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Overview:
While the Kalahari Desert may be a harsh physical environment, it is also an environment rich with biological diversity. This seeming contradiction sets the stage for the giant-screen film Roar: Lions of the Kalahari, which documents a lion pride's struggle for survival in this unmerciful land. [It is not mandatory that students view the film in combination with this lesson, but because the film illustrates the content covered in the lesson, it can be a great accompaniment.]
In this lesson, students will study the biota—or flora and fauna—of the Kalahari Desert, and the importance of the lion's role as predator within this ecosystem. Students will work in groups to develop skits (for in-class presentation) that will depict aspects of animal life in the Kalahari Desert.
Connections to the Curriculum:
Geography, zoology
Connections to the National Geography Standards:
Standard 8: "The characteristics and spatial distribution of ecosystems on Earth's surface"
Time:
Two to three hours
Materials Required:
- Computer with Internet access
- Print or online dictionary
- Writing materials
- Index cards
- Costume making supplies (e.g., face paint, [colored] paper, tape, paper plates, etc.)
Objectives:
Students will
- discuss their general impression of desert environments;
- conduct a vocabulary search to define terminology related to this lesson;
- read and answer questions about the Kalahari Xeric Savanna;
- distinguish and describe animal roles in a food chain;
- conduct research for presentations on the role of the lion in African ecosystems;
- work in groups to develop skits (for in-class presentation) depicting aspects of animal life in the Kalahari Desert;
- read and discuss the current problem of big cat ownership; and
- read about the historic Tsavo man-eating lions.
Geographic Skills:
Asking Geographic Questions
Acquiring Geographic Information
Organizing Geographic Information
Answering Geographic Questions
Analyzing Geographic Information
S u g g e s t e d P r o c e d u r e
Opening:
Ask students what images come to their minds when they hear the word "desert." What would they expect to find in a desert environment? Do they think of deserts as merely desolate regions, or might they in fact be environments capable of supporting diverse populations of plant and animal life?
Development:
Activity 1:
Divide students into small groups, and have them use a print or online dictionary to define the following terms:
- Ecoregion
- Food Chain
- Predator
- Prey
- Savanna
- Ungulate
- Xeric
When students have found the definitions for the new vocabulary, have them access the Internet to research World Wildlife's Ecoregion Profile on the Kalahari Xeric Savanna.
As students read, have them continue to work in their groups to make separate lists recording the plants and animals mentioned in the article, and prepare written responses to the questions below:
"Where the Kalahari Lion is King"
- What "extremely harsh conditions" characterize this ecoregion?
"Special Features"
- How is rainfall described?
- How is the ecoregion's weather summarized?
"Did You Know?"
- In what ways are the Kalahari's lions distinct from other African lions?
"Wild Side"
- How do local ungulate populations increase their young's chances for survival?
- What might cause scarcity of ungulate populations in this ecoregion? How might the lack of antelope affect the dietary habits of lions?
- What other "items" might find their way onto the Kalahari lion's "menu" during such times?
As an alternative to the written activity, students may answer similar questions in this interactive: Kalahari: Where Lion is King.
Activity 2:
Facilitate a class discussion in which students share the definitions they've found for "food chain", "predator", and "prey." Ask students to write the names of the plants and animals they read about on index cards. Then, have them group the cards into predator and prey and then organize them into a food chain or web. Discuss with students the ways in which some of the animals are grouped together, and the ways in which some animals can be both predator and prey, and how changes in environmental conditions of the Kalahari Xeric Savanna (e.g., an abundance of rain, or lack thereof) affect the full range of the ecoregion's food chain.
Activity 3:
Draw students' attention to the lion at the top of the food chain. Lions are Africa's largest land predators.
Have students access National Geographic's Lion: Be the Creature, to gain more information about lions and their role in the ecoregions they are studying. Have students use this Web site to develop a presentation on lions. Students can use the questions below to help them target their research.
Presentations may consist of posters, oral reports, or another format as defined by the teacher.
Introductory Page
- Describe the contents of the wildlife photo on this page.
- The Kratt brothers describe lions as "killing machine[s]." In what other ways do the brothers describe them?
"Field Notes"
- What is unusual about lions attacking an elephant?
- Are the lions "bad" for attacking an elephant? Why, or why not?
- According to the Kratt brothers, what environmental factor will likely bring about a shift in the lion's hunting focus?
- Describe "lion time."
- Do the Kratt brothers consider themselves safe in their open-air truck? Why, or why not?
- What are lions “programmed” to do? What example is given by the Kratt brothers to illustrate this point?
"Creature Guide"
- Have students read through this section of the link and take notes on one, if not several, of the lion characteristics listed that they find the most interesting.
Closing:
In closing, ask students to share what characteristics (e.g., physiological, social, etc.) make lions well suited for life in an environment as harsh as the Kalahari Desert.
Suggested Student Assessment:
Have students do a role-playing activity in groups of four, based on the "food chain" concept discussed in this lesson. Group skits should include various biota recorded during their research of the Kalahari Xeric Savanna, and should illustrate the interrelation of "predator and prey". For example, students might create a skit based on lion attacks on elephants; such a skit could express the elephants' desire for the rains to come so that the lions will start to target returning zebras.
Extending the Lesson:
- Ask for a show of hands from students who would like to have a lion as a pet. Then ask for a show of hands from students who think having lions as pets would not be good idea. Have students read the news article Big Cats as House Pets. Ask students who expressed an interest in having a lion as a pet, whether knowing what they now know changes their response to big cat ownership? Why, or why not?
- Have students visit Lion Ghosts of Africa to read about how two man-eating lions in Tsavo went on a rampage back in 1898 leaving 135 railroad workers dead. Although this case is unique, it helps illustrate why these graceful creatures command extreme caution and respect. Following the reading, students may take the Online Quiz to test their comprehension of the information in the article.
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