Let’s explore the ancient world. We’ve chosen folk tales, myths, biographies, and documentaries from a few of the many countries in Africa, and we have maps for you to download and trace or fill in also. This month we have all sorts of information about Africa for you!
Map Study:
Map Study is very simple. Print off a map. Label what you can from memory. Look up three-five more things and add them. Look over your labeled map for a minute or two each day, but only add to it once or twice a week. Soon you’ll know far more about the area you are studying than you did before
Map of Africa to download
Resources:
We’ve consulted several books lists for books about the many different countries and peoples of Africa. But if we were to include even one story from each people group, this list would be overwhelming. So here are many options chosen from books that were on more than one list, as well as links to the book lists we consulted.
Book Lists
- African and African American Resources for Early Modern History (800-1650AD) by heritagemom
- Children’s Books Set in Africa by The Book Girls’Guide
- Read the World: Books about Africa for Kids by kidworldcitizen
Books:
Tales
- Why Mosquitoes Buzz in People’s Ears by Verna Aardema
- Mufaro’s Beautiful Daughters by John Steptoe
- Nelson Mandela’s Favorite African Folktales by Nelson Mandela
Picture Books
- Ethiopia: Fire on the Mountain by Jane Kurtz
- Kenya: Seeds of Change: Wangari’s Gift to the World by Jen Cullerton Johnson
- Mali: Mansa Musa: The Lion of Mali by Khephra Burns
- Mali: Yatandou by Gloria Whelan
- Morocco: The Storyteller by Evan Turk
- Morocco: Traveling Man: The Journey of Ibn Battuta 1325-1354 by James Rumford
- Zimbabwe: Zandi Find Ubuntu by Tererai Trent
- African Beginnings by James Haskins
- A is for Africa by Irma Onyefulu
Chapter Books
- The Royal Kingdoms of Ghana, Mali, and Songhai: Life in Medieval Africa by Patricia McKissack
- African Icons: Ten People who Shaped History by Tracey Baptiste.
- Algeria: The Compassionate Warrior: Abd el-Kader by Elsa Marston
- Angola: Nzingha: Warrior Queen of Matamba, Angola, Africa, 1595 by Patricia C McKissack
- Mali: Mansa Musa and the Empire of Mali by P. James Oliver
- Nigeria: Too Small Tola by Atinuke
- Nigeria: Anna Hibiscus by Atinuke
- South Africa: Long Walk to Freedom: The Autobiography of Nelson Mandela by Nelson Mandela
- Uganda: Orange for the Sunsets by Tina Athaide
Videos
Websites
- General information: https://www.nationsonline.org/oneworld/africa.htm
- Peter Menzel Photography (photographer for books Material World, Hungry Planet, and What I Eat.) https://www.menzelphoto.com/
Some Curricula for Ancient History