UKRAINE/RUSSIA WAR - A Current Events UNIT

The job of a World Geographer is to seek out deeper understanding of the world we live in. We are all aware of what is facing the country/people of Ukraine and it is our job to at least learn a bit about this country (along with Russia) and what led to this conflict. Current Events will always be flashing across screens and will dominate headlines around the world…most of the time we see the story and move on to our own lives. This mini-unit will give the 8th Grade Geographers a chance to “dig in” a bit and try to better understand the Ukrainian Vs. Russian War.

Activity One: Compare/Contrast Ukraine & Russia Info Poster

Objective: creating an informational poster about the basics of Ukraine and Russia

Activity #1 involves creating a small poster displaying the basics of these two European countries. Maps, Flags, Leaders and basic demographic information will be displayed in an organized manner. These simple info posters will be completed in groups of three students on 11x17 inch white paper. Posters should be neat, clear and colorful…students will be given ONE class period to complete this activity. Note: your Geo teacher will provide basic “info cubes” to be placed on this poster to create the display.

Universal Poster Parts:

#1 - Mapping Ukraine..details to help this map below! (info square)

#2 - Where in Europe is Ukraine?…Russia? (info square)

#3 - Creation of a Ukrainian Flag & Russian Flags (info square)

#4 - The President of Ukraine & Russia (info square)

#5 - Demographic Comparison (info square)

Helpful Web-links:

World Factbook - CIA.gov
World Atlas.com
Nations Online

**note ALL 3 above weblinks are great & it is suggested you use them all at some point

Mapping Ukraine:

Please locate and label the features below on your groups Ukraine Map…maps should be fully colored with elevations within Ukraine and ALL neighbors should be given a specific color.

Neighboring Countries: Russia, Moldova, Romania, Hungary, Slovakia, Poland & Belarus

Major Cities: Kyiv, Lutsk, Lviv, Chernobyl, Kharkiv, Luhansk, Donetsk, Mariupol & Odessa

Water: Black Sea, Sea of Azov, Karkinit Bay, Dnieper River, Southern Bug River & Donets River

Other Physical: Carpathian Mountains, Mt. Hoveria & Crimean Peninsula

Note: hard copies of Ukraine map will be available in class (info square)

CLICK HERE to Download Info squares for Poster (these will be provided by Geo teacher IN class)

Activity TWO: the war timeline

Timeline of events…these will always “tell the story” of what led up to a conflict between countries. Again, students will be working with other students (their group of 3) to complete this activity, which includes a couple of graphic organizers that chart key events and perspectives from inside and outside influences. Note: see your Geo teacher for the Graphic Organizer

CLICK HERE to download Timeline Reading PDF “The Ukraine Crisis - Background”
CLICK HERE to download the Graphic Organizer Worksheet PDF

*if you click the article images above they will pop into “full screen” for reading

Activity Three: using media/”the news” to monitor the war

Section #1 “Monitoring the Crisis”

Current Events…as the world turns the news continues to trickle out of all types of news media sources throughout the world. Below you will find 5 Resources sections, with perspectives from different areas of the globe. (obviously they all have a target audience) Please use these lists to complete Section #1of the Activity Three worksheet. We are just simply trying to learn about the war!

Resources List…

Resource #1 - US “Kid” Perspective: CNN 10

Resource #2 - US Perspective Choices: New York Times - NBC News - PBS - (choose one)

Resource #3 - International News: BBC or Aljazeera (choose one)

Resource #4 - Ukraine Perspective: Kyiv Post

Resource #5 - Russia Perspective: The Moscow Post - Sputnik News (Gov’t Controlled) (choose one)

Section #2 “Analyzing the Situation in Ukraine”

Now we need to Analyze all the information from Section #1…please complete the Section #2 area of the Activity Three worksheet. PLEASE DON’T FORGET…when it asks you to EXPLAIN your answers…well then EXPLAIN! (Complete sentences/thoughts)
Note: this is a group effort…not just the person with the pencil!

Section #3 “Personal Reflection”

OK…so we probably have a better understanding of the War at this point and now we all need to give a bit of insight and/or opinion about the issue! This will be done individually (all group participants need to write their own paragraph) and this reflection should answer the following question…”What I think should happen to bring peace between Ukraine & Russia”. Responses should be written in paragraph form (3-5 sentences) and reflect proper grammar of an 8th grader. Note: extra “Reflection” sheets will be made available by your Geo teacher and all responses should be stapled to the main Activity #3 group worksheet

CLICK HERE to download the PDF for Using Media/The News to Monitor War Worksheet (these are provided in class)