Social Studies Unit Tonya Busse-1

Empires of Ancient West Africa
Tonya J Busse
Octobers 13, 2017
University of Wyoming
EMPIRES OF ANCIENT WEST AFRICA 2
Table of Contents
I. Background Information
1. Rationale Statement ...............................................Error! Bookmark not defined.
2. Concept Web ........................................................................................................... 5
3. Unit Goals ............................................................................................................... 6
II. Instructional Materials
4. I. Background Information .................................................................................. 3
5. I. Background Information .................................................................................. 5

Rationale Statement
Relevance
In this unit, we will focus on the West African Civilizations that thrived from
approximately 3800 B.C. to 1450 B.C. The economies, governments, and cultures of
African civilizations are important topics for students to learn in order to gain a more
global perspective of early human interactions. African civilizations may seem distant in
both time and location, but they have had a lasting impact not only on Africa, but the rest of
the world as well. It is important that students are well informed citizens who are able to
recognize the influence of early African civilizations on our world today.
Setting
Arp Elementary is a Title 1 school in a rural area serving approximately 400
students grades K-6. Arp’s Sixth grade class is composed of 60 students, approximately
80% of whom qualify for free/reduced lunch. Students are divided into homeroom groups
of 20 students. Each homeroom group rotates into my social studies class for 30 minutes
every day. Of the 60 students, 2 students are on IEPs, both having been diagnosed with
autism spectrum disorder, and 5 students are English Language Learners (ELLs). ELL
students have iPads, and in some instances classroom aids, to support their language
needs. The social studies textbook we use is Pearson’s My World History: Early Ages.
Other classroom resources available for social studies instruction include a smart board
and a laptop for each student.

Standards
i. SS8.3.2 Production, Distribution, and Consumption: Students describe the
systems of exchange of past and present.
This standard is addressed in lesson 3: Ghana: Empire of Gold. The
essential question is: What role did trade routes play in the development of
Africa? Students will be divided into kingdoms and a trading simulation
will take place.
ii. SS8.4.1 Time, Continuity, and Change: Students identify people, events,
problems, conflicts, and ideas and explain their historical significance.
This standard is addressed in lesson 4: Mali: Mansa Musa’s Great
Pilgrimage. Student will reenact the historical event of Mansa Musa’s
pilgrimage to learn about it historical significance from different
perspectives.
iii. SS8.5.2 Students apply the themes of geography to topics being studied.
Lesson 2: Salt Dough Map addresses this standard, because students
will be able to explain how Africa’s geography impacted its historical
development.
Concept Web
Code of
Laws
Mansa
Intellectual Musa
Hub
Mali
Niger
River Timbuktu
Gold
Empires
of Ancient Iron
Largest West
Empire Africa
Songhai Ghana
Taxes
Trade
Strong
Military Islamic
Law Oldest
Empire
Unit Goals
i. Students will be able to describe the contributions of ancient West African
empires to the continental development of Africa and the Americas.
ii. Students will be able to identify important historical interactions between ancient
West African empires.
iii. Students will be able to explain how Africa’s geography impacted its historical
development.
Unit Overview
i. Launch Activity
What do we know about Africa?
ii. Salt Dough Map

How did geography influence the rise of Africa’s civilizations?
iii. Ghana: Empire of Gold

What role did trade routes play in the development of Africa?
iv. Mali: Mansa Musa’s Great Pilgrimage

Why is it important to study history from multiple perspectives?
i. Travel Brochure: Ancient West Africa

What was life like in Ancient West African civilizations?
ii. Closure Activity: Celebration of Unit

What did we learn about ancient African and why is it important today?
Unit Introduction
Title: Launch Activity: What do we know about Africa?
Grade: 6th
Duration: 15 Min
Materials:
 Smartboard
 YouTube video: “Africa’s Great Civilizations Trailer”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-V1pkjclP9I
 KWL Worksheets: 1 per student (appendix a)
 (Optional) Tanzanian shillings or other artifacts from Africa
Big Ideas / Essential Questions:
The big ideas this lesson revolves around are: What do we know about Africa? What do
we want to know about Africa? The purpose of this lesson is to gather data about the students’
prior knowledge about Africa. Secondary goals include identifying what the students want to
know about Africa, as well as getting the students excited to begin this unit.
Content Objectives:
 By the end of the lesson, students will record what they already know about Africa.
 By the end of the lesson, students will record what they would like to learn about Africa.
Academic Language Objectives:
 Content specific vocabulary: civilization, empire, archology, artifact, (Optional: shilling)
 Language of instruction: reflect, categorize
 Language format demands: reading, writing, listening

Standards: Not addressed in preassessment.
Assessment/Evaluation:
KWL Worksheet (appendix a) Students will be required to write 3 ideas in the each of the first
two columns of the worksheet in order to receive full points. This assignment is graded based on
participation, since the goal of the lesson is to discover what they already know and would like to
learn.
Introduction:
I will introduce this lesson by informing the class that we are doing a pre-assessment to figure
out what they already know about Africa and what they want to learn about Africa. In order to
spark their interest, I will let them know that we will be watching a short video clip about
Ancient African Civilizations to give them ideas.
Procedure:
1. Play the video on the smartboard “Africa’s Great Civilizations Trailer”
2. Provide each student with a KWL worksheet (appendix a).
3. Ask student what they should write in the K column. The answer is in the directions of the
worksheet. (Answer: What you already know.)
4. Ask student what they should write in the W column. The answer is in the directions of the
worksheet. (Answer: What you want to know.)
6. Ask students to list at least 3 things in each of the first two columns of the worksheet. Clarify
that what they write should not be limited to information from the video, but should include
anything they already know.
3. Inform students that they should leave the third column blank.
3. While the students are completing the worksheet, pass around shillings (or other artifacts from
Africa) for the students to examine.
4. Collect worksheets and answer any questions students have about the video, shillings, or
upcoming unit.
Accommodations and Differentiation:
To accommodate for lower achieving students, I will prompt them with questions such as: What
does Africa look like? What does it sound like? What would you see there? Etc.
To differentiate for higher achieving students, I will challenge them illustrate their comments.
Cultural considerations I will need to be aware of will be to immediately address any politically
incorrect terminology the students might use.
Extension/Enrichment:
This lesson could be extended by discussing the exchange rate of shillings to dollars, and what
the implications of that rate are for people who use dollar and people who use shillings. This
could extend into a cross-curricular lesson in mathematics.
Closure:
In closing this lesson, I will ask any students if they would like to share one thing that they hope
to learn from this unit. The purpose of this sharing time is not to answer their questions, but to
get other students also considering the questions their classmates are asking.
Teacher Note:
Compile students’ answers onto one KWL sheet (appendix b). Incorporate this information into
the following lessons to clarify misconceptions (column K), and address student questions
(column W). This pre-assessment will be beneficial to your students if you are intentional about
using it to guide instruction.

Appendix A
Appendix B
Lesson 2
Title: Salt Dough Map
Grade: 6th
Duration: Two 30 minute lessons
Materials:
 salt dough for 25 students
o Ingredients: 6 cups of plain flour, 3 cups of table salt, 3 cups of combined warm
water and cooking oil.
o Directions: Mix salt with water/oil and stir, add flour, stir, knead dough
 1 large pizza box for each student group
 paint
 paintbrushes
How did geography influence the rise of Africa’s civilizations?
Content Objectives:
 By the end of the lesson, students will have created a salt dough map of West Africa.
 By the end of the lesson, students will be able to explain how geography influenced the
rise of West Africa’s ancient civilizations.
 Content specific vocabulary: plateau, savanna, natural resources, Trans-Saharan,
topography, scale, legend, elevation
 Language of instruction: analyze, organize, design, create

 Language format demands: reading, writing, listening, speaking
Standards:
SS8.5.2 Students apply the themes of geography to topics being studied.
SS8.5.1 Use and create models of the Earth to analyze the interactions of physical and human
systems to demonstrate global interconnectedness.
The formative assessment for this lesson will be a quick-write that answers the following
question: How did geography influence the rise of Africa’s civilizations? Students will be able to
answer this question based on a short reading passage and the research they are doing to
construct their maps.
The completed salt dough map of Northwest Africa will serve as the summative assessment for
this lesson. Completed maps will need to include the following: raised relief, geographic
features, major empires, major cities, appropriate color scheme, a compass rose, and a legend.
Introduction:
I will engage students in lesson by sharing with the class my own salt dough map of Tanzania. I
will explain that our objective is understand the relationship between geography and ancient
civilizations. We will obtain our objective by creating salt dough maps of Ancient West Africa.
Procedure:
Day 1 – 30 min
1. Students will be grouped at their tables (5 groups with 4 students in each group). Each student
group will read “The African Landscape” a short excerpt from their textbook that describes the
geography of Northern Africa (p.488-490).

2. Student groups will discuss the following question: How did geography influence the rise of
Africa’s civilizations? One student from each group will share their groups answer with the rest
of the class.
3. Each student group will receive a pizza box, a map of Northern Africa, and a ball of salt dough
(I will make the salt dough before class). The students will be instructed to work in their groups
to create a salt dough map on Northern Africa.
4. During the last 5 minutes of class, have students complete the formative assessment. This is a
quick write answering the following question: How did geography influence the rise of Africa’s
civilizations?
6. Allow the salt dough maps to dry overnight.
Day 2 – 30 min
6. Student groups will paint their salt dough maps an appropriate color scheme.
7. Students will use their textbooks and online sources to label geographic features, major
empires, and major cities on their maps. Students will also include a compass rose, and a legend.
8. Clean up.
To accommodate for lower achieving students, I will highlight the major geographic features on
their map, and encourage them to focus on one feature at a time.
To differentiate for higher achieving students, I will challenge them to extend their salt dough
maps to include all of Northern Africa. (Students have already learned about Egypt and the Nile
River Valley in a previous unit, so they may be interested in adding those civilizations to their
map).
This lesson could be extended by having students add trade routes onto their salt dough maps.
Students can use p.492 of their textbook to learn about the major trade routes in West Africa and
add these routes to their maps. This will provide a nice transition into the succeeding lesson on
trade.
Closure:
In closing this lesson, students will spend 5 minutes walking around the room to look at the salt
dough maps made by the other groups. The purpose of this exercise is for students to see that
there is more than one correct way to represent a region.

Lesson 3
Title: Ghana: Empire of Gold
Grade: 6th
Duration: 45 Min
Materials:
 gold, salt, material, ivory, and kola nuts cards (appendix c)
Other material may be used for example real salt, or peanuts to represent kola nuts.
 power point slide with silent trade rules (appendix d)
 economic resource guide (appendix e)
What role did trade routes play in the development of Africa?
Content Objectives:
 By the end of the lesson, students will be able to explain the importance of trade in
ancient West Africa.
 By the end of the lesson, students will be able to describe the consequences of trade.
 Content specific vocabulary: supply, demand, production, exchange, scarcity, and
surplus, labor specialization
 Language of instruction: evaluate, compromise, compare, determine
 Language format demands: listening, speaking, reading, writing
Standards:
SS8.3.2 Production, Distribution, and Consumption: Students describe the systems of exchange
of past and present.
SS8.3.1 Identify and apply basic economic concepts (e.g., supply, demand, production, exchange
and consumption, labor, wages, scarcity, prices, incentives, competition, and profits)
The formative assessment for this lesson will be questions 1-8 of the economic resource guide
completed during the trade simulations as a group (appendix e).
The summative assessment for this lesson will be short answer questions 9 of the economic
resource guide answered independently after the trade simulation (appendix e).
Introduction:
I will gain students attention by playing music of the West African polyrhythmic drumming,
similar to the drumming that ancient civilizations used to signify a trade. One I have students’
attention, I will explain that today we will be doing a trading simulation of West African
civilizations. Our objectives include understanding the importance of trade, and the
consequences of trade.
Procedure:
1. I will read to the class from pages 490-493 of our course textbook, “A Trading Empire: Rise
of Ghana”. We will briefly discuss the main ideas and vocabulary from the reading.
2. Students will be grouped at their tables (5 groups with 4 students in each group). I will provide
each student group with the name of their empire, a stack of resource cards, and list of resources
that they need. Students will work in their groups to complete questions 1-3 of the economic
resource guide (appendix e).

3. Three rounds of trading simulations will take place. Students will need to follow along in their
economic resource guides during this time to complete questions 4-6. Trading rules can be found
in appendix b. To signify the beginning and end of each trading session, I will play the following
drumming music: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PddZsmmC-Vo
Note: Empires cannot speak to one another. Students may only speak to other students of the
same empire.
4. Student empires will compete questions 7 & 8 together as they reflect on their trading
experience.
5. Students will answer questions 9 individually on a separate sheet of paper. This question
provides a real-world connection. I may need to clarify the directions for the students but I will
refrain from giving them too much assistance, and encourage them to make their own
connections.
To accommodate for lower achieving students, I will keep the directions projected on the
smartboard, and issue verbal reminders of how the trading simulation works. In order to make
sure all students are participating, I will have students change roles of who is traveling and who
is staying at the kingdom each round.
To differentiate for higher achieving students, I will add an additional round where students will
have the opportunity to silently negotiate. If their trade was not accepted, they can adjust their
offer twice to see if both empires can reach an agreement.
Cultural considerations to be aware of are to make sure student are treating other kingdoms
(other students) respectfully.
This lesson could be extended by adding a tax. When the traders crossed the Sahara, they would
be required to pay a tax to Ghana. This would make the trade simulation more realistic, and
could be followed up with a discussion on the fairness taxes, and how they affected trade and the
overall wealth of Ghana.
Closure:
In closing this lesson, we will discuss questions 7, 8, & 9 of the Economic Resource Guide. This
will give student an opportunity to make connections between the simulation and the essential
questions.
Appendix C
Appendix D
Appendix E
ECONOMIC RESOURCE GUIDE:
Kingdom: ________________
1. Our Kingdom’s needs: _____________________________________________________
2. Our Kingdom’s wants: _____________________________________________________
3. Our Kingdom’s surplus: ____________________________________________________
Problems 4-6 indicate if trade was or was not completed, and what goods were involved.
4. Kingdom I traded round 1: __________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________
7. Biggest obstacle or struggle during silent barter activity:
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
8. After the 3 rounds of silent barter discuss if your kingdom obtained its needs? And
wants? Explain what you obtained through silent barter:
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
(Question 9 need to be answered individually on a separate piece of paper.)
9. Salt made the difference between life and death to people of West Africa. What in your
daily life has the same value to you? Name at least 3 items in order of importance giving
reasons why you couldn't live without them. There are very few geographical barriers
today. Can you think of something other than these that might pose a problem for
countries meeting their needs today? Provide at least 3 examples.
Lesson 4
Title: Mali: Mansa Musa’s Great Pilgrimage
Grade: 6th
Duration: 45 Min
Materials:
 Video https://ed.ted.com/lessons/mansa-musa-one-of-the-wealthiest-people-who-ever-
lived-jessica-smith
 Formative assessment: Check for understanding to be completed with the video
(appendix f)
 Anything that could be used for a prop or costume in a skit (robes, crowns, stuffed
animals, gold, salt, ext.)
In what ways was Mali changed as a result of Mansa Musa’s pilgrimage?
Why is it important to study history from multiple perspectives?
Content Objectives:
 By the end of the lesson, students will be able to identify Mansa Musa and discuss his
pilgrimage.
 By the end of the lesson, students will be able to discuss the changes brought about in
Mali as a result of Mansa Musa’s pilgrimage
 By the end of the lesson, students will be able to explain why it is important to study
history from multiple perspectives.

 Content specific vocabulary: caravan, economy, inflation, Hajj
 Language of instruction: perspective, affect, significance
 Language format demands: reading, writing, speaking, listening
Standards:
SS8.4.1 Time, Continuity, and Change: Students identify people, events, problems, conflicts, and
ideas and explain their historical significance.
SS8.6.2 Distinguish among fact, opinion, and reasoned judgment in a text.
The formative assessment for this lesson will be the handout: Check for Understanding: Mansa
Musa (appendix f).
The summative assessment for this lesson will be a short skit performed by each group. These
skits will be of the same event, but from different points of view.
Introduction:
 I will introduce this lesson by asking students: Who was the richest person in the world?
If students do not know the answer I will explain that it was Mansa Musa, who was
estimated to be 4x wealthier than Bill Gates. I will inform the students that our lesson
will involve watching a short video clip about Mansa Musa and then act out his Hajj. Our
learning objectives include understanding Mansa Musa’s pilgrimage and its effect on
Mali, as well as realizing the importance of studying history form multiple perspectives.
Procedure:
1. Handout Appendix f: “Check for Understanding: Mansa Musa” to each student.

2. Play the video https://ed.ted.com/lessons/mansa-musa-one-of-the-wealthiest-people-who-ever-
lived-jessica-smith. Have students complete the formative assessment (appendix f) during the
video.
3. Divide students into 4 groups of 5 students. Assign each student group one of the following
perspectives: Mansa Musa, A civilian of Cairo, A camel in Mansa Musa’s caravan, A servant of
Mansa Musa, An Arab Scholar who returned to Mali with Mansa Musa.
4. Student groups may use information from the video clip, their textbooks, and other outside
sources to prepare their skit. The skit needs to be narrated by their assigned person (or camel) in
a way that clearly expresses the perspective of that individual. It also needs to be historically
accurate and include information about the geography, religion, economy, and culture at that
time.
5. Each student group must turn in a completed script with each member of the group
contributing. (All students must have lines in the skit).
6, Each student group will perform their skit. Each skit should be approximately 5 minutes.
(discuss what it looks like to be a good audience member).
To accommodate for lower achieving students, I will help them brainstorm a list of important
events to be recorded in their skit before they write their script. I will also allow them to write
key phrases on a notecard if they are struggling to memorize their lines.
To differentiate for higher achieving students, I will challenge them to exaggerate the perspective
of their narrator in their skit. I will also challenge them to memorize their lines.
Cultural considerations will include making sure that all students have a voice in their group and
that no one is being excluded because of their race, gender, etc. I will also preview the scripts in
advance to make sure they are appropriate.
This lesson could be extended by asking students to compete a Venn diagram comparing Mansa
Musa to a U.S. president. This could be a homework extension, where students conduct their
own research on a president (former of current), and use what they learned in class to compare
and contrast that president with Mansa Musa.
Closure:
 In closing this lesson, I will challenge students to reflect on the importance of studying
history from multiple perspectives. I will ask if students if they can think of a situation in
their own lives where they disagreed with someone initially, but changed their mind after
they considered the opposing perspective. (Example: I was mad at my dad for putting
down the family dog, but then I realized from his perspective he was helping the dog
because it was in too much pain to live anymore.)

Appendix F: Check for Understanding: Mansa Musa Name: ________________
Mansa Musa was the king of which ancient African Empire?
A. Songhay Empire
B. Fulani Kingdom
C. Mali Empire
D. Ashanti Empire
In which year did Mansa Musa come into power?
A. 1592
B. 1682
C. 1776
D. 1312
Select the natural resources that the Mali Empire was most known for.
A. Gold and Salt

B. Diamonds and Pearls
C. Silk and spices
D. Leather and meat
On which historical map did Mansa Musa appear?
A. 1375 World Map

B. 1375 Titan Atlas
C. 1375 Atlas of True Names
D. 1375 Catalan Atlas
Mansa Musa was a devout _____.
A. Buddhist
B. Christian
C. Muslim
D. Jew
List 3 of Mansa Musa's accomplishments and contributions to the Mali Empire upon his return
from his pilgrimage to Mecca.
1. _________________________________________________________________________
2. _________________________________________________________________________
3. _________________________________________________________________________
Lesson 5
Title: Travel Brochure
Grade: 6th
Duration: 45 Min
Materials:
 Computers
 Travel brochures
 PowerPoint slide 1 (appendix g)
 Travel brochure outline (appendix h)
 Any relevant literature available on ancient West Africa
How did Ancient West African civilizations contribute to math, science, technology, and the arts?
How did geography impact ancient African civilizations?
What leaders played a key role in Ancient African civilizations?
Content Objectives:
 By the end of the lesson, students will be able to describe the contributions of ancient
West African empires to the continental development of Africa and the Americas.
 By the end of the lesson, students will be able to identify important historical leaders in
ancient West African empires.
 By the end of this lesson students will be able to explain how Africa’s geography
impacted its historical development.

 Content specific vocabulary: media, primary source, secondary source, brochure
 Language of instruction: format, prioritize, organize, critique
 Language format demands: listening, reading, writing
Standards:
SS8.6.3 Use digital tools to research, design, and present social studies concepts.
SS8.6.4 Use accurate, sufficient, and relevant information from primary and secondary sources
to support writing.
The formative assessment for this lesson is the completed travel brochure outline. This will
simply be checked for participation and then returned to the student so they can use it to
complete their travel brochure.
The summative assessment for this lesson is the completed travel brochure.
Introduction:
I will introduce this lesson handing out a variety of travel brochures to the class. I will ask the
students to create a list of the common components of the travel brochures. I will inform the
students that our lesson will entail each student making their own travel brochure of a city or
empire in ancient West Africa.
Procedure:
1. After the introduction, each student will have a list of components they noticed in the travel
brochures. Have student compare with their peers to discuss common components they noticed
in the travel brochures.
2. Hand out the travel brochure outline to each student.
3. Display PowerPoint slide 1 (appendix a) with the list of possible empires and cities for the
student to choose from. Have each student write the name of the empire or city of their choosing
on their travel brochure outline.
5. Discuss primary and secondary sources. As a group, brainstorm examples of each.
4. Students will then use computers, textbooks, and other provided literature to fill out their
travel brochure outline. Be sure that students are using the handout to record their sources, and
remind students how to determine if a source is reliable. (Why is national geographic reliable?
Why is Wikipedia unreliable? Etc.)
5. Once students have completed their travel brochure outline, they can use Microsoft Word to
open a brochure template. Students will then be able to design their brochure using the
information from their outline.
6. Once students have the first draft of their brochure completed, they will pair up with a
classmate and peer edit their brochures.
7. Once their brochure has been peer edited, and the final touches have been made, students will
print their brochures.
To accommodate for lower achieving students, I will provide a list of possible websites such as
National Geographic and PBS Kids to get them started. I will also guide them to the correct
pages in the textbook that relate to their city or empire.

To differentiate for higher achieving students, I will challenge them to find additional
information for their brochure, such as common foods, architecture, fun facts, etc.
This lesson could be extended by having students create short video commercials advertising
their city or empire as a travel destination. Students would use the information from their travel
brochure outlines to create their videos. This project could be followed with a discussion or
quick write about which form of media the students preferred.
Closure:
In closing this lesson, I will ask students the following reflective questions (they do no need to
answer aloud): What was the most challenging part of making a brochure? Did you face
obstacles when conducting your research? How did you overcome these obstacles? Did you do
your best on this brochure? What could you have improved on? The purpose of this reflection is
to guide students in a metacognitive exercise where they take ownership of their learning.
Appendix G
Travel Brochure Outline Name: ______________
 Name & Location (including a map)
 Geography
 History (historical figures)
 Climate and overall weather conditions
 Arts and Culture
 Government
 Resources & Trade
 Additional Information
Sources:
1.
2.
3.
Appendix H
Closure Lesson
Title: Celebration of Unit
Grade: 6th
Duration: 30 Min
Materials:
 brochures (from lesson 4)
 blank postcards (appendix I)
 colored pencils
 African traditional music playlist (Youtube)
What did we learn about ancient African and why is it important today?
Content Objectives:
 By the end of the lesson, students will demonstrate their understanding of the following
unit objectives:
o Students will be able to describe the contributions of ancient West African
empires to the continental development of Africa and the Americas.
o Students will be able to identify important historical interactions between ancient
West African empires.
o Students will be able to explain how Africa’s geography impacted its historical
development.

 Content specific vocabulary: new vocabulary will not be introduced in the closure lesson.
Previous vocabulary term used throughout the unit may be reviewed.
 Language of instruction: evaluate, create, summarize
 Language format demands: reading, writing
Standards:
The formative assessment for this lesson will be an informal discussion consisting of students
sharing why they chose to time travel to a particular empire.
The summative assessment for this lesson will be the completed postcard. Post cards must
include an illustration of the location on the front and a written component on the back. Each
postcard must address the three main objectives covered in this unit and explain their relevance
in today’s world.
Introduction:
I will introduce this lesson by informing the students that they are becoming time travelers. It
will be up to them to decide which East African location they will travel to, but they needn’t
worry because we will use informative travel brochures to help them decide.
Procedure:
1. (BEFORE STUDENTS ARRIVE) Set up the room so that there are 6 different locations. Each
location should be labeled to represent one of the following destination: Ghana, Mali, Songhai,
Timbuktu, Goa, and Djeene. This can be as elaborate as you decide. You can include images,
snacks, model artifacts, student made salt dough maps, costumes, etc. in each location that are
specific to that location. Traditional African music should be playing. This lesson is a time to
celebrate.
2. Display student made brochures from lesson 4 on a few desks.
3. Have students come up, leaf through the brochures, and select their desired destination.
4. Once each student selects their destination, provide them with a blank postcard (appendix a),
and have them take the postcard and travel brochure back to the location they chose.
5. Students will imagine they have time traveled to that location during ancient times. Their
assignment is to write and illustrate a postcard to a person of their choosing (parent, friend,
sibling, ect.) describing what the empire is like. Their postcard must address the three main
objectives covered in this unit and explain their relevance in today’s world.
6. When students complete their postcards, they will have the option to share their postcard with
the rest of the class.
To accommodate for lower achieving students, I will allow them to use their textbooks to help
them answer the essential questions in their postcards.
To differentiate for higher achieving students, I will challenge them to use the vocabulary words
we have covered in this unit, when they write their postcards. I will also allow them to “travel” to
different empires if they finish faster than their classmates.
This lesson could be extended by having students read their postcards aloud without naming their
destination to see if their peers can guess where they time traveled to.
Closure:
Once I grade the postcards, I will display them on the wall (illustrations facing out) in the shape
of Africa.
Sample:
Appendix I
(I will print these out front and back on cardstock and cut them out so that they resemble regular
postcards.)
III. Assessment Plan
Pre-assessment: Each student will complete a KWL chart about what they already know
and what they want to know about ancient African civilizations. The KWL chart is
explained in appendix a. The students will only fill out the first two columns during the
pre-assessment, leaving the third column blank. (The third column of the KWL chart could
be used to as an alternative formative or summative assessment later on in the unit.)
Formative assessments: Formative assessments will take place during each lesson. Some
formative assessments used during this unit include Venn diagrams, quick writes, handouts
that check for understanding, skits, and informal discussions. The purpose of these formal
assessments is to check for understanding during the lesson. The information provided by
the formative assessments should be used to adjust the focus and pace of the unit to meet
the needs of the students.
Summative assessments: The summative assessment will have two main components. The
first component is a hard copy of a travel brochure each student will create about one of the
kingdoms or cities we have coved in this unit. The second component is a postcard each
student will write from the perspective of a time traveler that visited one of the empires we
covered in this unit. Student will use the travel brochures designed in lesson 4 to guide
them in writing their postcards. Each postcard must address the three main objectives
covered in this unit and explain how they are relevance in today’s world.
IV. Reference List
East Tennessee PBS. (2017, Jan 29) African great civilizations trailer. Retrieved from:
This PBS trailer covering a series on ancient Africa is rich with breathtaking images of
African scenery & eye-catching artifacts. Including a brief description of life in Ancient Africa,
This clip is perfect for an introduction to this unit.
Haskins, J., & Benson, K. (1998). African beginnings. New York, NY: Lothrop, Lee &
Shepard Books
The beautifully illustrated African Beginnings will be a central component in my
unit. This book follows the major civilizations of ancient Africa chronologically from
Nubia to the Kongo. It highlights the important contributions of each of these
civilizations including trade, religion, government, art, dance, music, and important
leaders. The authors, James Haskins and Kathleen Benson, meticulously researched these
civilizations, and have co-authored a number of award winning books. African
Beginnings is written so that it can be easily understood at the elementary level.
Hansen, J., & McGaw, L. (2004). Africa’s Royal Women. New York, NY: Hyperion Books for
Children.
African Princess is a compilation of true stories about African princesses that
represent the rich cultural heritage of Africa. The first of these princess is Hatshepsut, an
Egyptian Pharaoh that falls easily into the timeline of relevance to my topic. While some
of the following princesses represent more recent civilizations, they all display relevance
to the core values of this unit, such as kindness and bravery. This book also highlights the
role of gender in ancient Africa and how these women we able to overcome great barriers
to achieve their dreams.
Sherrow, V. (2007). Ancient Africa: Archaeology unlocks the secrets of Africa’s past.
Washington, D.C. National Geographic Society.
Ancient Africa: Archaeology unlocks the secrets of Africa’s past is an all-
encompassing book that explores ancient African civilizations with an emphasis on the
archology. This book includes informative timelines, and images of famous artifacts that
have helped shape our understanding of ancient cultures. The most relevant chapter in
this book explores the rock art and mysterious stone ruins and pyramids that were build
by the ancient civilization we will study in this unit. A consultant for this book, James
Denbow, spent time conducting archaeological research in the Republic of Congo.
Klepeis, A. (2014). Africa. Minneapolis, MN. ABDO Publishing Company.
Alicia Klepeis is a passionate traveler, and in her book, Africa, her passion for this
continent is also very apparent. In a very informative tone, this book covers everything
from ancient African civilizations to modern day Africa. It also covers plants and
animals, landforms, bodies of water, and climate. The audience this book is intended for
is anyone who is interested in Africa, and will be relevant to many of the themes covered
in my unit such as geography, culture, and social and religious structure.

McCulla, P. (1989). Tanzania. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Chelsea House Publishers.
Tanzania is a country with special meaning to me as I have spent over three
months in villages there. I have added this book to my unit for any students who want
additional reading on this country. I will be able to bring in some artwork and trinkets
from Tanzania as well as teach the students some Swahili words. I plan to incorporate
some of this into the unit, so I wanted to use this book as a resource to extend on the topic
of Tanzania. This book is at a slightly advanced reading level and I will not expect all of
my students to read it. It does, however, do a nice job of covering the culture, geography,
government, and economic state of Tanzania.

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Empires of Ancient West Africa

Octobers 13, 2017

1. Rationale Statement ...............................................Error! Bookmark not defined.

2. Concept Web ........................................................................................................... 5

3. Unit Goals ............................................................................................................... 6

II. Instructional Materials

4. I. Background Information .................................................................................. 3

5. I. Background Information .................................................................................. 5

recognize the influence of early African civilizations on our world today.

Arp Elementary is a Title 1 school in a rural area serving approximately 400

and a laptop for each student.

i. SS8.3.2 Production, Distribution, and Consumption: Students describe the

systems of exchange of past and present.

This standard is addressed in lesson 3: Ghana: Empire of Gold. The

Africa? Students will be divided into kingdoms and a trading simulation

will take place.

problems, conflicts, and ideas and explain their historical significance.

This standard is addressed in lesson 4: Mali: Mansa Musa’s Great

Pilgrimage. Student will reenact the historical event of Mansa Musa’s

pilgrimage to learn about it historical significance from different

Lesson 2: Salt Dough Map addresses this standard, because students

will be able to explain how Africa’s geography impacted its historical

i. Students will be able to describe the contributions of ancient West African

empires to the continental development of Africa and the Americas.

West African empires.

II. Instructional Materials

ii. Salt Dough Map

iii. Ghana: Empire of Gold

iv. Mali: Mansa Musa’s Great Pilgrimage

i. Travel Brochure: Ancient West Africa

ii. Closure Activity: Celebration of Unit

II. Instructional Materials

Title: Launch Activity: What do we know about Africa?

 YouTube video: “Africa’s Great Civilizations Trailer”

 KWL Worksheets: 1 per student (appendix a)

 (Optional) Tanzanian shillings or other artifacts from Africa

Big Ideas / Essential Questions:

Academic Language Objectives:

 Content specific vocabulary: civilization, empire, archology, artifact, (Optional: shilling)

 Language of instruction: reflect, categorize

 Language format demands: reading, writing, listening

Standards: Not addressed in preassessment.

Ancient African Civilizations to give them ideas.

1. Play the video on the smartboard “Africa’s Great Civilizations Trailer”

2. Provide each student with a KWL worksheet (appendix a).

worksheet. (Answer: What you already know.)

worksheet. (Answer: What you want to know.)

anything they already know.

Africa) for the students to examine.

Accommodations and Differentiation:

incorrect terminology the students might use.

could extend into a cross-curricular lesson in mathematics.

using it to guide instruction.

II. Instructional Materials

Title: Salt Dough Map

Duration: Two 30 minute lessons

 salt dough for 25 students

water and cooking oil.

 1 large pizza box for each student group

Big Ideas / Essential Questions:

How did geography influence the rise of Africa’s civilizations?

rise of West Africa’s ancient civilizations.

Academic Language Objectives:

 Content specific vocabulary: plateau, savanna, natural resources, Trans-Saharan,