UNDERSTANDING AFRICA

Portfolio Unit and Performance-Based Assessment

“Building a Highway across Africa”

Name:

Period:
Introduction

Scenario – The World Bank has just turned down a proposed route for a highway across Africa from Tunis, Tunisia, to Cape Town, South Africa. Your group is requested to submit to the World Bank a proposal for a better route for the highway. Students will study a series of maps, data, and atlases (and other references), to explain why the first route was turned down, and create a new and improved route with reasoned support for it.

Focus Question – How do human and physical characteristics of Africa influence its economic interdependence?

The Product or Performance:

Design a new highway route and support it with reasoned argument in the form of:

►Large Map showing physical and political places

◊On one of the large maps you will show the rejected route for the highway.

►Large Map showing physical and political places

◊On one of the large maps you will show your proposed route for the highway.

►Small thematic maps showing:

◊Population

◊Climatic regions

◊Natural resources

►Evaluation of the original proposal

►Explanation/memo describing your proposed route

►Peer Evaluations

►Design a new highway route and support it with reasoned argument in the form of a description of why you chose this route and the challenges that will be faced or avoided by using this route. (This will be an oral presentation with all the above information brought into the presentation, including your proposed new route on the map).

Student Handout #1

General information

Assessment Information

Proposal for “Building a Highway across Africa”

A conference of African leaders has adopted as top priority the building of a highway across the continent. The purpose of the highway is to foster political cooperation among the African nations and to promote economic development, trade, and tourism.

The highway would be financed by the World Bank, which, with the African leaders, recently rejected an initial proposal for the highway and is now seeking alternate proposals.

Your assignment will cover a couple of weeks: You will need to draw the original proposal for the highway and list reasons the proposal was rejected. Then you will need to draw an alternate proposal and explain how it improves on the original proposal.

Enclosed is an outline map of Africa and a list of cities connected by the initial proposal for the transcontinental highway. Draw the route of the initial proposal on the map and list reasons you think it was rejected. To help formulate your reasons, consult atlases, lists of construction costs below, and other data provided by your teacher.

Construction costs: Terrain and climate influence the cost of road construction. Listed below are kinds of terrain ranked in order of expense for road construction that is mountains are the most expensive, savanna the least expensive.

•Mountains

•Rainforest/jungle

•Desert

•Bridge over major rivers

•Steppe

•Savanna

Roads are more expensive to build in humid, subtropical climates than in Mediterranean climates.

Before drawing your route, recall why you think the initial proposal was rejected. Keep in mind the purpose of the highway. Fill out the memo.

Your route must do the following:

•Cover a major portion of the continent

•Connect major population centers

•Cross a minimum of 13 countries and a maximum of 25

•Pass through a capital city on the Atlantic Ocean and a capital city on the Indian Ocean.

Enclosed is a map of Africa and a list for your group to write down the major cities that your group will connect in your highway.

Highway across Africa

Considerations for the New Proposal

Exemplary responses for the final report for new and improved route would include many factors to qualify as an “advanced performance,” such as…

Topography: Control construction costs.

Climate: Avoid harsh areas.

Environmental issues: Build where it would cause the least damage.

Location of natural resources: Control construction costs.

Location of capital/major cities: Ensure contact with highest number of people.

Tourist attractions: infusion of foreign capital, improve balance of trade.

Social customs: Take care to accommodate

Political considerations: Take care to accommodate.

Health problems: (Tsetses fly, dengue fever, AIDS, Ebola, Malaria, etc): Avoid when possible.

Availability of food/shelter for work crews: Control construction costs.

Availability of building materials: Control construction costs.

Student Handout #2

Student Handout #3

Connect the Cities:

“Building a Highway across Africa”

Use the outline map of Africa to draw and label the rejected route, which connected the following cities in this order:

1. Tunis, Tunisia9. Nairobi, Kenya

2. Algiers, Algeria 10. Dar es Salaam, Tanzania

3. Niamey, Niger 11. Lilongwe, Malawi

4. Abuja, Nigeria 12. Lusaka, Zambia

5. Yaounde, Cameroon 13. Harare, Zimbabwe

6. Brazzaville, Congo 14. Johannesburg, South Africa

7. Kinshasa, Democratic 15. Port Elizabeth, South Africa

Republic of the Congo

8. Kampala, Uganda 16. Cape Town, South Africa

Student Handout #3

To research possible sites and why original sites were rejected

Country / Physical
Characteristics / Cultural
Characteristics / Economic
Features / Hazards / Other Factors That Might Affect Highway / Relations with Other Countries
Tunisia
(Example)
Country / Physical
Characteristics / Cultural
Characteristics / Economic
Features / Hazards / Other Factors That Might Affect Highway / Relations with Other Countries
Country / Physical
Characteristics / Cultural
Characteristics / Economic
Features / Hazards / Other Factors That Might Affect Highway / Relations with Other Countries

Student Handout #4

Why Was the Route Rejected?

Using the atlas and data, state three reasons that the World Bank and African leaders might have rejected the proposed highway. Keep in mind the purpose of the construction of the highway:

• To encourage economic development and trade among countries

•To promote tourism

•To promote political and economic cooperation between countries

•To stimulate economic development

•To develop a transportation system

Probable reasons for rejection of the initial proposal:

1)Physical geographic reasons:

2)Human geographic reasons:

3)Another physical or human reason

Student Handout #5Outline Map of Africa—Proposed Route


Student Handout #6

Countries and Capitals

Connected by Our Proposed Highway

Country/Capital

1. 14.

2. 15.

3. 16.

4. 17.

5.18.

6. 19.

7. 20.

8. 21.

9. 22.

10.23.

11.24.

12.25.

13.

Student Handout #7
To research the proposed locations and why they would work

Country / Physical
Characteristics / Cultural
Characteristics / Economic
Features / Hazards / Other Factors That Might Affect Highway / Relations with Other Countries
Country / Physical
Characteristics / Cultural
Characteristics / Economic
Features / Hazards / Other Factors That Might Affect Highway / Relations with Other Countries
Country / Physical
Characteristics / Cultural
Characteristics / Economic
Features / Hazards / Other Factors That Might Affect Highway / Relations with Other Countries

Student Handout #8

Memo: Final Proposal for Route across Africa

To: The World Bank

From:

Subject: Alternate Proposal for “Building a Highway across Africa”

After considering the data and the rejected highway route, we designed an alternate proposal, which is included here on a map, accompanied by a list of countries connected by the highway. Our proposed highway meets the following criteria:

• Crosses a major portion of the continent

• Connects major population centers

• Crossescountries

• Passes through the capital city of on the Atlantic Ocean

and the capital city of on the Indian Ocean

• Is practical and crucial to the economic development of Africa.

We have emphasized the influence of the physical and human geographic features of the continent in designing our proposal.

Keeping in mind the purpose of the highway, we submit the following four specific reasons our proposed route is a better plan. We are including reasons concerning physical, cultural, and economic geography, and (group’s choice).

1) Physical

2) Cultural

3) Economic

4) (Group’s choice)

Student Handout #9

Checklist: Highway across Africa

Group Members:

Class Period

Before the map and memo are graded, the following elements must be completed:

The Maps

 includes a title, date, and cartographer’s name(s)

 includes a legend

 is neat, clearly organized, and legible

 is accurately labeled (spelling counts)

The Highway Route

 is a transcontinental road

 connects population centers

 covers a minimum of 13 countries and a maximum of 25 countries

 passes through a capital city on the Atlantic Ocean and one on the Indian

Ocean

The Report Form

 conforms to mechanics of writing (punctuation, grammar, spelling)

 has all parts of the form and portfolio completed

Student Rubric

Highway across Africa

Analytic-Trait Scoring Tool for New Route

Advanced (4pts) / Proficient (3pts) / Minimal (2pts) / Inadequate (1pt)
Physical Geography / Thoroughly understands and explains reasons for new route, incorporating accurate information regarding physical features of places on the route. / Reasons given for the new route incorporate accurate information regarding the physical features of places on the route. / Provides barely adequate reasons for the new route and/or incorporates some inaccuracies on physical features. / Incorrect or superficial reasons for new route; incorporates inaccurate information regarding physical features of places on route.
Cultural
Geography / Thoroughly understands and explains reasons for the new route that incorporate accurate information regarding the cultural features of places on the route. / Reasons given for the new route incorporate accurate information regarding the cultural features of places on the route. / Provides barely adequate reasons for the new route and/or incorporates some inaccuracies on cultural features. / Incorrect or superficial reasons for the new route and/or incorporates inaccurate information regarding the cultural features of places on the route
Economic inter-dependence / Develops fully the reason that relates to economic interdependence and clearly explains how that facilitates trade. / Reasons given relate to interdependence and to promotion of trade routes. / Provides barely adequate reasons that relate to economic interdependence and trade. / Incorrect or superficial reasons that relate to economic interdependence and trade.
Geographic reasoning / Develops completely a justification for proposed route, using important details, facts, and geographic concepts, and then defends the route providing clear, thorough support. / Uses geographic concepts and data to justify why they chose that proposed route based on geographic knowledge acquired, and then defends the route. / Use of geographic concepts and data to justify why they chose that proposed route is weak. Defending the route shows limited understanding of geographic knowledge. / Use of geographic concepts and data reflects an unacceptable understanding or misconception. Defending the route shows no understanding of geographic knowledge.
Acquisition, processing, and reporting data / Map work is accurate throughout. Correctly presents a well-planned route that improves on the first route. Demonstrates use of research, as well as maps and data. / Map work is mostly accurate and complete. Presents a well-planned route that improves on the first route. Demonstrates the use of research, as well as maps and data. / Map work is mostly accurate and complete, but with some inaccuracy. Route is somewhat difficult to follow. Research and use of maps and data is not clearly evident. / The map has inaccuracies throughout. Does not demonstrate the use of maps, data, and/or does not have a plausible route. Work is messy and difficult to follow.

Understanding Africa Rubric

Building the Highway Africa Presentation

Area of Africa:Period

Group Members:

Presentation of Material: (20 pts)

Visuals: (50 pts)

  • Why original route was rejected(explanation): (10)
  • Why proposed route was chosen(explanation): (10)
  • Map - rejected(accuracy/neatness): (10)______
  • Map - proposed(accuracy/neatness): (10)
  • Report: (10)
  • content (5)
  • grammar/legible (5)

Team member reviews(30pts)

Peer evaluation grades

______

Extra???

Grade

Comments

PEER EVALUATION

(To be seen by teacher only)

  1. COOPERATION

Willingness to do tasks(max 25)

  1. DEPENDABILITY

Tasks completed by deadline(max 25)

  1. ACCURACY/NEATNESS(max 25)
  1. ABOVE AND BEYOND

These students deserve these points because they did more than the minimum.

Without them we could not have finished our project on time.

  1. Research(max 5)
  2. Typing (if needed)(max 5)
  3. Art work of all kinds(max 5)
  4. Creative writing(max 5)
  5. Group leader’s choice(max 5)

Description:

TOTAL

COMMENTS:

CONTRACT FOR HIGHWAY ACROSS AFRICA

I, , agree to work with my group. I agree to be cooperative with the instructor, team leader, and other group members. I understand that the success or lack of success of the group is dependent on all of us doing our part.

If I repeatedly do not come to class during the assignment, I understand MY GRADE will be impacted based on only that daily work I compete with zeroes being assigned for that work which is contingent on attendance.

I also acknowledge that if a problem should arise within the group or with my participation due to illness, I must notify the instructor immediately. The instructor is the final arbitrator on any decisions.

(Please sign that you have received and understand the packet. You are also acknowledging agreement with the contract.)

Period

(Student)

(Parent/Guardian)

This is due to your teacher on 4/28

Road Across Africa

Group Assignments

Team members (no more than 4 to a group):

What will each team member be responsible for to complete this assignment.

Team MemberAssignment

______

______

______

______

______

______

______

______

A copy of this will be kept by the teacher to monitor student work and assigned tasks for grading purposes and turned in with rough draft.