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Description:
Duration:

Mystery
Lesson Plan
Social Studies
7
Why and what are the village people dying from?
2 50 Minute class periods

Instructional Unit Content

Standard(s)/Element(s)
Content Area Standard
SS7CG3 The student will analyze how politics in Africa impacts standard of living.
a. Compare how various factors, including gender, affect access to education in Kenya
and Sudan.
b. Describe the impact of government stability on the distribution of resources to combat
AIDS and famine across Africa.
TAG Standard
Advanced Communication Skills: Gifted students will develop advanced communication skills that
incorporate new techniques, materials, and formats in the development of products that will be shared
with real audiences.
ACS 10. The student supports and defends his/her own opinions while respecting the opinions of
others.
Advanced Research Skills: Gifted students will develop advanced research methods and

independent study skills, which allow for the in-depth learning of self-selected topics within
the area of study.
ARS 5. The student gathers, organizes, analyzes, and synthesizes data from multiple sources to
support or disprove a hypothesis.
Higher Order Critical Thinking Skills: Gifted students will develop and practice higher order

and critical thinking skills in an area of study.

HOCTS 11. The student draws conclusions based upon relevant information while discarding
irrelevant information.

Summary/Overview
The focus of this lesson is to solve a mystery to determine how government stability on the
distribution of resources impacts famine across Africa.
Enduring Understanding(s)
At the end of this unit the student will understand that
Countries throughout the world develop different types of government.

Governments have a direct effect on the lives of their citizens and on the type of
economic system found within a country.
The structure of government is a reflection of the culture of a nation.

Essential Question(s)
How does a governments stability influence the lives of its citizens?
Concept(s) to Maintain
Social and Political Interactions

Healthy Policy Issues

Famine
Type of government
Form of leadership

Role of citizen

Evidence of Learning
What students should know:
Structure of government in Kenya, South Africa, and Sudan, including the type of
government, form of leadership, type of legislature, and role of the citizen.
The stability of Africas government is heavily impacted by AIDS and famine.
What students should be able to do:
a. Identify health issues in Africa including HIV, AIDS, and famine.
b. Describe how government stability impacts the distribution of resources meant to combat AIDS
and famine in Sub-Saharan Africa.
c. Describe ways to protect countries from the spread of AIDS and famine.
d. Supports and defends his/her opinions while respecting the opinions of others.
e. Gather, organize, analyze, and synthesize data from multiple sources to support or disprove a
hypothesis.
f. Draw conclusions based upon relevant information while discarding irrelevant information.

Suggested Vocabulary

Dictatorship
AIDS
Famine

Procedure(s)

Phase 1: Hook
1. Poll the class on who would like to become a doctor or lawyer. What do these two professions
have in common? How are both professionals like detectives? What common skills do both need
to develop to solve mysteries within their profession? What other professions solve mysteries?

Phase 2: Examine the Content

1.

Share the Mystery. Distribute Culturally Exceptional Summer to students. After reading
about Alexs trip, students will work individually to develop a list of tentative hypotheses.

2.

Knowing how upset the village people are, Alexs teacher has called the Center for Disease
Center for Global Health Agency to solve the mystery of why all the village people are dying.
The CDC has sent a Public Health Study Team to the Shona village in Zimbabwe. Divide class
into Public Health Study Teams. Each team will develop a team hypothesis for the cause of the
deaths in the village mystery.

3.

Present the Clues.

a. Distribute the clues for Meeting 1. Students will create a list of statistical facts regarding the
HIV and AIDS crisis around the world over the last 15 years and defend the facts they select
as important by analyzing the impact on Zimbabwe.
b. Distribute the clue for Meeting 2. Students will watch the video clip and record the clues
provided.
c. Distribute the clues for Meeting 3. Students will compare Africas major health issues and
record the clues provided.
d. Distribute the clues for Meeting 4. Students will read the article and analyze the map and
record the clues provided.
e. Distribute the clues for Meeting 5. Students will read the article and analyze the map and
record the clues provided.

4.

Each team will categorize its clues and determine cause and effect relationships.

5.

Based upon patterns/data found within the clues, each team will refine its hypothesis and
propose a solution to the mystery.

Phase 3: Synthesis Activity

6.

Each Public Health Study Team will create a picture or flow chart to share its solution with the
Shona Village people. Each student will act as Alex and write letter to Uncle Lineback
explaining the mystery and describing the plan for how to keep people from dying in Zimbabwe.

7.

Class Discussion: How can government stability impact distribution of resources meant to help
fight disease and famine? How does the type of government determine the chance of a country
experiencing famine? What is the impact of education on the spread of HIV/AIDS in Africa?
How might a country give themselves the best chance of stopping the spread of AIDS and
famine?

Summarizing Activity
Wraparounds
In a circle, each student will take a turn telling
Something I will use from what I learned today

Something I will remember from today

A significant A-HA moment from today

Resource(s):
Student Achievement Management System (SAMS)
The Strategic Teacher by Harvey F. Silver, Richard W. Strong, and Matthew J. Perini
People Places and Change by Holt, Reinhart, and Winston
Anchor Text(s):
People Places and Change by Holt, Reinhart, and Winston
Africa in Transition SCIS (pp. 135-178)
Technology:
www.maps101.com
www.unitedstreaming.com
Handouts:
Handout 1: Culturally Exceptional Summer
Handout 2: Meeting 1
Handout 3: Meeting 2
Video Clip: VLOG from United Streaming
Handout 4: Meeting 3
Handout 5: Meeting 4
Handout 6: Meeting 5
Handout 7: Solution
Remediation: students may receive a more structured experience. Student may also receive a
reading at a lower Lexile if deemed necessary.
Extension: Students, who finish early, may add more details to their finished product or
create 2 finished products.
Differentiation: Students may receive a lower Lexile level of reading. Students will also be
grouped by ability.