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Chinua Achebe is one of Africa's best-known contemporary writers. His first novel, "Things Fall Apart," deals with the clash of cultures and the violent transitions in life and values brought about by the onset of British colonialism in Nigeria at the end of the 19th century. Published in 1958, just before Nigerian independence, the novel recounts the life of the village hero Okonkwo and describes the arrival of white missionaries in Nigeria and its impact on traditional Igbo society during the late 1800s. After situating the novel in its historical and literary context, this lesson seeks to have high school students identify the text's linguistic and literary techniques and analyze the relationship of oral elements to the meanings and messages of the novel. The lesson introduces students to Achebe's first novel and to strategies of close reading and textual analysis. It can be used alone or in conjunction with the related lesson "Chinua Achebe's 'Things Fall Apart': Teaching through the Novel." The lesson: provides an introduction; cites subject areas, time required, and skill development; poses guiding questions; gives learning objectives; presents three lessons (Historical Context: Pre-Colonial Igbo Society and Nigeria under British Rule; Literary Context: Taking Back the Narrative of the So-Called "Dark Continent"; and Linguistic and Literary Strategies in "Things Fall Apart"); suggests additional activities for extending the lesson; lists selected Websites; and addresses standards alignment. Contains Igbo vocabulary and oral elements logs. (NKA)

Chinua Achebe is one of Africa's best-known and most influential contemporary writers. His first novel, "Things Fall Apart," is a narrative about the European colonization of Africa told from the viewpoint of the colonized people. Published in 1958, the novel recounts the life of the warrior and village hero Okonkwo and describes the arrival of white missionaries to his Igbo village and their impact on African life and society at the end of the 19th century. Through his writing, Achebe counters images of African societies and peoples as they are represented within the Western literary tradition and reclaims his own and his peoples' history. This lesson introduces high school students to Achebe's first novel and to his views on the role of the writer in his/her society. It can be used alone or in conjunction with the related lesson "Chinua Achebe 'Things Fall Apart': Oral and Literary Strategies." The lesson: provides an introduction; cites subject areas, time required, and skills developed; poses guiding questions; gives learning objectives; informs teachers about preparing to teach the lesson; presents three suggested activities (Mapping the Changing Face of Africa through History; Telling One's Own Story; and Revising History through Writing); and additional activities for extending the lesson; lists selected Websites and print resources; and addresses standards alignment. (NKA)

This interdisciplinary unit provides students in grades kindergarten through seventh grade an opportunity to understand diversity through a study of Africa as a diverse continent. The project is designed to provide all elementary students with cultural enrichment by exposing them to African music, art, storytelling, and movement. This project can be adapted to other cultures as a yearly project. The goal of the African Connection project is to cultivate an appreciation and awareness of the African culture. Student outcomes include: (1) developing an awareness of Africa as a complex continent; (2) demonstrating acceptance of diversity; (4) understanding the historic importance of Africa; (5) creating art and musical instruments; and (6) performing traditional dance. (EH)

The document presents 17 syllabi for undergraduate humanities courses treating black culture. This first volume of syllabi was prepared by participants in a 1981 Humanities Institute at Spelman College as part of an National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) grant. The document is divided into two parts. Part one, the bulk of the document, is comprised of 17 syllabi designed to cover the history of Afro-Americans from their roots in Africa to the American South at the beginning of the 20th century. Courses cover such topics as American literature, art and music appreciation, black psychology, elementary Spanish, African literature, Afro-American literature, Southern black culture, women in literature, and the religious dimension in literature. Each course is presented in various forms, including course objectives, resources, activities, bibliographies, and evaluation. Part two contains reviews and syntheses of discussions designed to provide formal opportunities to identify unifying strains in each week's lectures and to explore ways of presenting information to the students. (CK)

This teaching guide emphasizes the similarity of themes in black African and black American literature and the contribution black writers have made to American literature. It is part of the Louisville Area Ethnic Heritage Studies Project described in ED 150 043. The project materials are designed to foster communication across intercultural/ethnic lines. The objectives of this unit are to recognize common themes in black African and black American literature and to appreciate several literary selections by black American authors as representative of their contribution. Planned as a supplement for an English course, suggested time to allocate for the unit is at least two weeks. The guide includes a pretest, a posttest, and four behavioral objectives accompanied by instructional strategies and facilitating materials. These encourage defining terms, reading, discussion, and writing compositions and reports, among other activities. A bibliography of resources is appended. (Author/CK)

The document presents a seventh grade social studies unit on Africa. The unit is one of a number of products developed by a summer workshop for teachers on African curriculum development. The objective is to help students understand the concept of culture, how cultures develop, and how and why cultures change. The document is divided into two parts. Part One focuses on students' knowledge and misinformation about Africa, as well as the environment of the continent, a prediction of problems caused by the environment, and an attempt to formulate hypotheses for student inquiry into African culture. Sixteen learning activities include two pretests, class discussion, and mapwork, as well as exercises in knowledge identification, classification, data gathering, speculation, and generalization. All activities emphasize problem prediction and hypotheses formulation about the development of African cultures. Concluding sections list student and teacher resources and offer student handouts. Part II offers activities focusing on African art, music, and oral literature as integrated expressions of the culture. These are intended to supplement the activities of Part I and should be coordinated with them. Stories and proverbs from several tribes are told and discussed, including dilemma tales, singing tales, and tales of gods and heroes. Activities include identifying values, playing games, creative writing, problem solving, reading novels, film viewing, having a story telling contest, and dramatizing. They all emphasize African cultural aspects and values. Teaching strategies and student and teacher resources are suggested throughout. A bibliography concludes the document. (CK)

This guide presents a three-week unit on the literature of Ghana. It is designed as part of an eleventh grade world literature course. General objectives include having students identify the literature of Africa with the outstanding literature of the world, change negative attitudes about Africa, and provide a broad view of the lifestyles of Africa. The unit is composed of 15 lessons. Students are introduced to an overview of Africa after which they examine the life of the Ashanti of Ghana, the oral tradition in African literature, and Ghanian oral narratives, short stories, poetry, and drama. Activities include notetaking, discussion, research, oral play reading, map work, written reports, and filmstrip viewing. Each lesson outlines objectives, procedures, materials needed, activities, and suggestions for evaluation. A bibliography of required readings is also included. (KC)

The document presents a unit on Africa and Ghana for seventh grade language arts and eighth grade remedial English classes. It is one of a number of interdisciplinary products developed by a summer workshop for teachers on African curriculum development. The objectives are to help rid students of stereotypes and to make them aware of the diversity of culture on the continent of Africa. An introduction states five educational objectives and six skills relating to African history and geography, literature, music, art, and food. The document presents seven lessons on topics relating to Africa and Ghana such as student perceptions, Akan names, religion, folktales, poetry, music and dance, tie dying, Ashanti gold work, games, and food crops. Each lesson states concept and skills objectives, suggests teacher implementation strategies and student activities, and notes time allotment and needed materials. Learning activities include reading, discussing, story telling, dramatizing, film and slide viewing, playing instruments, researching, playing games, and preparing food. Bibliographies list references for the teacher and for the student and audiovisual materials used in the unit (films, filmstrips, videotapes, cassette tapes, slide sets, and handouts). (CK)

The document presents a 3-week seventh grade English unit on the African folktale. The guide is one of a number of products developed by a summer workshop for teachers on African curriculum development. The objectives are to help students develop respect for African cultures and lifestyles, compare values of African and American ethnic populations, understand social change and its consequences, and develop continuing interest in African cultures. An overview of the unit lists seven important concept areas and five skills to be taught in the unit. Ten lessons focus on topics such as the African environment, clothing, shelter, family life, religious beliefs, values, music, and other diverse cultural characteristics. All are taught through listening to and discussing various types of African folktales. Each lesson states objectives, teaching procedures, important discussion points for the teacher, needed materials, and reading resources. Lectures are included when relevant. Activities include reading, comparing, writing folktales, classifying, and dramatizing. Appendices offer some folktales, an annotated bibliography of sources for the tales used in the unit, a bibliography of children's literature, and a list of 21 optional projects. (CK)

Discusses the "Epic of Sundiata" which chronicles the rise of the Empire of Mali in the grasslands of northwestern Africa in the 13th century. This work is a compelling drama that bears comparison to such other hero tales as "The Iliad" and the Arthurian legend. Includes suggested teaching activities. (MJP)

Demonstrates how introducing students to African literature can appeal to their imaginations and encourage them to develop their insights into African culture. Outlines the procedures in a middle school class where the students are transformed into anthropologists as they read Chinua Achebe's, "Things Fall Apart." (MJP)

Provides an overview of African literature, including brief discussion of numerous writers from a variety of African nations. Appends a 195-item list of works cited. (HB)

Contends that teaching world studies requires breaking down cultural barriers. Describes a world studies course in which African literature is used to provide a pluralistic view of encounters between African and European civilizations. Includes descriptions and interpretations of the books used in the course. (CFR)

This paper demonstrates the adaptability of a poet's words to a variety of themes and techniques, and primarily illustrates how the poetic treasures of the African world can be used to create awareness that words are biracial, cross-cultural, and transsexual. The key thesis of the paper is that once an African poet has published a work, the words then become the interpretive property of each reading individual. The main activity outlined and encouraged involves the adaptation of poetry into a dramatic production. Included in the paper are the following: (1) a reasoned defense of the viability of the theoretical basis for the activity; (2) a play, called a "She--He Dialogue," which involves three characters (Narrator, She, He) and is comprised of excerpts from African poetry by various authors; and (3) 34 citations locating the sources of the poetry quotations. Twelve footnotes and 13 references are attached. (HB)