Crossing Borders/Breaking Boundaries VI
The Arts and Artistic Legacies of the West African Civilizations, 700 - 1600 c.e.
July 17-25, 2006
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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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