Topic: African Geography
Theme/Concept: Africa: Culture
Grade Level: Fifth Grade
Teacher: Rachel Previs
State Standards:
School: DJ Montague Elementary
Geography Standards:
 WJC 5.4 Describe some physical and human
characteristics of places.
o Focus questions: What are some cultural
characteristics found among the people of Africa:
Development of many art forms, including cloth
weavings, wood carvings, metal jewelry, and
pottery--storytelling is a special art form passed
down through generations
English Standards:
 5.2 The student will use effective nonverbal
communication skills.
o Use gestures to support, accentuate and dramatize
verbal message.
o Use facial expressions to support and dramatize
verbal message.
o Use posture appropriate for communication setting.
Objectives: Using online articles, the students will analyze information about Ghana geography, the Ashanti people, and African
storytelling to prepare for and demonstrate an Anansi folklore that contains at least 3 storytelling criteria.
Exploratory Introduction
Materials/Time Needed: A Story, A Story audio clip from http://www.thinkport.org/classroom/onlineclips/languageartsclips.tp, laptop,
speakers (because story is very quiet, even when volume is up high), Internet connection, paper, pencil (Play clip from 0:00-3:45)
(Day 1: 15 minutes) This part of the lesson will take place as a whole group. I will select student volunteers to share their responses.
Procedures
Assessments
I will begin the lesson by telling students that we are going to hear The class discussion of storytelling will serve as an informal, prea folktale entitled “A Story, A Story.” I will play the excerpt on
assessment of students’ knowledge of the uses and purposes of
my computer and ask students to take notes while they listen. The storytelling in the African culture.
excerpt will begin at 0:00 and will end at 3:45. Following the
brief excerpt, I will ask students what their observations were.
Were they able to create a mental image? Did they hear anything
other than the narrator’s voice? How did the narrator’s voice
make the story come alive? Why do you think storytelling used to
be popular among African tribes? Once the students have
concluded that storytelling is a means for communication and
expression, I will tell students that storytelling used to be the
primary form of entertainment among African tribes, especially in
a country called Ghana. I will tell students that we are going to
learn more about how these people used storytelling, but first we
are going to learn more about the geography of Ghana and the
culture of the Ashanti people. I will tell students that we will use
a WebQuest to explore this information.
Lesson Development
Materials/Time Needed: 24 laptops, projector, WebQuest URL: http://www.webquest.org/questgarden/lessons/34215-061106132510/
(saved under student folders)
/
(Day 1: 45 minutes) This part of the lesson will take place with students sitting at their desks. Each student will have his or her own
laptop. The students will begin the WebQuest in cooperative groups and work together to complete the worksheet, and I will walk
around the room to assess student progress. (Day 2: 45 minutes) Upon completion of the worksheet, they will be work in the same
groups on their storytelling task. The performance of the storytelling task will take place in the front of the room.
Procedures
Assessments
(Day 1) I will show students how to open the WebQuest address
The worksheet will serve as a formal assessment of student
that is saved under their student folders on the H: drive. I will go
comprehension, and 100% accuracy must be obtained before
over the introduction aloud with the students. I will help them
students can begin working on preparing their folktale.
understand that this WebQuest requires that they pretend they are
all temporary members of an Ashanti tribe. In order to become a
The storytelling rubric (see attached) will be used as a formal
member of the tribe, they must work as a group to explore Ghana, assessment of student mastery of the storytelling art form.
the culture of the Ashanti people, and the use of storytelling
among these people. In order to become a full-time member of
the Ashanti tribe, the students must work with a group and
perform a story for the class. The students will use the
information gained in the WebQuest to accomplish their mission.
I will direct students to print out the worksheet and to follow the
systematic steps of the WebQuest as a group. The students will
first read an article to explore the geography of Africa. They will
then read two articles, one about the variety of people in Ghana,
and the second article specifically about the Ashanti people. The
students will then read an excerpt about the uses and importance
The following individual evaluation of the group will serve as a
of storytelling. To help prepare for their presentation of the
formal assessment that will be added to the overall project grade,
folktale to the class, they will watch 5 clips on storytelling
and it will serve as a summative assessment of how the students
techniques, and they will read from the Handbook for Storytellers. liked or disliked the nature of the activity.
They will then fill out their worksheet. To narrow the category of
folklore, the students will be directed to a variety of information
Circle one: 1 (strongly disagree) 2 (disagree) 3 (neutral) 4 (agree)
about Anansi folktales. They will first read a short description of 5 (strongly agree)
Anansi and take a brief quiz to check their own understanding of
Anansi as a character in African folklore. They will then read at
I contributed to my groups project: 1 2 3 4 5
least three Anansi folktales. As a group, the students will choose
a folktale that they would like to work on. (End of Day 1, Begin
My group worked well together: 1 2 3 4 5
Day 2) The students will then have the opportunity to plan for
their presentation of the story. After students have prepared and
My group was on task: 1 2 3 4 5
practiced their story, groups will be chosen to present the story to
the rest of the class. After all groups have gone, the students will
Comments: __________________________________________
have the opportunity to complete a group evaluation to assess the
performance of their individual group. The students will vote to
___________________________________________________
determine which groups will be permanently initiated into the
Ashanti tribe based on their storytelling initiation performance.
____________________________________________________
To vote in favor of a group, students will use a closed ballot
system. The initiated groups will be announced the following
school day. After the voting, the students will have a discussion
with their group about storytelling, their group’s performance, and
storytelling as a cultural tradition.
Lesson Expansion
Materials/Time Needed: Writing prompt (Day 2: 15 minutes)
Students will be assigned an individual writing prompt to be completed at their own desks. I will read the prompt to students and
answer any questions about the prompt. I will then hand the prompt to students, and I will walk around the room to assess progress.
Procedures
Assessments
I will hand students a writing prompt activity. The students will
be given the following task: Compare and contrast methods of
entertainment in your life, and the storytelling used by the Ashanti
people. Write about the strengths and weakness of both, and how
it impacts the culture. Draw a picture below to illustrate how
information if communicated in your culture and how information
was communicated among the Ashanti people.
The following rubric will be used to grade this assignment:
Check: two pictures depicting different cultures are evident and
strengths and weaknesses are clearly identified for both cultures
X (Redo assignment): less than two pictures depicting different
cultures are evident and strengths and weakness are not clearly
identified for both cultures.
Background: This lesson uses indirect instruction and cooperative groups to explore the geography of Ghana and the human
characteristics of the Ashanti people who lived there. This lesson incorporates both geography and English standards because students
are learning the art of storytelling, which was a key feature of the Ashanti civilization, but it also can be used to cover English SOL
objectives.
Important Terms (from The Microsoft Word Encarta Dictionary*)
 Ashanti member of Ghanaian people*
 Storytelling the telling or writing of stories*
References
A Story, A Story from:
Maryland Public Television and John Hopkins University Center for Technology in Education. (2006). Language art clips online.
Retrieved November 9, 2006 from http://www.thinkport.org/classroom/onlineclips/languageartsclips.tp
Article about Ghana :
Interknowledge Corp. (1996-2005). Exploring Ghana . Retrieved November 6, 2006, from http://www.geographia.com/ghana/
Diverse groups of people:
Global Volunteers (2002-2005). The people of Ghana : Dignified and diverse. Retrieved November 6, 2006, from
http://www.globalvolunteers.org/1main/ghana/ghanapeople.htm
Ashanti people:
West, A. (1996-2006). African people and culture. Retrieved November 6, 2006 from http://africaguide.com/culture/tribes/ashanti.htm
Importance and purposes of storytelling:
National Storytelling Association. (1997). What is storytelling? Retrieved November 6, 2006, from
http://www.eldrbarry.net/roos/st_defn.htm
Clips 60-64
Scheub, H. (2005). Intro to African storytelling. Retrieved November 6, 2006, from University of Wisconsin , African Languages
and Literature Department Website: http://streaming.wisconsin.edu/showcase/showcase_oralTraditions.html
Handbook for Storytellers
Ramsey, J. (n.d.) Handbook for storytelling. Retrieved November 6, 2006, from
http://falcon.jmu.edu/~ramseyil/storyhandbook.htm
Anansi
Lindermans, M. F. (1999). Anansi. Retrieved November 6, 2006, from http://wwwpantheon.org/articles/a/anansi.html
Quiz
Kidspoint. (n.d.) Anansi the spider stories: Tales from the Ashanti. Retrieved November 6, 2006 from
http://www.kidspoint.org/quiz.asp?quiz_id=54
Anansi & Turtle, Anansi Tries to Steal All the Wisdom in the World, and Anansi & Firefly
Kids Zone. (n.d.). Myths and fables from around the world. Retrieved November 6, 2006, from
http://www.afro.com/children/myths/myths.html
Rubric obtained from:
Rubistar. (2006). Retrieved November 6, 2006, from University of Kansas , ALTEC Website: http://rubistar.4teachers.org/index.php
This WebQuet was used as a reference and for links:
Gilbert, T. (n.d.) Anansi the spider: Tales from the Ashanti . Retrieved November 6, 2006 from
http://www.manteno.k12.il.us/webquest/elementary/LanguageArts/Anasi/anansita
skpagehtml
Used as a reference WebQuest and for links:
Educational Technology and Portal Services. (2003-2006). Amazing Africa WebQuest. Retrieved November 6, 2006 from
http://www.instantprojects.org/webquest/process.php?AuthorID=758
The idea to use cooperative learning activities to recreate Ashanti stories was adapted from:
Boehm, Armstrong, Hunkins (n.d.) Cooperative learning activities: Geography. New York: Glencoe/McGraw-Hill.