october 25/November 8, 2010 A ...teacher.scholastic.com/scholasticnews/magazines/junior/pdfs/JUNIOR... · october 25/November 8, 2010 A supplement to Junior scholastic v o L. 113,

A supplement to Junior scholasticoctober 25/November 8, 2010www.ScHoLAStIc.com/jS

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AffAirs AnnuAl 2011

skills mAnuAl

The reproducible work sheets on the following pages are based on the maps and facts in the October 25/November 8, 2010, issue of Junior Scholastic.

Students will need that issue to complete the work sheets.

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Dear Colleague,As educators, we have

extraordinary challenges—and opportunities. We help our students navigate a complex world by bringing it into our classrooms. There, we encourage young minds to explore that world, and to become more familiar with it as they seek to understand the who, what, where, why, how, and what-if of global events. Our goal is to have students grow into well-informed, analytical, responsible, and active citizens.

The editors of Junior Scholastic and I have prepared the repro du cible work sheets and maps on the following pages to help you and your students build on the breadth of information packed into the World Affairs Annual 2011,

the latest edition of our special double issue.

Whether printed out and distributed to students,

or projected on an interactive

whiteboard, these work sheets can help you check your students’ reading compre-

hension, critical-thinking skills,

visual literacy, and ability to interpret data.

We would love to hear how you use these materials, what is and isn’t successful, and any ideas you may have for future editions of this Skills Manual. Please write to us at [email protected].

Sincerely,

Lois Cohen, author Skills Manual 2011

Supplement to the Junior Scholastic

WorlD AffAirS AnnuAl 2011 october 25/november 8, 2010

2 JS Atlasone work sheet and one blank map for each continent/region map in the student issue.

north america . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

south america . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

africa . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

europe . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

asia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

middle east . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

oceania . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

14 JS Almanac A work sheet and discussion questions based on the student issue’s tables.

AnswersSee the “Reproducibles Online” box on p. T-4 of your October 25/November 8, 2010, Teacher’s Edition for access information.

S k i l l S m A n u A l 2 0 1 1 C o n T E n T S

Editorial address: Junior Scholastic, 557 Broadway, New York, NY 10012-3999 or e-mail [email protected] inquiries: 1-800-SCHOLASTIC or [email protected]

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2 junior scholastic • world affairs skills manual 2011

map of north America

1. the national capital at 45°n, 76°w: _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

2. the narrow body of water that separates north america and asia: _________________________________________________________________*

3. the four great lakes that form part of the long border shared by canada and the u.s.: _________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________*

4. central america is the north american region made up of the seven countries south of mexico. name the

one that is known as the “bridge” between north america and south america:

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________*

5. the body of water at 15°n, 75°w, bordered by cuba and central america: ______________________________________________________*

BonuS QuESTion (Do some research to find the answer. if more space is needed, write on the back of this page.)

what caused the huge oil spill in the Gulf of mexico in the spring of 2010? _____________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

FAST FACTSArea: 9.4 million square miles, the third-largest continent. Only Asia and Africa are larger.Population: About 539 million people. It ranks fourth among the continents, after Asia, Africa, and Europe.location: North America

includes Greenland, Canada, the United States, Mexico, the seven countries of Central America, and the islands of the Caribbean Sea.Physical features: North America has three major mountain ranges, the Rocky Mountains, the Appalachian Mountains, and the

Sierra Madres. Major waterways include Hudson Bay, the five Great Lakes, and the Mississippi and St. Lawrence Rivers.Elevation: highest, Mount McKinley (Denali) in Alaska, 20,320 ft above sea level; lowest, Death Valley, California, 282 ft below sea level.

Locate and identify the geographical features of North America that match these descriptions. Where you see an asterisk (*), write the name of the country and/or geographical feature on the outline map.

NORTH AMERICA

EQUATOR

S k i l l S m A n u A l 2 0 1 1

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junior scholastic • world affairs skills manual 2011 3

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S k i l l S m A n u A l 2 0 1 1

JS Atlas

Name: _________________________________________________________


map of South America

1. the countries at the tropic of capricorn (23°27's), west to east: ____________________________________________________________________*

2. the capital at 16°s, 68°w, which is the world’s highest (elevation 12,500 feet above sea level):

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

3. the sea, oceans, and canals through which you would travel if you were to sail a ship around south america,

beginning and ending at barranquilla, colombia, and following the coastline: ___________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________*

4. the country at 15°s, 45°w, which makes up nearly half the continent: ___________________________________________________________*

5. the continent’s longest river (and world’s second-longest), which is more than 4,000 miles long and has

more than 1,000 tributaries: _________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________


Each year, more and more trees in Brazil’s amazon rain forest are cut down to clear the land. why is this

deforestation a serious problem for both Brazil and the world? ________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

FAST FACTSArea: South America’s 6.9 million square miles make it the fourth- largest continent.Population: With 391 million people, it ranks fifth among the continents in population. location: South America stretches from the Caribbean Sea in

the north to Cape Horn at the continent’s southern tip.Physical features: Earth’s longest mountain chain hugs the western edge of South America. The continent’s longest river begins in the mountains of Peru and flows eastward for about 4,000 miles to the Atlantic Ocean. The

huge area drained by this river and its tributaries covers more than one third of South America and receives enough rainfall to sustain the world’s largest tropical rain forest.Elevation: Argentina’s Aconcagua, at 22,835 ft, is the tallest moun-tain in the Western Hemisphere.

Locate and identify the geographical features of South America that match these descriptions. Where you see an asterisk (*), write the name of the country and/or geographical feature on the outline map.

SOUTH AMERICA

EQUATOR

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S k i l l S m A n u A l 2 0 1 1

JS Atlas

Name: _________________________________________________________


map of Africa

1. the world’s largest desert, which stretches from the atlantic ocean to the red sea in northern africa:

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________*

2. the large body of water north of africa, whose name means “in the middle of the land”:

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________*

3. the river that crosses the equator twice on its journey to the atlantic ocean: ________________________________________________

4. the countries through which the equator passes, west to east: __________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________*

5. direction in which you would travel if you were to fly from Zambia’s capital to namibia’s: ____________________________


what is unique about the history of liberia, a country on the west coast of africa? _______________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

FAST FACTSArea: Africa’s 11.7 million square miles make it the second-largest continent. Only Asia is larger.Population: With just over 1 billion people, Africa ranks second among the continents in population.location: Africa stretches from

the Mediterranean Sea in the north to the tip of South Africa.Physical features: The world’s largest desert extends across northern Africa from the Atlantic Ocean to the Red Sea. The area south of the desert has tropical rain forests, savannas (grasslands), deserts, and

several major rivers. The world’s longest river, 4,160 miles long, begins as two rivers, whose waters converge in Sudan and flow north to the sea.Elevation: highest, Mount Kili man jaro, Tanzania (19,340 ft); lowest, Lake Assal, Djibouti (509 ft below sea level).

Locate and identify the geographical features of Africa that match these descriptions. Where you see an asterisk (*), write the name of the country and/or geographical feature on the outline map.

AFRICA

EQUATOR

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Name: _________________________________________________________


map of Europe

1. the national capital at 39°n, 9°w: __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

2. the countries that share a border with poland: _________________________________________________________________________________________________*

3. the three political units that, along with England, form the united kingdom: __________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________*

4. the countries along the prime meridian (0° longitude), from north to south: __________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________*

5. the river and two mountain chains that serve as dividing lines between europe and asia:

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________*


what event in iceland made Eyjafjallajökull (also known as E15, for the first letter plus 15 others) headline

news in the spring of 2010? how did it affect all of Europe? ________________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

FAST FACTSArea: With an area of about 4 million square miles, Europe is the sixth largest continent.Population: Europe is densely populated, with 739 million people. (This includes Russia, which lies partly in Europe and partly in Asia.)

location: Europe and Asia share the same landmass, Eurasia. The dividing line between the two continents, according to most geographers, is formed by the Ural Mountains, the Ural River, and the Caucasus Mountains. North to south, Europe runs from the cold Arctic region to

warm, sunny beaches along the Mediterranean Sea.Physical features: Europe has much excellent farmland and is rich in mineral resources. Rus-sia’s Volga River, at 2,300 miles, is the continent’s longest.Elevation: Mount Elbrus, Russia (18,510 ft), is Europe’s highest.

Locate and identify the geographical features of Europe that match these descriptions. Where you see an asterisk (*), write the name of the country and/or geographical feature on the outline map.

EUROPE

EQUATOR

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S k i l l S m A n u A l 2 0 1 1

JS Atlas

Name: _________________________________________________________


map of Asia

1. the enormous desert at 42°n, 100°e and the two countries in which it is located: __________________________________________

2. the world’s highest mountain range, which includes mount everest, formed millions of years ago by the

collision of two major tectonic plates: ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________*

3. the country at 6°s, 110°e, which has the world’s largest muslim population: ________________________________________________*

4. the direction in which you would fly traveling from manila, Philippines, to shanghai, china: ______________________*

5. the continent’s longest river (3,900 mi), which begins in south-central china and flows northeast to the

east china sea: ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________*


historically one country, south korea and north korea became two countries after world war ii (1939-1945).

what factors would make reunification difficult—perhaps impossible—to achieve? _________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

FAST FACTSArea: At 17 million square miles, Asia is the largest continent. It occupies one third of the world’s land area.Population: Asia’s 4.2 billion people are three fifths of the world population. This includes Turkey (partly in Europe).

Physical features: Asia includes the cold expanse of Siberia in the Arctic region; the rich farmland of China and India; and the warm, humid rain forests of Southeast Asia. Asia includes the island nations of Indonesia, the Philippines, Japan, and Malaysia, among others.

Elevation: highest (in the world as well as in Asia), Mount Everest (29,035 ft) on the border of Nepal and China and part of the Himalaya mountains; lowest, the Dead Sea (1,385 ft below sea level), a saltwater lake on the border of Jordan and Israel.

Locate and identify the geographical features of Asia that match these descriptions. Where you see an asterisk (*), write the name of the country and/or geographical feature on the outline map.

ASIA

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JS Atlas

Name: _________________________________________________________


EQUATOR

Middle East Oceania

FAST FACTSlocation: The Middle East is a region, not a continent. Mostly in Asia, it extends into Africa

(Egypt), and Europe (a small section of Turkey). Islam is the dominant religion everywhere except Israel (Judaism) and

Cyprus (Christianity).Physical features: Much of the Middle East is desert; several countries are major oil producers.

map of the middle East

1. the national capital at 36°n, 51°e: ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

2. the rivers forming an area known as “the cradle of civilization,” in what today is iraq: __________________________________

3. the countries that share a border with the united arab emirates: __________________________________________________________________*

4. the country at 25°n, 45°e, which has the world’s largest oil reserves: ___________________________________________________________*

5. the direction in which you would travel from cairo, egypt, to ankara, turkey: _______________________________________________*

1. the two oceans that border the island countries and territories of oceania: ___________________________________________________

2. the national capital at 7°n, 171°e: ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

3. the landmass at 25°s, 135°e, which is a continent as well as a country: _______________________________________________________*

4. off that land’s northeastern coast, the world’s longest coral reef (about 1,400 miles long): ____________________________

5. any two island territories governed by france: _________________________________________________________________________________________________*

Locate and identify the places in the Middle East that match the descriptions below. Where you see an asterisk (*), write the name of the country or geographical feature on the map.

Locate and identify the places in Oceania that match the descriptions below. Where you see an asterisk (*), write the name of the country or geographical feature on the map.

map of oceaniaFAST FACTSlocation: Oceania, like the Middle East, is a region, not a continent. It includes Australia,

New Zealand, and many other island countries and territories spread across a vast area of the Pacific Ocean.

Elevation: highest, Puncak Jaya, West Papua, Indonesia (16,503 ft); lowest, Lake Eyre, Australia (50 ft below sea level).

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S k i l l S m A n u A l 2 0 1 1

JS Almanac


The statistical tables in the World Affairs Annual are a valuable and easy-to-use data bank of important information about the world’s 195 independent countries. You can use them to answer many questions. For example, which two South American countries achieved independence 200 years ago, in 1810? In which country of Oceania

is Maori ( MOW-ree) one of the major languages spoken? Which country of Asia is the smallest in land size and which is the largest? You can also make up your own questions (and answers) and quiz your friends. Use the data on the tables to answer the questions below. Tip: First study the sample entry on p.7.

Name: ________________________________________________________

1. (a) the percent of population under age 15, literacy rate, life expectancy, per capita GdP, and human

development index (hdi) rating are important indicators of a country’s standard of living and relative

prosperity. fill in the data for each of the following countries, then answer the two questions that follow.

% of population Literacy Life Per capita HDI under 15 rate (%) expectancy GDP

Cambodia: ________________________________ ________________________________ ________________________________ ________________________________ ________________________________

Denmark: ________________________________ ________________________________ ________________________________ ________________________________ ________________________________

(b) which country is poor, with a low standard of living? _____________________________________________________________________________________

(c) looking at the data, what problems could that country be facing now and in the years ahead?

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

2. (a) for each of the following countries, list its political system as well as the title and name of its leader.

Political system Title of leader Name of leader

Brunei: ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________

libya: ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________

South Africa: ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________

(b) in which of the above countries does the leader inherit his position as head of the government?

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

(c) in which of these countries do the people elect representatives to make the laws? ___________________________________

(d) in which of these countries does the leader hold all the power?

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

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To answer questions #3-5, use the Economic Map of the World (pp. 8-9 of the student issue) as well as the data for each country. The map is color-coded by per capita GDP, indicating the relative prosperity or poverty of countries.

3. argentina, mexico, and russia are in the same economic grouping. what is each country’s per capita GdP?

Argentina mexico russia

Per capita GDP: _______________________________ ________________________________ ________________________________

4. (a) the year of independence and languages spoken in a country can be important clues to

understanding its history. fill in the year of independence for each of the following countries.

Argentina: ___________________ Bolivia: ___________________ Chile: ___________________ El Salvador: ___________________ Guatemala: ___________________

(b) what is the major language spoken in all five countries? ______________________________________________________________________________

(c) what can you conclude about the shared history of these countries? _________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

5. (a) give the literacy rate (male/female) for each of these countries:

Africa: Chad: _______________________/________________________ liberia: _______________________/_________________________

Asia: Afghanistan: _______________________/________________________ Pakistan: _______________________/_________________________

(b) which gender is at a distinct disadvantage in each of these countries? ________________________________________________________

(c) in what ways could this situation affect the lives of this part of the population, from childhood through

adulthood? ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Discussion QuestionsYou will need some knowledge of current events in order to discuss the following topics. These questions are open-ended, meaning that there may not be a clear-cut, correct answer. Choose just one of the five to discuss in a small group. Give factual reasons to support your answers. You may find helpful information in the statistical tables.

1. what lessons could the united states learn from the spring 2010 oil spill in the Gulf of mexico?

2. in recent years, there has been a surge of violent crime in mexican cities along the border that mexico shares with the u.s. why? do americans share any blame for the situation?

3. in august 2010, Pakistan experienced its worst floods in 80 years. what special challenge has this presented, not just to the Pakistani people and government but to the u.s. as well?

4. Between june 11 and july 11, 2010, south africa hosted the world’s biggest sporting event: the world cup soccer tournament, which takes place once every four years. why was it significant that the tournament took place there?

5. read about a country that you would like to visit someday. choose several places there that you would like to visit—cities, historic monuments, museums, national parks, wildlife preserves, amusement parks, etc. why would you like to visit these places? share your choices and reasons for them with the group.

Documents

october 25/November 8, 2010 A ...teacher.scholastic.com/scholasticnews/magazines/junior/pdfs/JUNIOR... · october 25/November 8, 2010 A supplement to Junior scholastic v o L. 113,