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Challenges in Developing Nations
A Social Studies 11 WebQuest
Created by Holly Mair, Claremont Secondary School
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![[Man Selling Produce In Cuba]](images/cgreen1.jpg)
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Introduction
Developing countries face many challenges. Working in a group of 4, you will analyze statistics from one of the countries listed below. Your task will be to go beyond the statistic and speculate the reasons for the statistic being what it is. For example, what conditions could lead to a high birth rate, what conditions could lead to a high infant mortality rate? By carefully analyzing the statistics, and sharing information between group members you should be able to paint a very accurate picture of your country.
CAMBODIA |
SRI LANKA |
NAMIBIA |
UKRAINE |
NEPAL |
ZAMBIA |
PHILIPPINES |
ZIMBABWE |
SOUTH AFRICA |
1. Find a group of four.
2. Select a country and check with your teacher to ensure it
is still available.
3. Scroll to the next section Individual
Research. Divide the research jobs
amongst your group.
4. Click on your job heading: Status of Children
Researcher, Demographic
Researcher, Health Researcher,
or Economic Researcher. This will
take you to your worksheet.
5. Print your worksheet or use it as a template for taking
notes.
6. Complete your worksheet. Go to the sample
worksheet now!
7. Get together with your group members and compare
notes. In light of all
the information you have gathered, determine whether your
conclusions are
plausible.
CHANGE
OR REFINE IF THEY NO LONGER SE
8. Once you have completed these steps you will prepare
for the round-table
discussion which will occur in class.
9. You will be evaluated on three parts:
i. Your
Individual Research Worksheet (60%)
ii. Your
Round-Table Discussion (20%)
iii. Your Journal
Reflection (20%)
Individual Research
In a group of 4, divide the research jobs and discover more about the country you have selected. Each researcher will find facts and then draw conclusions from those facts. For example, what conditions would cause the statistic to be what it is?
Each person has been given one research link. Use this
link as your first source and then branch out to find other materials to support
your research. You may want to use the following:
a. Search
the Library Catalogue for Print Resources
b. Search
the online periodicals for up-to-date information on your country
(InfoTrac/Ebsco).
c.
Search the Internet for more resources.
d. Try
this great new web-resource.
It generates graphs comparing countries
based on specific indicators
(Ex:
Compare the birth rate in Japan to that in China). This site also
allows
you to compare two indicators within a single
country (Ex. Compare
the infant mortality rate to the literacy rate).
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Your task is to report on the status of children in your country. Using the statistics given, draw conclusions about the lives children lead. How do their lives compare to yours? |
Your task is to report on the demographic statistics of your country. Using the statistics given, draw conclusions about the lives these people lead? How do they compare to yours in Canada? |
| Health Researcher
Your task is to report on the health conditions of your country. How many people have access to doctors? To hospitals? What is the leading cause of death? Describe some of the most prevalent diseases and how they could be prevented? |
Economic Researcher
Your task is to report on the economic statistics of your country. What is its leading export? Import? Who are the trading partners? Is there a trade dependency? National debt? |
After the research is completed and the research teams have met to determine plausible conclusions for each statistical piece of information, the class will be engaging in a round-table discussion. Your job during this discussion will be to share your findings with the delegates from other countries. Afterwards, you will be completing a reflection journal where you will reflect on the similarities and differences between the nations presented in class. Reflection prompts include:
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What similarities did you notice? Why do you think these exist? |
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What differences did you notice? What might account for those differences? |
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Is there a generalized list of challenges that all developing nations face? |
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What other research indicators would have been useful in completing this assignment? |
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What could be done in developing nations to improve
their conditions? |
Evaluation
Individual Research Worksheet (60%)
| A | B | C | I |
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All statistics are complete and accurate and student goes beyond the list of those given, finding other useful indicators for his/her topic. |
All statistics are complete and accurate. | The majority of the statistics are complete and accurate. |
Statistics may not be complete and/or may not be accurate. |
| Offers a wide variety of plausible conclusions for each statistic. | Many plausible conclusions are given for each statistic. | Attempts at conclusions have been made; however, their plausibility is questionable. | Few conclusions have been attempted and/or the conclusions are highly improbable. |
| Conclusions are consistent with information found from other group members. | May be slight inconsistencies between conclusions from group members. | Group members have had little conferencing and as a result, many conclusions are inconsistent. | Group members have worked in isolation of each other and as a result the majority of conclusions are inconsistent. |
| A | B | C | I |
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All group members participate equally and each shares 3 key statistics and the related conclusions. |
Group member participation is slightly unequal and each shares 3 key statistics and the related conclusions. | Group member participation is slightly unequal and fewer than 3 key statistics and the related conclusions are given in some sections. |
Group member participation is highly unequal and fewer than 3 key statistics and the related conclusions are given in the majority of sections. |
| Information presented is clear and easy to follow. | Information presented is clear but may be slightly unorganized and therefore awkward to follow. | Information presented is unclear and the listener may wonder at times what the overall purpose of the presentation is. | The information is so unclear and difficult to follow that it is of little value to the class. |
| Group members make many links between individual research sections, providing the class with a clear over-view of the country. | Group members make some links between individual research sections, providing the class with solid generalizations about the country. | Group members few links between individual research sections, providing the class with a disjointed presentation. | Group members fail to make links between individual research sections. |
| A | B | C | I |
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Effective use of journal prompts. |
Adequate use of journal prompts. | Minimal use of journal prompts. |
Journal prompts are not used or used very sporadically. |
| Relates a thoughtful reaction revealing understanding and making connections. | Reaction reveals understanding and makes some connections. | Reaction reveals understanding but fails to make adequate connections. | Reaction fails to reveal understanding and/or fails to make connections. |
| Refers to specific information from the round-table discussion. | Refers to general information from the round-table discussion. | References to the round-table discussion are sporadic and/or misplaced. | Does not refer to information from the round-table discussion. |
| Shows insight and maturity of understanding. | Shows some insight into the issues. | Journal entry primarily reports facts with little insight into the larger issues. | Journal entry is completely factual with no real insight into the larger issues. |
Imagine a famine. Now imagine a piece of bread. Both of these things are real but you happen to be in the same room with only one of them. Put yourself into a different room, that's what the mind is for. You are now lying on a thin mattress in a hot room. The walls are made of dried earth and your sister, who is younger than you are, is in the room with you. She is starving, her belly is bloated, flied land on her eyes; you brush them off with your hand. You have a cloth too, filthy but damp, and you press it to her lips and forehead. The piece of bread is the bread you've been saving, for days it seems. You are as hungry as she is, but not yet as weak. How long does this take? When will someone come with more bread? You think of going out to see if you might find something that could be eaten, but outside the streets are infested with scavengers and the stink of corpses is everywhere.
Should you share the bread or give the whole piece to your sister? Should you eat the piece of bread yourself? After all, you have a better chance of living, you're stronger. How long does it take to decide? (Atwood, 53).
This is an example of one the difficult decisions people in developing countries make everyday. After working with this WebQuest, you will have a better understanding of the myriad of issues that contribute to creating these situations. These are complex problems that require complex solutions and unless all aspects of the problem are addressed, the people living in these countries will continue to confront difficult challenges.
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Atwood, Margaret. (1997). "Bread" from Murder in the Dark. Toronto: McClelland and Stewart Inc.
| Introduction | Evaluation | Conclusion |