An initiation ceremony which marks the passage from adolescence to adulthood in an African village is the topic of this learning module for elementary and secondary students. A reading is adapted from the autobiography of a Guinean youth who participated in the initiation experience with other boys in his village at the age of 12 years. A lesson…

This packet is designed for middle school classrooms. The four lessons correspond to the typical curriculum pattern of world cultures, geography, and government. The materials focus on national studies and state studies from a comparative U.S./Germany perspective. The lessons include: (1) "Culture and Perspective Taking on the Federal…

This teaching package describes the education and lifestyle of the Chinese literati, popular from the Ming to the Qing dynasties (1368-1911). It consists of four lesson plans and a teacher's guide to a slide set. The latter illustrates painting formats popular during the late Ming period (1573-1644), hanging scrolls, handscrolls, the album leaf,…

International education is one of Minnesota's education priorities. This resource guide to materials dealing with the Soviet Union is intended to provide teachers with materials and guidance for preparing students for leadership and active citizenship in an increasingly international society. The introductory section provides statements by various…

Materials for a secondary level, interdisciplinary social studies course on Japan are divided into introductory information, 14 classroom units, and study and evaluation materials. Introductory material includes lists of objectives and skills, an outline of Japanese history, and an explanation of Japan's name and flag. The units cover the…

A semester-long unit on African art and culture for high school art students is presented. The unit is comprised of 12 lessons. Lessons one, two, and three examine the concept of the artist as a close observer. Students examine their attitudes about Africa, view filmstrips which depict early African art and sculpture, recreate an African sculpture…

Recent developments in Britain show an increased recognition of the value of students of many disciplines of practical skills in foreign languages. In a number of universities language centers have been established to provide "service courses" in foreign languages and in non-university institutions degree courses have been established in…

This subunit on Western Europe is one of four resource units for an eleventh grade area studies course. One section of the subunit contains an introduction and the other the geography of Western Europe. The introduction contains objectives, an outline of content, teaching procedures, and instructional materials. The geography section focuses upon…

This teachers guide for a secondary course on cultural development builds upon earlier sequential learning courses and deals with concepts and generalizations drawn from the field of anthropology. Primary objectives are to develop students' understanding and awareness of culture. Five sections comprise this 10-week course. The nature of culture is…

This module is an introduction to traditional mathematics in Africa. A lesson plan is presented which explores the significance of words in the African number systems and compares them to American mathematical systems. Number words in four African languages are given as examples to illustrate base 5, 10, and 20 systems. Some words have been…

An interdisciplinary focus on the teaching of African geography is presented in this module, arranged by three major topics. Topic I stresses the African view that water is the sustainer of life, presents a case study of the Nile River, and discusses the significance of rivers as natural boundaries that delineate political units. Topic II gives…

Describes activities to help students in grades 7-9 learn about American food production and distribution. Students learn about the American diet over the centuries; the production of American Corn; the meaning of the term hunger; and the need for protein. (CS)

A study unit on Australia for secondary students is divided into eight sections. Section 1 introduces students to the states, territories, and capitals of the country. Section two, land and people, discusses the size, location, geology, climate, flora and fauna, and population of Australia. Sections 3 and 4 outline Australian history and include…

This teaching guide provides objectives, activities, resources, and evaluation criteria for a four-week minicourse on the Akan and Manding tribes of Africa. It is intended for use by third grade classroom teachers as they develop and implement African area studies programs. The objective is to help students overcome negative attitudes toward…

This teaching guide presents objectives, resources, and evaluation criteria for teaching pupils in fourth grade social studies and fine arts classes about Africa, and particularly the Akan ethnic group in Africa. This unit was developed at an interdisciplinary summer workshop for teachers on African culture. The major objective is to help students…