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TEACHING GUIDES


"SCIENCE SAFARI"   Guide & Resources

Join Frontiers for a special science safari to South Africa, the location for the 1996-97 season International Special. As South Africa emerges from the shadows of apartheid, find out what scientists are doing to solve some ancient problems (malaria) and modern dilemmas (balancing life in a wildlife park). Here are the topics and running times of stories on this show and a brief description of related activities you'll find in this online teaching guide:

  • Big Picture

  • City of Gold (running time: 9:00) The burial site of a 16th-century king and queen is found at a site called Thulamela, which means "place of giving birth." Meet one of the present-day kings of Venda. Activities: To dig or not to dig: current issues in the field; Some background and perspective.

  • Ways of the Wild (running time: 14:00) - Scientists at parks within KwaZulu-Natal deal with complex issues of balancing life in an enclosed ecosystem. Activity: Role-playing issues involved in wildlife management.

  • Mr Cele's Garden (running time: 9:00) - Many of the plants traditional African healers depend on for their medicines have been brought to the edge of extinction - the solution could be very non-traditional. Activity: Challenges of germinating mustard seeds.

  • Fighting Malaria (running time: 10:00) - Find out what South Africa is doing to control malaria - and how the insects are fighting back. Activities: Learn more about the life cycle of mosquitoes; Explore surface tension and ways of combating malaria.

  • The First People (running time: 11:00) - Archaeologists discover hominid fossils at a site in South Africa and locate rock art painted thousands of years ago. Activities: Making inferences about fossil finds; Interpreting ancient art.

  • Viewer Challenge After you watch "Science Safari," test your viewing skills with ten questions about the show!





 

Scientific American Frontiers
Fall 1990 to Spring 2000
Sponsored by GTE Corporation,
now a part of Verizon Communications Inc.