Day 69: Intro to District 4 (Medieval West Africa)

Standard 7.4  Students analyze the geographic, political, economic, religious and social structures of the sub-Saharan civilizations of Ghana and Mali in Medieval Africa.

SS Objective:  HHG Tributes of 2018 will be able to identify Africa as a continent with diverse cultures and geographies and explain why Africa is often thought of as a country.  They will also be able to identify the four vegetation zones in West Africa.

Step 1:A link to today's handout can be found here. Make a copy and begin your DO NOW. What do you already know about Africa?  Fill out the Anticipation Guide before we jump in to studying about the civilizations of Medieval Africa!

Step 2: Maps of Africa Discussion.  Take a look at the maps of Africa in the section of your document labeled, Map Projections | Peters versus Mercator.  

• How does your perception of the size of the continents change when looking at the different maps?  
• Why do you think the most common maps show the northern continents to be larger?

Step 3: Common Misconceptions.  Read the paragraph about Johnny, a middle school student in Los Angeles.  What is so wrong with his thoughts on Africa???

Step 4: Class notes & video.  We will watch this video to get an overview of the geographic features of Africa.  You will find that life in Africa is influenced by geography, just like life on the Arabian Peninsula was!  Make sure you take notes as you watch. HINT: Preview the questions before we press play so that you'll know what to look for...

Step 5: How did you do?  Now that you've had a brief introduction to the geography of Africa and the next unit, look back at your anticipation guide.  How did you do?  Is there anything you need to change? Fill in the After section of your guide.

Step 6: Exit Slip. Use at least 2-3 complete sentences and give as much specific detail as possible. I am looking for high quality college bound answers! :)

Homework.  
1. D69 Homework: Intro to District 4 (Med. W. Afr.)  
2. Copy and paste, the completed document and all of your answers into this form D69 HW Form | Intro to District 4 (Med. W. Afr.) to receive credit. (Now you have a copy of your homework to keep in your drive to study form and I have all of 2018s homework on one spreadsheet!)