SOCIAL SCIENCE6th Grade Interdisciplinary African and African American Studies Quarter 1 Launch Lesson

THEME: Culture, Dignity, and Identity

CONCEPT: Everything Out of Africa The impact and legacies of Early African peoples, cultures, and kingdomsCONTENT TOPIC: Investigating and researching the ancient kingdoms of Africa, their intellectual influences and relationships to the development of a global culture through fiction and nonfiction textsUNIT TITLE: Everything Out of Africa

Launch Lesson: Which was the Greatest African Kingdom?Time Frame: 5-7 days

Unit Description: Students will read a variety of informational texts, including primary, secondary and tertiary sources that pertain to the themes of cultural identity and how Africa was the home of several advanced kingdoms, which existed before and during the rise of European and Asian kingdoms. Teachers will point out that Egypt was just one of these great kingdoms. In this problem-based lesson students will become familiar with the cultures of ancient Africa including Ghana, Mali, Aksum, Kush, Nubia, Kongo, Ethiopia, Morocco, Carthage, Egypt and Songhai. They will create an argument that will address the question: Was Egypt the greatest African kingdom? Enduring Understandings

1. History: Events and actions of the past affect the present and the future.2. Identity: Culture is a way of life for a group of people who share similar beliefs, values, and customs. 3. Geography: Movement and migration of people and ideas affects the past, present, and future.

Essential Questions

Guiding Essential Questions: I) How do culture and identity influence who we are? II) How do time, culture, and history influence works of art and/or the

advancement of science and technology? III) What can I do to positively impact my community?

Common Core StandardsPrimary Reading

RH.6-8.1. Cite specific textual evidence to support analysis of primary and secondary sources.

RH.6-8.2. Determine the central ideas or information of a primary or secondary source; provide an accurate summary of the source distinct from prior knowledge or opinions.

Writing

WHST.6-8.7. Conduct short research projects to answer a question (including a self-generated question), drawing on several sources and generating additional related, focused questions that allow for multiple avenues of exploration.

WHST.6-8.8. Gather relevant information from multiple print and digital sources, using search terms effectively; assess the credibility and accuracy of each source; and quote or paraphrase the data and conclusions of others while avoiding plagiarism and following a standard format for citation.

WHST.6-8.9. Draw evidence from informational texts to support analysis reflection, and research.

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SOCIAL SCIENCE6th Grade Interdisciplinary African and African American Studies Quarter 1 Launch Lesson

Speaking and Listening

SL.6.1. Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacher-led) with diverse partners on grade 6 topics, texts, and issues, building on others’ ideas and expressing their own clearly.

SL.6.2. Interpret information presented in diverse media and formats (e.g., visually, quantitatively, orally) and explain how it contributes to a topic, text, or issue under study.

SL.6.4. Present claims and findings, sequencing ideas logically and using pertinent descriptions, facts, and details to accentuate main ideas or themes;use appropriate eye contact, adequate volume, and clear pronunciation.

SL.6.5. Include multimedia components (e.g., graphics, images, music, sound) and visual displays in presentations to clarify claims to clarify information.

Cognitive Skills Executive functions Plan Flexibility: change direction if not working; adopt multiple approaches Strategy use: ability to reflect on strategy and select appropriate strategy

Thinking skills Reasoning about concrete items versus abstract ideas Analyzing/evaluating arguments Developing a logical argument Inductive reasoning: using specific examples/observations and forming a more

general principle Deductive reasoning: use stated general premise to reason about specific examples Appreciation: recognition of the value of something

Content Building Knowledge Through Texts

Elements of culture include language, religion, clothing, race, and socio/economic customs

Internal and external forces shape identity The greatness of a culture can be measured in various ways Africa had an immense impact on the world’s many cultures both directly and

indirectly

AssessmentsSummative Each team will present a 10-minute oral and visual argument. It can take the form of a brief

oral report, PowerPoint, video, Prezi or any other form of presentation that has been approved by the teacher. Each team will turn in an essay with a minimum of 5 paragraphs which address the question “Was Egypt the greatest African Kingdom?” and will explore issues of politics, economics, art, social structure, and religion per the attached rubric.

Text/Resources

African Voices

This Smithsonian site is graphically rich and has a huge, well-organized compilation of

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resources on the history of Africa from ancient times to now. http://www.mnh.si.edu/africanvoices/

The Heilbrunn Timeline of Africa Art History Is NOT just about art but has a lot of information about many of the kingdoms we will be investigating.http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hi/te_index.asp?i=Africa

The Multimedia Archive African Studies Center University of PennsylvaniaThis section includes some of the multimedia collections that can be used in the classroom. In order to view these images you need a browser that is capable of handling graphics (e.g. Explorer, Netscape, etc.). http://www.africa.upenn.edu/K-12/menu_EduMEDI.html

The Ghana kingdom lay in what is now southeastern Mauritania and western Mali. The Ghana kingdom was an important black trading state in West Africa from about the A.D. 300's to the mid-1000's. http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/ghan/hd_ghan.htm

BBC Report on Ghana http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/africa/features/storyofafrica/4chapter1.shtml

History of Ghana from Ghana web. http://www.ghanaweb.com/GhanaHomePage/history/

Glimpses of Ghana in 1067 http://www.historywiz.com/primarysources/glimpseofghana.htm

The Dogon People of Mali: http://www.pbs.org/wonders/fr_e5.htm

The British Museum Kingdom of Mali: http://www.britishmuseum.org/pdf/kingdomofmali_studentsworksheets.pdf

How kingdoms collapse: http://www.learner.org/interactives/collapse/

The Kingdom of Mali: http://webusers.xula.edu/jrotondo/Kingdoms/Mali/MaliHistNarr.htm

African History is World History By Asar Imhotep, Excerpts from a Cultural History of the Atlantic World by John Thornton An excerpt from Africa and Africans in the Making of the Atlantic World by John

Thornton Meet Mansa Musa the Richest Human Being in all History

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/world-history/meet-mansa-musa-i-of-mali--the-richest-human-being-in-all-history-8213453.html

Learning Activities

Learning activity 1:

Students will participate in a problem-based learning situation in which he/she is a historian who has to make an argument defending his/her selection of the greatest African kingdom. Students will work in groups of four of

Differentiated Strategies for Varied Learning Profiles

Informational texts will be available in a variety of formats including audio,

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the teacher’s choosing to create both a written document and a presentation using either PowerPoint, video, digital story or Prezi. The presentation that, through comparing and contrasting, would answer the question “Was Egypt the greatest African kingdom?”

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 such as: major cities, political leaders, religion, education, the economy, or climate.

Divide students into research teams. If possible, allow the team members to 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.

visual and tactilely. Tasks will have

components that allow for students to use visual, oral and tactile as well as kinesthetic skills to express knowledge gained.

Students will be able to take ownership of tasks through the use of “Choice Boards” and “Learning Centers

Day 1-3 Reading, recording and collaboratively discussing the texts, organizing and preparing their papers and presentations:

INTRODUCTIONTo students:Welcome. You are a historian who has taken a position that (NAME OF YOUR KINGDOM) WAS THE GREATEST OF THE AFRICAN KINGDOMS. However, other historians are challenging you. Your Mission Your mission is to develop a winning presentation and academic paper defending your argument against all other claims. You will use the resources listed on the materials page as well as resources found independently to discover all you can about these other kingdoms as well as your own. You will need to learn about all of the kingdoms because you will be judging the materials created by the other groups, not only for appearance, but also for accuracy and completeness of their presentations.

Getting Started

Supply the material with the varied amount of print, varied text structures and extensive graphic support based on students’ instructional levels

Use videos to enhance comprehension through auditory and visual modes

Allow brief, cooperative brainstorming to activate prior knowledge and make predictions

Adjust the complexity, abstractness, type of response necessary, and connections required between topics based on readiness and learning

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Begin by using a KWHL chart to record what you know about each of these West African kingdoms. You need to make one chart for each kingdom. You may also want to make a brainstorm web showing your ideas for information that a travel promotion might contain. For instance, you may want to highlight major cities, political leaders, religion, education, the economy, or climate.

Once you have decided what information you need, you may wish to divide up your tasks depending on how many people are on your 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. You may even choose to divide your team into "experts" on the various aspects of the culture, such as religion, economy, and government.

One suggested division of labor would be to have each team member select one or two topics to cover from the first section below (traveler's guide) and three to five topics from section two (experiences offered) depending on the size of your team.

profile Establish clear criteria for

success Use wait time before

taking student answers If appropriate, give

students a chance to talk to partners or write down their answers before responding

Provide clear guidelines for group functioning that are taught in advance of group work and consistently reinforced

Examples of possible pacing/mini-lesson topics for cooperative learning

Students will reflect and create a list of what creates a good discussion.

Students will develop and practice skills of listening well (active listening).

Students will increase participation through discussions

Day 4-5 Final preparations, consultations with the teacher, peer feedback on draft papers

Day 6-7 PresentationsExamples of Resources

The following resources could be reviewed with students to exemplify the type of information they should include.

Example of the type of information you should find for research.

http://africa.mrdonn.org/kush.html Kingdom of Kush overview, good starting point.

You should always look for relevant information that is current and newsworthy. These kingdoms though they are often called “lost” were and are important to world history and the identity of millions of people of African ancestry and heritage. http://www.nytimes.com/2007/06/19/science/19kush.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0

http://www.culturekiosque.com/art/exhibiti/rhesouda.htm

You can include short videos: Nubia the Black kingdom of Kushhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NuIJsGkV2h4

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Ancient Nubia: The Art History of Kush - Part 1: Introductionhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bBj-_aukSBQ

The Lost Kingdom of Kush: https://www.google.com/search?q=lost+kingdom+of+the+kush&safe=active&client=chrome-mobile&espv=1&source=lnms&tbm=vid&sboxchip=Videos&sa=X&ei=ZLv6UefYO7OByQHVyoGYCw&ved=0CAoQ_AUoAQ&biw=360&bih=567

The following images include a sample of a map, architecture, daily life, art, politics, government, and religion that you may want to use with the lessons.

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