OVERVIEW
This lesson explores the lives, religion, culture and societies of earlier West Africans.  You may wonder why we would even consider African in a course of African American history.  However, overwhelming evidence in linguistics, culture, and slave trade records indicate that most African Americans can trace their roots to the Western half of Africa.  This land is rich not only in its resources and culture, but also its history as we shall soon find out in our study of it.

Purpose: For students to have an understanding of where African Americans originated from and how these early African Empires (Ghana, Mali and Songhay) were set up.

Objectives: Students will know the political institutions, economic life, social organization, religion(s), and the arts of these early African Empires. Later, such knowledge will enable students to be able to identify certain aspects of African American culture that has been transplanted from African culture.

Unit Plan Calendar (Click to view)
 
 

DAY ONE

Purpose: To have students practice good listening and note taking skills in preparation for good habits in college.
Objective: To give a general knowledge of West African Empires that students will later expound upon.

Assign four students to research and give presentations on Day Five of the lesson on the prominent leaders discussed in lecture and book.

Lecture: Ghana, Mali, and Songhay:
To watch a Powerpoint presentation of Lecture click here, or continued to read.

Ghana - was the first West African state of which there is any record. Capitol: Kumbi Saleh. Location: 500 miles NW of its modern namesake. Dates: 7th-11th century. Daily life: Farming, trading. Religion: Muslim influence appeared around 10th century. Famous Leader(s): Tenkamenin, (1062) strict tax collector who lived in a fortified castle made beautiful by sculpture, pictures and window's decorated by royal artists. During his reign the people adhered to a religion that was based on the belief that every earthly object contained good or evil spirits, until Arabs invaded around 1076. Decline of empire: End of the 11xx, a series of droughts dried up land and Ghana fell to conquerors during the 12th and 13th centuries.

Supplemtary Reading:  Al-Bakri's description of Ghana.
KEY WORD(S): Silent Trade, jihad.
 

Mali - also called Melle, began as organized kingdom around 1235. Capitol: Timbuktu. Location: Surrounded the southern edges of Ghana. Dates: 1235-15thxx. Prominent leaders: Mansa Musa, 1240 he took over and carried the predominately agricultural, craftmaking and mining Malians to new heights. He took a pilgrimage to Mecca where all could see the wealth of the Africans. He built schools in the capitol and had international connections. Religion: Islam Occupations: Mined gold in Bure, agriculture and crafts. Decline of empire: The Songhay and the Mossi combined to reduce the power of Mali.

KEY WORD(S): Griot, mansa, hajj.

 Songhay - the greatest of the empires. Capitol: Timbuktu? And Jenne. Location: Eclipsed Mali and spread further North and northeast. Dates: 1355 - 1594. Prominent leaders: Sunni Ali, built a river navy to control both banks of the Niger region. He opposed the religion of Islam and this caused him many problems, but he continued to reign until his death in 1492. Askia Mohammed was a powerful general in Ali's army. He was an orthodox Muslim and strengthened the empire greatly by learning from other nations, improving the administration of government, codifying the laws and raised the intellectual level of the country. Religion: Islam. Decline of Empire: Askia was dethroned by his eldest son. The Spanish and Moroccans overthrew Songhay.

KEY WORD(S): harquebus.

Classwork: To take notes on lecture. After lecture make a map of western Africa showing the three empires. (Use textbook if necessary.)

Homework: Finish maps, and define Key word, and read pages 2-7.
National Curriculum Standards (NCS): 1a, 1c, 1d, 1e, 1f, 2a, 2c, 2e, 3a, 3c
Michigan Curriculim Standards (MCS): 1.2, 1.3, 1.4, 2.1, 2.3, 3.1, 4.1, 5.2, 7.1

Discuss this lesson on our Class Bulletin Board.

DAY TWO

Purpose: To have students apply written and oral information onto a map. This will enable students to have a clearer picture of spatial relations of the Western African Empires.
Objective: To practice mapping and geography skills, while engaging students in cooperative learning.

Have three groups make an accurate map of one of the three empires each. These maps will be displayed on classroom walls. Maps should include proper geographic locations of empires, location of Capitols, major rivers, towns, and neighboring states. On the bottom of maps should be important information taking from book and lecture in bullet form.

Homework: Class will retain their groups and be asked to bring in information about Islam, religion, items that were traded and methods of agriculture and what they grew.  Read pages 8-15.
NCS: 3b, 3c, 3f
MCS: 1.2, 1.3, 1.4, 2.1, 2.3, 2.4, 2.5, 5.1

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DAY THREE

Purpose: To have students do individual research and be held accountable by their classmates for the quantity and quality of their research.
Objective: To engage students in cooperative learning that they might learn and plan as a group while they share their research, ideas and opinions.

Groups will meet and combine their information to prepare for 10-12 minute presentations tomorrow.

Homework: Read pages 16--23
NCS: 1c, 1h, 3g, 6d, 6g, 7c, 7f, 7g, 8b, 8c
MCS: 1.1, 1.2, 1.3, 1.4, 2.1, 2.2, 4.3, 4.4, 5.1

Discuss this lesson on our Class Bulletin Board.

DAY FOUR

Purpose: To present group work to the class.
Objective: That students will learn from each other.

Group Presentations: Islam; religion; trade; and, agriculture.
(Students must incorporate at least one piece of technology: Powerpoint presentation, video, web sites, web page, et cetera.)

Homework:  Review pages 2-23.
NCS: 1c, 1h, 3g, 6d, 6g, 7c, 7f, 7g, 8b, 8c
MCS: 1.1, 1.2, 1.3, 1.4, 2.1, 2.2, 4.3, 4.4, 5.1

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DAY FIVE

Purpose: To have student's practice giving individual presentations.
Objective: To enhance speaking skills and to allow students to learn from each other.

Student Presentations: Tenkamenin, Mansa Musa, Sunni Ali, and Askia Muhammed.
Brief Discussion after each presentation.  Student presentations are 10% of FINAL GRADE!
(Students must incorporate at least one piece of technology: Powerpoint presentation, video, web sites, web page, et cetera.)

QUIZ will cover material from textbook pages 2-23, lecture notes, and group and student presentations.

Practice for quiz by playing HANGMAN!
Take a SAMPLE QUIZ, it will help!
Homework: Study for quiz.
NCS: 1c, 1h, 3g, 6d, 6g, 7c, 7f, 7g, 8b, 8c
MCS: 1.1, 1.2, 1.3, 1.4, 2.1, 2.2, 4.3, 4.4, 5.1

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DAY SIX
CATCH-UP DAY / REVIEW DAY (IF NEEDED)

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DAY SEVEN

Purpose: To give a quiz and to introduce and assign readings for next lesson on "West African and Early European Trade."
Objective: To assess students' comprehension and knowledge of material covered.

To look at quiz click it:
Quiz.And, introduce next lesson on "West Africa and Early European Trade."

Discuss this lesson on our Class Bulletin Board.
 
 

DAY EIGHT AND NINE
Assign two students to research and give presentations on Ibn Batuta and Olaudah Equiano on the fifth day of lesson two.

Supplementary Readings:
Ibn Battuta's description of Early Africa
Olaudah Equiano's Narrative.
Narrative of James Albert Ukawsaw Gronniosaw, an African Prince

Lecture: West African Families, Religion, Traditions; Europe in the Trade

West African Families: Extended families consisted of parents, grandparents, children, and sometimes aunts and uncles. Within these families there was a patriarchal rule, where men dominated the families. This is not to say that women did have an important role, they made clothes, farmed with the men, and sometimes even served as warriors. The marriage was sometimes pre-arranged while they were still young, then the bride went to live with the groom's family. The groomâs family was expected to give a bridewealth to the bride's parents. Polygyny was allowed if a man could afford it. The families often had farms and grew enough for the familyâs use.

KEY WORD(S): extended families, bridewealth, polygyny, subsistence farmers

Religion: Believed in all powerful creator, but had gods and goddesses that represented some aspect of life (sky, earth, water etc.). They also practiced ancestor worship.

KEY WORD(S): ancestor worship, polytheistic

Traditions: West Africans were extremely talented in music, dance and poetry. Their music consisted of very difficult and complicated musical patterns and rhythms. A popular type of music was call and response. Storytelling was very popular and often griots, or elders told folktales and/or proverbs to the younger ones. These stories are very old and kept alive via oral history. The artisans of West Africa worked with leather, ivory, wood, and various metals.

KEY WORD(S): call-and-response, folktales, kente

Europe: Was afraid of the Atlantic calling it the "green sea of darkness" in the 1400s. Many times Africans were used as guides in expeditions such as: Bartholomeu Dias, when he rounded the southern tip of Africa in 1488 and Vasco da Gama, when he sailed around Africa and across the Indian Ocean to India in 1498. In 1444, the Portuguese encountered a large group of Africans and they attacked the West African village taking 200 men, women and children back to Portugal with them and sold in a public auction. African rulers had slaves of their own, POW's, but this new type of slavery was different in that Europeans were trading for slaves. African rulers thought this would be good business and had raiders capture Africans from other tribes to trade to the Europeans. While traders were obtaining Africans, missionaries were trying to convert them to Christianity. Labor was needed in the America's because there were not enough European indentured servants. The Native Americans were used but were not good workers because they died due to European diseases, and they knew the land well enough to run away and escape. This left the Africans open and prime for trade to work on America's plantations. England had set up 13 colonies along the Atlantic seaboard of North America. In 1619 the first Africans arrived in Jamestown as indentured servants.

KEY WORD(S) slave-raiders, conquistadors, colonies, immigrants, cash crops, indentured servants, black gold, gold coast, ivory coast

Homework: Define and study key words, read pages 24-27.
NCS: 1a, 1c, 1d, 1e, 1f, 2a, 2c, 2e, 3a, 3c
MCS: 1.1, 1.2, 1.3, 1.4, 2.1, 2.2, 4.3, 4.4, 5.1

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DAY NINE AND TEN

Assign students to four different groups:  Each group will create a skit that will showcase one of the following topics per group:  1) Call and Response singing, Folktales 2) Extended Families and Bridewealth 3) Slave Raiders and 4) Polythestic religion and ancestor worship.

Describe what is expected for group project, the project will be twenty percent of quiz grade.  Groups can role-play/skits, debates, research and present papers, show series of maps or pictures, et cetera.

Every member of the group MUST have a role in the group or entire group will be penalized.

Homework:  Given by group and read pages 28-31.
NCS: 1a, 1c, 1d, 1e, 1f, 2a, 2c, 2e, 3a, 3c
MCS: 1.1, 1.2, 1.3, 1.4, 2.1, 2.2, 4.3, 4.4, 5.1

Discuss this lesson on our Class Bulletin Board.

DAY ELEVEN

Purpose: To present group work to the class.
Objective: That students will learn from each other.

Group presentations:  Groups 1 & 2.
Following each group presentation will be a question/answer period and highlight points given by teacher. (Students must incorporate at least one piece of technology: Powerpoint presentation, video, web sites, web page, et cetera.)

Homework:  Study key words and review pages 24-31.
NCS: 1c, 1h, 3g, 6d, 6g, 7c, 7f, 7g, 8b, 8c
MCS: 1.1, 1.2, 1.3, 1.4, 2.1, 2.2, 4.3, 4.4, 5.1

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DAY TWELVE

Purpose: To present group work to the class.
Objective: That students will learn from each other.

Group Presentations:  Groups 3 & 4.
Following each group presentation will be a question/answer period and highlight points given by teacher. (Students must incorporate at least one piece of technology: Powerpoint presentation, video, web sites, web page, et cetera.)

Homework:  Study key words and review pages 24-31.
NCS: 1c, 1h, 3g, 6d, 6g, 7c, 7f, 7g, 8b, 8c
MCS: 1.1, 1.2, 1.3, 1.4, 2.1, 2.2, 4.3, 4.4, 5.1

Discuss this lesson on our Class Bulletin Board.

DAY THIRTEEN

Purpose: To have student's practice giving individual presentations.
Objective: To enhance speaking skills and to allow students to learn from each other.

Student Presentations: Ibn  Battuta and Olaudah Equiano.
Brief Discussion after each presentation.  Student presentations are 10% of FINAL GRADE!
(Students must incorporate at least one piece of technology: Powerpoint presentation, video, web sites, web page, et cetera.)

QUIZ will cover material from textbook pages 24-31, lecture notes, and group and student presentations.

Homework: Study for quiz.
NCS: 1c, 1h, 3g, 6d, 6g, 7c, 7f, 7g, 8b, 8c
MCS: 1.1, 1.2, 1.3, 1.4, 2.1, 2.2, 4.3, 4.4, 5.1

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DAY FOURTEEN
CATCH-UP DAY / REVIEW DAY (IF NEEDED)

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DAY FIFTEEN

Purpose: To give a quiz and to introduce and assign readings for next unit on "Africans in
                the Americas."
Objective: To assess students' comprehension and knowledge of material covered.

To look at quiz click it:
Quiz.And, introduce next lesson on "Africans in  the Americas."

Discuss this lesson on our Class Bulletin Board.

Africans in America.  Public Broadcasting Station (PBS) Television Series.
Asante, Molefi Kete.  African American History:  A Journey of Liberation.  Maywood, NJ:  The
    Peoples Publishing Group, 1995.
Franklin, John Hope.  From Slavery to Freedom:  A History of African Americans.  New York:
    McGraw-Hill, 1994.
Harley, Sharon et al.  The African American Experience:  A History.  Englewood Cliffs, NJ:
    Globe Book Co., 1992.
Shillington, Kevin. History of Africa. (Revised Edition). New York: St. Martin's Press, 1995.