Class #18 - Malawian Famine Research

DO NOW #10 > Match the categories with the examples. The examples are mixed up randomly.

Categories	Examples
Politics	Production and sale of crops Diseases and illnesses Changes in long-term weather (climate) Decisions made by government officials
Economy
Physical Geography
Social & Health Issues

Collaborative Research Mini-Project

This week our class will be exploring the Malawian Famine of the early 2000s. Our learning target is:

I can identify and explain the major factors (political, economic, geographic and social/health) that contributed to the Malawian famine of the early 2000s.

Today, we will be splitting into 4 research groups. Each group will be responsible for researching and sharing information about one topic that led to the famine. During class #20, students will split into mixed groups and compare their information in a discussion. Students will create a short Keynote presentation to present their information to the jigsaw group. We’ll all be putting on our teacher caps as we help our classmates learn about the factors that led to the famine.

1. Essential question: How did the politics, economy, physical geography/climate, and social and health issues of Malawi contribute to the famine of 2002?
2. Students split into groups of 4-5.
3. Students brainstorm research questions (poster paper in center of table) > Students should use format below

Research Question Brainstorm

What is your Topic? (Politics, Economy, Physical Geography or Social/Health Issues)

Research Question	Evidence
What questions can we formulate around this topic? How did ____________(your topic) influence the famine in Malawi?	Evidence from sources to support the question. What did I see or read that lead me to this question?

4. After brainstorming questions for 15-20 mins → Which questions are the most worthy of exploring? Pick three and circle them.
5. Students provided with sources (links posted below and on blog)
6. In partners, they read the sources aloud and begin taking notes (note catcher).
7. Conclusion (last 5 minutes): Debrief → Students form a standing circle in the class and respond to the questions: What’s working well? What are we struggling with?

Research Sources <Folder Link to Docs>

Every Group: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/1985765.stm

Political Factors Group

• http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/2606183.stm
• http://www.theguardian.com/business/2002/oct/29/3

Economic Factors Group

• https://docs.google.com/document/d/1mCqH13IyFBVfnX15LNd6SE70K5dC5wgtWYNMshvlDGY/edit#
• https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B2TtCOTNGIRXRDhCc2l4QTRTTm8
• https://docs.google.com/a/portlandschools.org/document/d/1KLHBhIQSB2kCBhopwjV4eU8CEw5McBpS8DyKGHLKXHE/edit?usp=sharing
• https://docs.google.com/a/portlandschools.org/document/d/1mCqH13IyFBVfnX15LNd6SE70K5dC5wgtWYNMshvlDGY/edit?usp=sharing

Geographic (Physical and Climate) Factors Group

• https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B2TtCOTNGIRXSWs0RFEtT0Y3Rmc
• https://docs.google.com/a/portlandschools.org/document/d/1KLHBhIQSB2kCBhopwjV4eU8CEw5McBpS8DyKGHLKXHE/edit?usp=sharing
• https://docs.google.com/a/portlandschools.org/document/d/1mCqH13IyFBVfnX15LNd6SE70K5dC5wgtWYNMshvlDGY/edit?usp=sharing

Social/Health Factors Group

• https://docs.google.com/document/d/1mCqH13IyFBVfnX15LNd6SE70K5dC5wgtWYNMshvlDGY/edit#
• https://docs.google.com/a/portlandschools.org/document/d/1mCqH13IyFBVfnX15LNd6SE70K5dC5wgtWYNMshvlDGY/edit?usp=sharing