Geography and Culture

Students examine the kingdoms of West Africa during the Middle Ages. They label maps and identify Africa's physical features, simulate the trading of gold, buy and sell goods using cowrie shells, and participate in a cultural safari day.

Scholars find out how the government used propaganda to mobilize children to help in the war effort. Lesson exercises include analyzing a quote from Franklin Roosevelt, viewing propaganda images and posters, and participating in a lively...

Explore the importance of rules in a community with the engaging first instructional activity of this series on the US government. To begin, children play a paper clip game that requires them to make up their own rules as they go,...

There's more to Egypt than just pyramids—it is the crossroads between North Africa and the Middle East. Egypt is the world's largest Arab country, and it is the center of Arab cinema and publishing. A video resource explores these...

Mali is home to an ancient, wealthy empire that included one of the richest men to ever live, Mansa Musa, and the legendary city of Timbuktu. Today, it is home to civil struggles, and some of the instability makes these ancient sites...

It's mainland Africa's smallest country, and it forms a unique shape between two rivers. The Gambia, known as the Smiling Coast of Africa, has had complicated interactions with its neighbors and other countries, thanks to the legacy of...

Filter young teenagers' opinions and perspectives with a classic fishbowl discussion. Given any topic relevant to your curriculum, a group of class members engage in discussion for their peers to observe.

Take out a map, a paper, a ruler, and those coveted colored pencils for a lesson on Chinese culture and geography. This is a multifaceted approach to basic geography skills that incorporate story telling, class discussion, primary source...

Students locate Africa and share their knowledge of the continent, then read a news article about Oprah Winfrey building a school in South Africa. In this current events lesson, the teacher introduces the article with a discussion and...

Young explorers study the scarcity and importance of a continuous supply of fresh water in Cape Verde. They research the five main ways that fresh water is obtained in these countries. Each research group prepares a presentation, and...