Land of Contrast Slides Land of Contrast
Geography of Sub-Saharan Africa
Geography Vocabulary
New Words
Sahara
Hot and dry desert
Rainforest
Wet and green forest
Sahel
Dry grassland (edge)
Savanna
Flat grassland with trees
Sahara
The world's largest hot desert .
Very hot and very dry .
Lots of sand and sun.
Sentence Frame:
"The Sahara is ________ and ________."
🏜️
Sahara Desert
🦒
Savanna
Savanna
A large grassland .
Home to many animals (lions, zebras).
It has a rainy season and a dry season .
Sentence Frame:
"The Savanna is a ________ with many ________."
Rainforest
A very wet and green forest.
It gets rain almost every day.
Many tall trees and plants.
Sentence Frame:
"The Rainforest is very ________ and ________."
🌿
Rainforest
Where am I?
🏜️
1. Dry and sandy
🦒
2. Grass and lions
🌿
3. Wet and green
Sahara
Savanna
Rainforest
Land of Contrast Worksheet Land of Contrast
Name: __________________________
Date: ___________________________
Goal: I can identify the 4 physical zones of Sub-Saharan Africa and use them in a sentence.
1 Visual Match-Up
Draw a line to match the word to the correct picture.
Sahara
Rainforest
Savanna
Sahel
🦒 🦁 🌾
Grassland with animals
🏜️ ☀️ 🐪
Dry and sandy desert
🌧️ 🌿 🐒
Wet and green forest
📉 🌵 🏜️
Dry edge between desert and grass
2 Writing Practice
Word Bank
hot dry wet green animals desert forest
1. Sahara
The Sahara is ____________________ and ____________________.
2. Rainforest
The Rainforest is ____________________ and ____________________.
3. Savanna
The Savanna has many ____________________.
4. Your Turn! (Choose one: Sahara, Savanna, Rainforest)
I like the ________________ because it is ________________.
(Draw a small picture here)
Land of Contrast Teacher Guide Teacher Facilitation Guide
Land of Contrast
Supporting WIDA Level 1/2 in Geography
Language Objectives
• Identify 4 physical zones using visuals.
• Describe zones using simple adjectives (hot, wet, dry).
• Complete sentence frames with vocabulary words.
Key Vocabulary
Sahara Sahel Savanna Rainforest Hot Wet Dry
Materials Needed
• Land of Contrast Slides
• Land of Contrast Worksheet
• Colored pencils/crayons
1. Visual Introduction (15 min)
SLIDES
Use the Land of Contrast Slides to introduce the zones. Focus on the images more than the text.
Teacher Prompt (WIDA 1/2):
"Look at this picture. It is yellow and sandy. Is it the Sahara or the Rainforest? (Pause for response). Yes, it's the Sahara! Say: Sahara. The Sahara is hot."
Use gestures (wiping brow for hot, rain motions for rainforest).
2. Guided Practice (15 min)
MATCH-UP
Distribute the Land of Contrast Worksheet . Model the first matching problem on the board.
Ask students to point to the picture of the Sahara on their paper.
Ask them to find the word Sahara and draw a line.
Check for understanding by circling the room and using the "thumbs up/down" check.
3. Sentence Scaffolding (15 min)
WRITING
Direct students to the Word Bank . Read each word aloud and have students repeat it.
Differentiation Strategy:
For WIDA 1 students: Allow them to copy the words directly from the Word Bank without worrying about spelling. Focus on meaning and visual association.
Exit Ticket: Students complete the "Your Turn!" section by drawing their favorite zone. This non-linguistic representation is crucial for Level 1 students.
ESL Pro-Tip
Always use "Total Physical Response" (TPR). When saying Rainforest , pretend to hold an umbrella. When saying Savanna , pretend to hold binoculars to look at animals. This creates a neural pathway between the word sound, the visual image, and the body movement.
Gold and Salt Slides Gold and Salt
Trade in Ancient Africa
Trade Economy
Important Words
Gold
Expensive metal
Salt
Used for food
Trade
Exchange of goods
🐪
Camel
Desert transport
Trans-Saharan Trade
Crossing the Sahara Desert .
Trading Gold and Salt .
Walking in long caravans .
🪙
Gold
🧂
Salt
🥩 ➡️ 🧂
Salt keeps food fresh!
Why Salt?
To preserve food .
To stay healthy in the heat.
Salt was worth its weight in gold !
The "Ship of the Desert"
Camels can go a long time without water.They have special feet for sand .
They carry heavy loads .
🐪
Let's Talk!
Option 1
"The merchants traded ________ for ________."
Option 2
"The ________ carried the salt across the desert."
🪙
Gold
🧂
Salt
🐪
Camel
Gold and Salt Worksheet The Trade Trail
Name: __________________________
Date: ___________________________
Goal: I can describe how gold and salt were traded in ancient Africa.
1 Label the Trade Items
🪙
G _ _ _
🧂
S _ _ _
🐪
C _ _ _ _
2 Finish the Sentences
Word Bank
Gold Salt Camel Desert Trade
A
The merchants ______________ gold for salt.
B
The ______________ carries salt across the sand.
C
The Sahara is a very big ______________ .
D
Ancient people needed ______________ to keep food fresh.
3 Trade Map Sketch
Draw a camel carrying salt across the desert .
☀️
Drawing Space
Self-Check:
Did you include the camel, salt, and sun?
Gold and Salt Teacher Guide Teacher Facilitation Guide
Gold and Salt
Teaching Trade Concepts to WIDA 1/2
Language Objectives
• Use nouns (gold, salt, camel) in sentences.
• Explain "trade" through physical demonstration.
• Label visuals with spelling support.
Key Vocabulary
Gold Salt Trade Camel Desert
Active Learning
Trade Simulation: Use yellow paper for "gold" and white paper for "salt".
1. Concrete Trade Simulation (10 min)
TPR / ACT OUT
Before using slides, simulate a trade .
The Activity:
Give half the class yellow paper (gold) and the other half white paper (salt). Have them walk to each other and say: "I trade my gold for your salt." Swap papers. Repeat with different items.
2. Visual Context (15 min)
SLIDES
Use the Gold and Salt Slides . Focus on Why Salt?
Ask: "Can you eat gold?" (No). "Can you eat salt?" (Yes). Salt was more important than gold for survival!
Show the Camel slide. Ask students to walk like a camel (slow, steady, heavy). This reinforces the "Ship of the Desert" concept.
3. Guided Writing (20 min)
WORKSHEET
Distribute the The Trade Trail worksheet.
Scaffolding Tips:
Level 1 (Entering): Focus on Section 1 (Labeling). They can use the Word Bank to copy the letters. For Section 2, let them circle the correct word in the bank instead of writing it if they are struggling with penmanship.
Level 2 (Emerging): Encourage them to read the full sentence aloud after writing the word. "The merchants trade gold for salt."
Vocabulary Strategy: Cognates
Check if "Desert" (Desierto), "Gold" (Oro), or "Salt" (Sal) have similar words in your students' home languages. Spanish speakers will find "Sal" very close to "Salt". Always point out these similarities to lower the affective filter.
Kingdom of Gold Slides Kingdom of Gold
The Rise of Mali
Empire Mansa Musa
Power Words
King
Mansa (The ruler)
Learning
Schools and books
Hajj
A religious trip
Timbuktu
A famous city
Mansa Musa
The richest man in history.
The King (Mansa) of Mali .
He gave away lots of gold !
👑
Mansa Musa
👑 🕋
Mali to Mecca
The Trip (Hajj)
Thousands of people went with him.
Camels carried gold .
He showed the world that Mali was rich .
Timbuktu
A center for learning and books.
Many universities and schools.
Famous for its libraries .
📚
Talk about the King
Question 1
"Mansa Musa was the king of ________."
Question 2
"Timbuktu was a city for ________."
MALI
LEARNING
BOOKS
Kingdom of Gold Worksheet Mali: Kingdom of Gold
Name: __________________________
Date: ___________________________
Goal: I can read a simple story about Mansa Musa and use my new words.
The Story of Mansa Musa
READ ME
Long ago, there was a kingdom called Mali . The king was named Mansa Musa . He was the richest man in the world. He had lots of gold .
Mansa Musa took a long trip called a Hajj . He walked to the city of Mecca. Thousands of people and camels went with him. They carried gold.
Later, Mansa Musa built a city called Timbuktu . Timbuktu was a place for learning . It had many books and schools.
Fill in the Blanks
👑
Mansa Musa
🪙
gold
🐫
camels
📚
learning
1. The king of Mali was _________________________.
2. He carried many heavy bags of _________________________.
3. Many _________________________ helped carry the trade items.
4. Timbuktu was a city for _________________________ and books.
Design a Royal Stamp
Draw one thing that made Mali famous (Gold, Books, or Mansa Musa).
Kingdom of Gold Teacher Guide Teacher Facilitation Guide
Kingdom of Gold
Mansa Musa and Timbuktu for WIDA 1/2
Language Objectives
• Retell a simplified historical narrative.
• Identify major historical figures/cities using visuals.
• Complete cloze sentences using word-to-image association.
Key Vocabulary
Mansa Musa Mali Hajj Timbuktu Learning
Formative Assessment
Can students point to Timbuktu and say "books" or "learning"?
1. Storytelling (15 min)
CHORAL READING
Use the Kingdom of Gold Worksheet Section 1. Read the story aloud to the class.
Strategy: Echo Reading
Read one sentence: "Mansa Musa was the richest man." Have students echo it back while pointing to the word Gold or King . This builds "word-to-print" awareness for Level 1 learners.
2. Cloze with Visuals (20 min)
SCAFFOLDED WRITING
Guide students through Section 2 of the worksheet.
Ask: "Look at Number 4. It says Timbuktu was a city for... (Point to the book icon in the word bank). What is that word?"
Help students sound out L-E-A-R-N-I-N-G .
3. Cultural Appreciation (10 min)
ART
Students complete the Royal Stamp design.
ESL Scaffolding:
Allow students to share their stamp with a partner. For Level 1s, they only need to name one item: "Gold" or "Book". Level 2s can say: "This is a stamp for gold."
Unit Wrap-Up
To finish the 3-lesson unit, have students create a "Unit Suitcase." They can cut out the pictures of the Sahara, Gold, Salt, and Mansa Musa from their worksheets and glue them onto a folder to show all the background knowledge they have built!
