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Middle School Programs
Building Healthy Core Learning
6
th Grade Social Studies, Unit 9
6
th Grade UNIT 9 OVERVIEW: Ancient Africa
Unit Outcomes
At the end of this unit, your student should be able to:
Key Vocabulary
Terms to deepen the student’s understanding
Explain how Mansa Musa’s conversion to Islam transformed
West African civilization.
Evaluate how the lack of salt but the abundance of gold in
western Africa impacted the people, goods, and ideas that
crossed the Sahara Desert.
Assess the influence of the extensive trade network that
spanned the Indian Ocean on East African city-states.
Determine the consequences of Portugal's efforts to control
gold and other valuable resources on the decline of West
African civilizations.
Illustrate the way West African folktales and art reflected
the peoples' history, cultural values, and religious beliefs.
Examine the impact the expansion of Islam into sub- Saharan Africa and Western Africa and how it radically
changed people's beliefs and way of life.
Aksum (Axum)
Deforestation
Caravans
Great Zimbabwe
Kush
Meroe
Timbuktu
Oasis
Savannah
Subsistence farming
East African City-States
Bantu
Ghana
Gold-Salt Trade
Griots
Nile River
Mali
Mansa Musa
Sahara
Songhai
Swahili
Monsoon
Proverbs
Key Standards Addressed
Connections to Common Core/NC Essential Standards
Where This Unit Fits
Connections to prior and future learning
6.H.2.4 - Explain the role that key historical figures and
cultural groups had in transforming society.
6.G.1.2 - Explain the factors that influenced the movement
of people, goods, and ideas and the effects of that
movement on societies and regions over time (e.g. scarcity
of resources, conquests, desire for wealth, disease and
trade).
6.E.1.1 - Explain how conflict, compromise, and negotiation
over the availability of resources impacted the economic
development of various civilizations, societies and regions
E.1.2 - Explain how quality of life is impacted by economic
choices of civilizations, societies, and regions.
C. 1.1 - Analyze how cultural expressions reflected the
values of civilizations, societies, and regions.
6.C.1.2 - Explain how religion transformed various societies,
civilizations, and regions.
Coming into this unit, students should have a strong
foundation in:
The migration of peoples across continents has
changed the course of history.
People modify the environment to meet their
needs by building structures suited to their
particular geographic features and trade with
others.
Religious beliefs influence governments, structures,
and practices of societies.
Civilizations develop different approaches to
acquire resources and conquer territory.
Civilizations’ social structures influence interaction
within society in both positive and negative ways.
Civilizations’ cultures are expressed through art,
architecture, and writing.
This unit builds to the following future skills and
concepts:
Create charts, graphs, and historical narratives to
explain pre-existing data, events and conflicts.
Establish the theme of a historical document by
determining nonfigurative meaning.
Use sources of information from multiple
perspectives to understand events or conflict.
Page 2 of 2
Middle School Programs
Building Healthy Core Learning
6
th Grade Social Studies, Unit 9
6
th Grade UNIT 9 OVERVIEW: Ancient Africa
Additional Resources
Materials to support understanding and enrichment
“Learning Checks”
Questions Parents Can Use to Assess Understanding
Discovery Ed Board: Ancient Africa
Learn NC Digital Textbook: Ancient Africa
http://www.ancient.eu.com/africa/
http://www.timemaps.com/civilization/African-kingdoms
http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/africa/features/storyof
africa/index_section4.shtml
What impact did key historical figures and cultural
groups have in transforming society?
What factors influence the movement of people,
goods, and ideas?
How do conflict, compromise, and negotiation over
the availability of resources impact the economic
development of various civilizations, societies and
regions?
How is quality of life impacted by the economic
choices of civilizations, societies, and regions?
How is culture reflected through the values of
civilizations, societies, and regions?
What ways did religion transform various societies,
civilizations, and regions?