This document presents information on Nigeria for use in the elementary classroom. A basic theme of the text is change. Nigeria is currently in a state of change, as are most developing countries. North American children often have an idea of African people as poor and backward. In this text, Nigerian people are presented as a people with a rich and exciting culture, people who are facing many problems that come with a colonial heritage and relatively new independence, and people who are resourceful and courageous in dealing with those problems. Through this text, students see that the concerns of Nigerians are often the same as their own, and that studying Nigeria, and the way that Nigerians are dealing with problems can help students look more clearly at their own society. This text is divided into eleven sections, which may be duplicated for class use. Each section is followed by activities to help students critically examine aspects of the information presented and link this material with their own lives. The sections include: land and climate, history, government, people, religion and culture, rural life, cities and towns, water and health, education, environment, and development decisions. The last two sections, on the environment and development decisions, relate Nigeria's problems to those of the rest of the world. A glossary, bibliography, and fact sheet, as well as maps, photographs and illustrations also are included. (DK)