Source: School Library Media Activities Monthly, (6:5, January 1990)

Grade levels: 7, 8

Subject(s):

• Social Studies/World History
• Information Literacy/Research Skills

Curriculum (subject area) Objectives:
This activity may be used in connection with a social studies unit on Africa or the Sudan.

Resources:
National Geographic Magazine
National Geographic Index

Instructional Roles:
The classroom teacher may initiate the activity and the library media specialist may follow-up with instruction in the use of the index. The session with the library media specialist may take one period with the students as a class. Assistance may also be provided during small group work.

Activities and Procedures for Completion :
The students may be introduced to the region of the Sudan using a globe and large map of Africa. (If appropriate films or videotapes are available, they may be used as part of the introduction.) The classroom teacher may give the students some information about the problems which have occurred in the Sudan since independence in 1956. There have been two civil wars in the thirty three years. Students may be given an outline sheet listing important political dates (e.g., 1956 independence; 1972 end of the first civil War; 1983 beginning of the Second civil war; etc.). The teacher may leave plenty of space for the students to take notes, write information, and list missing dates. The teacher may explain that these are the dates of political events. But the students must know more than the dates _ They must know more about what the country was like at the time that the political events occurred. One way to gain this information is to read magazine material written during the period. Since the National Geographic Magazine has been published for many years, it is possible for the students to form an historical view of the country. National Geographic is also indexed, which makes it easier to find the information. The students may be asked to use National Geographic Magazines to obtain information about the Sudan published during the periods marked on the political date outline. Thus the students might find an article published before 1956; between 1956 and 1972; between 1983 and the present time; etc. The number of articles required may be varied, as desired. The classroom teacher may explain that the students must work with the library media specialist as a class and then return independently to the library media center to complete the note taking assignment.

In the library media center, the students may be asked to explain their assignment to be sure their research goals are clear. The library media specialist may then introduce the students to the magazine collection and the National Geographic Index, using a transparency to explain the parts of an index entry.

Subject
Title of the article.
By author.
Illustrations if any.
Page numbers.
Date--month and year.

The students may be shown the citation and discuss the way in which the subjects are arranged. They may be told that this is a subject index only, so they must have a good idea of the nature of the subject. Students may then work independently during the next week to locate articles on the Sudan written during the assigned time periods. Afterwards, they may discuss the country, the causes of the civil wars, etc.

Evaluation :
The student will use the National Geographic Index in a specific way to find information about the Sudan.

Follow-Up:
The students may:

 
• Identify the conflicting groups in the civil war.
• Follow newspaper accounts of current events in the Sudan.