 Introduction
In this problem-based lesson students will become
familiar with the cultures of ancient Ghana, Mali and Songhay. They
will create promotional tourist materials to encourage travel to these
former empires.
Subject: Social Studies
Topic: Medieval Africa
Grade Level: 7th
Student Lesson name and URL: Medieval
African Kingdoms
http://ctap295.ctaponline.org/~jboston/student/s_index.html
Standards
Addressed
California Social
Studies Standards:
7.4 Students analyze
the geographic, political, economic, religious, and social structures of
the sub-Saharan civilizations of Ghana and Mali in Medieval Africa.
1.Study the Niger River and the relationship of vegetation zones of forest,
savannah, and desert to trade in gold, salt, food, and slaves; and the
growth of the Ghana and Mali empires.
2.Analyze the importance of family, labor specialization, and regional
commerce in the development of states and cities in West Africa.
3.Describe the role of the trans-Saharan caravan trade in the changing
religious and cultural characteristics of West Africa and the influence
of Islamic beliefs, ethics, and law.
4.Trace the growth of the Arabic language in government, trade, and Islamic
scholarship in West Africa.
5.Describe the importance of written and oral traditions in the transmission
of African history and culture.
National Standards:
World History:
-
Understands major global trends between 300 and 1000CE
-
Understands the growth of states, towns, and trade in sub-Saharan Africa
between the 11th and 15th centuries
Historical Understanding:
-
Understands and knows how to analyze chronological relationships and patterns
-
Understands the historical perspective
Geography:
-
Understands the characteristics and uses of maps, globes, and other geographical
tools and technologies
-
Understands the concept of region
-
Understands how geography is used to interpret the past
Language Arts:
-
Demonstrates competence in the general skills and strategies of the writing
process
-
Demonstrates competence in the stylistic and rhetorical aspects of writing
-
Gathers and uses information for research purposes
-
Demonstrates competence in the general skills and strategies of the reading
process
Technology:
-
Students understand the ethical cultural and societal issues related to
technology
-
Students use techology tools to enhance learning, increase productivity,
and promote creativity
-
Students use technology to locate, evaluate, and collect information from
a variety of sources.
Instructional
Objectives
-
Examine the geography
of West Africa
-
Evaluate the geographic
and political factors that made the kingdoms/empires of West Africa
great centers of trading
-
Research an empire of
Ancient Western Africa
-
Identify the factors
that made these empires great
-
Assess the impact and
economic significance of West African rulers' adoption of Islam
Student
Activities
Getting Started
Students will participate
in a problem-based learning situation in which they are applying for a
job with TimeWrinkle.com, a futurist company which can transport customers
to any place and any time in history. Students will work in teams to create
a promotional product (TV commercial, poster, PowerPoint slide show, etc.)
that would promote travel to one of the ancient civilizations of Western
Africa. Students will judge each others products to determine which team
is "hired".
Have students begin
by using a KWHL chart to
record what they know about each of the West African Kingdoms. They should
make one chart for each kingdom. Help students make a brainstorm
web showing ideas for information that a travel promotion might contain
such as: major cities, political leaders, religion, education, the economy,
or climate.
Divide students into
research teams. If possible, allow the team members divide up the tasks
depending on how many people are on each team. For example, one person
might be the historian who records information about the other two kingdoms.
Another person might be in charge of collecting graphics, pictures, and
other visual material for use in the project. An alternate way is to have
the teams divided into "experts" on the various aspects of the culture,
such as religion, economy, and government.
Activities
Day
1 through Day 5
Homework : Read pages 104-157 in your
textbook, Across the Centuries.
Use your reading to fill in some of the
gaps in your KWHL chart.
Using the resources listed on the materials
page, collect information for your presentation.
Day
6 through Day 8
Use your class time to work with your
team in developing your presentation.
Final
Each team will present a 10 minute travel promotion.
It can take the form of posters with a brief oral report, a powerpoint
or video commercial, a travelogue, or any other form of presentation that
you have cleared with your teacher.
Days 9and
10
Teams will be given ten minutes to present their
travel promotion. Rubrics will be filled out by classmates and the teacher.
Assessment
Students will be assesed using
a rubric. (Grading
rubric)
Web
Resources & Supplementary Materials
Introductory Activity
Ancient
African Civilizations
This article describes
the civilizations that flourished in Africa before the arrival of European
colonial powers.
Enabling Activity
Africa
Overview:
Africana.com
Scroll through the
subject listings to find your assigned culture.
African
Voices
This Smithsonian site
is wonderfully rich graphically and has a huge, well organized compiliation
of resources on the history of Africa from ancient times to now.
West
African Gallery
West Africa has long been
the home of hundreds of kingdoms over the years. Of these,
four gained enough power over time to be called Empires.
Multi-media
Africa Archives
Here are pictures and maps
of modern and historical Africa.
Timeline
of African History to 1500
This is a timeline of West
African History with links to supporting information.
Ghana:
Ghana
Empire
The Ghana Empire lay in what
is now southeastern Mauritania and
western Mali. Ghana empire
was an important black trading state
in West Africa from about
the A.D. 300's to the
mid-1000's.
Civilizations
in Africa: Ghana
Although it originated in
the late fourth century, Ghana only
became a major regional power
near the end of the millenium.
Although the state was originally
formed by Berbers, it was built
on the southern edge of Berber
populations. Eventually the state
became dominated by the Soninke,
a Mande speaking people living
in the region bordering the
Sahara.
Ghana
in 1067 C.E.
This is a concise, easy to
read description of Ghana in 1067 C.E.
Mali:
Mali
Empire
Mali empire was a black empire
that flourished in west Africa
from about 1240 to 1500. At
its height, the Mali Empire controlled
most of what are now Gambia,
Guinea, Mali, and Senegal, and parts
of present-day Burkina
Faso, Mauritania, and Niger.
Dogon
People
According to oral tradition,
the Dogon people of south-central
Mali originated near the headwaters
of the Niger River.
Mansa
Musa
Mansa Musa captured the attention
of the Arab world when he left
his home in Mali to make a
pilgrimage to Mecca in 1324.
Sundiata
Sundiata's forces killed Samanguru
and destroyed his forces in
the Battle of Kirina in 1235.
Sundiata then became mansa, or
king of a new empire which
we know today as Mali.
Annenburg/CPB
Projects Exhbits Collection:Collapse of Empires
Explores the collapse
of four ancient civilizations, including Mali and Songhai.
Mali
This site includes a short
history of Mali, information on its African neighbors, interactive tests,
links, an art gallery, maps and links to Songhay.
Islamic
History of Timbuktu
Description: Here is an extensive
investigation into the Islamic legacy of this legendary African city. It
includes information about many famous travelers who visited and wrote
about Timbuktu.
Mali
and Songhai
Article on the decline of
the kingdoms of Mali and Songhai, as well as the smaller kingdom of Ghana
before them, were once great trading kingdoms famous for their gold. Yet
despite their greatness, they each declined for similar reasons.
Ancient
Mali
Mali Empire, empire in West Africa that
rose to dominance in the 13th and 14th
centuries. The Mali Empire was the second and most extensive of the three
great successive empires, which
included the Kingdom of Ghana and Songhai. The Mali
Empire served as a model of statecraft for later kingdoms long after its
decline in the 15th and16th centuries.
Songhai:
Songhai
Empire
Songhai empire was a black
trading state in Africa that reached
its peak during the 1400's
and 1500's. Songhai began during
the 700's, and by the 1400's
had more power and wealth than any
other west African empire.
It extended from the central area
of what is now Nigeria to
the Atlantic coast and included parts
of what are now Burkina Faso,
Gambia, Guinea, Mali, Mauritania,
Niger, and Senegal.
Abomey
Historical Museum: History of Benin
Covers the history and kings
of medieval Benin
Mali
and Songhai
Article on the decline of
the kingdoms of Mali and Songhai, as well as the smaller kingdom of Ghana
before them, were once great trading kingdoms famous for their gold. Yet
despite their greatness, they each declined for similar reasons.
Books:
Brooks, Larry. Daily Life in Ancient
and Modern Timbuktu (Cities Through Time)
Runestone, 1999.
Conrad, David. The Songhay Empire
(First Book). Watts, 1998
Green, Rebecca L. The Empire of
Ghana. Watts, 1998.
Herr, Myra. West Africa : Ghana
(Ancient and Living Cultures). Goodyear Pub Co., 1992.
Koslow, Philip. Ancient Ghana
: The Land of Gold. Chelsea House, 1995.
Koslow, Philip. Centuries of Greatness
: the West African Kingdoms, 750-1900 . Chelsea House, 1995.
Koslow, Philip. Songhay: the Empire
Builders (The Kingdoms of Africa). Chelsea House, 1995.
McKissack, Patricia and Fredrick. The
Royal Kingdoms of Ghana, Mali and Songhay : Life in Medieval Africa.
Holt, 1995.
Thompson, Carol. The Empire of
Mali. Watts, 1998.
Culminating Activity
Each team will present a 10 minute travel
promotion. It can take the form of posters with a
brief oral report, a powerpoint
or video commercial, a travelogue, or any other form of
presentation that has been cleared with
the teacher. Rubrics will be filled out by classmates and the teacher.
The project must
have a bibiliography which follows MLA style. Students can use the
following document to help them (MLA
bibliography style sheet) or they can use Noodle
Tools to format the bibliography.
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