Teacher's Guide for APPLESEEDS Exploring the Sahara April 2002 This guide was prepared by Nancy I. Colamussi, Elementary Education, B.S.,M.A., Rocky Point School District, Long Island, New York. Comprehension: Extended Response The questions below can be used as written, simply answered in complete sentences, or easily transformed into longer essay (ELA) style questions or even research topics. In any case, have the students support their answers with details from the text or use critical thinking skills to create a thorough and interesting answer. Consider the level of your students when deciding how to use the questions. The page numbers that contain useful information related to each question can be found in parenthesis following each question. 1. Explain 'hot' and 'cold' deserts. Next, look at the map on pages 2 and 3 and arrange the names of the deserts in alphabetical order. 2. Use the information on pages 4 and 5 to explain how the plants and animals of the Sahara have adapted to the harsh conditions. 3. Make quick pencil drawings illustrating the different types of dunes. (p. 6) 4. Satellites in the sky have shown geologists that in ancient times, there were lakes, mountains, and valleys where the Sahara is now. Explain the living environment of the past. B) About 6,000 years ago the climate began to change. Explain why this happened and how it affected the land and its inhabitants. (p. 6 & 7) 5. Explain the harmattans of the Sahara. Describe what it would feel like to be caught in one. (p. 9) 6. Read "Desert Survival Tips" and make a list of what you would bring on your journey through the Sahara. What method of travel would you choose and what would you wear? After you answer the questions, make a drawing of yourself on your travels. (p. 10 & 11) 7. Tribes of Tuareg nomads roam the Sahara. Write a paragraph explaining why you would or would not like to live this kind of life. (p. 12-15) 8. Pretend you are Ali or Baileh. Describe the work you do and tell what you find most interesting. Also, tell what you plan to do when you grow up. (p. 12-15) 9. Explain why the 'Blue People' are continuing to lose their nomadic ways. What do you think will become of them? (p. 16 & 17) 10. Describe the cycle of a date palm, from plant to product. (p. 18 & 19)
11. Explain at least four features of a camel that make them perfectly suited for the desert. (p. 21) 12. Timbuktu was a city dedicated to education. How did this help to attract travelers? What could they learn there? (p. 22-24) 13. Pretend you are a salt miner at Taoudenni. Write a journal entry describing the job you do and the life you live. (p. 26-28) 14. Why were the pyramids and the Sphinx built? (p. 29) 15. A 'moral' is a deeper, more practical meaning for a story. What is the moral of "Brother Camel, Sister Date Palm"? (p. 30-31) Project: Follow the pattern of "Brother Camel, Sister Date Palm" and write your own creation myth. Read them aloud or bind them into a class book. Don't forget to include colorful illustrations! Comprehension: Short Answer The following fill-in sentences are designed to determine your students' reading comprehension. You may supply them with the list of answers to choose from, or have them search the text for the correct answers. The level and ability of your students should dictate how you proceed with this section. The answers are found at the end of the section. 1. The is the world's largest hot desert. 2. Any region that usually gets less than inches of rain or snow a year is a desert. 3. The Sahara covers about 3.5 million square miles in. 4. People brought to the Sahara almost 2,000 years ago to replace horses, as they are better suited for desert life. 5. Rain that fell thousands of years ago stays underground in pools called. 6. are mounds of sand that have been blown and shaped by the wind. 7. send down images or pictures of the Earth from high in the sky.
8. A is a sight that looks real, but isn't really there. 9. An is a patch of fertile land surrounding an underground spring. 10. are people who move from place to place instead of living in one spot. 11. The is perfectly suited to life in the desert, producing fruit and signaling the presence of fresh water for thirsty men and animals. 12. Special features help camels survive desert life. of their wide, flat feet spread apart to keep them from sinking into the sand. Long, bushy shade their eyes. When strong winds swirl, the camel avoids breathing it by closing its. 13. When the grand caravan of King Mansa Musa arrived at Timbuktu in 1325, he ordered his architect to build a great, which is a Muslim place of worship. 14. Timbuktu became known for its many. 15. At Taodenni, is mined from ancient lakebeds that dried up millions of years ago. Mining is a hard and dangerous job. ANSWERS: 1. Sahara 2. 10 3. North Africa 4. camels 5. aquifers 6. Dunes 7. Satellites 8. mirage 9. oasis 10. Nomads 11. date palm 12. pads, eyebrows, nostrils 13. mosque 14. schools
15. salt Mathematics / Science: Organizing Data, Value Discrimination, Sequence and Ordering, Critical and Abstract Thinking Skills Put the following annual rainfall averages in order from highest to lowest. a) Mobile, AL... 63.96 inches 1. b) Fort Smith, AR... 40.90 inches 2. c) Fresno, CA... 10.60 inches 3. d) Savannah, GA... 49.22 inches 4. e) Kahului, HI... 20.92 inches 5. f) Fort Wayne, IN... 34.75 inches 6. g) Goodland, KS... 18.20 inches 7. h) Louisville, KY... 44.39 inches 8. i) Great Falls, MT... 15.21 inches 9. j) Astoria, OR... 66.40 inches 10. Put the following annual rainfall averages in order from lowest to highest. a) Lander, WY... 13.01 inches 1. b) Olympia, WA... 50.59 inches 2. c) San Antonio, TX... 30.98 inches 3. d) Memphis, TN... 52.10 inches 4. e) Greenville, SC... 51.27 inches 5. f) Fargo, ND... 19.45 inches 6. g) Newark, NJ... 43.97 inches 7. h) Las Vegas, NV... 4.13 inches 8. i) Tallahassee, FL... 65.71 inches 9. j) Yukatat, AK... 151.25 inches 10. Use both of your lists of rainfall averages to answer the following questions. (Some questions can have several answers.) 1. Which city listed has the highest rainfall average? 2. Which city listed has the lowest rainfall average?
3. You should definitely wear sunscreen if you go to. 4. What kind of coat would you often be wearing in Astoria, Oregon? 5. A cactus would survive well in. 6. I would certainly pack if I were traveling to Mobile, Alabama. 7. Taureg families probably would not be comfortable in because they are so used to hot, dry weather. 8. Children living in don't get to jump in rain puddles. 9. A hopscotch board drawn in chalk on the street would probably last a long time if you lived in. 10. Memphis, TN gets just a little more rain than. AppleSeek: Do some quick research and find out the average annual rainfall in the city closest to where you live. ANSWERS: 1. Yukatat, AK 2. Las Vegas, NV 3. answers less than 15 inches 4. raincoat 5. Fresno or Las Vegas 6. raingear: coat, hat, galoshes 7. accept reasonable answers 8. accept reasonable answers 9. accept reasonable answers 10. Greenville, SC