Nigeria Lesson Plan

by Kathy Sundstedt

INQUIRY QUESTION:

How do humans adapt to climate in tropical areas?

OBJECTIVE:

Students will understand how to read climate graphs.
Students will understand the climate of Nigeria.

STANDARDS:

Standard 4: Physical and human characteristics of place
Standard 7: Physical Processes that shape patterns on earths surface
Standard 8: Characteristics and distribution of ecosystems

THEMES:

Location
Place
Human-Environment Interaction

MULTIPLE INTELLIGENCES:

Logical Mathematical
Visual Spatial

MATERIALS:

calculators
climate graph grids(3)
pencils
attached data sheet & questions
maps of Nigeria

BACKGROUND INFORMATION:

Climate data tells us about a place, including what and where crops can grow.
Climate is a result of the location of a place including its:
(a)latitude (distance from the equator)
(b)distance inland (from onshore winds)
(c)elevation (height above sea level)

Rainfall is a critical factor for farming. In tropical areas, traditional agricultural practices care shaped by the onset of the rainy season. Delays in the onset of the rains have been known to cause crop failures and famine in Nigeria. (Udo, 1970) An equatorial area of low pressure sets up the wind patterns seen in Diagrams 1 and 2.

Referring to Diagrams 1 & 2, which map shows winds which bring moisture to Nigeria? Which map shows wind direction during the dry (harmattan) season?

Climate Graphs & Calculations

Students familiar with climate graphs and decimals should graph the three sets of data, using line graphs to show monthly temperature and a bar graph to show precipitation.

Students unfamiliar with the concept will need to be taught to read the numbers on left side of the graph to plot monthly temperature. Use numbers on the right side of the graph to plot precipitation. You might want to practice using local data.

By comparison, Waterloo at 42 N has total precipitation of 33" per year with an average temperature of 46. Its wettest months are May, June & July, with just over 4 inches in each of those months. The range of temperature is 58.

Each set of data (Stations 1, 2 and 3) represents climate at one of three Nigerian cities. Present a physical map of Nigeria with these three cities or provide locations of each
Kano 12°N 8°E
Jos 9°N 8°E
Port Harcourt 5°N 7°E

ACTIVITY:

The Climate Graphs of Nigeria activity is attached to this lesson as a PDF file.
You will find the climate graph grids, maps of Nigeria, directions, data sheets, questions, and answer keys.
In order to read the attachments, you need to download Acrobat Reader.