Topic:  South‑East Asia

Target group

VIII class of elementary school.

Core curriculum

XIV. Selected problems and geographical regions of Asia. Asia as a continent of geographical contrasts.

2) identifies the relationship between the course of the boundaries of the lithosphere plates and the occurrence of tectonic ditches, volcanoes, earthquakes and tsunamis and based on them formulates claims about observed regularities in their distribution;

4) shows the relationship between the features of the monsoon climate and the rhythm of crops and the „rice culture” in Southeast Asia.

General aim of education

The student will discuss the natural environment of Southeast Asia.

Key competences

• communication in foreign languages;

• digital competence;

• learning to learn.

Criteria for success
The student will learn:

• determine the geographical location of Southeast Asia;

• indicate which countries are in this area;

• state what is the impact of the monsoon climate on the rhythm of crops in Southeast Asia;

• explain the reasons for the dominance of rice growing in Southeast Asia.

Methods/techniques

• expository

  • talk.

• activating

  • discussion.

• exposing

  • exposition.

• programmed

  • with computer;

  • with e‑textbook.

• practical

  • exercices concerned.

Forms of work

• individual activity;

• activity in pairs;

• activity in groups;

• collective activity.

Teaching aids

• e‑textbook;

• interactive whiteboard, tablets/computers;

• physical map of Asia;

• geographical atlases;

• projector.

Lesson plan overview

Before classes

• Students get acquainted with the content of the abstract. They prepare to work on the lesson in such a way to be able to summarize the material read in their own words and solve the tasks themselves.

Introduction

• The teacher informs students about the goals of the lesson.

• On the interactive whiteboard launch the Google Earth application - search for Southeast Asia. Discussion.

• On the wall map, the student indicates the area included in Southeast Asia.

Realization

• On the interactive whiteboard, the teacher displays a Southeast Asian hypsometric map. The students collectively determine the geographical location. They give the characteristics of the shoreline. They point on the map of the Asian wall of peninsulas, archipelagos of islands, the sea of the bay, the strait. On the interactive whiteboard, display task 1 from e‑textbook Southeast Asia - geographical location.

• Students using geographical atlases discuss the natural environment of the region: vertical shape. They state that it is a seismically active area - they indicate the distribution of volcanoes, read their height from the map. Identify the relationship between the course of the boundaries of lithosphere plates and the occurrence of tectonic ditches, volcanoes, earthquakes and tsunamis.

• Students working in pairs use source materials to develop the characteristics of agriculture in Southeast Asia: rice culture, terracing of slopes, extensive labor‑intensive farming.

• On the interactive whiteboard, the teacher displays the political map of Southeast Asia from an e‑textbook. Students read countries included in this region.

• Using the statistical year, they read the largest and smallest countries and the largest number of people living in a given country.

• Students perform task 2 from the e‑book on the interactive whiteboard.

Summary

• At the summary of the lesson, students perform interactive exercises on the interactive whiteboard.

• The teacher evaluates students within one group drawn. It takes into account the contribution and their possibilities.

The following terms and recordings will be used during this lesson

Terms

Texts and recordings

** South‑East Asia**

Three regions belong to South‑East Asia. The largest is the Indochinese Peninsula, which is strongly bound to Asia's mainland. To the South, extends the Malay Peninsula with a length of 1100 km and a width ranging from just 40km to 300km. These two peninsulas have a combined surface area of 2.2 million kmIndeks górny 2². The third region is the Malay Archipelago – the largest concentration of islands on Earth (around 20 thousand). From the several dozen large islands, two stand out: Borneo with an area of 736 thousand kmIndeks górny 2² (the third largest island in terms of size in the world) and Sumatra which has an area of 435 thousand kmIndeks górny 2². As you can see, each of them is significantly larger than Poland.

South‑East Asia is located between the Pacific Ocean to the East and the Indian Ocean to the West. The islands of the Malay Archipelago which are found on the shelf seas between Australia and Asia reach 11°S, and the northern border of the region up to 28°N (the border of Myanmar, or Burma, with China).
This region has a very highly fragmented coastline. Numerous coastal and inter‑island seas, bays, straits and archipelagos of islands occur there. This is one of the characteristics which differentiates this region from the rest of the regions in Asia.
The terrain is also distinct. The entire South‑East Asian region is seismically active, and there are numerous active volcanoes on the islands and on the ocean floor. Seperate massifs of active and extinct volcanoes are a feature of the terrain on many of the islands. The Malay Archipelago is located on the edge of the Eurasian lithospheric plate. Deep sea trenches occur on the ocean floor – the deepest is the Phillipine Trench, which reaches 10 830 metres below sea level.

Using the knowledge you have acquired, solve Exercise 1

South‑East Asia is divided into a dozen or so states, which differ greatly between themselves. The differences between the countries concern geographical locations, surface areas and terrains, populations and their traits (ethnic, religious, cultural) and economies.

The largest country in South‑East Asia in terms of surface area is Indonesia, which has an area of 1 million 914 thousand kmIndeks górny 2². It is also the most populous country in the region – 257.5 million inhabitants puts Indonesia at 4th place in the world in this respect. Other countries with a large population are: The Philippines – 100.7 million, Vietnam – 93.5 million and Thailand 68.0 million (all data are from 2015). The combined land area of all of the South‑East Asian countries measures 4.5 million kmIndeks górny 2², and the combined population is over 600 million.

Two types of climate occur in South‑East Asia:

• a humid tropical climate – a monsoon climate – which prevails in the central and northern part of the region;

• an extremely humid equatorial climate which prevails in the southern part.

One common trait of both types of climate is a high air temperature year‑round. The yearly total precipitation is also high: from 1500 mm to 2500 mm, but its range varies throughout the course of the year. The yearly total of precipitation in equatorial climates is even. In a monsoon climate, two seasons of precipitation occur: in the period from December to April, there is low precipitation and from May to November – high.

The features of South‑East Asia's climate allow plants to grow all year round. They have also influenced the creation of a specific type of irrigated agriculture in this region. 
Rice cultivation requires a great amount of work. Preparing the seedlings, flooding the fields with water and collecting the plants when the grains have matured have led to the formation of certain behaviours called rice culture. These behaviours influence farming methods and the ties between people.
In South‑East Asia, rice is cultivated in small fields, and most of the work is carried out by hand. Animal power is used on flat terrains located in river valleys and river deltas. In mountain areas, slope terracing is used in order to obtain a larger cultivated area. On extremely steep slopes the terraces are narrow and on gentle slopes they are wider, sometimes reaching 50 m. All work on narrow terraces is carried out by hand. Water is led to the fields from mountain streams via trenches, sometimes from long distances, and then distributed with the help of channels, trenches or hollow pipes made of wood or bamboo stems. First, rice is sown in seedbeds in which the soil is carefully prepared: it is crumbled and moistened until it reaches the consistency of thin mud. Next, it is fertilised with animal fertiliser, faeces, silt from ponds and aquatic vegetation. This hard work is carried out alongside relations, neighbours and sometimes entire rural communities participate. After 20–30 days, the seedlings are transported to the appropriate field, at which time the rice plant is flooded. The level of water, however, must be constantly monitored. An important factor which influences the size of harvests is people's experience and the long‑standing tradition of rice cultivation.
2 weeks before harvest, the water is drained from the fields, which helps the grains to ripen faster. The rice harvest and the threshing and peeling of grains is also hard work and is often done by hand. In many regions of South‑East Asia, climate conditions guarantee a constant growing season, which allows for at least two rice harvests a year. In periods of lower precipitation, the fields are often used to grow plants which do not require irrigation.
Rice is the most important crop in all South‑East Asian countries, occupying the largest area, and acting as a staple grain used for human nourishment. China and India – great producers of rice, are also the two most populous countries on Earth.

To better understand the issues raised in the lesson, analyse the charts: main producers of rice, a map depicting rice harvests.

Complete exercise 2 from the e‑textbook.