• locate Madagascar on a world map and place significant cities, rivers, and mountains on the island
  
  
• trace on a world map the journey that a student would take to reach Madagascar and calculate the length of the trip
  
  
• use a map scale to estimate the land area of Madagascar
  
  
• locate and understand the island's major ecosystems
  
  
• know some basic information about Madagascar and how it compares to the student's own state.
  
  

• III. People, Places, and Environments: Social studies programs should include experiences that provide for the study of people, places, and environments.
  
  
• VI. Power, Authority, and Governance: Social studies programs should include experiences that provide for the study of how people create and change structures of power, authority, and governance.
  
  

• Grades 5-8
  Standard 7: Computation and Estimation
  Standard 13: Measurement
  
  

• copy of World Map activity sheet
  
• copy of Madagascar Map activity sheet
  
• copy of How Does Your State Compare? activity sheet
  
• green, brown, and gray colored pencils
  
• ruler
  
• world globe or map
  
• access to library and Internet for reference materials
  
  

1. Divide students into small groups and provide each group with a copy of the World Map activity sheet. Have students determine the latitude and longitude of Madagascar. Ask students to trace the route a ship would take to get to Madagascar from where the student lives and label the bodies of water and major landmasses along this route.
   
   
2. Provide each group with a copy of the Madagascar Map activity sheet. Have students locate and label the following areas listed at the bottom of the map. Have students color in the rainforest ecosystem in green, the mountains in brown and the desert in gray.
   • Androy Plateau
     
   • Ankarana Massif
     
   • Antananarivo
     
   • Antsiranana
     
   • Bemaraha Plateau
     
   • Cliff of Angavo
     
   • Fianarantsoa
     
   • Indian Ocean
     
   • Mahajanga
     
   • Makay Massif
     
   • Mozambique
     
   • Mozambique Channel
     
   • Toamasina
     
   • Toliara
     
     
3. Ask students to use the map scale to estimate the approximate land area of Madagascar.
   
   
4. Organize students into groups and have them complete the How Does Your State Compare? activity sheet. What do they feel is the most significant difference between Madagascar and their state and why? How does the climate of their own state compare to that of Madagascar? How does the land area of Madagascar compare to their state? Compare the average population density (number of people per square mile of land) by dividing the number of people by the number of square miles. Have students comment on the diversity of life in Madagascar compared to that of their state.
   
   

Features information about Madagascar compiled for the Central Intelligence Agency Factbook. Entries include geography, people, government, economy, communication, transportation, military, and transnational issues.

Covers the importance of the forest to the Madagascar people and how deforestation is threatening the island paradise.

Includes extensive background about Madagascar, its history, people, and geography.

• their participation in the classroom discussions
  
• their accuracy on the map location activity
  
• the details of their ecosystem coloring exercise
  
• the accuracy of their calculations estimating the Madagascar land area
  
• the level of detail in the comparisons they draw when they contrast their state to Madagascar
  
  

1. Research various animals and plants that are unique to the island. Have students work in groups to research animals such as lemurs, fossa, and chameleons and then give a classroom presentation. Their presentation can include a poster with information about their animal. Students may want to contact the World Wildlife Fund or similar organizations for further information. Students should include a prognosis of what the future holds for their animal/plant, including:
   • Is its habitat likely to survive?
     
   • Is the animal/plant likely to become extinct in the next 20 years?
     
   • Is anything being done to ensure the species' survival at this time?
     
   • What, if anything, would they recommend be done?
     
     
2. Examine recent newspaper articles relating to Madagascar. Cyclones and floods in late March and early April 2000 have caused severe damage to the landscape and seriously disrupted the lives of thousands of people. Most of the rice crop has been decimated, and 40,000 people were left homeless. In all, more than half a million people were affected. Students may want to write a newspaper-style article on the current situation. They can contact the Madagascar Embassy for further information.
   
   
3. Create a social and political time line for Madagascar over the last 300 years. Another option is to create a world time line, including such civilizations as ancient Egypt, Rome, Greece, European Middle Ages, Europeans arriving in North America. This would give students an idea of how relatively recently (less than 2,000 years ago) people arrived on Madagascar.
   
   
4. Calculate their percent error in estimating the land area of Madagascar. Students can do this using the following formula:
   
   

   % error = difference between the student's value and the true value (from chart) x 100
   				        true value (from chart)