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Lesson Plan
Smithsonian Institution

Spirits Across the Ocean: Yoruban and Dahomean Cultures in the Caribbean Brought by the Slave Trade

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Much of Latin American music owes its origins to the slave trade. Peoples from the Yoruban and Dahomean cultures brought with them the distinctive rhythms, time signatures, and eighth note patterns that now characterize Caribbean music....
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Dance: Discovering the Culture of Gullah

For Teachers 5th - 7th
It's wonderful to see a lesson that incorporates art, movement, and writing. These three forms of creative expression are explored as learners dance to music from the Gullah people of West Africa. They analyze several paintings, listen...
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PPT
Curated OER

African Influences in Brazilian Music

For Teachers 7th - 9th
Brazilian music, culture, and religion have been heavily influenced by African's who were brought to South America during the time of slave trading. This presentation covers the blending of two cultures which resulted in Afro-Brazilian...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

American Culture in a Musical Setting

For Teachers 1st - 5th
Young scholars discover the significance of similarities and contrasts of three separate cultures of the United States through music. They take out maps and trace the expedition of the Spanish along the coasts of Mexico and North and...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

A South African Storm

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Students explore racial prejudice in South Africa through the reading of "A South African Storm" by Allison Howard. In this cultural and geography lesson, students discuss ethnicity and prejudices and cite examples from the letter....
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

How Do Artists Effectively Relate Historic Events?

For Teachers 2nd - 5th
Students explore African American migration. In this black culture and history lesson, students use a map to identify northern and southern states in which African Americans lived in the 1900s. Students observe and describe objects and...
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PPT
Curated OER

South Africa's Apartheid

For Teachers 10th - 12th
Discuss South African apartheid, the anti-apartheid movement, and the literature and music it inspired. Slides contain images and facts about life in South Africa during apartheid, social uprisings such as Soweto, and the various...
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PPT
Curated OER

Whose Language is it Anyway: Afrikaans in South Africa

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Afrikaans, a language derived from Dutch, is spoken by almost 10 million people! Introduce your scholars to South Africa, discuss the evolution of Afrikaans, and look at Apartheid.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Cultural Impact on Development of African Kingdoms

For Teachers 9th
Ninth graders consider the impact of development on African kingdoms. For this cultural diversity lesson, 9th graders conduct independent research to determine how development has changed Africa. Students write research papers based on...
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Lesson Plan
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Facing History and Ourselves

Insights on Democracy from South Africa

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
As part of their study of democracy, high schoolers listen to a podcast featuring two South African educators and their efforts to support the process of transforming the nation from apartheid rule into a democracy. Learners also read...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

History: An African American Cultural Celebration

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students prepare and organize a cultural celebration of African migration and immigration. Working in groups or individually, they research topics and present the information, including dance demonstrations, instrumental or vocal...
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PPT
Curated OER

African Development: Cultures, Settlers, and Policy Debates

For Teachers 10th - 12th
Discuss the waves of settlers that attempted to colonize the African continent. Racial, social, and political issues relating to each wave of colonization are included. Note: Text is scant and will need to be fully described for the...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Pop Culture and Art

For Teachers 6th
Learn about American pop culture, art, and the social voice that art can convey. The class discusses the life and art of Barton Benes, views his piece Reliquarium, then discusses what they see and feel when they view his work. Make sure...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Enslaved African Americans and Expressions of Freedom

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students analyze a painting from African-American culture to determine its meaning. Reading slave spirituals, they discover what live was like for African-Americans who were enslaved in the South. They draw conclusions about their desire...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Germs: Cultural Diffusion

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Middle schoolers analyze agents of cultural diffusion. They discuss how the introduction of television would change various remote cultures, and in small groups create and present a skit demonstrating an agent of change.
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Worksheet
Curated OER

My Culture

For Students 8th - 9th
In this culture activity, students answer ten short-answer questions about their own culture then write about the major cultural influences in their lives.
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Worksheet
Curated OER

South African Trivia

For Students 6th
In this South African Trivia worksheet, 6th graders research and answer questions about South Africa. Students write fifty-five answers.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The South, the North and the Great Migration: Blues and Literature

For Teachers 8th - 12th Standards
Here is a complex lesson plan that interweaves the history of the Jim Crow South and the Great Migration with the study of poetry, art, and blues music from the Harlem Renaissance. The plan helps young historians develop a deep...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Exploring African Music

For Teachers 4th - 6th
Students appreciate African Music and the rich culture it represents. They identify two characteristics of African Music in their journals.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Folktales (African American, Chinese, Japanese and Korean)

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students participate in a variety of activities that are concerned with comparing different cultures through the literary genre of folktales. The stories are used to stimulate student interest and provide a context for how a society...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Hispanic Arts: Visual Arts, Dance and Music

For Teachers 5th - 6th
Students observe global cultures by listening to music and watching videos. In this Latin American dance lesson, students define merengue, salsa and other dances from the Hispanic culture while listening to Latin rhythm music. Students...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Romare Bearden's The Dove - A Meeting of Vision and Sound

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students explore African american culture of the late 1950's and 60's through various primary sources including literature, music, art and others. They then prepare and conduct a mock interview and present with the class.
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Lesson Plan
Smithsonian Institution

The Vocal Blues: Created in the Deep South of the U.S.

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Bring the sounds of the deep South vocal blues to the classroom with a Smithsonian Folkways lesson. In preparation, scholars listen to and count the 12 bar blues patterns in several works and identify the I, II, IV, and V chords as well...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Cultural Geography of Africa South of the Sahara "Kente Cloth"

For Teachers 8th - 11th
Students read several articles about West African strip weaving of Kente cloth. They explore the cultural context in which strip weaving occurs. They answer four comprehension questions and compose a magazine article about strip weaving.