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Lesson Title: Medieval Ethiopia, Mali and Nigeria: The Influence of Culture in Africa

Name: Brenda Randolph

Discipline: Library Research Skills and World Studies

School: Silver Spring International

Grade Level: Middle School

Time Period: Two Days

I. Conceptual Framework

Big Idea: Cultural Diffusion

Enduring Understanding: Cultural systems are the shared beliefs, values, customs, and behaviors that influence how societies develop and change.  When cultures interact with one another, traditions, beliefs and values are exchanged through the dynamic process of cultural diffusion.  This process alters political, economic, and social systems and may result in conflicts or tensions due to this cultural change.

After 1200 CE, trade between African kingdoms and Islamic and Christian worlds transformed African political, economic, and social systems.  Many African societies reflected a blend of both African and Islamic cultural practices and beliefs.  A few in North and East Africa reflected a blend of both African and Christian cultural practices and beliefs.

Essential Questions:

• What are the seen and unseen aspects of culture?
• How does cultural diffusion occur?
• How can economic activity lead to the exchange of cultural, economic, and political ideas?
• How do cultural traditions endure over time?
• How did cultural diffusion influence different African cultures in the Middle Ages?

Key Concepts:

Principles of Culture

• Culture reflects the beliefs and values of a society.
• Culture is both seen and unseen.

Cultural Change

• Culture is changed by inside and outside forces.
• Cultural change may be accepted or resisted.
• Culture may unite or divide people.

Cultural Continuity

• Cultural continuity is about sameness.
• Cultural continuity is about identity.
• Cultural continuity is about stability and social cohesion.

State and Local Standards: MSDE Content Standards

• Summarize the importance of the political, economic and social life of Mali and other African empires and analyze the role of Islam in Africa.
• Describe the major traditions, customs, and beliefs of Islam and its expansion into Southwest Asia (Middle East), North Africa and Europe.

Rationale: In Social Studies Unit 2, p.102-109 of the MCPS 7th grade curriculum, students extend their understanding of how contact with other cultures changed African societies in the Middle Ages by conducting research on African kingdoms or city states.  

This research unit uses art, architecture, literature, music, and monetary systems as lens to examine cultural diffusion in three medieval African societies and focuses on the important concepts of change and continuity. 

II. RESEARCH TOPICS

• Research Topic 1. Medieval Mali
• Research Topic 2.  Medieval Ethiopia
• Research Topic 3.  Medieval Nigeria

III. LESSONS

• Lesson 1:  Connecting the big idea to students’ lives (Classroom Teacher)
• Lesson 2:  Medieval Africa:  Project-Based Research ( Library Media Specialist)

IV. ASSESSMENT

Big Idea: How did cultural diffusion influence different cultures in Africa in the Middle Ages?

Checking for Understanding/Assessment:

• Worksheets will show how successful students are in locating, writing, and citing facts that identify principles of culture and  explain how cultural diffusion and cultural continuity are reflected different cultures in Africa in the Middle Ages.
• Research Organizers will show how successful students are in locating, writing, and citing facts that identify principles of culture and explain how cultural diffusion and cultural continuity are reflected different cultures in Africa in the Middle Ages.

Evidence and Understanding: 

• A museum exhibit is the culminating activity for this unit.  Students will provide a replica of an authentic medieval artifact for the exhibit.  They will write a description of the replica and serve as docents in the museum.  Their written and oral descriptions must (a) identify principles of culture and (b) explain how cultural diffusion and cultural continuity are reflected different cultures in African in the Middle Ages.   Students will be assessed on their projects, written descriptions and their oral presentation as docents.

Topics:  Students will understand that Africa is not a country but a complex continent with many countries and communities. 

Artifacts: Students will understand that artifacts in medieval Africa reflect internal and external influences. They will prove that change and synthesis were continuous processes throughout time as Africans made contact with other cultural groups, belief systems, knowledge bases and values. Conversely, students will provide evidence that African groups maintained many indigenous art/architectural styles and themes, some of which were adopted by other cultural groups.

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UNIT:  Medieval Africa: The Influence of Culture in Africa

Lesson 2:  Medieval Africa: Project-Based Research

Time: 3 Days

Information Literacy Objectives

Students will:

• Use encyclopedias, books and approved online resources to gather information.
• Use key words and text features to locate information in print materials.
• Use key words and Boolean Operators to locate information in electronic materials
• Skim, scan, and read information
• Recognize and gather information that answers their research questions
• Cite information in parenthetical form and an electronically-generated bibliography
• Use web evaluation sheets to evaluate non-approved web pages
• Use the SSI Medieval African Art/Bibliography to locate print and online information

Social Studies Objectives

Students will:

• Describe the cultural achievements (art, architecture, literature, music, etc.) of one of three medieval African societies.
• Create a replica of an artifact from Medieval Ethiopia, Mali or Nigeria.
• Describe the principles of culture and aspects of cultural diffusion their artifact represents.
• Write a description of their artifact for the school’s Medieval African Museum.
• Serve as a museum docent and teach people about their replica.

Research Questions:

• See Research Organizers (sample attached, additional organizers on school’s website)

Materials Needed:

• Medieval Power Point 
• Research Process Power Point
• Sample projects
• Write-on transparency
• Research Packet (see attached)
• Project Directions

DAY 1: RESEARCH PROJECT INTRODUCTION

Procedure:

• Teacher will take students on a Gallery Walk of the Medieval African display in the Media Center, pointing out principles of culture and examples of cultural diffusion.
• Warm-up: Media Specialist and Teacher will ask students to write what they know about the three African societies on their warm-up worksheet. 
• As students share what they know, the teacher will write their comments on a transparency.
• Media Specialist will show Power Point on Medieval Africa. (See attached)
• Media Specialist will ask students to write 3 examples of cultural diffusion mentioned in the Power Point.
• Media Specialist will ask students to study the Project models on their tables and describe the project to the class.
• Students will choose the project that would like to do.
• Teacher will distribute and go over the Research Packet and Organizers. 
• Students will share what they now know about Medieval African societies.  The teacher or librarian will add new information to the transparency.

Activating Prior Knowledge:  The library media specialist will ask students to write down what they know about Medieval Mali, Ethiopia and/or Nigeria. 

Model/Guided Practice, Independent and Group Practice:  The librarian will move about the room answering questions about the projects.

Checking for Understanding:  Students will share what they know.

Differentiation:  ESL and Special Ed assistants will assist students with special needs.

DAY 2: ENCYCLOPEDIA AND BOOK RESEARCH

Procedure: See attached Research Process Power Point.

Activating Prior Knowledge:  The library media specialist will ask students to write down what they know about Medieval Mali, Ethiopia and/or Nigeria. 

Model/Guided Practice, Encyclopedias:  The librarian will show the Research Process Power Point and students will follow instructions that help them locate, read, collect and cite relevant information from an encyclopedia and books. 

Independent and Group Practice:  Students work independently and with their research teams to locate, collect and cite relevant information from an encyclopedia and from books on their topic.

Checking for Understanding:  Students from each group will read a fact they located and cite their source.

Differentiation:  Sources with a various reading levels will be available to students.  ESL and Special Ed students can be assigned topics that have encyclopedias and books at lower reading levels.

DAY 3: ONLINE RESEARCH

Procedure: See attached Research Process Power Point.

Model/Guided Practice, Online Resources:  The librarian will show the ‘Research Process Power Point’ and students will follow instructions that help them locate, read, collect and cite relevant information. The librarian will model the use of the electronic Medieval Africa Bibliography to locate approved online resources.  She will model creating a Noodle Tools bibliography. (Approved websites include MCPS online databases, MCPL online databases, teacher-selected or approved websites.)

Independent Practice:  Students work independently to locate and collect relevant information from online resources.

Checking for Understanding:  Individual Research Organizers will show evidence of successful use of online research strategies.

Differentiation:  Online resources with a various reading levels will be made available to students.  ESL and Special Ed students can be assigned topics that have articles at lower reading levels.