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Countries of Africa: Egypt, Ghana, Kenya, South Africa

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Countries of Africa: Egypt, Ghana, Kenya, South Africa

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https://infohub.nyced.org/docs/default-source/default-document-library/unit-7-water.pdf

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Team1: Landscaping, Community Garden> Agricultural wealth of knowledge of enslaved people

Team 2: Renewable transportation Engineers > boats,

Team 3: Green Wall Builders

Team 4: Rainwater Harvesting System

Team 5: Rooftop/ Green Roof Redesign

Team 6: PSA Specialist > discission of environmental racism and why it stems from slavery

Team 7: Video Production the Making Of the project

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ink back to Born on the Water, environmental racism

pollution created for communities surrounding production of sugar cane.

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Each student will:

dress as a person, create artifact and create a book

Mansa Musa: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mansa_Musa

Tin Hinan
Gale Resources

Books on REsistence — JOY, empowerment

Books on the countries:

Madagascar,

Resistance through music and art

Javaka Steptoe — Radiant Child

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legacy of slavery: joy and greatness AND despair and inequality

Compton/Long Beach New York Model Ports

Pollution Control > environmental racism — no say in where they live

Types of Trade > Where ports are

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Red Hook Terminals is a muli-faceted Terminal Operator, Stevedore and Cross Harbor Barge Operator with two facilities in the Port of NY/NJ complex. With cargo handling capabilities and productivity second to none in the Port of NY&NJ, Red Hook Terminals is able to handle any type or size cargo. Whether it is a bulk commodity such as road salt, stone aggregates, steel or lumber, palletized bananas, containers, yachts, heavy lifts, autos, high and heavy (lolo and roro), OOG or special project cargoes, Red Hook Terminals has successfully handled it.

As the only Terminal Operator and Stevedore with facilities in New York City and the Port of Newark/Elizabeth, we are uniquely positioned to serve Beneficial Cargo Owners, Shippers and Special Projects all points East and West of the Hudson River, North and South.

With over 30 years of experience in the Stevedoring and Terminal Operating business, along with the Infrastructure, Equipment and experienced Personnel to meet any requirement, Red Hook Terminals is dedicated to providing outstanding, first class service to our customers.

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Red Hook Terminals is a muli-faceted Terminal Operator, Stevedore and Cross Harbor Barge Operator with two facilities in the Port of NY/NJ complex. With cargo handling capabilities and productivity second to none in the Port of NY&NJ, Red Hook Terminals is able to handle any type or size cargo.

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https://redhookwaterstories.org/items/show/1658

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https://redhookwaterstories.org/items/show/89

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PortSide New York: History of Red Hook Area and Port

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PortSide New York: History of Red Hook Area and Port

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https://portsidenewyork.org/

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Award-winning PortSide NewYork connects New Yorkers to the potential of our waterfront, with a special focus on the underserved (maritime with equity and inclusion)! Our work includes economic, community, and workforce development, education, culture and resiliency in terms of preparing for floods. Our advocacy work tries to change NYC policy so maritime activity of all kinds-commercial, educational, recreational-is a greater part of redevelopment plans for the waterfront. We believe NYC needs more #Piers4Boats. We believe maritime can be used for economic and community development. Our programs walk the talk.

On 11/7/22, we launched a campaign #rethinkEDC to prompt a re-assessment of the NYC Economic Development Corporation (EDC), our landlord and NYC''s largest landlord, a force most people have never heard of. Goals of the #rethinkEDC effort expand concentrically from getting what's needed by PortSide, Red Hook and NYC when it comes to the EDC's actions and city economic development policy.

Our offices and many programs are located on the historic ship MARY A. WHALEN in Red Hook, Brooklyn. We seek building space and permission for more activities, as we have for 17 years, as we struggle with the public sector forces we were founded to change. We want to fulfill long-standing plans to create an indoor/outdoor maritime center that provides B-to-B services to workboats, a landing for boats the public can visit/ride, and, with more space, a more robust pipeline to marine careers, more education, culture and job-training programs for youth and adults, plus attractions for tourists.

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Award-winning PortSide NewYork connects New Yorkers to the potential of our waterfront, with a special focus on the underserved (maritime with equity and inclusion)! Our work includes economic, community, and workforce development, education, culture and resiliency in terms of preparing for floods.

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Advocacy: Austin, TX City Council and Daastan

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Advocacy: Austin, TX City Council and Daastan

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We reconnect Partition refugees with their childhood homes in VR

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Together, we make the laws governing New York City

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https://www.austintexas.gov/austin-city-council

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NYC Youth Leadership Council... for Kids

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NYC Youth Leadership Council... for Kids

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About Us:

The ACS Youth Leadership Council (YLC) provides a voice and platform for young people currently and formerly involved with the child welfare and juvenile justice system in NYC to participate in planning, policy development, and decision-making that impacts them and their communities. We believe young people are the experts when it comes to determining their needs and measuring the impact that child serving systems have in creating viable and effective solutions to mitigating and resolving many of the complex social and economic issues they face.

The YLC aims to address issues around permanency, housing, finances, employment, education, social justice, coaching/mentoring and much more. YLC members meet once-a-month, and receive ongoing support and coaching from ACS Youth Engagement Staff and check ins from ACS leadership on a regular basis.

The YLC believes building connections and networking is a crucial aspect to young people becoming positive leaders and effective advocates as well as achieving successful transitions into adulthood. Through team building exercises, workshops, and on the job training, young people have access to the tools to help them develop and grow in an everchanging society. The YLC is working on policy reform, creating a YLC webpage, and keeping youth connected during these uncertain times.

Additional Resources:

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The ACS Youth Leadership Council (YLC) provides a voice and platform for young people currently and formerly involved with the child welfare and juvenile justice system in NYC to participate in planning, policy development, and decision-making that impacts them and their communities.

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Immigrant Youth Empowering Immigrant Youth

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Immigrant Youth Empowering Immigrant Youth

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Leadership Development

Undocumented youth lead and run all of our programs, learn to organize our communities, and lead campaigns. Through political education, we deepen our members' ability to recognize, analyze, and challenge systems of oppression.

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NYSYLC - New York State Youth Leadership Council

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The first undocumented youth led organization in New York. We work to empower immigrant youth through leadership development, grassroots organizing, educational advancement, and self-expression. Our goal is to give undocumented youth the tools and space to organize and create change in our communiti

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OFFICIAL NAME: Federal Republic of Brazil

FORM OF GOVERNMENT: Democratic federal republic

CAPITAL: Brasilia

POPULATION: 208,846,892

OFFICIAL LANGUAGE: Portuguese

MONEY: Real

AREA: 3,286,470 square miles (8,511,965 square kilometers)

MAJOR MOUNTAIN RANGES: Serra do Mar, Serra do Espinhaço

MAJOR RIVERS: Amazon, São Francisco, Paraná, Tocantins

Brazil is the largest country in South America and the fifth largest nation in the world. It forms an enormous triangle on the eastern side of the continent with a 4,500-mile (7,400-kilometer) coastline along the Atlantic Ocean. It has borders with every South American country except Chile and Ecuador.

The Brazilian landscape is very varied. It is most well known for its dense forests, including the Amazon, the world's largest jungle, in the north. But there are also dry grasslands (called pampas), rugged hills, pine forests, sprawling wetlands, immense plateaus, and a long coastal plain.

Northern Brazil is dominated by the Amazon River and the jungles that surround it. The Amazon is not one river but a network of many hundreds of waterways. Its total length stretches 4,250 miles (6,840 kilometers). Thousands of species live in the river, including the infamous piranha and the boto, or pink river dolphin.
Map created by National Geographic Maps

PEOPLE & CULTURE

Most Brazilians are descended from three ethnic groups: Amerindians, European settlers (mainly from Portugal), and Africans. Starting in the 19th century, waves of immigrants from Europe, the Middle East, and even Japan added to this mix. This diversity of cultures has created a rich religious, musical, and culinary culture.

Brazilians are soccer crazy, and their country has produced some of the best players. The most famous of all is Edson Arantes do Nascimento, better known as Pelé. Brazil has won the World Cup soccer finals five times, more than any other nation.

Brazil has the greatest variety of animals of any country in the world. It is home to 600 mammal species, 1,500 fish species, 1,600 bird species, and an amazing 100,000 different types of insects. Brazil's jungles are home to most of its animal life, but many unique species also live in the pampas and semidesert regions.

In the central-western part of Brazil sits a flat, swampy area called the Pantanal. This patchwork of flooded lagoons and small islands is the world's largest wetland. Here live giant anacondas, huge guinea pig relatives called capybaras, and fierce South American alligators called caimans.

For thousands of years, people have been exploiting the jungles of Brazil. But since Europeans arrived about five centuries ago, forest destruction has been rampant. Most of Brazil's Atlantic rain forest is now gone, and huge tracts of the Amazon are disappearing every year. The government has established many national parks and refuges, but they only cover about 7 percent of the country.

GOVERNMENT & ECONOMY

Brazil is a federal republic with a president, a National Congress, and a judiciary. From 1888 until recently, the country struggled with democracy. But in 1985, the military government was peacefully removed, and by 1995, Brazil's politics and economy had become fairly stable.

Brazil has many different soils and climates, so it can produce a great variety of crops. Its agricultural exports include sugarcane, latex, coffee, cocoa beans, cotton, soybeans, rice, and tropical fruits.

Brazil is also South America's most industrial nation, producing chemicals, steel, aircraft, and cars.

Until recently, scientists thought Brazil was first settled by Asians about 10,000 years ago. But new evidence shows there were people living there at least 32,000 years ago. Some experts think they may have arrived from islands in the Pacific Ocean.

Brazil was added to the map of the world during the great European explorations in the late 15th century led by Portugal and Spain. When Europeans first reached the coast of Brazil, the country was home to about 30 million indigenous people, or Amerindians. Today, only about 300,000 remain, living primarily in Brazil's remotest places.

Portugal established its first colony in Brazil in 1530. Colonists created sugarcane plantations along the coast and sent diamonds and gold back to Europe. Soon, people from West Africa were brought to Brazil to work as slaves. The discovery of large inland gold reserves brought thousands of people from the coasts and as far away as Europe to the interior of the country.

In 1789, Brazilians tried to kick out their Portuguese rulers. The rebellion was soon put down, but it started a movement toward independence. By 1822, Brazil was a sovereign nation. Kings of Portuguese blood ruled until 1888, when military leaders and landowners expelled the king, and Brazil became a federal republic.

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Brazil Country Profile - National Geographic Kids

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Brazil is the largest country in South America and the fifth largest nation in the world.

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Brazil facts: learn about this cool country! | National Geographic Kids

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Brazil facts for kids: Learn about the country of Brazil, with fun facts about its Amazon rainforest, population, geography and history here at Nat Geo Kids

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The largest country in South America, Brazil takes up about half of the continent. It is one of the world’s largest and most economically important countries. It is also…

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Home | That Liberty and Equality Might Yet Reign | Ethiopia-Divine Endurance | Independent Africa Faces Forward | Our Ancestors Lived Free | Legends-Looking Back, Facing Forward | We Are...: Women Warriors | South Africa-A Long Walk to Freedom

"A person is a person because [they] recognize others as persons."
-Desmond Tutu, upon his election to Archbishop of Cape Town

"There is no story that is not true."
-Chinua Achebe, Things Fall Apart

Be your best. This is the quest that the greatest of heroes model for us. Through their journeys, struggles, and triumphs, exceptional individuals exemplify values that we celebrate in tales of heroic accomplishment-epics that outlast heroes themselves. Africa's history abounds with such tales.

Through art, artists tell such stories-stories of the world's current complexity, but also visions of a world that could yet be. Heroes features a selection of permanent-collection works from the National Museum of African Art that tell the story of key heroic principles and personages in Africa's arts and history.

Consider the core values of leadership-justice, integrity, generosity, and empathy among them-and the types of leaders represented in the works on view here. You will find that each artwork is also paired with a specific historic African person who embodies the value expressed in the selected work. In Heroes you are invited to discover a wide range of Africa's heroes-some well-known, others perhaps surprising-and to see art works in new ways.

Heroes expresses the National Museum of African Art's commitment to the dignity, complexity, and universally accessible excellence of African art history, and to the telling of unique, compelling, and specific historical African stories. The artists assembled here invite us to imagine our roles in building a new future.

Heroes Playlist

... Won't you help to sing ... ?
-Bob Marley and the Wailers,Redemption Song

HUDA SHA'ARAWI
Samar El Husseiny - "اهو ده اللى صار / This Is What Happened"
Lyrics by Sayed Darwish
.اهو ده اللى صار Moseeqa TV, 2019 [originally 1919].
Arabic folk

Mohamed Mounir - "إزاي؟ / How Come?"
Lyrics by Mohamed Mounir
إزاي؟ Mohamed Mounir, 2011 [single released 2019].
Arabic pop

QUEEN OF SHEBA
George Frederic Handel - "Arrival of the Queen of Sheba" (From Solomon Act III: No. 42)
Composed by George Frederic Handel. London, 1749.
Baroque sinfonia

FUNMILAYO RANSOME-KUTI
Lilias White - "Rain" (from Fela!: The Musical)
Lyrics by Bill T. Jones and Jim Lewis
Fela! The Musical. Knitting Factory Records, 2010.
Broadway (Afrobeat)

Sahr Ngaujah - "Coffin for Head of State" (from Fela!: The Musical)
Lyrics by Fela Anikulapo-Kuti, with additional lyrics by Bill T. Jones and Jim Lewis
Fela! The Musical. Knitting Factory Records, 2010.
Broadway (Afrobeat)

SUNDIATA KEITA
Rail Band (featuring Mory Kanté and Salif Keita) - "Sunjata"
Lyrics by Mory Kanté, Salif Keita, Djelimady Tounkara, and the Rail Band
Soundiata. RCAM, 1975.
Modern Mande

TOM MBOYA
Gabriel Omollo - "Tom Mboya"
Lyrics by Gabriel Omollo
Mr. Agoya. JoJo Records, 2014 [1969] Benga

HENDRIK VERWOERD
Various Artists - "Izikunyatheli Afrika Verwoerd (Africa Is Going to Trample On You, Verwoerd!)"
This Land Is Mine: South African Freedom Songs. Folkway Records, 1966.
Liberation music (Isicathamiya)

Miriam Makeba - "Beware, Verwoerd! (Ndodemnyama)"
Lyrics by Vuyisile Mini
An Evening with Belafonte/Makeba. RCA Victor, 1965
Liberation music

Various Artists - "Tshotsholoza Mandela (Go Underground, Mandela!)"
This Land Is Mine: South African Freedom Songs. Folkway Records, 1966.
Isicathamiya

Miriam Makeba - "Qongqothwane (The Click Song)"
Miriam Makeba. RCA Victor, 1960.
Xhosa folk

GAMAL ABDUL NASSER
Om Kalsoum - "Asbah 'andy al-an Bondoqeya/ اصبح عندى الان بندقية" ["I Now Have a Rifle"] Lyrics by Nizar Qabbani
Wataneyat I. Mazzika Group, 1961.
Arabic folk

OM KALSOUM
Om Kalsoum - "Qaseedat Misr/ قصيدة مصر" ["Egypt's Poem"] Lyrics by Ibrahim Nagy
Wataneyat II. Mazzika Group, 1965.
Arabic folk

Ɔbrafoɔ [Obrafour]- "Kwame Nkrumah"
Lyrics by Michael Elliot Kwabena Okyere Darko (Ɔbrafoɔ)
Pae Mu Ka. Noize Records, 1999.
Hiplife

Who are your #AfricanHeroes?
Share with us here, and online @nmafa.
Which heroic principle do you most identify with?
Which one do you aspire to?

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Home | That Liberty and Equality Might Yet Reign | Ethiopia-Divine Endurance | Independent Africa Faces Forward | Our Ancestors Lived Free | Legends-Looking Back, Facing Forward | We Are...: Women Warriors | South Africa-A Long Walk to Freedom "A person is a person because [they] recognize others as persons."

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This major international loan exhibition challenges conventional perceptions of African art. Bringing together more than one hundred masterpieces drawn from collections in Germany, Switzerland, Belgium, the United Kingdom, Portugal, France, and the United States, it considers eight landmark sculptural traditions from West and Central Africa created between the twelfth and early twentieth centuries in terms of the individual subjects who lie at the origins of the representations. Analysis of each of these considers the historical circumstances and cultural values that inform the artistic landmarks presented.

The works featured are among the only tangible links that survive, relating to generations of leaders that shaped Africa's past before colonialism, among the Akan of Ghana, ancient Ife civilization and the Kingdom of Benin of Nigeria, Bangwa and Kom chiefdoms of the Cameroon Grassfields, the Chokwe of Angola and Zambia, and the Luluwa, Hemba, and Kuba of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Harnessing materials ranging from humble clay, ubiquitous wood, precious ivory, and costly metal alloys, sculptors from these regions captured evocative, idealized, and enduring likenesses of their individual patrons whose identities were otherwise recorded in ephemeral oral traditions.

The exhibition opens by posing the question: Who are the individuals that the most gifted artists of their respective times and cultures depicted for posterity? Over the centuries across sub-Saharan Africa, artists memorialized for posterity eminent individuals of their societies in an astonishingly diverse repertory of regional sculptural idioms, both naturalistic and abstract, that commemorate their subjects through customized aesthetic formulations. The original patrons of such depictions intended for them to act as concrete points of reference to specific elite members of a given community. For over a century, however, isolation of those creations from the sites, oral traditions, and sociocultural contexts in which they were conceived has led them to be seen as timeless abstractions of generic archetypes. On a purely formal level it is not self-evident that these works were produced in honor of admired individuals. Instead, cultural context is the key to our appreciation of the significance of such representations and ability to connect them to their historical subjects. While information about those figures has been touched upon in the academic literature of African studies, such a body of work has never before been assembled in an exhibition. Heroic Africans presents an unparalleled opportunity to bring to life oral history in visual terms and to put a face on Africa's pre-colonial history for the widest possible audience.

An in-depth look at one of Central Africa's most dazzling sculptural genres unfamiliar to American audiences is a highlight of the exhibition. During the nineteenth century, Hemba masters in the northeastern Democratic Republic of the Congo paid tribute to their leaders through these free-standing wood sculptures, impressive for their scale and elegance. An unprecedented assemblage of twenty-two superb works from this sublime tradition is gathered together for the first time and offers viewers an opportunity to examine the subtle distinctions that may be discerned among masterpieces that rank among the most impressive artistic achievements from sub-Saharan Africa.

In addition to key works central to the Metropolitan's own collection, outstanding loans have been contributed by the Kimbell Art Museum in Fort Worth; Seattle Art Museum; Cleveland Museum of Art; Minneapolis Museum of Art; Smithsonian Institution, National Museum of African Art; Brooklyn Museum of Art; British Museum; Welkulturen Museum, Frankfurt; Volkerkunde Museum, Berlin; Dapper Museum and Quai Branly, Paris; Museum aan de Stroom [MAS], Antwerp, and the Afrika Museum in Tervuren, Belgium; and Museu Nacional de Arqueologia and Museu Etnográfico-Sociedade de Geografia, Lisbon.

Featured Media

A Conversation on Africa's Heritage

The exhibition is made possible in part by The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, The Ceil & Michael E. Pulitzer Foundation, Inc., and the National Endowment for the Arts.

The exhibition catalogue is made possible by The MCS Endowment Fund.

Following the presentation at the Metropolitan, the exhibition will travel to the Museum Rietberg in Zurich, where it will be on view February 26 through June 3, 2012.

On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in

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This major international loan exhibition challenges conventional perceptions of African art. Bringing together more than one hundred masterpieces drawn from collections in Germany, Switzerland, Belgium, the United Kingdom, Portugal, France, and the United States, it considers eight landmark sculptural traditions from West and Central Africa created between the twelfth and early twentieth centuries in terms of the individual subjects who lie at the origins of the representations.

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Even if you’ve never been to Kenya, chances are you know what it looks like.

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The first people to live on the banks of the Nile were hunters and fishermen, who settled there over 8,000 years ago. They learned to grow crops and raise animals, and they began to build villages and towns. They traded with their neighbors and learned to sail boats. By 3000 B.C., a civilization was established.

Around 3100 B.C., the kingdoms of Upper and Lower Egypt were unified under a powerful king, later called a pharaoh. These kings built huge pyramids, temples, and other monuments. They also conquered other lands.

By 1000 B.C., Egypt had split into smaller parts and the kingdom was in decline. Strong neighbors attacked and took over Egyptian territory. In 31 B.C., Egypt fell under Roman control. In A.D. 640, Muslim warriors took over Egypt and founded the modern capital, Cairo. They ruled for several centuries. In the 16th century, Egypt became part of the Ottoman Turkish Empire.

European powers played an increasing role in Egypt starting in the late 18th century. In 1882, the British invaded and occupied Egypt. The British wanted control of the Suez Canal, which linked the Mediterranean Sea with the Red Sea and greatly shortened the sailing trip from Asia to Europe. Egypt gained full independence from Great Britain in 1952 and took control of the Suez Canal in 1956.

Egypt and other neighboring Arab countries fought a series of wars with the Jewish state of Israel into the 1970s. In 1979 Egypt and Israel signed a peace agreement.

In 2011, a popular uprising toppled Egypt's long-time president, Hosni Mubarek. The country has held several democratic elections since 2011, but the role of the military in government remains strong.

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Egypt Country Profile - National Geographic Kids

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Without the Nile River, all of Egypt would be desert.

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There are six national parks and many smaller nature reserves, which were set up to help protect Ghana's wildlife. There are over 650 butterfly species in the Kakum National Park, including the giant swallowtails, which are nearly 8 inches (20 centimeters) across.

The park is also home to leopards, hornbills, Diana monkeys, flying squirrels, and scarlet-tailed African gray parrots.

Elephants, leopards, wild buffalo, and antelope were once plentiful across the savanna, but now are found mostly in nature reserves. Elephants, crocodiles, warthogs, and hippos can be seen around the watering holes in the Mole National Park.

Poisonous snakes such as the cobra and puff adder are native to Ghana as are pythons, which don't bite, but can squeeze their victims to death.

The baobab tree grows in the northern parts Ghana and other savannas in Africa. Ghanaians eat the large, gourd-like fruit, they make barrels from the trunk, the tree provides shade from the sun, and the bark can be made into rope and clothing.

The Volta River was dammed in the 1960s and created Lake Volta, one of the Earth's largest artificial lakes.

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Ghana Country Profile - National Geographic Kids

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There are six national parks and many smaller nature reserves, which were set up to help protect Ghana's wildlife. There are over 650 butterfly species in the Kakum National Park, including the giant swallowtails, which are nearly 8 inches (20 centimeters) across.

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Johannesburg is South Africa's most populous city.

OFFICIAL NAME: Republic of South Africa

FORM OF GOVERNMENT: Republic

CAPITALS: Pretoria (administrative), Cape Town (legislative), Bloemfontein (judicial)

POPULATION: 55,380,210

OFFICIAL LANGUAGES: Afrikaans, English, isiNdebele, isiXhosa, isiZulu, Northern Sotho, Sesotho, Setswana, siSwati, Tshivenda, Xitsonga

MONEY: Rand

AREA: 470,693 square miles (1,219,089 square kilometers)

MAJOR MOUNTAIN RANGES: Drakensberg

MAJOR RIVERS: Limpopo, Orange

Most of South Africa's landscape is made up of high, flat areas called plateaus. These lands are covered with rolling grasslands, called highveld, and tree-dotted plains called bushveld.

To the east, south, and west of the plateau lands is a mountainous region called the Great Escarpment. The eastern range, called the Drakensberg, or Dragon's Mountain, is filled with jagged peaks, some more than 11,400 feet (3,475 meters) high.

Interestingly, South Africa has another country within its borders. Nestled in the Drakensberg is the mountainous kingdom of Lesotho. Much of South Africa's water comes from the snowcapped peaks of this tiny, landlocked nation.
Map created by National Geographic Maps

PEOPLE & CULTURE

Many different peoples make up South Africa, each with their own language and history. The country has 11 official languages and many more unofficial ones. This colorful mix of cultures gives South Africa its nickname "rainbow nation."

South Africans are passionate about music, often using song and dance to express social and political ideas. They're also known worldwide for their skill in sports, including rugby, cricket, golf, and soccer. In 2010, South Africa became the first African nation to host the World Cup.

From aardvarks to zebras, South Africa is full of wildlife. The country takes up only about one percent of Earth's land surface, but is home to almost 10 percent of the world's known bird, fish, and plant species and about 6 percent of its mammal and reptile species.

The seas around South Africa are also crowded with wildlife. About 2,000 marine species visit South African waters at some point during the year. There's also a world-famous sardine run off the east coast each June that draws thousands of hungry sharks, dolphins, and birds.

South Africa works to preserve its wildlife with dozens of protected land and marine areas, including the famous Kruger National Park in the north, as well as nearly 9,000 privately-owned game reserves throughout the country.

Nevertheless, many of South Africa's animals are hurt by illegal hunting and loss of habitat, and dozens of species are in danger of extinction, including the black rhinoceros, the cheetah, and the African wild dog.

GOVERNMENT & ECONOMY

South Africa has been a democratic republic since holding its first truly open election on April 27, 1994. Natural resources, agriculture, tourism, and manufacturing have made South Africa the largest economy on the continent. But problems with unemployment, poverty, and AIDS present huge challenges for the government.

In northern South Africa near Johannesburg, there is a cave formation called the Sterkfontein. Within these caves, archaeologists have uncovered some of the earliest human fossils ever found. Some are more than two million years old. The find earned the region the nickname "Cradle of Humankind."

About 24,000 years ago, tribes of hunter-gatherers known as the San, or Bushmen, began moving into South Africa. Many San still live, much as their ancestors did, around the Kalahari Desert in the northwest.

In the 1400s, European ships heading to the Far East began stopping on the South African coast for supplies. In 1652, the Netherlands established the southern city of Cape Town, and Dutch farmers, called Boers, began settling in the areas around the city.

In 1806, wars in Europe left the British in control of the Cape Town colony. In 1910, the British united four colonies in the region and created South Africa. They established laws that separated whites from black South Africans, a practice of segregation called apartheid, which led to decades of conflict.

In 1963, Nelson Mandela, head of the anti-apartheid African National Congress, was given a life sentence in jail for "terrorist" activities. In 1990, after 27 years behind bars, he was freed by President F.W. de Klerk. In 1994, Mandela was elected president of South Africa and served until 1999.

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Most of South Africa's landscape is made up of high, flat areas called plateaus.

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DSNY - The City of New York Department of Sanitation

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We invite educators to explore our curriculum guide for K-8 classrooms. This comprehensive guide includes a compilation of successful STEM lessons and activities designed to support an interdisciplinary, hands-on approach to teaching about NYC's water story, from drinking water and wastewater, to stormwater and harbor water.

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Rain barrels connect directly to your property's gutter or downspout to capture and store the rainwater that falls on your rooftop. You can use the stored rainwater for outdoor chores, like gardening or washing your car. Using a rain barrel can save you money, as outdoor chores can account for up to 40 percent of an average household's water use during the summer. In New York City, rain barrels also help to reduce the amount of Combined Sewer Overflows that enter the City's sewer system, which protects the health of local waterways.

We partner with elected officials to organize rain barrel distribution events in select neighborhoods throughout the city. If you are interested in learning more about this program, contact your local elected official to ask if they have or are planning to schedule a rain barrel giveaway event.

Each homeowner who obtains a free rain barrel through our program receives an installation kit and instructions. Rain barrels should only be used for non-potable (non-drinking) purposes, such as gardening, and must be disconnected from the downspout during the winter months to avoid freezing.

If you received a free rain barrel through our program, visit Rain Barrel Assembly, Installation, Maintenance and Warranty to learn more about rain barrel installation, winterization, maintenance, and warranty.

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Rain barrels connect directly to your property's gutter or downspout to capture and store the rainwater that falls on your rooftop. You can use the stored rainwater for outdoor chores, like gardening or washing your car. Using a rain barrel can save you money, as outdoor chores can account for up to 40 percent of an average household's water use during the summer.

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No natural resource is more important to community gardeners than water, and identifying and ensuring a dependable source is vital to every garden's success.

Faced with a drought in the summer of 2001 that restricted gardener access to hydrants, GrowNYC and GreenThumb founded the Water Resources Group to promote and fine-tune the idea of water conservation. For our efforts, GrowNYC's rainwater harvesting team received an Environmental Excellence Award from the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation.

There are more than 140 rainwater harvesting systems in New York City community gardens, collecting over 1.5 million gallons of rainwater a year from nearby roofs or shade structures, making water collection convenient for gardeners, and reducing demand on the public water supply system. They also help mitigate rainstorm runoff, which can overload storm drains and pollute the waters surrounding the city.

Interested in having a system in your community garden? Contact us or read our How-To Guide and build your own!

Rainwater Harvesting Resources

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No natural resource is more important to community gardeners than water, and identifying and ensuring a dependable source is vital to every garden's success. Faced with a drought in the summer of 2001 that restricted gardener access to hydrants, GrowNYC and GreenThumb founded the Water Resources Group to promote and fine-tune the idea of water conservation.

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The Secret Behind the Living Wall of Brooklyn (Published 2018)

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In Carroll Gardens, once the inflatable Santas and Nativity scenes go back into storage, a living facade of colorful leaves and evergreens — in an intriguing pattern — will continue to thrive.

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When I first think of Public Service Announcements, I always think of NBC's, "The More You Know" PSAs from the 1980s. They were PSAs created by NBC to spread awareness about various topics. I mostly remember these from when I was a kid, but I think they still run today. Do you remember these? It would usually be a celebrity talking about a topic (i.e. literacy, abuse, education) and then a shooting star would shimmer across the screen and say, "the more you know." Even though this is what I instantly think of, Public Service Announcements can be so much more.

There are all types of PSAs, but really effective ones evoke a strong emotion in the audience. They usually encourage the viewer want to take some kind of action (I.e. spaying or neutering pets, donating money or switching to reusable baggies). Basically, a successful PSA is very persuasive.

6 Steps to Create a Persuasive Public Service Announcements in Your Classroom Tomorrow

Step 1: Brainstorm problems & select topic

First you need to decide if you are going to leave it open, or give students parameters (like Environmental Issues or School Issues). As a class, brainstorm problems that students want to bring attention to. For instance, if you are going to do this for Earth Day, brainstorm environmental topics. For example, your list might look like this:

I like to have kids brainstorm ideas before I show them sample PSAs, or else they only want to choose topics that they see in the videos. They want to copy what they see, so be sure to brainstorm first.

Step 2: Show sample PSAs and critique

Many students might have never heard of or seen a Public Service Announcement. I explain that the person creating these has a strong opinion about something and they want to persuade you to take an action. Start by showing students a few samples. Check out YouTube for a ton of Public Service Announcement samples. Make sure you preview them to be sure they are appropriate for your grade level.

Have students find what is good and what needs improvement in the PSAs (mood, music, words, story) - I have a checklist in my Writing a PSA Freebie for students to rate each aspect of four different PSAs. This gives students ideas about what they want to include in their own.
Point out some important features of PSAs:

They don't need spoken words to be powerful

Often have very dramatic camera angles

Often have mood-evoking music

Are usually are around 60 seconds or less

Problem/Solution

Have a call to action

Step 3: Research, take notes, and plan

Have students come up with 3 questions that they want to know about their topic (more are okay, but three minimum). For instance if their topic is plastics in the ocean, they might ask, 1. Why is plastic in the ocean a problem? 2. What can be done to help solve the problem of plastics in the ocean? 3. How much plastic is in the ocean?

Try to guide them to ask about "why" this is a problem. Most students assume they know, but they often don't fully understand the root of the problem.

Give students time to research the answers to their questions. They might be surprised to learn some other surprising facts along the way.

(CLICK HERE to snag my PSA planning guide in my Writing a PSA Freebie). I like to have all students fill out the planner, just to be sure they are doing their research and generating ideas, but when we do the next phase, that is when students can go in their creative directions.

Step 4: Storyboard

This is my favorite step and most kids enjoy this process as well. This is when students get to sketch how their film will look, frame by frame. They should include any text, spoken words, music, and/or video hints that they plan to use in their film. I tell them that they don't need to do amazing artwork, but a quick sketch will suffice.

Once they finish their storyboard, they have to present it to me and verbally walk me through their PSA story. This is when I can try to catch any hiccups before they start creating, (for instance if the film is going to be way too long, a little confusing, or if they forgot to cite sources). This is a good time to make any helpful suggestions.

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Public Service Announcements: A How-To Guide for Teachers - TeachWriting.org

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When I first think of Public Service Announcements, I always think of NBC's, "The More You Know" PSAs from the 1980s. They were PSAs created by NBC to spread awareness about various topics. I mostly remember these from when I was a kid, but I think they still run today.

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Having students design public service announcements for topics they care about can boost their digital literacy skills.

Walk the hallways of any middle or high school, and you will see students immersed in their digital worlds. Our students write, read, listen, and speak every day using their cell phones, iPads, computers, AirPods, and watches. For many writing teachers, having students tap into these digital and multimodal literacy practices offers an exciting way to break away from print-only forms of written communication. For others, it can feel challenging to bring unfamiliar or ever-evolving multimodal genre forms into the formal curriculum. Cynthia Selfe (2008) writes, "The traditional language skills of reading and writing are, in short, converging with new multimodal literacy practices and feeding off each other in ways that make learning exciting and challenging for students and teachers from kindergarten to college" (p. 86). Whether eager or anxious about including digital literacies in our writing curriculum, it is impossible to refute the importance of exposing students to multimodal forms of writing and reading. We want to tap into their own digital skills and interests as part of preparing them to be 21st-century writers.

The National Council of Teachers of English (2019), has offered position statements calling for the inclusion of multimodal literacy practices (designing through different genres of communication, including linguistic, visual, and audio) into the curriculum. The PSA is a perfect example of a genre that allows students to take up digital forms of literacy. It also requires students to write and communicate persuasively, use research, develop a sophisticated understanding of their audience and purpose, and inform or teach. Additionally, the PSA allows students to write for a public audience beyond the teacher and their peers.
Courtesy of W. W. Norton & Company
The PSA is a form of multimodal communication that persuades the audience to act, much like an advertisement, but with no fees attached. PSAs promote federal, state, and local government programs or nonprofit organizations. Iconic PSAs such as "This is your brain. This is your brain on drugs" from the 1980s or "Friends don't let friends drive drunk" often help define a cultural or historical moment. For example, as the COVID-19 pandemic roared, highways had large, digitized PSAs encouraging people to get vaccinated. Health departments had launched public service campaigns and messaging to support vaccination, masking, social distancing, and testing. PSAs are used to encourage people to shift their behaviors.

They can be a source of controversy and public debate. For example, a highway PSA became controversial in Arizona because of the pro-vaccine messaging. The PSA message, "Want to return to normal? Get vaccinated," outraged a state senator, who objected to it by posting a picture of it along with her opinion about it on social media. "Seen in Communist China today. Oops, I mean Arizona." The next day, the PSA was removed from all highway signs ( Arizona Republic, 2020). This is one example of how this genre can inform and stir reaction.

PSAs have been part of written and visual communication throughout history. They were created and distributed during the suffrage movement to encourage or discourage the vote for women and during the world wars to boost morale during incredibly challenging times in the country. They have also promoted public health campaigns such as anti-smoking, hand washing, and vaccination. You may want to share a brief history of this genre with students so they can see its cultural and historical relevance along with the shifting genre expectations.

Assignment Details

PSAs generally promote positive social behaviors through information and a call to action by mixing visual or digital and textual elements that share clear and concise messaging. They are published for television and video, blogs, digital and print media, radio, and billboards. The audience and purpose often determine the medium. Some students have limited to no experience with PSAs and how they operate in the world, but many have experience reading PSAs. Ask what PSAs they have seen recently. For example, I recently asked my first-year college students what knowledge they had reading or writing PSAs. While none of them had ever created a PSA of their own, many of them referred to ones they had seen on Twitter in connection to the Black Lives Matter movement. Others shared that they had seen PSAs in support of Palestine during a recent series of bombings in Gaza, and another student shared a PSA she had seen recently advocating for Pro-Life.

Hearing examples of the connections students have with this genre is a powerful way to share its relevance in their lives. I also share examples of PSAs from history, so students may see how this genre has evolved over time. A few great resources for these can be found through the Washington Post 's "The Top 10 PSAs of All Time," the PSA Research Center's "A Brief History of Public Service Advertising," and the Poster House's "A Brief History of PSA Posters."

The PSA is an opportunity for students to dive into the research and writing of an individual or shared topic (e.g., the unhoused population) to figure out what they believe about it and, next, what they want people to know and do differently. You can start students thinking about their topics for the PSA assignment by asking them to respond to this prompt: "Something I know and believe about that I want others to know and believe is _____."

A sentence starter is a quick and effective way to have students begin brainstorming topics and thinking about issues they care about deeply. Instead of having students choose the topic, you might want to select a current topic in the community that students see or hear about frequently or that feels particularly relevant in the present moment. Or you could pick an issue directly related to a book you are reading as a class, so the writing of the PSA is a direct extension of the reading curriculum.

When inviting students to create PSAs, you can offer the choice between making a print, video, audio, or combined video and audio PSA. This gives students some ownership of presenting their topics and allows them to play with and learn about various digital tools and design elements. You can also keep things simple and have students create analog PSA posters to display at school or in the community. An example of a PSA assignment for sixth-12th grades offers three choices in mode. Students can create a written and visual analog poster, a digital PSA video, or a recorded PSA audio. This may be modified to fit grade level and purpose and to include only one of the options for the final product if this feels more manageable in terms of teaching and assessment.

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Creating PSAs Engages Students in Writing

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Having students design public service announcements for topics they care about can boost their digital literacy skills. Walk the hallways of any middle or high school, and you will see students immersed in their digital worlds. Our students write, read, listen, and speak every day using their cell phones, iPads, computers, AirPods, and watches.

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StoryCorps: Tips for Effective Interviews

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StoryCorps: Tips for Effective Interviews

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Students will learn tips for effective interviews. In addition, they will watch and discuss the StoryCorps animated short Q&A in which 12-year-old Joshua Littman interviews his mother, Sarah. Students will apply these tips as they conduct peer interviews with a partner. As an optional homework assignment, students can be assigned to conduct an interview with a friend or family member before the next lesson.
Activity: Tips for Effective Interviews

10 Minutes

1. Explain to students that today's Warm-Up focused on asking questions because they will conduct an interview with a peer. Being an effective interviewer is an important skill that takes practice to develop.

2. Explain to students that they are going to learn more about effective interviews through the Four Tips for an Effective Interview video.

3. Play the Four Tips for an Effective Interview video for students. You can also view the transcript of the video.

4. Many of the questions included in The Great Questions List are designed with these guidelines in mind. Ask students which questions that were asked in the warm-up relate to the tips outlined in the video.

Activity: Joshua's Story: Q & A

10 Minutes

1. Tell students they are now going to watch a StoryCorps animation of an interview between a mom and her 12-year-old son, Joshua Littman, who has Asperger's syndrome. Explain that Asperger's syndrome may cause someone to have difficulty interacting socially and that people with Asperger's often demonstrate intense interests or obsessions, for example with chess or bugs. Someone with Asperger's may also engage in repetitive behavior, like hand waving.

2. Ask a volunteer to summarize the clip. Invite other volunteers to add to the summary. Sample summary: "In this interview, Joshua asks his mom about animals, enemies, and what it's like to be a parent."

3. Distribute copies of the transcript of Joshua and Sarah Littman's recording . Ask students to underline the effective interview questions Joshua asked his mother.

4. Ask students to share examples of Joshua's questions and discuss why these questions were effective or not, based on what they learned in the Four Tips for an Effective Interview video.

Activity: Interviewing A Peer

10 Minutes

Explain that students will now conduct peer interviews with each other to practice the tips for effective interviews.

Ask students to brainstorm effective questions they might ask a peer. Examples include the following:

"What are you proudest of?"

"What is the hardest thing you have ever had to do?"

"Who has had the biggest influence on your life? How?"

Ask students to choose one question that will be the start of their interview with a peer. The question should follow the tips for an effective question. It can be one of the questions from your brainstorm, a question from the Warm-Up, or they can come up with a new question.

Pair up students by counting off. If you have a group of 20, for example, count off one to 10 and match students with the same number. If there are an uneven number of students, you can participate.

Let students know that everyone will have a chance to be interviewer and interviewee. Ask each pair to decide who will be the first to conduct an interview.

Explain that each person will have three minutes to interview their peer. You will announce when three minutes have elapsed so that students can switch roles.

Facilitate a discussion of the interviews using the following questions:

What was it like to interview a peer?

Which of the interviewing tips did you use, and how did it help you as the interviewer?

As an interviewee, did you feel that the interviewer truly heard your answers? If so, what did the interviewer do or ask to make you believe this?

What more could an interviewer do to show you that s/he is truly listening to you?

Closing And Optional Homework Assignment: Go-Around

Seven Minutes

Explain to students that their homework assignment is to conduct an interview with a friend, family member, or someone else they know about something important from their past. Encourage students to use the Four Tips for an Effective Interview video and The Great Questions List from today's lesson. They can use these questions or write their own.

Ask students to sit or stand in a circle. One at a time, in clockwise fashion, have students complete the following prompts:

One person I'd like to interview for my homework is...

Something important I would like to ask this person is ...

Printable Lesson Materials

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Students will learn tips for effective interviews. In addition, they will watch and discuss the StoryCorps animated short Q&A in which 12-year-old Joshua Littman interviews his mother, Sarah. Students will apply these tips as they conduct peer interviews with a partner. As an optional homework assignment, students can be assigned to conduct an interview with...

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Anatomy of a Great Interview from Facing History and StoryCorps

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Anatomy of a Great Interview from Facing History and StoryCorps

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StoryCorps provides five tips to help you conduct a meaningful interview for The Great Thanksgiving Listen.

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How to Help Students Develop Interviewing Skills

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Tips for teaching students to conduct great interviews, from the Center for Urban Pedagogy’s investigation curriculum.

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Main content

You observe. Describe the appearance of this forest.

You might describe this forest as dense, lush, and diverse. This is an example of a rainforest. Rainforests are so named because they receive a lot rain. Rainforests are found throughout the world and receive over 200 centimeters of rain each year. There are many types of rainforests; we'll discuss two types, tropical rainforests and temperate rainforests. Tropical rainforests are warm, humid forests located near the equator. Species diversity is extremely high in tropical rainforests. Millions of species of plants and animals live in the world's tropical rainforests, with many species yet to be discovered. We eat many things from tropical rainforests including chocolate, vanilla, and different kinds of nuts. Dozens of valuable medicines are also made from rainforest plants. Unfortunately, tropical rainforests around the world are being cut down at an alarming rate. As vast tracks of rainforest disappear valuable plant and animal species are eliminated. Another type of rainforest called temperate rainforests are found at higher latitudes where temperatures are cooler. Temperate rainforests can be found along the Pacific Coast of North America where there's ample rain fall or moisture from dense ocean fog. Trees in these moist forests include Sitka spruce, Douglas fir and redwoods which can reach heights of over 100 meters. Epiphytes which are plants that grow on other plants are also common. Elk, deer, and a wide array of birds are found in temperate rainforests. Unfortunately, temperate rainforests have been and continue to be heavily logged for their valuable timber. Only a small amount of the original temperate rainforests remain today.

Source Citation

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You observe. Describe the appearance of this forest. You might describe this forest as dense, lush, and diverse. This is an example of a rainforest. Rainforests are so named because they receive a lot rain. Rainforests are found throughout the world and receive over 200 centimeters of rain each year.

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About Gale In Context: Elementary

Introduce elementary students to database searching with resources featuring age-appropriate, curriculum-related content.

Don't know how to login?

Depending on this location's preferences, the log-in process could include your library card number, a student or user ID, or another provided password. If you don't know how to log in, please contact your library or school directly.

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About Gale In Context: Elementary Introduce elementary students to database searching with resources featuring age-appropriate, curriculum-related content. Don't know how to login? Depending on this location's preferences, the log-in process could include your library card number, a student or user ID, or another provided password.

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About Gale In Context: Elementary

Introduce elementary students to database searching with resources featuring age-appropriate, curriculum-related content.

Don't know how to login?

Depending on this location's preferences, the log-in process could include your library card number, a student or user ID, or another provided password. If you don't know how to log in, please contact your library or school directly.

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About Gale In Context: Elementary Introduce elementary students to database searching with resources featuring age-appropriate, curriculum-related content. Don't know how to login? Depending on this location's preferences, the log-in process could include your library card number, a student or user ID, or another provided password.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
About Gale In Context: Elementary

Introduce elementary students to database searching with resources featuring age-appropriate, curriculum-related content.

Don't know how to login?

Depending on this location's preferences, the log-in process could include your library card number, a student or user ID, or another provided password. If you don't know how to log in, please contact your library or school directly.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
About Gale In Context: Elementary Introduce elementary students to database searching with resources featuring age-appropriate, curriculum-related content. Don't know how to login? Depending on this location's preferences, the log-in process could include your library card number, a student or user ID, or another provided password.

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Preparing Students for PBL Presentations

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Project-based learning often culminates in a presentation for an audience beyond the classroom, and students need a lot of practice to be successful.