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Overview:
In this lesson, students will learn basic facts about the Middle East by exploring maps of the region. They will use National Geographic's Hot Spot: Iraq Web site to practice basic map skills by reading maps and drawing their own. Finally, they will learn basic information about the countries on their maps and label that information on their own maps, comparing what they have learned about the geography of the Middle East with the geography of the United States.
[Note: This lesson is written for students living in the United States. If you are teaching outside the U.S., you may want to substitute the maps of the U.S. with maps of the country you are in.]
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"
Time:
One to two hours
Materials Required:
- Computer with Internet access
- Blank Xpeditions outline maps of the Middle East region, one for each student
- Blank Xpeditions outline maps of Iraq, one for each student
- Blank Xpeditions outline maps of the United States, one for each student
- Globe or wall map of the world
- Wall map of North America or the United States
- Writing and drawing/coloring materials
- (Optional) A page for each student with outlines of the flags of Iraq, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Turkey, Lebanon, Israel, Cyprus, Kuwait, and Jordan; or a page with ten empty rectangles for students to use when drawing the flags
Objectives:
Students will
- learn basic map skills by exploring maps of the Middle East region;
- learn basic information about countries in the Middle East region;
- draw their own maps using the information they have learned;
- color in maps of Iraq and the Middle East; and
- compare and contrast geographic features of the U.S. and the Middle East.
Geographic Skills:
Acquiring Geographic Information
Organizing Geographic Information
S u g g e s t e d P r o c e d u r e
Opening:
As a class, explore the maps at the National Geographic's Hot Spot: Iraq Web site. On a globe or large map of the world, locate the Middle East region. Point to each of the countries as you say its name and ask students to repeat the names. Repeat this exercise with the major bodies of water (e.g., the Persian Gulf, the Red Sea, and the Tigris and Euphrates rivers).
Development:
Give each student a copy of the Xpeditions outline map of the Middle East region (borders on). Have them use National Geographic''s Hot Spot: Iraq site to locate Iraq on their individual maps; ask them to color it in.
Next, give each student an Xpeditions atlas outline map of Iraq. Students can work in small groups of three or four and help each other fill in their individual maps. They will need to look at this political/physical map of Iraq:
- Write the word "Iraq" inside the borders of Iraq.
- Color each country a different color.
- Draw in the two main rivers in Iraq, the Tigris and the Euphrates.
- Mark the areas that appear to be sand or desert, and the areas that appear to be green with vegetation.
[Note: Older children or those with stronger writing skills can fill in the map with more details.]
Have the students look at the flags that represent the countries shown on the map (Iraq, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Turkey, Lebanon, Israel, Cyprus, Kuwait, and Jordan). Ask students to draw and color in the flags underneath the map, or on a separate sheet of paper. [Note: It may help younger children if you provide them with outlines of the flags prepared beforehand, or even a page with empty rectangles for them to fill in.]
Closing:
Have students share their maps with students from other groups. What have they learned in this lesson?
Suggested Student Assessment:
Give each student a copy of a blank Xpeditions map of the United States (basic format, with the borders on). Ask students to look at a wall map of the U.S. and fill in the major features they see (e.g., large cities, rivers, and lakes). Next, ask them to make a list of the features they see on both maps. For example, are there bodies of water or mountain ranges in the U.S. that remind them of areas of the Middle East? Do the deserts of the Southwest remind them of the deserts of Saudi Arabia?
Extending the Lesson:
Have students use the Flags and Facts section of National Geographic's MapMachine to draw the flags of the United States and their home state. Are there any flags from the countries in the Middle East that have similar colors or features?
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