Students are introduced to the physical geography of North Africa. They create a map that identifies significant physical features of the region. Then they focus on the connection between North Africa’s geographic location and the migration patterns, religious beliefs, and languages in North Africa. Finally, they research the issue of desertification, explaining its causes and possible solutions.
Students view a photograph of a North African city and post responses on a collaborative wall describing what they see and where they think the location might be. They then read a brief introduction to the experience and review the lesson objectives. Next, they contribute at least one question they have about North Africa to a shared class table.
Teacher MovesFacilitate discussion of students’ observations and guesses, revealing that the image shows Morocco and highlighting visual clues such as the sea, climate, architecture, and city walls. Review the objectives for the experience and explain that students’ questions about North Africa will be revisited at the end of the unit to check how their understanding has grown.
Students begin with a blank map of North Africa and, using information from North African Geography, label the countries of the region and their capital cities, as well as major physical and climatic features such as the Nile River, Atlantic Ocean, Mediterranean Sea, Sahara Desert, Atlas Mountains, Nile Delta, and key climate zones. They annotate their maps with at least one fact about the Mediterranean coast, Sahara Desert, Atlas Mountains, and Nile Delta, and examine photographs in the article to deepen their sense of place.
Teacher MovesSupport students in locating features that are not clearly labeled on the article’s maps, particularly the Atlantic Ocean and Mediterranean Sea. Emphasize that students’ annotated maps will serve as a reference for later learning about North Africa’s geography and encourage interested students to read beyond the required sections of the article.
Students read The People of North Africa up to the “Contemporary Life” section to explore how physical geography relates to migration, religion, and language in the region. Using a graphic organizer, they take notes in three categories: historic migrations, spread of world religions, and languages. They then answer a series of poll questions about the impact of the camel on travel and trade, the major religions in North Africa, the most common written language, and the historical reason French is spoken in Morocco.
Teacher MovesGuide students in connecting details from the reading to each section of the graphic organizer, prompting them to explain how geography has shaped migration routes, religious diffusion, and language patterns. Use the poll results to check for understanding, clarify misconceptions about religions and languages in North Africa, and reinforce key ideas such as the role of the camel, the spread of Islam and Christianity, and the influence of colonialism on language.
Students are introduced to the concept of desertification and conduct online research about its definition, causes, effects, and possible solutions, using sources such as What Is Desertification?, Green Facts: Desertification, and United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification as starting points. They create a report that includes a clear definition, causes, impacts on people, animals, and plants, at least two strategies to reverse or reduce desertification, and at least one illustrative image. Students then share their reports or links to digital presentations on a discussion wall and participate in a whole-group activity to identify and discuss the most promising solutions.
Teacher MovesClarify the concept of desertification and set expectations for the research report, including required components and acceptable digital formats. Direct students to the suggested websites as reliable starting points and support them in evaluating information and images. After students post their work, facilitate a class discussion using the wall to compare proposed solutions, highlight realistic and sustainable approaches, and connect desertification to broader themes of human–environment interaction in North Africa.
Students complete the exit quiz by answering all the questions.
Teacher MovesFacilitate the assessment and use student data to evaluate understanding, address misconceptions, and identify areas for growth.
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