Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Life in Ancient Ghana, Mali, and Songhai

For Teachers 3rd - 4th
Students study the ancient African kingdoms of Ghana, Mali, and Songhai. They brainstorm what they know about ancient African kingdoms before investigating the trade and barter situations, and researching one of the kingdoms for an oral...
PPT
Curated OER

Culture and Kingdoms of West Africa

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Africa was home to many great ancient civilizations, this presentation covers aspect of 4 of them. Middle schoolers explore aspects of civilizations from Nubia, Ghana, Mali, and Songhay. Topics covered are achievements, culture, great...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Trekking to Timbuktu: Trade in Ancient West Africa

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Young scholars research how trade in Timbuktu was affected by geography. Students conduct online research to determine the major trade routes, main products of trade, plus how and why trade spread across Africa.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Medieval African Kingdoms

For Teachers 7th
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...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Trekking to Timbuktu: The Geography of Mali -Teacher Version

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Middle schoolers investigate the geography of Mali. They locate Mali on a satellite map, explore various websites, describe the landscape and climate, label a map, and write an essay about the Niger Riger.
Unit Plan
Curated OER

Traveling the Silk Road: A Multimedia Approach

For Teachers 2nd - 4th
Students transfer what they have learned about China into an electronic project. In this collaborative project, students take what they have learned from their textbooks and synthesize the information in order to create an electronic...
Handout
Understanding Slavery Initiative

Understanding Slavery Initiative: Africa Before Transatlantic Enslavement

For Students 9th - 10th
The history of West Africa provides a context for learning about the transatlantic slave trade. Discover the rich cultural traditions and economic networks that existed in the West African empires such as Ghana, Mali, and Songhay long...
Website
Smithsonian Institution

National Museum of Africa Art: Ancient West African City of Benin

For Students 9th - 10th
A photographic exhibit of art objects from Benin from the period of 1300 to 1897 C.E. Extensive commentary is given for each object. Requires Adobe Reader. [PDF]
Website
BBC

Bbc World Service:the Story of Africa

For Students 9th - 10th
The history of Africa is documented from earliest times to the present. The menu bar divides it into time periods which then divide into sub-topics; also included is a visual timeline.