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How are you connected to West Africa? For many students, this is the Motherland and we treat it as such.
From a woman’s point of view, West Africa was the best place to live during the Middle Ages. Why?
Action-packed lessons – students perform in front of the class!
Lectures with graphic organizers, Mapping the Niger River Valley, Interpret photos: Timbuktu.
Games galore. Group analysis and debates. Events: “Screaming Headlines.”
Historical figures: Rank the famous people from best to worst.
If you lived in Timbuku, what would change in your daily life?
Using the five senses, what do you remember about the West African way of life?
Projects: Students teach the class. Homework on the internet.
Literature: West African proverbs and folktales.
Write a persuasive essay: “I am Mansa Musa . . .”
Board game: “A trip to Timbuktu.”
Heavy on terms: “The ABCs of West African culture” (recall). “Can you speak Arabic?” (define).
“Let your classroom BLOOM!” (Using Bloom’s taxonomy, explore terms in depth.)
Cultiminating activities: A walk with Ibn Battuta and a Medieval Bazaar.
Assessment: Learn the logic of a multiple-choice test by playing “Honk if you hate history!”
Fascinating: Long before coming to America, West Africans were master craftsmen of the Middle Ages.
Student speeches: “I am Mansa Musa.“ Mansa Musa Rap for those into hip-hop.
West African proverbs/folktales: How the griot transmits cultural values from generation to generation.
How Islam changed the language, religion, and law.
Overview of topics covered:
- The trans-Saharan caravan trade
- The Niger River Valley – “where the camel met the canoe”
- Empires of Ghana and Mali
- Family, labor specialization, and regional trade
- The spread of Islam and the Arabic language
- Griot: the oral tradition
The Test
246 questions
Simple to use
One book for the whole class.
No learning curve: Lessons are ready to reproduce.
Saves time
All the facts are included:
There is no need to use a textbook or reference books.
Your students will zip through the worksheets.
Each lesson is 20 minutes in and out. Perfect for block scheduling.
(Detailed information below}
1. The Topics
Medieval Africa: The geographic, political, economic, religious, and social
structures of Ghana and Mali.
Empire of Ghana and Empire of Mali
They arose on the savanna in the Niger River Valley. Both were based on the
gold-salt. Trade connected two vegetation zones: The West African rainforest
sold gold and slaves; the Sahara Desert of North Africa sold salt. The two met
on the savanna at Timbuktu. The crossroads: “Where the camel met the canoe.”
The camel caravan trade across the Sahara: “Ships of the Desert,”
Subsaharan Africa.
The Traditional Culture of West Africa
The importance of family, specialized jobs, and regional trade. The family:
Matrilineal family, extended family, respect for elders, geneaology, ancestor
worship, animism, divination. Artisans, iron-working, the blacksmith, division
of labor, labor specialization, hereditary occupations, master craftsmen. Grasslands,
adobe, reeds for thatched roofs, baobab tree, calabash, dehydration, the Fulani
were herders of livestock, granary, millet, porridge. Marketplace: The Silent
Barter. Centralized government: The black kingdoms, dynasty, hereditary king,
royal monopoly. Sundiata the “Lion King.” Mansa Musa: Pilgrimage
to Mecca.
The Cultural Exchange
The spread of Islam: How the trans-Saharan caravan trade allowed Muslim merchants
to spread the religion of Islam. The influence of Islamic beliefs, ethics, and
law.
Islam changed the religious and cultural characteristics of West Africa: Arabic
numerals, bazaar.
A New Language
The spread of the Arabic language. Arabic became the main language of trade,
government and scholarship in West Africa. The role of Islamic scholars: University
of Timbuktu (Sankore), the Koran board.
West Africa’s Oral Tradition
The transmission of African history and culture. Epic tale, griot, oral historian,
geneaology, kora, mediator.
Islamic scholars introduced written literature: Literacy, Ibn Battuta.
2. The Lessons
The worksheets are . . .
Designed to involve students at the moment and on the day of the state test.
Chock full of facts: Using reasoning, students manipulate the facts.
Action-packed: Students perform what they know in front of the class!
Homework on the internet: We provide the website, the questions, and the answers.
| Timeline of West Africa | Kingdom of Ghana, Mali, Sundiata, Mansa Musa, Ibn Battuta. |
| Student Questionnaire | How are you connected to West Africa? |
| The Sahara Desert | How it compares to other deserts. |
| Arab merchants | Homework on the Internet: The camel caravans loaded with salt.The Trans-Sahara Trade Mapping: Trade routes from North Africa to Timbuktu. |
| Three Vegetation Zones | Mapping: Trade united desert, rainforest, and grasslands. |
| The Niger River | Mapping: Gold was floated down the river to Timbuktu. |
| The Trans-Sahara Trade | Game: Categorize 20 facts about the gold-salt trade. |
| The Gold-Salt Trade. | Homework on the Internet. |
| Slavery: Wars and Prisoners of War | Homework on the Internet. |
| The Black Kingdoms | Mapping: Ghana and Mali. |
| The Kingdom of Ghana | Game: Categorize 58 facts about the Kingdom of Ghana. |
| Kingdom of Ghana: Photos | Homework on the Internet |
| The Kingdom of Mali | Game: Categorize 83 facts. Kingdom of Mali, Sundiata, Mansa Musa. |
| Kingdom of Mali: Photos | Homework on the Internet |
| Daily life on the Niger River. | Photos on the Internet. |
| The Matrilineal Society | The importance of family in West Africa. |
| Women in West Africa | Lecture: West Africa was the best place to be a woman. Life is like a Rock Group Matrilineal Society: Five different viewpoints. |
| Master Craftsmen | Long before America, West Africans were master craftsmen. |
| The Dogon People | Lecture: They rejected Islam and kept traditional religion. |
| West African Proverbs | Interpret: The proverbs reflect the traditional values of West Africa. |
| West African Folktales | The Oral Tradition: How traditional values are handed down by griots. |
| The Griot: Storyteller & Historian | Royal Advisor: Knowledge of the past could shed light on the present. |
| Life is like a Rock Group | Examine an issue from 5 different viewpoints: The Griot. |
| Sundiata | The epic tale of the “Lion King.” Founder, Kingdom of Mali. |
| Mansa Musa | The ideal Muslim king. |
| “I am Mansa Musa” | Student speeches - expressive, narrative, informative, persuasive. |
| Mansa Musa Rap | For those into rap and hiphop. |
| The Great Debate | The pro’s and con’s of Mansa Musa’s pilgrimage to Mecca. |
| Timbuktu: What’s the weather like? | How would the climate change your life? |
| Timbuktu: Islamic Center of Learning | The University: What Ibn Battuta had to say about Timbuktu. |
| The Mosque at Timbuktu | It symbolized a cultural exchange. How so? |
| A Trip to Timbuktu | Board Game: From Sundiata to Mansa Musa. |
| A Walk with Ibn Battuta | Develop a mental map of the regions of North Africa and West Africa. |
| What caused the rise of empire? | Roundtable Discussion: What caused the rise of Black Kingdoms? |
| Cultural change in West Africa | Lecture: Islam changed the language, religion, and law. |
| The Medieval Bazaar | Appreciate the Sahara, Savanna, and Rainforest. |
| The ABCs of medieval Africa | Recall terms. |
| Can you speak Arabic? | Define terms. |
| What if you lived in West Africa . . . | How would your life change? |
| Screaming Headlines | Write one paragraph on the major events. |
| The Five Senses | When you think of Imperial China: What do you see, hear, etc. |
| Honk if you hate history! | Students hear the test before they take it. |
| Stump the Teacher | Whenever you miss a question, blame it on having no breakfast. |
| The Last Man Standing | Game: Based on the movie starring Bruce Willis. |
3. The Test
Students HEAR the test - long before they take it!
Our test is tough: If your students can do well on our test, the state test should be a breeze.
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