This Social Studies Skill Builder allows students to learn about and identify selected physiographic features of Egypt and the Near East. Working in pairs, students receive questions about physiographic features of Egypt and the Near East—such as the Nile, the Sinai Peninsula, and the Taurus Mountains. Students use an atlas to determine the answers to the geography questions and then label the physiographic features on a blank map of Egypt and the Near East. Afterward, pairs share their answers and label the physiographic features on an overhead transparency.

Materials You Will Need to Teach the Activity
Any student handouts, overhead transparencies, student information, or placards mentioned in theseprocedures are available by ordering the Ancient World History Activity Sampler.

Objectives Students will be able to Step-by-step Instructions

1. Before class, review the intent of this activity. This activity is designed to help students learn about and identify important physiographic features of Egypt and the Near East. By mapping these features, students will be better able to understand some of the historical events that took place in these regions during ancient times.

2. Prepare student materials and seating chart. Before class, make a copy of Student Handout A: Mapping Questions and cut out the mapping questions along the dashed lines. Copy Student Handout B: Physiographic Map of Egypt and the Near East onto an overhead transparency. Divide students into mixed-ability pairs. Prepare an overhead transparency to show students who their partners are and how to arrange their desks. When students enter the classroom, project the seating chart and ask them to move into their correct places.

3. Explain the term physiographic and pass out Student Handout B to each student. Once students are in their correct places, tell them that in this activity they will learn about and identify important physiographic features of Egypt and the Near East. Use the following information to explain to students what a physiographic feature is:

Physio means "physical," graphic means "written down or recorded," and feature means "a particular characteristic of the land—a lake, a mountain, a river, a desert—that is recorded on a map."

Once students understand the term, give a copy of Student Handout B to each student.

4. Pass out questions from Student Handout A, and have students answer the questions and label the features on Student Handout B. After you have passed out Student Handout B, give each pair one question from Student Handout A. Have pairs open a textbook or an atlas to a physical map of Egypt and the Near East. Then have them read the question, write it on the back of their maps or in their notebooks, and write their answer next to the question. Next, have them label the physiographic feature on the map, using symbols that correspond with the map’s key. Each feature—mountain, river, and desert—should be shown in a different color.

6. Check students’ work. When a pair finishes with a mapping question, have one student bring the question and both copies of Student Handout B to you. Use Teacher’s Guide B to check their answers for accuracy, award them points (optional), and give each pair a new question to work on.

7. Have pairs become "experts" on one feature. When most pairs have answered most of the mapping questions, tell them that the question on which they are working is the one they will present to the class. Give them a few extra minutes to make sure they have accurately answered the question and have labeled the feature on their maps.

8. Project a transparency of Student Handout B and have students label the features on the transparency. Once students are ready to present their answers, project the transparency of Student Handout B. Ask the "experts" on Question 1 to come forward, read their question aloud, and label the answer on the map on the transparency. Use the Teacher’s Guide to Physiographic Features to provide students with additional information about the Nile River. Repeat this process with each of the remaining mapping questions.

9. Have students process this lesson in their Interactive Student Notebooks. On the left side of their notebooks, have students create a poster advertising a travel tour celebrating the geographic diversity found in Egypt and the Near East. Have students choose the four physiographic features for the tour that best represent the region’s diversity. Posters must include a bold title, a visual for each feature, a catchy slogan to entice tourists, and other creative touches that are common in print advertisements.