TOPIC 1.4 - 1.8 Africa’s Ancient Societies, Sudanic Empires, & East Africa

Complex Civilizations of Africa: Presentation & Oral Defense PROJECT

LO 1.4.A - Describe the features of, and goods produced by, complex societies that emerged in ancient East and West Africa.

Objective: Students will make and defend a claim about the complexity of an early African civilization

Notes

This project is designed to introduce students to the final AP research and presentation project. I had students work in groups of three.

I introduce this project during coverage of 1.4 but the project is not due until after we cover 1.8 together. I plan two days to explain the project, introduce students to research methods, and provide in-class work time. Depending on the size of your class, this will take one or two additional days for presentations and oral defense. You might choose to remove Yuroba from the list (this is not a civilization that students are required to know) or allow students a choice in choosing other civilizations. (For example, this past year, a few of my students made an excellent presentation on Igbo civilization.)

Print pages 1-4, back to back stapled for each student. Pg 5 of the PDF is a sample visual aid on features of civilization from a world history text.

I introduce this assignment with a discussion, asking students to list “features of civilizations” that they recall from previous World History or geography classes. Then I display the world map from the 1881 “Adams Synchronological Chart.” The map was a part of a giant timeline of human history. At the time of its creation, scholars in the U.S. and Europe marveled at its detail and complexity. The map’s basic claim is that ancient civilization and “knowable history” only existed in Europe and the Middle East. The student’s job is to use one African civilization to prove the inaccuracy of this map. I allow them to use the map as one of their sources.

Use the content from the “Essential Knowledge Must Knows” from 1.4 as a guide to the introduction.