Art Institute of Chicago
African Myths and Stories
Young historians discover African stories associated with a royal altar tusk from the Kingdom of Benin in Nigeria, read myths illustrated on the tusk, and write a story about the life of an oba using figures depicted on the tusk.
Curated OER
Grow a Musical Instrument
Music, culture, social studies, and plant growth all in one! Kids explore the various type of traditional African instruments that are made out of gourds. They then grow their own gourds and use them to create a wide variety of...
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African Clothing
Students explore African clothing. In this African culture social studies activity, students brainstorm types of clothing they wear for different occasions. Students view photographs of Africans wearing Western clothing and "special...
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Family Traditions, Customs and Beliefs
Students discuss African childhood, explore family traditions, customs, and beliefs, examine African recipes, discuss differences or similarities in food preparation between the U.S. and Africa, and prepare a dish with adult supervision.
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The Beautiful People of Africa
Learners discover the people of Africa by creating a PowerPoint presentation. In this African culture lesson plan, students utilize the Internet to investigate a specific African tribe and their specific location, culture, and way...
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Mosaic America: Paths To The Present
Seventh graders study the ideologies of life, values, love, peace and struggle of African Americans, Latinos and Native Americans as citizens of the United States. Authors and artists are used as tools to open the eyes of the students...
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Medieval African Kingdoms
Seventh graders examine the geography and political history of West Africa. They role-play as applicants to a company that transports customers to any historic time period. Working in teams, they create promotional products encouraging...
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African-American Folktales
Students are introduced to the characteristics of folktales and their purpose. As a class, they listen to a folktale, answer questions about the characters and share which part they enjoyed the best. In groups, they compare and...
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Gullah Activities
Pupils study the Gullah culture by watching a video about Gullah, Gullah Island. They discuss the customs and crafts of the people such as basket weaving, food preparation, pottery, and quilt making. While working in centers, they make a...
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One Step at a Time
Learners investigate the customs and habits of other cultures by reading letters from a Peace Corps Volunteer. In this global customs lesson, students discuss how analyzing a culture is similar to analyzing art, no two people see...
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KWANZAA
Young scholars study about Kwanzaa, an African-American celebration established in 1966 by Dr. Maulana, and also participate in some traditional activities.
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The Roots of the Afro-American Culture: The Artistic Approach
Students study the geographical structure of the continent of Africa. They discuss how and why there are so many tribes and kingdoms of Africa and dsicuss customs and traditions to determine how they come about in any ethnic group.
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African Markets: Out in the Open
Students identify advantages and disadvantages of African open air markets. They discuss the types of items sold there and why the markets are outdoors. They observe a bartering session between the teacher and another adult. Finally,...
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West African Art
Students engage in a lesson that is concerned with the concept of West African Art. They conduct research using a variety of resources. They focus upon the history, geography, economics, and political systems. The information is used to...
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A Country Far Away
First graders compile questions they want to explore other people. Given the information shared by the guest speaker, 1st graders become familiar with customs from another culture and recall what they learned about another country and...
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Africa: Its People And Places
Students plan a pretend trip to the African continent choosing from several prominent places such as the Nile Delta, Mount Kilimanjaro or the Sahara Desert . In small groups, they form transportation, accommodation, packing, itinerary...
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Spiritual Power of Symbols
Pupils examine how symbols are used in some societies to influence spirits and to protect rooms. They discuss and view examples of doors decorated with symbols, and create a door mural using African and American symbols.
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The Kwanzaa Tradition: Pronoun Review
Celebrate Kwanzaa and reinforce grammar skills with one language arts activity. Learners add missing pronouns to sentences in a passage about the traditions and customs of Kwanzaa. Next, they answer four comprehension questions...
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Keeping the Past Alive
Learners read about the oral histories of West Africa and complete related activities. In this oral histories lesson, students read about the importance of oral customs in African cultures. Learners interview a family member about oral...
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How Do You Celebrate?
Investigate the customs of Christmas, Hanukkah, and Kwanzaa with a holiday instructional activity. Pupils use a graphic organizer to compare and contrast the customs of each holiday before writing an informative paragraph about...
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African Safari
Sixth graders gain an appreciation for the different cultures that inhabit the Earth by focusing on the people of Africa
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Rituals/traditions with Gullah religion
Sixth graders discuss some of the earliest people who lived in each region in order to comprehend how humans interacted with the environmental conditions at that time. They make connections to present-day regions including...
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Between the Rivers
Second graders compare and contrast historical American cultures. In this American history lesson, 2nd graders participate in reading, writing, oral, and hands on activities. Students discuss the similarities and differences...
Lee & Low Books
First Come the Zebra Teacher’s Guide
Accompany a reading of First Come the Zebra written and illustrated by Lynne Barasch with a teacher's guide equipped with before reading, vocabulary, and after reading activities. Additional social studies,...