Curated OER
Enslaved African Americans and Expressions of Freedom
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...
Art Institute of Chicago
African Myths and Stories
Young historians discover African stories associated with a royal altar tusk from the Kingdom of Benin in Nigeria, read myths illustrated on the tusk, and write a story about the life of an oba using figures depicted on the tusk.
Curated OER
Grow a Musical Instrument
Music, culture, social studies, and plant growth all in one! Kids explore the various type of traditional African instruments that are made out of gourds. They then grow their own gourds and use them to create a wide variety of African...
Curated OER
African Clothing
Learners explore African clothing. In this African culture social studies lesson, students brainstorm types of clothing they wear for different occasions. Learners view photographs of Africans wearing Western clothing and "special...
Curated OER
Family Traditions, Customs and Beliefs
Students discuss African childhood, explore family traditions, customs, and beliefs, examine African recipes, discuss differences or similarities in food preparation between the U.S. and Africa, and prepare a dish with adult supervision.
Center for Literacy and Disability Studies
Slave Resistance
How did colonial enslaved people in America struggle to defend themselves and maintain their African heritage?
Curated OER
Qualifying to Vote Under Jim Crow
Literacy tests, poll taxes, grandfather laws? Scholars study the systematic ways African-Americans were kept from voting even after it was made a law. They analyze a series of primary source documents, complete a worksheet, and engaged...
Curated OER
The Beautiful People of Africa
Students discover the people of Africa by creating a PowerPoint presentation. In this African culture lesson, students utilize the Internet to investigate a specific African tribe and their specific location, culture, and way of life....
Curated OER
Mosaic America: Paths To The Present
Seventh graders study the ideologies of life, values, love, peace and struggle of African Americans, Latinos and Native Americans as citizens of the United States. Authors and artists are used as tools to open the eyes of the students...
Curated OER
Medieval African Kingdoms
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...
Curated OER
African-American Folktales
Students are introduced to the characteristics of folktales and their purpose. As a class, they listen to a folktale, answer questions about the characters and share which part they enjoyed the best. In groups, they compare and...
Curated OER
Gullah Activities
Students study the Gullah culture by watching a video about Gullah, Gullah Island. They discuss the customs and crafts of the people such as basket weaving, food preparation, pottery, and quilt making. While working in centers, they make...
Curated OER
One Step at a Time
Students investigate the customs and habits of other cultures by reading letters from a Peace Corps Volunteer. In this global customs instructional activity, students discuss how analyzing a culture is similar to analyzing art, no two...
Curated OER
KWANZAA
Students study about Kwanzaa, an African-American celebration established in 1966 by Dr. Maulana, and also participate in some traditional activities.
Curated OER
The Roots of the Afro-American Culture: The Artistic Approach
Students study the geographical structure of the continent of Africa. They discuss how and why there are so many tribes and kingdoms of Africa and dsicuss customs and traditions to determine how they come about in any ethnic group.
Curated OER
African Markets: Out in the Open
Students identify advantages and disadvantages of African open air markets. They discuss the types of items sold there and why the markets are outdoors. They observe a bartering session between the teacher and another adult. Finally,...
Curated OER
West African Art
Middle schoolers engage in a lesson that is concerned with the concept of West African Art. They conduct research using a variety of resources. They focus upon the history, geography, economics, and political systems. The information is...
Curated OER
A Country Far Away
First graders compile questions they want to explore other people. Given the information shared by the guest speaker, 1st graders become familiar with customs from another culture and recall what they learned about another country and...
Curated OER
Africa: Its People And Places
Students plan a pretend trip to the African continent choosing from several prominent places such as the Nile Delta, Mount Kilimanjaro or the Sahara Desert . In small groups, they form transportation, accommodation, packing, itinerary...
Curated OER
Spiritual Power of Symbols
Students examine how symbols are used in some societies to influence spirits and to protect rooms. They discuss and view examples of doors decorated with symbols, and create a door mural using African and American symbols.
Curated OER
The Kwanzaa Tradition: Pronoun Review
Celebrate Kwanzaa and reinforce grammar skills with one language arts activity. Learners add missing pronouns to sentences in a passage about the traditions and customs of Kwanzaa. Next, they answer four comprehension questions about...
Curated OER
Keeping the Past Alive
Students read about the oral histories of West Africa and complete related activities. In this oral histories lesson plan, students read about the importance of oral customs in African cultures. Students interview a family member about...
Curated OER
George Washington Carver
In this word search worksheet, students find ten words related to George Washington Carver. Teachers can change this worksheet on this worksheet builder to customize it to their own teaching objectives.
Curated OER
How Do You Celebrate?
Investigate the customs of Christmas, Hanukkah, and Kwanzaa with a holiday instructional activity. Pupils use a graphic organizer to compare and contrast the customs of each holiday before writing an informative paragraph about one...