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August 30, 2006
Wednesday August 30th: Civilization in Africa and in Your Mind
African Geography
We will finish our notes from yesterday.
Civilization Through Art
Your assignment for today was to draw a picture of the word civilization. Let's discuss your drawings and your definitions as a class. Our goal is to develop a working definition of the word civilization.
Now that we have our own definition, let me offer you a definition that is found in the textbook World History. Let's compare this definition to our own and critique it.
Lastly, let's think about why the word civilization is so important. Use the following questions to guide your comments.
-Why is the word civilization an important word in our world?
-What is a person if they are not civilized?
-Is it important to be considered civilized? What happens to groups of people if they are not considered to be civilized?
-Is it important to be civilized?
Ancient Civilizations in Africa
For the purposes of this activity, we will use the textbook definition that we have been discussing. Investigate the Wonders of Africa website and the BBC information on Ghana, Mali and Songhay. (The links for Ghana, Mali and Songhay are on the right side of this page.) Fill in the chart that I handed to you in class. You must analyze Ghana, Mali and Songhay. Then, you must choose a fourth civilization or set of civilizations from the Wonders of Africa website. Your choices include the Black Kingdoms of the Nile, the Swahili Coast, the Holy Land, and the Lost Cities of the South. In total, you will analyze four potential civilizations.
The information on the websites doesn’t match the categories in the chart perfectly. You may need to “read between the lines” to find information for each box. Additionally, you may not be able to fill in every box. Just do the best that you can!
Homework
1. Your yellow map is due tomorrow. Don’t forget that your first geography quiz on the cities and countries is next Tuesday.
2. Complete the African civilizations chart. Remember, don't spend more than forty to sixty minutes on this assignment. Get as much done as you can.
Posted by kmurr at August 30, 2006 9:18 AM