This article offers guidelines for teachers on using African folktales to celebrate Black History Month, to explore the structure and content of folktales, to encourage receptivity to multicultural experiences, and to spark creativity in students. Discussion guidelines, suggestions for student-created folktale productions, and a resource list are…

Describes a classroom game designed to help junior high students understand the historic and social relationships associated with clan names in the Manding-speaking areas of West Africa. (CK)

By visiting an African art exhibit, college-level art students enriched their understanding of the ritualistic art of the South African people. The exhibit is described and learning strategies used to prepare students for the exhibit visit are discussed. (RM)

Describes an integrated language arts and social studies program designed to consider man as a totality and to promote empathy in students for six different cultural areas in Asia and Africa. Literature, art, music, and writing exercises are listed. Activities include slide shows, cooking a Chinese meal, and a speech by an Indian woman and her…

Six articles in this feature section emphasize the value of African dance in all levels of education. The articles address aspects of African dance ranging from its historical and philosophical underpinnings to applications from the elementary to the college level. (SM)

These lessons were written by African social studies specialists for U.S. middle school students to stimulate interest in and develop a positive attitude toward Africans and their culture. Each lesson provides objectives, materials, teaching procedures, and is meant to be used as a textbook supplement. To promote understanding of young Africans,…

Because of its exciting use of rhythm and its variety, African music is an excellent musical culture for study. Seventh and eighth grade students, with no prior musical training, learned to play African instruments and dance the Adowa, a traditional dance of the Ashanti people of Ghana. (RM)

This unit is designed to introduce upper elementary and middle school students to the traditional cultures of the people of Southern Africa, particularly the Swazi. Information on housing and family life covers family structure, marriage customs, respect for ancestors, male and female roles, employment, eating customs, and handicrafts. An overview…

Presents the rationale for and content of a sixth-grade unit on Africa, focusing on the concepts of race and of variation in cultural patterns. A bibliography of instructional resources is appended. (SJL)

Developed to enhance students' cultural awareness of Africa and the Far East, this guide contains both interdisciplinary and specific content curriculum materials for two course units in Advanced Placement English. These units were designed to (1) communicate the countries' rudimentary geography and history; (2) introduce the value systems,…

Projects were undertaken at the Hampton Institute, with support from the National Endowment for the Humanities, to develop and test French and Spanish second language instructional materials from Afro-French and Afro-Hispanic Third World countries. The project was based on the premise that such materials would help Black college students develop…

Introducing network theory to schoolchildren is promoted as a way of encouraging students to deal with new situations, be unafraid of challenges, and learn to think. Several applications, methods of analysis, and suggestions for further activities are provided. (MP)

This guide seeks to be a tool for action and a resource for understanding some of the key issues concerning Africa today. Through a series of six sessions, participants focus on a particular theme or issue that links their community with the African context. The six sessions focus on: (1) "Building Connections with Africa"; (2)…

Provides a lesson plan for beginning string students using a basic rhythm from Zimbabwe's Shona people and then building upon that rhythm. Briefly discusses simple yet effective techniques for playing and adapting African music. Includes musical scores, teaching tips, and selected recordings. (MJP)

This document presents lesson plans for instruction concerning the history and geography of the continent of Africa. Topics include: (1) "The Challenge of Teaching African History and Culture" (Robert Hamilton); (2) "A Physical Overview of Africa" (Robert Hamilton and Kim Lilly); (3) "A Cultural Overview of Africa"…