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Lesson Title: Where We Came From~Examining Ancient African
Civilizations
Name: Jermaine Ellerbe
Discipline: World Cultures, Ancient Civilizations (Gifted
and Talented)
School: Baltimore County Public School System
Grade Level: 7th Grade
Time Period: 4-5 60 minute class sessions
I. Conceptual Framework
Big Idea: Cultural Identity
Rationale: While reading to be informed, students
will be able to identify and describe characteristics of selected West
African Civilizations in order to comparatively trace their cultural
development.
Essential Question: How did the development of ancient
civilizations affect cultural identity?
State and Local Standards (V.S.C.):
5.0. C.S. History
- Students will examine significant ideas, beliefs, and themes; organize
patterns and events; and analyze how individuals and societies have
changed over time in the world.
5.B.5.
- Analyze the emergence, growth, and decline of African empires.
- Describe the contribution of major African monarchies, cities,
and trade networks such as Ghana, Mali, and Songhai.
II. Topics
- Students will predict and analyze how the interaction between people
and their physical settings affects the development of sedentary societies
into civilizations.
- Research and evaluate ancient civilizations in Africa to the extent
each met Childe’s “Characteristics of a Civilization.”
III. Artworks
IV. (Assessment) Problem of the Day:
Your group has been chosen to be on the steering committee to assist
planning Baltimore’s annual summer event-Artscape. The theme is
“Celebrating Civilizations Creatively.” There is a possibility
that Afram will not be held therefore we will focus on Ancient African
Cultures. Your group’s task will be to research the ancient cultures
of Africa. Be able to report in detail not only about the economic, social,
political characteristics but also the physical features. Think about
how Baltimoreans would appreciate and celebrate Ancient Africa through
the visual and performing arts.
Vocabulary:
- Civilization- a highly organized, advanced, developed culture
- Physical characteristics-traits of the natural environment (land)
of a place such as vegetation, landforms, climate, and bodies of water
- Cultural characteristics-traits of a society which are categorized
into the headings of economic, social, and political
- Relative Location-where a place is found in the world in relation
to another place using landmarks
- C.E.- Common Era is the period of history when the development of
writing came into existence. This term replaced A.D.
Warm-Up:
- To begin the lesson, conduct a class discussion. Place the term,
"civilization" on the board and based on previous studies
in sixth grade, have students generate a list of words or phrases that
define the term.
- Display the transparency of the civilization characteristics as defined
by V. Gordon Childe.
- From this list develop a class definition of the term civilization.
- Have students to identify the names of the civilizations that they
learned in sixth grade world cultures (For example: Pre-Columbian Societies
of the Aztecs, Incas, and Mayans as well as Chinese Dynasties such as
Tang, Yuan),
- Inform students that they are going to be studying the ancient African
civilization of Axum, Egypt, Mali, Kush, Ghana, and Songhai.
Introductory Activity: (Day One)
- To help students understand the chronology of these six civilizations,
distribute the handouts, "Relative Location of Ancient Africa.”
Model for students by reading the statements which give the relative
location of the first civilization. Label on the blank map of Africa
the name of the civilization.
- Have a student walk through the second description with the class.
Then have students work in pairs to complete numbers three and four.
Individually, students should be able to read and label the last two
civilizations on their map.
- Upon completion, have students place answers on the overhead projector
and justify responses.
- To conclude this segment of the lesson, have students examine the
location of these civilizations and write comparative sentences about
where they are found within the continent.
Developmental Activity: (Day Two)
- Using their maps from the previous lesson, have students locate these
civilizations on a modern map of Africa. Have students share responses.
- To help students identify and analyze the exact locations of these
civilizations, distribute the graphic organizer, "Let's Get Physical-Ancient
Africa." Divide students into six cooperative learning groups in
order to perform a jigsaw. Using the resource materials, students will
research to physical features for their assigned civilization. Then
after a given amount of time, students will regroup into breakout groups
with members from each of the other groups to share and record responses.
- The teacher will have volunteers to share responses and record on
the overhead.
- Students will conclude lesson by selecting one of the ancient African
civilizations and explain what effect the physical environment had on
that civilization and predict how it impacted the cultural characteristics.
Concluding Activity: (Day Three)
- To begin this lesson, have students predict whether or not they think
the civilizations of Egypt, Kush, Mali, Songhai, Axum, and Ghana will
share similar cultural characteristics even thought they existed during
different time periods and in different geographic locations. Have students
share with support for their responses.
- The class will verify their predictions by working in their original
learning groups from the previous lesson. Today they will research cultural
characteristics for their assigned civilization using the guidesheet,
"Researching Ancient Africa using Childe's Civilization Criteria."
Group answers are to be recorded on the notetaking graphic organizer.
- Remind students that the purpose of their research is to gather information
on the social, political, and economic characteristics of each civilization.
Have students recall that social refers to the activities of daily life
(art style, science, writing); economic deals with the production, distribution,
and consumption of goods/services (occupations, trade, food); and political
is the laws/government in a society (centralized government vs. kinship,
social positions)
- Upon completion, students will pair with a student from another group
to complete Venn diagram
Student Worksheets
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