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African Architecture

Created By: Matthew Foster, Bloomington Junior High School (Bloomington, IL)
Grade Level: 7th Grade
Content Area: Social Studies
Database Integration: Students will search TDC database for current and historic images of Africa south of the Sahara.


Illinois Learning Standards Achieved


Standard Achieved

Activity that Meets this Standard

State Goal 16E: Understand Illinois, United States and world environmental history.

Students will explore the various cultural influences on architecture in Africa south of the Sahara.
State Goal 17C: Understand relationships between geographic factors and society. Students will compare architecture in Africa south of the Sahara to North American, European, Russian/Eurasian, North African/Southwest Asian and South American architecture.


Objective:

Know: Students will explore the various cultural influences on architecture in Africa south of the Sahara.

Do: Students will compare architecture in Africa south of the Sahara to North American, European, Russian/Eurasian, North African/Southwest Asian and South American architecture.



Materials:



Introductory Set:

Recall what students read in the chapter before class. Ask questions about what they found similar and dissimilar to North American architecture and urbanization, as well as South American, European, North African/Southwest Asian, and Russian/Eurasian architecture.



Procedures/Teaching Activities:

  1. Following the discussion of perceived similarities and dissimilarities between North American and architecture in Africa south of the Sahara and urbanization, begin to introduce images of various buildings from North Africa/Southwest Asia, Russia/Eurasia, Europe, South America and North America.
  2. Ask the following questions about the images:
    • What parts of the various buildings are typical of the native cultures? Describe them-do they have any special meaning? (religious, geographical, etc.)
    • What parts of the various buildings are typical of an outside culture's influence?
    • What are the physical affects these various building characteristics might have on how these people live their lives? Explain.


Closure:

Are there any characteristics of the buildings you would like to see adapted into our culture?



Assessment / Evaluation:

Students are provided a list of buildings and their characteristics with a corresponding list of cultures. Students should match the building characteristic to the appropriate culture. You can extend the assessment by asking open-ended questions regarding any one of the buildings and their impact on the culture.