Africa in World History: Teaching and Incorporating Africa in the Classroom

Presented by Paul Ocobock
November 7, 2011

To see Dr. Ocobock’s PowerPoint, click here.

General information about Africa and African history

http://www.mnh.si.edu/africanvoices/
African Voices is the website for a permanent exhibit at the Smithsonian Institute. There are history timelines, themes such as “Health in Africa” and “Living in Africa,” and a large number of links and resource suggestions.

http://www.pbs.org/wonders/
Wonders of the African World explores the kingdoms of the Nile, the Swahili coast, slave kingdoms, the Holy Land, Timbuktu, and the lost cities of the south.

http://www.inmotionaame.org/migrations/landing.cfm?migration=1
In Motion from the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture provides information about the transatlantic slave trade that includes links to a glossary and entire books related to the topic being discussed.

http://www.pbs.org/wnet/africa/
PBS and Nature from National Geographic Television offer a site full of information and links about Africa. 

http://pbskids.org/africa/
Africa for Kids is an interactive site that transports students around Africa visiting four different schools. There is a section on music, mask-making, and a Swahili folk tale.

http://www.africam.com/wildlife/index.php
Africam has live 24-7 video streaming, including night vision, from wildlife reserves and National Parks around Africa.

http://allafrica.com/
One of the leading news services for Africa, this site covers news being reported by 70 different agencies.

http://www.nytimes.com/library/world/africa/040600africa-diamonds.html
Read about Africa’s diamond wars in the New York Times.

http://minotaur.marques.co.za/clients/zulu/
Learn about beadwork in the Zulu tradition.

http://www.lib.utexas.edu/maps/africa.html
This site offers a complete selection of geographical and historical maps of Africa.

http://www.africaaccessreview.org/aar2010R/awards.html
If you’re looking for award winning books about Africa for K-12, this is a good site.

http://www.tolerance.org/magazine/number-34-fall-2008/i-didnt-know-there-were-cities-africa
Teaching Tolerance’s article “I Didn’t Know There Were Cities in Africa!” offers many suggestions on how to help students beyond stereotypes about Africa.

Lesson plans for teaching about Africa and African history

http://www.learner.org/courses/amerhistory/pdf/AtlanticSlaveTrade_LOne.pdf
The first lesson plan from a larger unit on the Atlantic slave trade offers background information for the teacher along with handouts of maps and charts for the students.

http://mali.pwnet.org/index.htm
Worldnet Virginia offers extensive information on the topic of Mali, including history, culture, lesson plans for all ages, and links to other good sites.

http://www.worldtrek.org/odyssey/teachers/malilessons.html#ancient
“The Achievements and Challenges of Mali” is part of The Odyssey World Trek project.  It includes lesson plans about ancient civilizations and the slave trades along with topics such as desertification, economics, art, and architecture.

http://mappinghistory.uoregon.edu/english/AF/af.html
The University of Oregon has created a site that offers interactive maps that show Africa before and after the Berlin Conference, under colonial rule, and from colonialism to independence.

http://www.bu.edu/africa/outreach/resources/indian/
“The Indian Ocean Trade: A Classroom Simulation” deals with the trade between Africa and Asia between 1000 and 1500.

http://www.mrdowling.com/609ancafr.html
This interactive site covers a variety of historical topics and includes two quizzes. The reading level is appropriate for middle school and up.

http://exploringafrica.matrix.msu.edu/teachers/curriculum/
Michigan State has created an “Exploring Africa” curriculum for middle and high school with modules on history, economics, politics, music, religion, art, and regional summaries.

http://teacherlink.ed.usu.edu/tlresources/units/byrnes-africa/aindex.htm
This site includes links to lesson plans on geography, wildlife, daily life, stereotypes, food, language, apartheid, and music.

http://www.pbs.org/wnet/africa/tools/music/goals.html
Designed for grades 3-6, this lesson explores the diverse regions of Africa through books, folktales, art, crafts, and music.

http://www.oxfam.org.uk/coolplanet/ontheline/schools/schindex.htm
Oxfam’s Cool Planet offers several interactive activities from countries on the zero degree meridian line, several from Africa. It is an interesting way to compare and contrast countries.

http://www.pbs.org/wnet/africa/tools/where/goals.html
Middle school students construct a pictorial and cultural map of Africa while reading about the daily life of youth in Africa.

http://www.pbs.org/wnet/africa/tools/eco/goals.html
Students examine desertification and clean water issues in Africa in relationship to economic development.  This lesson can be used with middle and high school students.

http://www.pbs.org/wnet/africa/tools/culture/goals.html
Explore African culture with high school students by reading articles about the daily lives of people across the continent.  Students create a mock interview and culinary report while learning how history, geography, and economy influence the food people eat. The lesson also explores indigenous religions, art, and music.

http://www.pbs.org/wnet/africa/tools/guide.html
Africa is an eight-part series designed for middle school teachers that includes a downloadable guide for teachers and students.  These lessons explore the diverse people, places, and animals of the continent in addition discussion economic, political, and environmental challenges.

http://www.pbs.org/wonders/fr_cl.htm
Wonders of the African World is a series of lesson plans designed by PBS to accompany a six-part series of the same name.  Access to the series is helpful, but not necessary for all of the activities.

http://teacherlink.ed.usu.edu/tlresources/units/byrnes-africa/davtur/index.htm
African Stereotypes- Let’s Be Fair begins with statements such as “Girls are cleaner than boys” and progresses to “Everyone in Utah eats at Burger King” to “Some people in Africa live in homes made of clay and grass.”  This clever lesson plan also includes substitute words that teachers can use to avoid bias, such as “rain forest” instead of “jungle.”

http://www.phillipmartin.info/liberia/homepage.htm
Seven African folktales can be found on this page.

Resources at the Kellogg Institute

See resources from past Teacher Discussion Groups that pertained to Africa:

To borrow the East or West Africa Traveling Trunk, click here.

For a list of Kellogg’s Faculty Fellows and their research interests, click here.