IB Induction Cross Curricular

"Much of Africa had been colonised pre World War 2. These colonies had been set up primarily to expand the empires of respective countries and to reap the natural resources that were in rich abundance. Whilst of course bringing benefits to the colonial masters, they provided jobs and security for many millions of African citizens.

The building of infrastructure, transport networks, housing, hospitals and educational centres were all carried out to varying degrees by those in power and gave Africa an enormous boost shoving it violently towards the development threshold.

Once World War 2 was over and the colonisers were in deep recession, they retreated quickly leaving millions of workers facing ruin and unable to support themselves. The development trapdoor fell open and most of Africa fell through it into oblivion"

World War II & Geography
Cross Curricular Activity Day

Source: BBC News

Objective: To gain an understanding of how World War II has influenced the level of development in Africa then and now

Resources
·        Laptop Computer
·        Colour Pencils
·        Pen and paper

*Presentation at bottom of this page

Tasks – In your group, you must complete the following tasks and come to a conclusion.

Task 1 – Springboard to Oblivion A4 Sheet. Use this website to find the names of each of the colonial countries in Africa. This is presented as a game but you are only using it to find the names of countries. You do not have to write the names of the countries on the sheet but you do have to the complete the key to show which different European countries the different colours represent.

Task 2 – Use the two sheets 'Fighting for their country' and 'Africa’s role in defeating the Japanese' to annotate important information around the sheet used in task 1. You do not have to copy everything but simply take the best bits that you will be able to remember later on for your presentation to the Leadership Group. Use the highlighter pens available to colour code your labels as the following.

·        Social
·        Economic (money, jobs and trade)
·        Discontent.

Task 3 – Study the choropleth maps on the tab beneath.  These show the Child Mortality rates globally. An child mortality rate measures the death rate amongst children before their 5th birthday per 1000 people per year. A high number would indicate poor healthcare and underdevelopment of a country. A low number would indicate better healthcare, family planning and a more developed country. Log on to the computer and go to the CIA World Factbook - here. Use the data provided to fill in the sheet entitled Colonisers and Colonies.

IMR = Infant Mortality Rate ( deaths up to 1 year of age)
CMR - Child Mortality Rate (deaths between 2 - 5 years of age)
GDP per Capita PPP = How much money each person is worth in the country. i.e. how much they contribute to the economy. Always measured in $US. A low number indicates a developing country and a high number represents a developed nation.

Task 4 – Joint Task. Complete the activities set out on the sheet entitled ‘Key Questions for Discussion’.