Purpose:

To practice basic map skills while reviewing the location and physical features of Africa.

Materials:

Wall maps, globes, atlases, Internet access, and other reference materials

Map of the World for each student

Index cards

Suggested Activities:

Using available globes and atlases, have students work in pairs to label and color the United States, your state, Africa, Ghana, Uganda, Rwanda, South Africa, Botswana and Senegal on the map of the world. Add major oceans. Determine distance in miles from your home state to the colored countries, and between the countries on the President’s trip.

Ask a travel agent to come in and explain how they determine air routes to places like Ghana, Uganda, Rwanda, South Africa, Botswana and Senegal. Have students plot the routes on their maps. If possible, make copies of flight schedules so students can practice reading tables.

Divide the class into five groups, and assign each group a geographic area (Europe, Asia, North America/Central America, South America, Africa). Have students label a set of index cards with the names of the countries in that region (one country per card). Collect and shuffle the cards, then have students choose one. Ask students to make up two more index cards for the country they drew -- one card for three facts about that country's geography, and another with three facts about its people/culture. Students can use the cards to play "Concentration", to make a bulletin board, or as study aids.

Shuffle the country name cards and randomly distribute them so that every student has one. Have students group themselves by categories of your choice, e.g., continents, hemispheres, language, and so on.