Program Goals

Phelps Center for Gifted Education

934 S. Kimbrough

Spri= ngfield, M= O 65806=

(417) 523 - 3300

Expedition Africa

= W.I.N.G.S. Middle School Major Unit

Fall 2006

Catherine Gilpin, Resource Teacher

(home) 889 – 0131 (Phelps) 523 – 330= 0

cgilpin@spsmail.org=

I. &n= bsp; = ; Overall Concept of the Unit

Africa, for so long considered “The Dark Continent”, shrouded in mystery

and the subject of great misapprehe= nsions and misleadings, is still, to many of us, an unknown and misunderstood land mass; home to Tarzan and Jane Goodall; jungles and lions; and, “Are t= here still cannibals?”

&= nbsp; Expedition Africa is an interdisciplinary unit that= will permit W.I.N.G.S. students to make a brief survey of the rich and diverse cultures, geography and history of the African continent, both Saharan and sub-Saharan. Students will investigate this diversity in order to arrive at a clearer understanding of= the forces, both physical and political, which have gone into the making of mod= ern Africa, and to gain an appreciation of African achievements.

&= nbsp; Barry K. Beyer once said, “Africa must be studied from the inside, in its own terms.= No culture or region can be accurately understood or analyzed through the values and assumptions of another culture.” In this course, every effort will = be made to present the African point of view throughout.

&= nbsp; Students will study selected, representative countries and will develop a grasp of t= he sweep of history before choosing a direction in which they wish to do perso= nal research; and, ultimately, create a personal project.

II. &= nbsp; &nbs= p; Unit Rationale

Research has shown that gifted students have specific educational needs. S= ome of these needs that will be addressed in this course are:

In the cognitive domain:

o = To be exposed to new and challenging information about the environment and the culture (aesthetic, economic, political and social aspects).

o = To acquire early mastery of basic sk= ills.

o = To have access to challenging curric= ulum and intellectual peers.

o = To develop a tolerance for ambiguity= .

In the affective domain:<= /span>

o = To confront and interact with the va= lue system of others.

o = To explore issues related to the wor= ld community, awareness of personal talents contributing to world issues, and commitment to humanity.

&nbs= p;

III. = Course Objectives

Students will be able to recognize some of the different cultures, peoples, biomes and historic and political trends in African history, and relate them to modern day African states. Students will be sensitive to poin= t of view regarding African history and affairs. Students will be able to pursue an element of African studies which intrigues them and share it with their pee= rs and family through a personal presentation.

&nbs= p;

IV. &= nbsp; Applied Thinking Skills

Critical

IH. Judgi= ng the accuracy of presented information

IJ. Identifying assumptions

IL. Interacting with others

Creative Thinking Skills<= /o:p>

IIF. Synth= esizing

Analytic

IIIA. Recognizing attri= butes

IIIB. Comparing a= nd contrasting

IIIJ. Evaluating<= o:p>

Organizational<= /h6>
IVB. Formulating quest= ions

IVF. Goal setting/plan= ning/designing

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V. &n= bsp; Applied Affective Skills

To develop Personal and Group Process Skills

IVE.= Develop group dynamic skills.

To develop Life Skills

VA.&= nbsp; Recognize ethical behaviors

VI. &= nbsp; Topics of Study

Ø Geography/biomes

Ø Afro-centrism vs. Euro-centrism

Ø Ancient Civilizations

Ø Explorers

Ø East Africa

Ø West Africa

Ø South Africa

Ø Saharan Africa

Ø Animals/ecosystem/endangered animals

Ø Art & music

Ø Current events

Ø Literature

Ø Independent study/research

&nbs= p;

VII.   =        Teaching Techniques and Student Activities
Teacher-d= irected instruction     &n= bsp;            = ;            &n= bsp;           Co-= operative group activities

Guest Spe= akers        &= nbsp;           &nbs= p;            &= nbsp;           &nbs= p;            &= nbsp;        Reading

Whole cla= ss activities     &nb= sp;            =             &nb= sp;            =              Multi-sensory activities

Technolog= y        &= nbsp;           &nbs= p;            &= nbsp;           &nbs= p;            &= nbsp;           &nbs= p; Simulations

Independe= nt activities     &nb= sp;            =             &nb= sp;            =           Research=

        &= nbsp;           &= nbsp;           &nbs= p;            &= nbsp;           &nbs= p;

VIII. = ; Resources to be Used

Bibliography upon request, including URLs, videos, CDs, speakers, etc. (always a work in progress).

IX. &= nbsp; Student Expectations

a.&n= bsp; If you come with a desire to learn new things and to make an effort to make the lives of those around you happier, I can think of nothing that matters more= .

b.&n= bsp; I do expect you to do all work assigned, including homework, unless you have cle= ared it with me; and I expect you to participate in class activities.=

c.&n= bsp; It’s very important to me that you are polite and respectful to each other, to m= e, and to other people we may be in contact with, such as guest speakers, and I will expect the same from myself.

d.&n= bsp; Talk with me if there’s something you don’t understand or are unsure= of, or happy about – I want to know!&nbs= p; 8-)

&nbs= p;

X. &n= bsp; Parent Expectations

a. We will be having some activities = where an extra pair of hands would be helpful.&n= bsp; If you are able to help, please indicate on the sign-up sheet below.=

b. I hope that you will be able to at= tend the personal project presentations at the end of the unit. We will be sending out invitations= for this at a later date.

XI. &= nbsp; Assessment

Independent projects will be assessed by a class created rubric. Other methods of assessment will i= nclude teacher observation, self-assessment, check-list, and technology.

MYSP Expedition Africa<= /b>

Sign-off Sheet

I have read the = Expedition Africa syllabus for Fall 2006.

Student’s name _______________________________________

Parent’s signature _____________________________________

My child has my permission to watch selected clips from movies that may be rated PG, PG-13 = or R, but have been carefully edited for this class.

Parent/Guardian signature ______________________________

---------------------------------------------= ------------------------------------------------

I will be able to h= elp with special activities with:

_______   only my child’s class -= Day   ____________=

_______   more than one class (2 or 3 -= __________)

Days and times that= are convenient for me are:

Phone #:

Please also let me know if you can be a guest speaker or know of someone who can.

Essential Questions for

Expedition Africa

(Teacher= )

What ca= n I learn about Africa that will help me to understand her:

v geography (5 themes)

Ø   wildlife – flora and fauna

v history

Ø   great ancient civilizations

Ø   world interaction

Ø   exploration

Ø   imperialism

v culture

Ø   art, music, crafts, food, languages, etc.

and,

1)&n= bsp;            begin to understand how these elemen= ts have contributed to the modern African States, and

2)&n= bsp;            gain a greater appreciation of the enormous diversity of Africa’s cul= tures and contributions.

(Student= )

What can I learn about Africa that will help me to know more about her and make me want to know more in future? How can I make sure t= hat I consider the African point of view in my learning?

The Show-Me Standards

DESE Social Studies GLE’s

World History -= Grades 9 – 12 Objectives

C= oncepts

2b.        &nbs= p;         2b. Knowledge of continuity and c= hange in the history of the world (World History)

A.   (1) Knowledge of contributio= ns and interactions of major world civilizations

De= scribe the dominant characteristics, contributions of, and interactions among major civilizations of Asia, Europe, Africa, the = Americas and the Middle East in ancient and medie= val times

B.   (3) Causes and effects of European overseas expansion

Assess the impact of the First Global Age (c. 1450 – c. 1770), including the Columbian Exchange= ; the origins and consequences of European overseas expansion; the effect of European arms and economic power= on other parts of the world; resulting transformations in the Americas, Africa, Asia and Europe and conflicts among European maritime and land powers.=

5.   Knowledge of= major elements of geographical study and analysis (such as location, place, movem= ent, regions) and their relationship to changes in society and the environment

T= ools of Social Science Inquiry

5.    Knowledge of the use of tools= of social science inquiry (such as surveys, statistics, maps and documents)

(1)<= span style=3D'font:7.0pt "Times New Roman"'>      =    Developing a research plan and identifying resources

(3)     Understanding fa= ct, opinion, bias and points of view in sources

(4)     Interpreting var= ious social-studies resources

= World History Grades 5 – 8

6) Cultural features of the historic African Empires (g= rade 6)

Investigate African Empires, including:

· agriculture, arts, gold produ= ction and the trans-Saharan caravan trade,

spread of Islam into Africa=

5) Knowledge of major elements of geographical study and analysis (such as location, place, movement, regions) and their relationship to changes in society and the environment (grade 8)<= /span>

·      = Analyze physical characteristics, such as climate, topography, relationship = to water and ecosystems

&mid= dot;      = Analyze human characteristics, such as people’s education, language, d= iversity, economies, religions, settlement patterns, ethnic background and political system

Relationships of Individual a= nd Groups to Institutions and Traditions

6.    Knowledge of relationships of the individual and groups to institut= ions and cultural traditions (grade 7)

C.   (3) Effects of actions, cultural, traditions and institutions<= /o:p>

Anal= yze how cultural traditions, human actions and institutions affect people’= ;s behavior

<= /p>

DESE Communication Arts GLE’s

Grades 9 – 12 Expectations

Listening and Speaking

3   Write effectively in various= forms and types of writing

D    GRADE 9-12 -= Compose texts

·            = ;        for various audiences and purposes, selecting and applying appropriate format, style,= tone and point of view

Information Lite= racy

1   Develop and apply effective = research process skills to gather, analyze and evaluate information

A    GRADE 9-12=

Develop an appropriate research plan to guide investigation and research of focus questions

Expedition Africa

I. &n= bsp; = ; Overall Concept of the Unit

II. &= nbsp; &nbs= p; Unit Rationale

III. = Course Objectives

IV. &= nbsp; Applied Thinking Skills

Critical

Creative Thinking Skills<= /o:p>

Analytic

Organizational<= /h6> IVB. Formulating quest= ions IVF. Goal setting/plan= ning/designing &nbs= p;

V. &n= bsp; Applied Affective Skills

To develop Personal and Group Process Skills

VIII. = ; Resources to be Used

IX. &= nbsp; Student Expectations

X. &n= bsp; Parent Expectations

XI. &= nbsp; Assessment

The Show-Me Standards

Organizational<= /h6>
IVB. Formulating quest= ions

IVF. Goal setting/plan= ning/designing

&nbs= p;