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Overview:
This lesson asks students to analyze the "Afghanistan: Land in Crisis" map (available in print and online) to determine how the physical geography of this region affects the lifestyles of the individuals who live there. Students will be asked to consider how, particularly in a time of conflict, topography influences the locations of refugee camps and the paths refugees might take to leave the area.
Connections to the Curriculum:
Geography
Connections to the National Geography Standards:
Standard 1: "How to use maps and other geographic representations, tools, and technologies to acquire, process, and report information from a spatial perspective"
Standard 3: "How to analyze the spatial organization of people, places, and environments on Earth's
surface"
Standard 15: "How physical systems affect human systems"
Time:
Two to three hours
Materials Required:
Objectives:
Students will
- study a refugee map of Afghanistan;
- locate the largest concentrations of refugee camps and characteristics of their locations;
- compare the refugee map with a satellite map of the region;
- determine how physical traits of the areas might impact the refugee camps; and
- create theories to explain why particular locations were chosen for the refugee camps.
Geographic Skills:
Acquiring Geographic Information
Organizing Geographic Information
Analyzing Geographic Information
S u g g e s t e d P r o c e d u r e
Opening:
With students, review "Refugees Flee War and Famine," one of the inset maps of the "Afghanistan: Land in Crisis" map. (Map is available in print and online.) Ask students to study the map and note as many details as possible about areas in Afghanistan where there are a greater number of refugee camps. What countries do these camps border? Which are the largest cities in these areas? Are there any bodies of water near the camps?
Development:
Have students compare what they found on the "Refugees" map with "Afghanistan: Land in Crisis," which is a satellite map of that region. Students should apply the information they collected about refugee camps to the satellite map. On the paper version of the map, students can use small Post-it® notes to mark the locations of refugees.
Closing:
Students should describe, on paper or aloud, the geographic features of those areas. Challenge students to create theories based on the data on the maps, recent news reports, and prior knowledge of geography, about why there are more refugees in one area than another. Students can use "Afghanistan: Land in Crisis" and the National Geographic News article, Afghanistan's "Hidden Caves" a Myth, Experts Say, for research.
Suggested Student Assessment:
Have students write a diary entry as if they were refugees, describing their journey. The entry should include descriptions of how the terrain and the climate impacted their endeavors. The diary entries should also reflect a deep understanding of the culture of Afghanistan. Students can visit some of the related web sites below to gather more information.
Extending the Lesson:
Students who seek more enrichment may choose to print the Xpeditions map of Afghanistan and mark towns mentioned in the news each evening on their own map. Students can then compare their map with the satellite map, paying special attention to areas with a great deal of refugee activity. A new diary entry can be entered whenever new events occur.
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