Idris in a 1969 coup, and has been in power ever since.

Tags:

The Materials You Need

Additional Resources for Teachers

Standards

Relevant National Standards:

Geography

• Standard 1: Understands the characteristics and uses of maps, globes, and other geographic toolsand technologies
• Standard 2: Knows the location of places, geographic features and patterns of the environment
• Standard 3: Understands the characteristics and uses of spatial organization of the Earth’s surface
• Standard 4: Understands the physical and human characteristics of place
• Standard 5: Understands the concept of regions
• Standard 6: Understands that culture and experience influence people’s perceptions of places andregions

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Our Europe Facts for Kids share lots of interesting and fun facts on the European continent.

Europe is the second smallest continent in size but the third largest in population. The European continent houses 50 countries. Of the European countries, 27 nations belong to the European Union (EU) which is a political and economic union. Read more about the EU here.

Top 20 Europe Facts

1. The European continent is located completely in the northern hemisphere and mainly in the eastern hemisphere. Europe borders onto the Arctic Ocean in the North, the Atlantic Ocean in the west and the Mediterranean Sea in the South.

2. There are 50 countries in Europewith a total of more than 742 million people living on the continent. Of these 50 countries only 44 have their capital city on the European continent!

3. Largest country: The European part of Russia covers more area than any other country. The three largest countries are: Russia, the Ukraine and France. Read our Russia facts here.

4. Largest capital city: Moscow. The Russian capital city houses more than 13 million inhabitants within the city limits. Saint Petersburg is Russia's second largest city with 5.3 million inhabitants. Moscow is the largest city that is entirely on the European continent!

5. Smallest country: Vatican City is the smallest country not only in Europe, but also in the world. The city state, an enclave within Italy, is the smallest country both by population and by size.

6. Biggest island: Greenland is the largest island which belongs to Europe - and is commonly referred to as the largest island in the world. The biggest island in Europe is Great Britain/UK.

7. Smallest town: Hum in Croatia is the smallest town not only in Europe but in the world. The town has only 21 inhabitants. Read more about Croatia here.

8. Most populous city: Istanbul, the biggest city in Turkey is commonly referred to as Europe's largest city. Bomb itgraffiti movies & documentaries. However, Istanbul is located on two continents: the western part belongs to Europe while the eastern parts belongs to the Asian continent. Istanbul houses about 17 million people.

However, the most populous city that is located entirely in Europe is Moscow!

9. Most densely populated country: Monaco. The principality bordering the Mediterranean is the most densely populated country in the world.

10. Europe is the continent with the highest population density, which means on the European continent live the biggest number of people per square kilometre or square mile.

11. Northernmost town: Ny-Ålesundon Svalbard in Norway. Only about 35 people live there all year round, but in summer, there are about 120 people staying in the town. The town is used as a base for explorations and research.

12. Northernmost capital city: Reykjavík in Iceland is Europe's and the world's most northern capital city. Read more about Iceland here.

13.Largest landlocked country: Kazakhstan is the largest landlocked country in Europe and in the world. 18 million people live in Kazakhstan which is among the ten biggest countries in the world.

Landlocked countries in Europe: Many countries in Europe, mainly in central Europe, do not have access to an Ocean and share national borders only with other countries. These are landlocked countries in Europe:

Andorra, Armenia, Austria, Belarus, Switzerland, Czech Republic, Hungary, Kazakhstan, Kosovo, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Liechtenstein, Luxemburg, Slovakia, Serbia, Moldova, Macedonia, San Marino and Vatican City.

San Marino and Vatican City are landlocked inside Italy, and Liechtenstein is double landlocked as it is landlocked also by countries Austria and Switzerland that are also landlocked by other countries.

14. Highest mountain: Mount Elbrus in Russia (5642 m/ 18510 ft) is the highest mountain in Europe. The mountain is part of the Caucasus mountain range.

The highest peak in the European Alps is Mont Blanc. The mountain which is 4810 m/ 15781 ft high sits on the border of Italy and France. The Alps are also the longest and highest mountain range that is located entirely in Europe!

15. Longest river: The Volga River in Russia is Europe's longest river. It is 3692 km/ 2295 miles long.

16. Most important commercial waterway: Danube. The river that flows through ten countries is the second longest river in Europe with 2860 km/ 1777 miles.

17. Largest port: The port of Rotterdam in the Netherlands is the largest and busiest container port in Europe.

18.Longest Coastline: Norway has the longest coastline in Europe with over 100 000km/ 62000 miles; and it is the second longest in the world. Read more about Norway.

Adopted Kids Club By Rachelalamo World Geography 2nd Edition

19. Biggest Lake: Lake Ladoga near Saint Petersburg in Russia is Europe's biggest lake and one of the world's largest freshwater lakes. The lake is slightly smaller than Lake Ontario, which borders the USA and Canada.

20. Largest waterfalls: The Rhine Falls in Switzerland is the largest plain waterfall in Europe. They are 150 m/ 492 ft wide and 23 m/ 75 ft high.

More Facts about Europe

Europe Facts | People: About 10% of the world's population lives in Europe. In Russia, about 78% of the population, that is more than 110 million people live in the European part of the the world's largest country. Most of the European population groups, almost 90%, belong to one of the three Indo-European language groups of the Slavic, Romance and Germanic language groups.

Europe Facts | Languages: Most European languages belong to either the Romance languages (such as French, Italian, Spanish), the Germanic languages (among them are German, English) or the Slavic languages (among them Russian, Bulgarian, Polish). Russian is the language with most native speakers (about 100 million), while English as the 'lingua franca' is the language spoken by most people as first and second language (about 270 million people). The five most spoken native languages in Europe are Russian, German, French English, Turkish and Italian.

Europe Facts | Religion: Most of the European people are Christians (76%) and there are smaller numbers of Muslims (6%) and Jews and other beliefs. About 18% of all Europeans consider themselves as atheist or not religious.

Europe Facts | Animals: In Europe, there are 270 species of mammals, such as boar, bat, deer, hare and otter. Of all mammal species 15% are endangered among them the wolf, bear and the lynx. There are 75 species of amphibians in Europe, most of them are endemic species in Southern Europe such as newts and salamanders. Slightly more than half of the 800 European bird species breed in Europe, all others migrate to warmer regions during the cold winter months.

Europe Facts | Natural resources: Metals such as zinc and silver and minerals such as copper, iron ore and coal are found in Europe. Some areas in northern Europe have deposits of natural gas and oil. Common agricultural produce that are farmed in Europe are wheat, potatoes, olives, grapes, oranges.

Europe Facts | Agriculture: About 39% of the land area in Europe is grassland or used for growing crops. The most common crops are cereals such as wheat, maize and barley as well as sugar beets, potatoes, vegetables and fruits and wine. France is Europe's biggest producer of agricultural products.

Europe Facts | History: The first humans appeared on the continent about 35,000 BC. The Minoan civilisation in the Bronze Age is seen as the first culture establishing trade and 'technology' from 2700BC. Among the many ethnic groups of the continent, the Greek tribes and the Germanic and the Italic people (later also the Roman Empire) had vast influences on the whole region as had the Celts. Later during the Middle Ages, the population increased due to the Vikings, Mongols, Huns, Magyars, Tartars and many other peoples that arrived and settled in the area. Europe's modern history is largely influenced by wars, such as the 30-Year-War (1618-1648), the French Revolution (1789) and the two World Wars in the 20th century. During World War I (1914-1918) more than 8 million people lost their lives and in World War II (1939-1945) over 18 million people died on the battlefields, during bombardment of the towns and cities and in Nazi concentration camps. In 1993, the European Union was established which today includes 28 countries.

Europe Facts | Landmarks: Five out of the top ten tourist destinations in the world are located in Europe. France is the number 1 tourist destination in the world with about 90 million international tourist arrivals per year.

Among the most visited tourist sites and landmarks in Europe are:

• Tower of London, Parliament and Buckingham Palace, London Eye or Tate Modern in London/England, which is the National British museum of modern and contemporary art
• Eiffel Tower in France
• Neuschwanstein Castle in Germany
• Alhambra in Spain
• Kremlin in Russia
• Acropolis in Greece
• Colosseo in Rome

Now test your Europe Geo Knowledge with our Europe Quiz

Popular Pages

Useful Resources for Europe Facts:

See Full List On Pbs.org

• World Economic Forum: Monaco is the world's most densely populated place. Last accessed on 9 April 2020
• Svalbard: The northernmost town in the world. Last accessed on 9 April 2020
• Reykjavík Tourism: Capital Area. Last accessed on 9 April 2020
• World Economic Forum: World Happiness Index 2019. Last accessed on 9 April 2020
• United Nations: Population. Last accessed on 9 April 2020
• UNWTO: Tourism Highlights 2018. Last accessed on 9 April 2020
• EEA: Agriculture in Europe. Last accessed on 9 April 2020

Adopted Kids Club By Rachelalamo World Geography 14th Edition

Public Review Of Social Studies Curriculum | News ..

Image Credits on Europe Facts page: Shutterstock.com and wikipedia commons