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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Medieval African Kingdoms

For Teachers 7th
Seventh graders examine the geography and political history of West Africa. They role-play as applicants to a company that transports customers to any historic time period. Working in teams, they create promotional products encouraging...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Trekking to Timbuktu: Timbuktu's Golden Age of Scholarship

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Middle schoolers study and identify the empire of Songhai through research and describe Timbuktu's role in its economy. They investigate how Timbuktu became an important spiritual and intellectual center of Islam. Students describe the...
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Unit Plan
Annenberg Foundation

Annenberg Learner: Collapse: Why Do Civilizations Fail?

For Students 4th - 8th
Explore different ancient civilizations to learn about some of the reasons these civilizations collapsed. Looks at Maya, Mesopotamia, Chaco Canyon, Mali and Songhai. Includes interactive activities.
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Website
Annenberg Foundation

Annenberg Learner: Collapse: Mali and Songhai: Growth and Decline

For Students 9th - 10th
Engrossing site that explores the settlement and decline of Mali and Songhai. The site examines the city of Timbuktu and the impact of years of turmoil and conquest on the settlement.
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Website
Annenberg Foundation

Annenberg Learner: Collapse: Why Do Civilizations Fall?

For Students 3rd - 8th
Why did great civilizations fall? War, disease, overpopulation or natural disasters? Interactive content and activities allow you, by sifting through archaeological evidence, to investigate the collapse of the Mayan civilization, the...
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Website
Other

Cocc: African Slave Trade and European Imperialism

For Students 9th - 10th
This site from the COCC provides a very large and informative website providing a historical summary plus links to many aspects of the slave trade. Detailed timeline describes the development of African civilizations from the 15th...
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Handout
University of Calgary

University of Calgary: West Africa

For Students 9th - 10th
Article from the University of Calgary that examines the development and growth of Islam in West Africa. The Islamic religion is traced from the beginning of the period through today.
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Handout
University of Calgary

Merchants & Traders: 330 Bce 1500ce

For Students 9th - 10th
Article provides a brief examination of the merchants and traders of Africa during the early period of African history.
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Activity
Other

World Socialist Web Site: A Journey Through Africa's Civilizations

For Students 9th - 10th
From the World Socialist Web Site, this is a review of Harvard professor Henry Gates' book, "Wonders of the African World." It includes interesting details of Gates' attempts to piece together a view of precolonial African history. (4...
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Website
Independence Hall Association

U.s. History: West African Society at the Point of European Contact

For Students 5th - 8th
Prior to European contact, western Africa's powerful kingdoms supported the arts, technology, and thriving economies. Read about the areas from which slaves were transported before the transatlantic trade began.
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Lesson Plan
Louisiana Department of Education

Louisiana Doe: Louisiana Believes: Grade 6 Social Studies: West African Kingdoms

For Teachers 6th - 7th
Students develop and express claims through discussions and writing which examine the impact of relationships between ideas, people, and events across time and place. To accomplish this, they recognize recurring themes and patterns in...
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Website
University of Calgary

University of Calgary: Africa the Search for Gold and Slaves

For Students 9th - 10th
Historical background of the reasons for European exploration of Africa. Tutorial Links to further European trade and exploration.
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Graphic
Curated OER

Songhai

For Students Pre-K - 1st
An image of Songhai.