In the final category of myth that I would like to discuss, animals and humans appear in stories sometimes explaining things in nature or just do heroic deeds. In the second part of the story concerning Mokele, he is grown and wants to know why the sun doesn’t rise in his village.16 He decides to go and purchase the sun for his father. While he is making preparations for his journey, many of the animals ask to go with him for they have powers he can use. So he sets off with the tortoise, kite, wasps, etc. in his boat. When he reaches the village where the sun is hidden he asks the chief if he can buy it. The chief does not want to say no, fearing the animals, so he gets Mokele to stay while they figure out a fair price. The chief has one of his daughters brew up a poisonous drink. He then tells her to give it to Mokele. Meanwhile the wasps have heard the conversation and warn Mokele. The chief’s daughter is in love with Mokele and cannot kill him, so she throws away the poison. The tortoise and kite steal the sun from its hiding place and the kite takes the sun up into the sky. Mokele and the chief’s daughter escape just in time from the village and return to Mokele’s home where they are married. Mokele is hailed as a hero.
This is one of many myths where the main character goes on a quest. What makes Mokele a hero? Would he have survived without the help of the animals? What characteristic of each animal helped Mokele in the story? Why do you think the animals help Mokele? What does it mean if the sun doesn’t rise in your village? Why is Mokele’s journey necessary? Why would someone want to keep the sun from shining on other villages?
The Finding of Fire17 is another story in which a human being gains knowledge that indeed is crucial to all other beings. In this story a hunter notices a light in the woods which he has never seen before. He goes to discover what it is and finds a fire which speaks to him and tells him he may stay but the hunter must feed him limbs and branches from trees nearby. After feeding the fire the man is helped to catch a hare and then fire tells him how to roast his dinner. The man is impressed and vows never to eat raw meat again. He also decides that he wanted to take the fire home with him. The fire refuses and tells the hunter that he cannot travel and must stay there. When the hunter leaves he returns home and tells his wife about what happened. She asks him for more of the meat and so the hunter makes frequent trips back to the fire. The wife tells another man about the fire and he goes to watch the hunter and sees how he feeds the fire. The man grabs a burning branch that is on fire determined to take it with him. As he runs the fire scorches his hand and he drops the branch. There ensues a large fire that destroys much of the village. The people escape across the river. When they return they discover the roasted meat, and that their clay pots have hardened from being in the fire. The hunter after hearing what happened goes back to the original fire which tells him that fire can be useful if used properly and that he will help people by cooking their food, pots, baking their porridge so they can have pancakes and melt iron so they can make weapons.
This story tries to explain where the habit of cooking food and cooking clay pots comes from. In this story, as well as that about thunder and lightning and the Yao creation myth, there is the mention of the destructive force of fire. Students might compare how fire is used in the three stories. It is important for students to realize that like drought, a fire can have a devastating affect on animal and plant life especially in the plains areas of Africa. It is a good opportunity to review some common sense rules about fire prevention and school fire drill procedures.
The story tries to answer some very basic questions about things we take for granted. It more importantly tells us that people are responsible for fire. We are the only living things that make and utilize fire. As with most things fire offers us benefits and it can also be a means of destruction. It would be interesting for students to try to list important ways we use fire.
The stories recounted here are only a fraction of those available to readers. There are a number of ways they can be connected to other areas in the curriculum. Following are a few lesson plans illustrating how the stories can be used in an integrated curriculum.
Lesson Plan #1
Where is Africa?
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Objective: Students will be able to identify and locate the continent of Africa on a globe or map.
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Materials: globe and/or world maps, copies of outlines of the seven continents
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Procedure:
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1. Explain that there are seven major land masses covering the earth which are called continents. Show children each continent and where it is on the globe and/or a flat map.
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2.Give children a copy of a world map showing the continents and have them label the continents.
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3. Make cardboard outlines of the continents and use them as flash cards to review the shapes of the continents with the class on a daily basis.
Lesson Plan # 2
Where do these stories come from?
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Objectives:
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1. Students will locate on a classroom map of Africa the place of origin of the myths/stories being read in class.
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2. Students will see that the peoples of Africa and their stories are widespread.
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Materials:
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Large map of Africa showing the countries labeled
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markers
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pieces of construction paper for labeling
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Procedure:
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1.Teacher will make a large class map of Africa with the countries outlined. The map should be hung on a bulletin board or wall.
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2. As stories are read the teacher will identify where the story comes from and what people it originated with.
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3. Students will help to label the map with a card giving the title of the story and the people it comes from.
Lesson Plan # 3
What are some of the Animals of Africa?
Animals are an intricate part of the African stories but this activity could be used after reading the adventure of Mokele who is helped by the animals to capture the sun.
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Objective:
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Students will do research on one of the African animals/ insects mentioned in the myths and stories: lion, elephant, giraffe, tortoise, rabbit, kite, chameleon, lizard, toad, leopard, red buffalo, baboon, wasps, etc.
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Materials:
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Encyclopedias
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Books about animals and insects
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Procedure:
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1. After reading some of the stories have students brainstorm animals that have been mentioned in the stories and other African animals that they already know.
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2. Ask students to come up with some questions that they would like to have answered such as what do they eat?; what kind of shelter do they live in?; and what size are they when full grown?
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Make a worksheet for students asking a few simple questions.
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Students work on finding the answers to the research questions.
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Students can compose a paragraph with their information and/or make it part of a class book or individual book on African animals.
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Allow children time to do drawings or tracings of their animal.
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Let children share their reports with the rest of the class.
Lesson Plan # 4
What are the major rivers and lakes of Africa?
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Objectives:
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1.Students will explain the necessity of water to the African tribes.
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2.Students will research facts about the major rivers and lakes with the aid of the teacher and library media specialist.
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3.As part of their research students will have a graphic organizer (provided by the teacher). The organizer should include places for students to list information on the length, size and location (what country or countries does the river run through or the lake cover. It might also include a blank map of Africa so that the students can draw the river/lake in the correct spot.
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4.Depending on the ability and time allowed for this activity students may be assigned to do all of the locations or just one. They might then share information with the rest of the class. Students could also do this in cooperative groups.
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Materials:
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Graphic organizer (made after class discussions)
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blank map of Africa with countries outlined
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reference books such as books on Africa, rivers and lakes, world
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atlases, Internet sites that might be relevant.
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List of major rivers: Nile, Congo, Senegal, Niger,
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Logone, Kwango, Juba, Scebeli, Zambezi, Limpopo, and Oranje,
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and lakes: Victoria and Malawi.
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Procedure:
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Brainstorm with children why water is important to human beings. Children should know that water is the one thing no person can live without. We must have water to drink and for growing crops.
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Tell children that water is very important to the African tribes especially in the desert areas. Many times there are droughts during which little or no rain occurs. This might be one reason that the people felt there must be a divine power over water. Also the fact that the water provided a means of transportation and food.
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Have students suggest information that might be useful to gather about the lakes and rivers in Africa. Teacher can then compose a graphic organizer and have students begin their research on another day.
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4 When the students are finished gathering their information (this activity could take a few weeks depending on scheduling time in the library), have students report their findings and add information to their maps where necessary.
Lesson Plan #5
Dramatizing the Myths
Many of the stories are very simple and students can make masks and simple props to use in their performance. Most of the stories lend themselves to reenactment or pantomime. This type of performance could be part of a larger culminating activity at the end of the unit.
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Objective:
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Students will show their understanding of the plot of a story by acting out the basic plot.
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Materials: art supplies for making costumes/masks and scenery script of the story to be reenacted (teacher will need to write this up unless it is strictly pantomime)
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Procedure:
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Students will choose a story or stories to reenact.
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Students will work on making animal masks and costumes to go along with the story.
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3. Students will act out the basic plot.
Lesson Plan # 6
Why does the Sun shine brighter than the Moon?
This lesson can be used with any of the stories that spoke about the Sun and Moon.
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Objectives: 1. Students will demonstrate that the moon does not shine but reflects light from the sun.
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2. Students will learn that the sun is a ball of gases that is continually burning.
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3. Students will learn that the moon is not hot but actually a cold body with no heat generating source at all.
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4. Students will be able to explain the differences between what the myth tells us and what the scientific facts are.
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Materials: A darkened room lamp with the shade removed to act as the sun ball or other round object to represent the moon
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Procedure:
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1. Put the lamp into the middle of a darkened room.
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2. Have a student stand with a ball about 10 feet away.
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3. Students should observe that while they can see the ball it is not as bright as the lamp(sun). The only reason we can see the ball(moon) is because the light from the bulb is reflecting off the ball. The moon does not generate light it is a cold place. We only see it in the sky because it reflects the sunlight.
Lesson Plan # 7
Writing a Fable
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Objective:
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To have students write a fable
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Materials:
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pencils
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papers
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Procedure:
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It should be remembered that any writing assignment like this especially for younger children will need to be done over a number of days.
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1. Students will have heard many myths and fables.
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2. Students will be familiar with the fact that most fables have characters who are animals with human characteristics. They also teach a certain moral which is clearly spelled out at the end of the story.
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3. The teacher should have listed some of the morals and proverbs around the room so that students become familiar with them.
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4. As a class the students should write a story together guided by the teacher. The class should pick a moral to be taught in the story and then an animal or animals to be characters.
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5. Students then need to come up with an action that shows the character does not follow the moral and what happens.
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6. When the stories are complete they can be shared with the rest of the class and can be gathered into as class book for each child to have a copy. It is a good idea to put a copy or two in the class library for children to read after the unit is complete.
Lesson Plan # 8
Let’s make a Fetish!
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Objective: to make a fetish ( a medallion made by many African tribes to help ward off evil spirits.)
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Materials: hardening clay
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different shaped cookie cutters (some students may want to do
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activity without a guide
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string/ yarn to hold the fetish around the neck
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paints
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Procedure:
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1.Explain to students that fetishes are medallions worn by many African tribes which were thought to ward off evil spirits and bring good luck.
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2.Give students hardening clay and allow them cookie cutters of shapes or let them design their own figure. Make sure they leave a place where a hole can be made so the piece can be strung on yarn to make into a necklace.
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3.Children can let the piece harden and then paint.
Lesson Plan #9
The Golden Stool
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Objective: to have children experience the Ashanti custom of each tribesman having their own stool which is their seat alone. When they have council meetings each man would bring his own stool . In this case each child will be allowed to decorate their desk chair.
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Materials:
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crepe paper in various colors
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construction paper of different colors
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markers and crayons
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glue and tape
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glitter
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Procedure:
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1. Explain the importance of the stool in some African tribes.
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2. Tell students that in class having and being in their chair is very important.
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3. Allow students to work on their chair making sure that they must not put anything permanent on the chair.
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It should be noted that stickers and other labels which cannot be easily removed should be avoided. Simple tape or masking tape should be used to add any decorations to the chairs.
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Students can make fancy name plates to put on their chairs as well as tissue flowers, etc.
Lesson Plan #10
What do the Africans Eat?
This activity could be done in conjunction with the culminating activity in the unit. In many of the stories different foods are mentioned such as corn, yams, nuts, berries, pancakes, couscous, etc.
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Objective: To let children taste some of the foods which are part of the African culture as a way of appreciating our differences and similarities.
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Materials:
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food items mentioned above
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plates
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plastic forks, spoons
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if possible a hot plate or other device for cooking and/or heating
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previously prepared foods
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Procedure:
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1. Students can brainstorm foods mentioned in the stories.
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2. A team of students can be sent to the library media center to research some of the native foods.
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3. The class should come up with foods that are available as part of a class buffet.
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4. The teacher should with parents help prepare a small buffet of foods. Students can enjoy these while listening to groups of children dramatizing some of the stories. Parents may also be invited if possible.