Students analyze the geographic, political, economic, religious, and social structures of the sub-Saharan civilizations of Ghana and Mali in Medieval Africa. Study the Niger River and the relationship of vegetation zones of forest, savannah, and desert to trade in gold, salt, food, and slaves; and the growth of the Ghana and Mali empires. Analyze the importance of family, labor specialization, and regional commerce in the development of states and cities in West Africa. Describe the role of the trans-Saharan caravan trade in the changing religious and cultural characteristics of West Africa and the influence of Islamic beliefs, ethics, and law. Trace the growth of the Arabic language in government, trade, and Islamic scholarship in West Africa. Describe the importance of written and oral traditions in the transmission of African history and culture.

Instructions Anything written in yellow (SLOW down and pay attention) is useful information. You should write it in your notes IN YOUR OWN WORDS. Anything in red (STOP and pay close attention) is critical information and should be copied exactly. Anything in green (GO on to the next point) you do not have to write.

Geography

5 Words To Know

grasslands, a desert-like area with lots of small plants Savanna

Desert Little to no rainfall all year, few plants

Rain Forest Central Africa, lots of rain, lots of trees

Delta Triangular shaped landform at the mouth of a river, great for farming.

Sahel Region of savanna on the Southern border of the Sahara

Africa is much more than just a desert!

Economics

Society

The Griot Griot- An African storyteller

Oral History Most African groups did not write down their histories. Instead, story-tellers called griots would memorize the stories and tell them back to people. It’s not as accurate as written history but was still very good.

The Battle of Kirina Listen to the story as Mr. Cirbo Reads aloud. Now, re-tell the story you heard to a neighbor. Be sure to include and use as many details and pieces of information as possible.

Proverbs

Proverbs are simple phrases meant to teach a lesson or idea. They are easy to remember. It was a way to remember things without writing them down.

Examples: “He is a fool whose sheep runs away twice.” - African “Fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice, shame on me.” - English Ah, sheepy, I’ll never let you out again!

Folk Tales

A folk tale is a short story that usually involves animals. It is designed to teach a lesson. Because Africa did not write most things, folk tales were very important.

Let’s Compare The Tortoise and the Hare – English The Tortoise and the Antelope - African

Compare How are these stories the same? How are they different? What does the African story tell us about working together?