Class 6-7

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Africa Main Lesson

The Grade 6/7 class will be completing a block on Africa during this time. We will be engaging in a whole class novel study of the inspiring biography The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind about a 14 year old Malawi boy who teaches himself how to bring electricity to his village during a major drought. Biographies are a major part of the middle school curriculum as the students are discovering who they are, and this book also encompasses parts of our physics block on electricity. The class will also be working on a take home creative project about the indigenous tribes of Africa, recreating African art or food and using language arts to complete a written report. We will also be continuing with our algebra unit and reviewing our mathematics studies from throughout the year. 

African Project

Africa is a vast continent ranging from immense deserts to mountainous regions, from tropical forests to the wide grasslands of the Savannas. The people living in each of these areas have had to adapt to their environments and have created incredible cultures and civilizations.

Make a title page for Africa in your main lesson book. If you have a different idea from mine, you may use it.

Copy the map of Africa into your book.

Please choose one of the following African Tribes to study and answer the following questions. Please use the main lesson book to complete your project in. I would expect the project to be 8-10 pages of the main lesson book, including drawings.

The Masai
The Tuareg
The Zulu
The Xhosa
The Himba
The San Bushmen

Questions

1. Describe the environment your tribe lives in. What is the weather like there? What part of Africa is it in?

Draw a map of the area they live in. Include major rivers, lakes, mountains, etc.

2. What plants grow there, and what animals live there. What do the people eat and what kind of shelter do they live in? Maybe you could try cooking some of the food at home with your family!

Draw a picture of 1 native animal from the environment and 1 native plant.

Draw a shelter from your tribe in its landscape.

3. What is the culture of the tribe like? What kinds of clothing do they wear and what are some of their important and interesting rituals? What beliefs do they have about life?

Draw a picture of a man or woman from your tribe.

4. What kind of art does your tribe produce? Make a mask, painting, jewelry, carving, clay model, etc. that would come from your tribe. If you wish, you could also choose to recreate an authentic African meal instead and take a picture! Have fun!

Intro to Africa: Equator, Tropics of Cancer and Capricorn, and Biomes of Africa

Culture and geography of North Africa, plus my cat!