SOCIAL SCIENCE

6th Grade Interdisciplinary African and African American Studies Quarter 1 Unit Plan

!E"E# Culture, Dignity, and Identity CONCEP # Everything Out of Africa The impact and legacies of early African peoples, cultures, and kingdoms CON EN OPIC# Investigating and researching the ancient kingdoms of Africa, their intellectual influences and relationships to the development of a global culture through fiction and nonfiction texts UNI I LE# Everything Out of Africa

Unit $escripti%n# Students ill read a variety of informational texts, including primary, secondary and
tertiary sources that pertain to the themes of cultural identity and ho Africa as the home of several advanced kingdoms, hich existed before and during the rise of European and Asian kingdoms! Egypt as "ust one of these great kingdoms! In this problem#based unit, students ill become familiar ith the cultures of ancient Africa including $hana, %ali, Aksum, &ush, 'ubia, &ongo, Ethiopia, %orocco, Carthage, Egypt and Songhay! (hey ill create an argument that ill address the )uestion* Was Egypt the greatest African kingdom?

Len&th %f Unit* + ,eeks Endurin& Understandin& s Essential Questi%ns

-! !ist%ry# Events and actions of the past affect the present and the future! .! Identity# Culture is a ay of life for a group of people ho share similar beliefs, values, and customs! /! Ge%&raphy# %ovement and migration of people and ideas affect the past, present, and future! Guidin& Essential Questi%ns# I0 1o do culture and identity influence ho e are2 II0 1o do time, culture, and history influence orks of art and3or the advancement of science and technology2 III0 ,hat can I do to positively impact my community2 'eadin& '!(6)*(1( Cite specific textual evidence to support analysis of primary and secondary sources! '!(6)*(+( Determine the central ideas or information of a primary or secondary source4 provide an accurate summary of the source distinct from prior kno ledge or opinions! ,ritin& ,!S (6)*(-( Conduct short research pro"ects to ans er a )uestion 5including a self#generated )uestion0, dra ing on several sources and generating additional related, focused )uestions that allo for multiple avenues of exploration! ,!S (6)*(*( $ather relevant information from multiple print and digital sources, using search terms effectively4 assess the credibility and accuracy of each source4 and )uote or paraphrase the data and conclusions of others hile avoiding plagiarism and follo ing a standard format for citation! ,!S (6)*(.( Dra evidence from informational texts to support analysis

C%mm%n C%re Standards

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SOCIAL SCIENCE

6th Grade Interdisciplinary African and African American Studies Quarter 1 Unit Plan

reflection, and research! Spea/in& and Listenin& SL(6(1( Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions 5one#on#one, in groups, and teacher#led0 ith diverse partners on grade 7 topics, texts, and issues, building on others8 ideas and expressing their o n clearly! SL(6(+( Interpret information presented in diverse media and formats 5e!g!, visually, )uantitatively, orally0 and explain ho it contributes to a topic, text, or issue under study! SL(6(0( 9resent claims and findings, se)uencing ideas logically and using pertinent descriptions, facts, and details to accentuate main ideas or themes4 use appropriate eye contact, ade)uate volume, and clear pronunciation! SL(6(1( Include multimedia components 5e!g!, graphics, images, music, sound0 and visual displays in presentations to clarify claims to clarify information!

C%&niti2e S/ills

E3ecuti2e functi%ns 9lan :lexibility* change direction if not orking4 adopt multiple approaches Strategy use* ability to reflect on strategy and select appropriate strategy hin/in& s/ills ;easoning about concrete items versus abstract ideas Analy<ing3evaluating arguments Developing a logical argument Inductive reasoning* using specific examples3observations and forming a more general principle Deductive reasoning* use stated general premise to reason about specific examples Appreciation* recognition of the value of something

C%ntent

4uildin& 5n%6led&e hr%u&h e3ts Elements of culture include language, religion, clothing, race, and socio3economic customs Internal and external forces shape identity (he greatness of a culture can be measured in various ays Africa had an immense impact on the orld8s many cultures both directly and indirectly

Assessments 789 8%rmati2e

:ormative assessments for this unit consist of* $uided ;eading and $uided ,riting, anecdotal notes, group meeting minutes, fre)uent checks for accomplishment of group and individual intermediate goals, reflections after each group meeting, summaries of select portions of text, exit slips, and expository riting samples in response to short, informational texts and the accomplishment of several stand#alone pro"ects hich ill be a component of the final summative assessment! Each team ill present a -=#minute oral and visual argument! It can take the form of a

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SOCIAL SCIENCE
Summati2e

6th Grade Interdisciplinary African and African American Studies Quarter 1 Unit Plan
brief oral report, a 9o er9oint, video, 9re<i or any other form of presentation that has been approved by the teacher! Each team ill turn in an essay ith a minimum of + paragraphs hich address the )uestion >,as Egypt the greatest African kingdom2? and ill explore issues of politics, economics, art, social structure, and religion per the attached rubric! E3tended e3t# SUNDIATA An Epic of !ld "ali by D! (! 'iane Sh%rt e3ts# Primary s%urce d%cuments Excerpts from I#n $attuta Tra%els in Asia and Africa &'()*&')+, An Islamic primary source document describing various cities in Africa! Excerpts from @eo Africanus* Description of (imbuktu from The Description of Africa 5-+.70, Excerpts from A Ne, -eneral .ollection of /oyages and Tra%els .onsisting of the Esteemed 0elations, Which 1a%e $een 1itherto 2u#lished in Any !anguage3 -AB+, A compilation of republished Critish primary sources describing their first impressions of Africa (he (reasures of (imbuktu http*33 !smithsonianmag!com3history# archaeology3timbuktu!html 4ree "en and Women of African Ancestry in 0enaissance Europe by Doaneath Spicer

e3t: 'es%urces

Sec%ndary S%urces* African 1istory is World 1istory by Asar Imhotep, :olk (ales and (rickster Stories :rom Africa4 the !ion and the 1are located at http*33 ! orldoftales!com3AfricanEfolktales3AfricanE:olktaleEB=!html "eet "ansa "usa the 0ichest 1uman $eing in All 1istory by Dohn 1all http*33 !independent!co!uk3ne s3 orld3 orld#history3meet#mansa#musa#i# of#mali##the#richest#human#being#in#all#history#F.-/B+/!html Excerpts from Am#assadors, E5plorers, and Allies A Study of African* European Diplomatic 0elationships, &+66*&766 by Andrea :elber Seligman Excerpts from Africa and Africans in the "aking of the Atlantic World by Dohn (hornton Excerpts from a .ultural 1istory of the Atlantic World by Dohn (hornton (he (rickster in African American 1istory http*33nationalhumanitiescenter!org3tserve3freedom3-F7+# -G-A3essays3trickster!htm Ima&es# All ima&es are pu;lic d%main and a2aila;le thr%u&h se2eral internet s%urces( hese are <ust a samplin&( "ansa "usa ) detail of a Spanish map of ,est Africa dra n about -/A+! In the lo er right it sho s %ansa %usa in his capital at (imbuktu, %ali, holding a scepter and a gold nugget! After %ansa %usaHs pilgrimage to %akkah, ne s of his ealth reached Europe and mapmakers began to include %ali on their maps!

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SOCIAL SCIENCE

6th Grade Interdisciplinary African and African American Studies Quarter 1 Unit Plan

=
9ortrait of an African Slave ,oman, Annibale Carracci, attrib!, ca! -+F=s,

9ortrait of an African %an by Dan %ostaert 5ca! -+.=0

;eli)uary Cust of Saint Irieix, Second )uarter of the -/th Century :rance, @imousin, Saint#Irieix# la#9erch ,est African Art circa -===

"aps# Interacti2e map %f Africa http*33artnet eb!com3guggenheim3africa3africamap!html Se2eral maps %f Africa http*33etc!usf!edu3maps3galleries3africa3complete3index!php

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6th Grade Interdisciplinary African and African American Studies Quarter 1 Unit Plan
,e;sites# The Wealth of Africa 5An information and in)uiry lesson from the Critish museum ith both primary and secondary sources pertaining to the ealth and po er of the &ingdom of %ali0! http*33 !britishmuseum!org3pdf3&ingdomOf%aliE9resentation!pdf , o The Wealth of Africa, Student copy http 88,,,3#ritishmuseum3org8pdf8kingdomofmali9students,orksheet s3pdf (he Critish %useum has inspiring and exciting ob"ects from ancient Egypt and Cenin as ell as more modern material from all over Africa and contemporary African art! http#::666(;ritishmuseum(%r&:learnin&:sch%%ls>and>teachers:res%urce s:cultures:africa(asp3= africahistory!net presents various perspectives on African Indigenous &no ledge Systems 5AI&0 from a ide range of scholars! It publishes brief extracts from scholarly orks on the sub"ect and focus on several areas! A great site on the empires of Africa including graphic organi<ers and informational text handouts and http#::666(mitchellteaachers(%r&:,%rld!ist%ry:EmpiresSu;SaharanAfri ca:Empires%f,estAfrica(html http#::666(independent(c%(u/:ne6s:6%rld:6%rld)hist%ry:meet)mansa) musa)i)%f)mali))the)richest)human);ein&)in)all)hist%ry)*+1?01?(html Sankore 6niversity 1istory http#::san/%re(%r&:en:6hy)it)called)san/%re (his site ill introduce you to three of the great kingdoms of ,est Africa bet een the Gth and -7th centuries CE! (hey are the kingdoms of $hana, %ali, and Songhay! After you have read a short text on each of these kingdoms, there is a fourth text hich explains the time hen parts of 'orth Africa came to be Islamic! As you read through this activity, you should think about ho the events in the four texts are related to one another! Once you have read all four texts, use the information you have learned in them to complete the graphic organi<ers at the end of the activity! http*33exploringafrica!matrix!msu!edu3students3curriculum3mAa3activity/!php (his Smithsonian site is graphically rich and has a huge, ell organi<ed compilation of resources on the history of Africa from ancient times to no ! http*33 !mnh!si!edu3africanvoices3 The 1eil#runn Timeline of Africa Art 1istory Is 'O( "ust about art but has a lot of information about many of the kingdoms e ill be investigating! http*33 !metmuseum!org3toah3hi3teEindex!asp2iJAfrica (he %ultimedia Archive African Studies Center 6niversity of 9ennsylvania includes some of the multimedia collections that can be used in the classroom! In order to vie these images you need a bro ser that is capable of handling graphics 5e!g! Explorer, 'etscape, etc!0! http*33 !africa!upenn!edu3&# -.3menuEEdu%EDI!html (he $hana kingdom lay in hat is no southeastern %auritania and estern %ali! $hana kingdom as an important black trading state in ,est Africa from about the A!D! /==Hs to the mid#-===Hs! http*33 !metmuseum!org3toah3hd3ghan3hdEghan!htm CCC report on $hana http*33 !bbc!co!uk3 orldservice3africa3features3storyofafrica3Bchapter-!shtml

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6th Grade Interdisciplinary African and African American Studies Quarter 1 Unit Plan

1istory of $hana from $hana eb! http*33 !ghana eb!com3$hana1ome9age3history3 $limpses of $hana in -=7A http*33 !history i<!com3primarysources3glimpseofghana!htm (he Dogon 9eople of %ali* http*33 !pbs!org3 onders3frEe+!htm (he Critish %useum &ingdom of %ali* http*33 !britishmuseum!org3pdf3kingdomofmaliEstudents orksheets!pdf 1o &ingdoms Collapse* http*33 !learner!org3interactives3collapse3 (he &ingdom of %ali* http*33 ebusers!xula!edu3"rotondo3&ingdoms3%ali3%ali1ist'arr!htm %eet %ansa %usa the ;ichest 1uman Ceing in all 1istory http*33 !independent!co!uk3ne s3 orld3 orld#history3meet#mansa#musa#i# of#mali##the#richest#human#being#in#all#history#F.-/B+/!html

4%%/s# Crooks, @arry! Daily !ife in Ancient and "odern Tim#uktu 5Cities through (ime0 ;unestone, -GGG! Conrad, David! The Songhay Empire 5:irst Cook0! ,atts, -GGF! $reen, ;ebecca @! The Empire of -hana! ,atts, -GGF! 1err, %yra! West Africa -hana Ancient and !i%ing .ultures Series3 $oodyear 9ub Co!, -GG.! &oslo , 9hilip! Ancient -hana The !and of -old! Chelsea 1ouse, -GG+! &oslo , 9hilip! .enturies of -reatness The West African :ingdoms , A+=# -G==! Chelsea 1ouse, -GG+! &oslo , 9hilip! Songhay the Empire $uilders ;The :ingdoms of Africa<3 Chelsea 1ouse, -GG+! %c&issack, 9atricia and :redrick! The 0oyal :ingdoms of -hana, "ali and Songhay !ife in "edie%al Africa! 1olt, -GG+! (hompson, Carol! The Empire of "ali! ,atts, -GGF! African 1istory is World 1istory by Asar Imhotep Excerpts from a .ultural 1istory of the Atlantic World by Dohn (hornton Excerpts from Africa and Africans in the "aking of the Atlantic World by Dohn (hornton

C%mmunity Partners# Chicago :ield %useum Africa .ollection http#::fieldmuseum(%r&:e3pl%re:%ur)c%llecti%ns:africa)c%llecti%ns (he DuSable %useum of African American 1istory Ancient "anuscripts from the Desert !i#raries of Tim#uktu a onderful site to sho actual texts from the library at (imbuktu and the university of Sankore through the @ibrary of Congress http*33 !loc!gov3exhibits3mali3

Learnin& Acti2ities

eacher ill meet daily ith each group to instruct students on specific reading3researching strategies and the skills students ill need to comprehend the texts for this unit and to complete their assigned tasks! Student Gr%ups ill conduct discussions, rite routinely, and report findings

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6th Grade Interdisciplinary African and African American Studies Quarter 1 Unit Plan
discovered through their research groups! (eacher explains procedures for participating ithin their group activities! (eacher can use @fishbowl strategy to demonstrate ho small groups conduct discussions around texts! 5S@!7!-0 (eacher assigns groups based on varying learning styles and ability levels, paying extra attention to ensure ell balanced groups! 5S@!7!-0 (eacher provides brief book talk of each extended text and ensures students are comprehending texts! 5;1!7!F!-!,;1!7!F!B!0 (eacher models ho to take Cornell notes hile reading a text! As they8re reading the text, students practice close reading 5and other strategies learned during mini#lessons0 to search for and record elements that are essential in identifying their topic3person5s0 uni)ue characteristics and contributions! 5;1!7!F!-!, ;1!7!F!.!, ;1!7!F!G!0 Students meet .#/ times per eek in their groups and use their notes to anchor their discussions and to develop their plans for their final pro"ect! Students rite reflections follo ing each group meeting! 5S@!7!-!, S@!7!.!0 6sing the Essential Kuestions as a guide, students rite summaries of select portions of their selected texts! 5,1S(!7#F!.!, ,1S(! 7#F!F0 Students share the content from their literature circle text ith the hole class, so that all students are familiar ith the diverse texts! 5S@7!B0 %ini#lessons3Activities for (eaching ,riting to Develop and Convey 6nderstanding, Cite Evidence, and to Study and Apply @anguage Conventions! 5,1S(!7#F!A!, ,1S(!7#F!F!0 (eacher ill return to the shorter informational texts, as ell as images 5such as photos0, to model ho to construct the different parts of an informative3explanatory piece, including ho to introduce a topic, ho to organi<e the parts of the essay, ho to use textual evidence to support the essay, hat other types of evidence should be used as support, ho to use transitions, etc! 5;1!7#F!-!, ;1!7#F!+!, ;1!7#F!A!0 Students ill use select informational texts, as ell as images that they8ve gathered, to practice composing each part of the informative3explanatory essay! 5,1S(!7#F!F0 Students ill spend time gathering evidence for the 9erformance Assessment, hich includes using their notes to list specific evidence from their group readings that can be used for their pro"ect! Students ill also record evidence from the short informational texts that ere read in and outside of class! 5;1!7#F!A!, ,1S(!7#F!F!0 Students ill be engaged in the riting process, including brainstorming, gathering evidence, drafting, revising, and editing! (eacher ill confer ith students through independent or guided riting conferences! 5,1S(!7#F!B0

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eacher# Students ill be allo ed three B= minute reading and3or riting blocks to outline, draft, revise and complete their final product! Students must each rite their argument, but must also orally present the final product using the appropriate technological support, i!e! video, 9o er9oint, 9re<i, slide sho or through digital storytelling! %ore or less time can be afforded according to teacher discretion! (he

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6th Grade Interdisciplinary African and African American Studies Quarter 1 Unit Plan
teacher may also present resources in digital format or through audiobooks to ensure that all students have access! Only the final product ill be evaluated as part of this assessment 5as indicated by the standards above0! 9lace the student directions on the board for all students to read and then read them aloud to the students! (ake time to ans er clarifying )uestions posed by the students! Student $irecti%ns# ,e ill learn a lot over the next fe eeks! Iou ill be expected to analy<e several primary and secondary sources, and synthesi<e hat you ill learn about culture and its influence on identity! Iou ill be given three B=#minute class sessions spread out over the next fe eeks to develop an argument addressing the )uestion, >Does culture create identity, or does identity create culture2? making specific references to the sources provided in class and those you ill have to discover! Iou must use evidence from the sources! :urther, you are to present your argument both ritten and orally! (o communicate your ideas, you ill also be expected to develop an appropriate technological component that supports your presentation in a dignified and academic manner!

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,est African &ingdoms (his eek, students ill learn ho art depicts important historical and cultural significance to Africa! Students ill have a deeper understanding of the visual arts of African and specific historical and cultural contexts of different art traditions! Students ill examine ho e can look at orks of art to learn about people8s ideas about beauty, history, authority, politics, and religion! Students ill be made a are of ho ob"ects can have diverse and multiple roles and that in many instances they are used in important religious, social, or political events here they >come alive!? Students ill be allo ed to explore the similarities and differences bet een their cultures and African cultures! Learnin& Acti2ities Less%n 1# SynthesiAe Inf%rmati%n ) 'ead t% Get the Gist 6sing articles related to country of study, the teacher ill model reading a text to identify ten key ords to create a summary! (eacher ill model synthesi<ing information by using key ords important to the sub"ect! 6sing article about %ali and Ioruba art and De elry, http*33exploringafrica!matrix!msu!edu3teachers3curriculum3m-.3a ctivity/!php the teacher ill model summari<ing using $IS( activity! Students ill observe patterns and research the meaning of the

Differentiated Strategies for Varied Learning Profiles Informational texts ill be available in a variety of formats including audio, visual and tactilely! (asks ill have components that allo for students to use visual, oral and tactile as ell as kinesthetic skills to express kno ledge gained! Students ill be able to take o nership of tasks through the use of

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6th Grade Interdisciplinary African and African American Studies Quarter 1 Unit Plan
kente cloth* http*33exploringafrica!matrix!msu!edu3teachers3curriculum3m-.3pi ctures.!php And respond to the follo ing )uestions in ritten form* -! Observe the details of the patterns closely! Can you tell ho the cloth has been se n together2 .! 1o are the checkerboard patterns created2 /! ,hy do you think yello is a color chosen for royalty2 Less%n +# hin/ 4ey%nd the e3t# "%2e fr%m 8acts t% Ideas 6sing information about kente cloth from previous lesson, students ill create their o n kente cloth, by responding to the follo ing key ideas* ,hat symbolic meaning ould you ant your design to have2 ,hat colors ould you choose2 ,hat meaning can you attach to your choices2 ,hat name ould your pattern have2 ,hat does your pattern tell about your history2 Learnin& Acti2ities Less%n 1# InBuiry Questi%ns 6se a large piece of roll paper so that the activity can be saved! 6se either a Lenn Diagram, or dra a (ree Case! In the center of the Lenn Diagram, or on the trunk of the tree, label as >)uestion3problem?! Ask students to provide any3all )uestions or problems they can think of that they ould like to kno more about Africa! As students supply these )uestions, add branches or smaller circles to the diagram, using the student input! 'ext, have students determine source materials here they might find information regarding their )uestions, and sho these ith smaller lines coming off Lenn Diagrams or small branches off of larger branches of the tree! (his portion of the lesson should be posted on the all for further reference as the lesson progresses! Ask small groups to choose a )uestion3problem, make a list of hat they ant to kno and here they could find information specific to their )uestion3problem! Student groups gather information from sources identified and generate findings! Each group records findings before reporting back to hole group! (o prepare for in)uiry study, the teacher should consider the follo ing* eachers "%del 4eha2i%rs and S/ills (hey sho children ho to use ne tools or materials! (hey guide students in taking more and more responsibility >Choice Coards? and >@earning Centers!?

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Supply the material ith the varied amount of print, varied text structures and extensive graphic support based on students8 instructional levels! 6se videos to enhance comprehensio n through auditory and visual modes! Allo brief, cooperative brainstorming to activate prior kno ledge and make predictions!

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6th Grade Interdisciplinary African and African American Studies Quarter 1 Unit Plan
in investigations! (hey help students design and carry out skills of recording, documenting, and dra ing conclusions! Ad"ust the complexity, abstractness, type of response necessary, and connections re)uired bet een topics based on readiness and learning profile! Establish clear criteria for success! 6se ait time before taking student ans ers! If appropriate, give students a chance to talk to partners or rite do n their ans ers before responding! 9rovide clear guidelines for group functioning that are taught in advance of group ork and consistently reinforced!

eachers Supp%rt C%ntent Learnin& (hey help students form tentative explanations hile moving to ard content understanding! (hey introduce tools and materials and ideas appropriate to content learning! (hey use appropriate content terminology eachers Use "ultiple "eans %f Assessment (hey are sensitive to hat children are thinking and learning, and identify areas in hich children are struggling! (hey talk to children, ask )uestions, make suggestions, share, and interact! (hey move around and make themselves available to all students! (hey help children go to the next stage of learning ith appropriate clues and prompts! eachers Act as 8acilitat%rs (hey use open#ended )uestions that encourage investigation, observation, and thinking! (hey carefully listen to studentsH ideas, comments, and )uestions in order to help them develop their skills and thought processes! (hey suggest ne things to look at and try, and encourage further experimentation and thinking! (hey orchestrate and encourage student dialogue!

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Learnin& Acti2ities Presentations, Assessments, Reflection Students ill present their findings and completed pro"ects via multimedia or other approved method of presentation including oral, theatric, ritten, video, etc! Student Self#Assessment and participation pie 5available at

9rovide extensive, consistent models of literacy, modeling reflection in think# alouds ith stress on active reading 9rovide concrete examples,

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6th Grade Interdisciplinary African and African American Studies Quarter 1 Unit Plan
http*33 !socialstudiesforkids!com3articles3ushistory3-/ coloniesschool!htm0 organi<ers, and demonstrations

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