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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 four-week fourth grade social studies unit dealing with religious dimensions in ancient Egyptian culture was developed by the Public Education Religion Studies Center at Wright State University. It seeks to help students understand ancient Egypt by looking at the people, the culture, and the people's world view. The unit begins with outlines of concepts and generalizations, vocabulary, and subject matter to be covered. Five cognitive, six affective, and three psychomotor objectives are stated. The first lesson in the unit is on Egyptian beliefs that harmonious living with nature and with their gods ensured a happy existence both before and after death. The belief that death is the passing from this world to the next is the focus of lesson two. Lessons three and four discuss Egyptian sacred ceremonies and sacred writings. Each lesson has initiatory, developmental, extended, and culminating activities, and suggestions for evaluation. It is assumed that students have had some exposure to the continent of Africa before they begin the unit. The instructional resources listed are books for teachers and for students, magazines, encyclopedias, filmstrips, movies, media resources, museums, and teaching packets. (Author/BC)

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)

This is a teacher's packet dealing with a program of modern French African literature for fourth-year high school students of French. The packet, designed to accompany the text "Voix Francaises du Monde Noir" (by Keith Q. Warner, Holt, Rinehart, and Winston, 1971), consists of a student section and a teacher section. A general introduction to African literature and culture is followed by a work plan describing the procedure to be used by the student. There are nine lessons, each containing an introduction to the country, author, and text; vocabulary; a written text and a tape of the text (these are not included in the packet); and written and oral exercises. There is a final review at the end of the program, followed by a bibliography. The teacher section, a guide for the implementation of the program, includes a summary of the texts and answers to the exercise questions. The student packet is not included separately here because it consists of the white sheets (p1-41) of the teacher's packet. (AM)

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)

Advocates using African literature for general-education students, especially fiction with universalist themes and exploration of spiritual issues which students find engaging. Provides a four-day approach to studying Bessie Head's novel, "When Rain Clouds Gather." Presents questions and assignments. (PA)