Browse lesson plans

Africa: Interpreting physical maps

In CareerStart lessons: Grade seven, page 4.1

In this lesson for grade seven, students look at a physical map of Africa and use it to speculate how the geography of a given region might affect human culture in that area.

Format: lesson plan (grade 7 Social Studies)

By Mary B. Taylor.Adapted by Kenyatta Bennett and Sonya Rexrode.

Africans before captivity: Graphic organizer

This activity provides a way for students to further their comprehension as they read an article about the regions of Africa from which most American slaves originated. Students will complete a graphic organizer and answer a series of questions.

Format: worksheet/lesson plan (grade 9–12 Social Studies)

By Pauline S. Johnson.

AIDS in Africa Symposium

Students will take on roles of those with a unique perspective on the AIDS crisis in Africa. Taking part in a symposium, each character, famous and ordinary, makes a statement and participates in a question-answer period.

Format: lesson plan (grade 9–10 English Language Arts and Social Studies)

By Greg Mitchell.

Comparing proverbs

The lesson will feature comparisons of American and African proverbs.

Format: lesson plan (grade 3–4 English Language Arts and Social Studies)

By Pat Chancer.

Current events in Africa

In this lesson for grade seven, students find two news stories about a current event in Africa: one from an American media source and one from an African media source. Students compare the two to gain an understanding of cultural bias and perspective.

Format: lesson plan (grade 7 English Language Arts, Information Skills, and Social Studies)

By Shane Freeman.

Diseases of Africa

Students will demonstrate an ability to research diseases in Africa and the causes, symptoms, treatment, and long-range solutions involving infrastructure development. They will compare and contrast countries and diseases. Working in groups, students will do research and prepare a multimedia presentation on the disease.

Format: lesson plan (grade 7 English Language Development and Social Studies)

By Jim Carson.

Economic planning in West Africa

In CareerStart lessons: Grade seven, page 4.3

In this lesson plan for grade seven, students will research the West African nation Mali and will work in groups to create proposals for improvement projects in Mali. Students will discuss careers that require creating proposals and giving presentations.

Format: lesson plan (grade 7 English Language Arts and Social Studies)

By Mary B. Taylor.Adapted by Kenyatta Bennett and Sonya Rexrode.

A forced migration: Reading lesson

In this lesson plan, students read an article about the slave trade in West Africa, which caused the kidnapping of millions of free West Africans by slave traders. The lesson plan includes reading strategies designed to prepare students for end-of-grade reading test.

Format: lesson plan (grade 8–12 Social Studies)

By Pauline S. Johnson.

Motor car and galimoto: An intercultural lesson in pragmatism, creativity, and perseverance

In this lesson for grade three, students read the book Galimoto, about a young boy in Malawi, Africa, and his quest to gather wire in order to make a toy car. Students discuss the literary elements of the book, study the language used, and complete their own quests to gather wire and create their own galimotos.

Format: lesson plan (grade 3–4 Visual Arts Education, English Language Arts, and Social Studies)

By Edie McDowell.

Slavery and bias in historic West Africa: A case of he said, he said

In this lesson, students will examine three primary source documents concerning West African history, and will work to discover the similarities and differences between the documents. Students will discover the biases revealed by the authors of the documents.

Format: lesson plan (grade 8 Social Studies)

By Shane Freeman.

Teaching suggestions: African and African American storytelling

These teaching suggestions present a variety of ways to work with an article about African and African American storytelling traditions in the context of American slavery. Suggested activities span a wide range of possibilities and offer opportunities for a variety of learning styles.

Format: /lesson plan (grade 7–8 Social Studies)

By Pauline S. Johnson.

Traveling through Africa

Students will plan a one-week, three country trip through Africa and create a travelogue of places they will visit. The students will create an electronic scrapbook of highlights of the trip (including cultural highlights, historical points of interest, geographic features, etc.)

Format: lesson plan (grade 7 Social Studies)

By Ren Bryan.

Wife inheritance and the AIDS epidemic in Africa

When an African man dies, it is the responsibility of his brother to inherit his widow. This has become a key factor in the spread of the AIDS virus. This plan looks at this tradition and the AIDS epidemic in African countries and students will discuss possible solutions in a Paideia seminar.

Format: lesson plan (grade 9–12 English Language Arts, Science, and Social Studies)

By Greg Mitchell.

Resources on the web

Ancient Egypt: Stories and myths

In this Xpeditions lesson, students explore stories and myths about ancient Egypt through time. Activities in this lesson engage students in whole class discussion, collaborative group work, online learning and research, and creation of a final presentation... (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan

Provided by: Xpeditions

Beyond the Fire: Teen Experiences of War

The film Beyond the Fire introduces the real-life stories of 15 teenagers, now living in the U.S., who have survived war in seven war zones. These stories tell of loss, hope, fear, strength and despair—and most of all, resilience. At this... (Learn more)

Format: website/lesson plan

Provided by: Independent Television Service

Cool Planet for Teachers

This site from OxFam helps teachers bring global issues into the classroom. (Learn more)

Format: website/lesson plan

Provided by: OxFam

Don't be fooled by a photograph

In this Xpeditions lesson, students will study images that were altered digitally to create a desired effect. Students will discuss how a photograph conveys information, and how changing that photograph can change its message. This lesson plan is based... (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 6–8 English Language Arts and Social Studies)

Provided by: Xpeditions

Egypt: Secrets of the Ancient World

Kids: Learn to make an Egyptian tomb! Teachers: Bring mummies to life in the classroom! This website uses interactive features, movies, correspondence reports, and activities as well as straightforward informative articles to teach you all about life in ancient... (Learn more)

Format: website/lesson plan

Provided by: National Geographic

Frontline World: Stories from a Small Planet

Frontline World offers a glimpse into the lives of people across the globe through video and additional resources.Frontline World tells stories in video; each feature is about twenty minutes in length and can be viewed from the... (Learn more)

Format: website/lesson plan

Provided by: PBS

Geography Action!

Activities, lesson plans, and a showcase of natural sounds help students and teachers explore topics such as biodiversity, conservation, habitats, population, rivers, and U.S. public spaces in an effort to celebrate Geography Awareness Week all year long. (Learn more)

Format: website/lesson plan

Provided by: National Geographic