Common Core
Africa, 400 A.D./C.E. – 1500s
Students analyze the geographic, political, economic, social, and religious structures of the civilizations.
7.13 Analyze the growth of Ghana, Mali, and Songhai kingdoms including trading centers such as Timbuktu and Jenne, which would later develop into centers of culture and learning. (C, E, G, H, P).
7.14 Draw evidence from informational texts to describe the role of the trans-Saharan caravan trade in the changing religious and cultural characteristics of West Africa and the influence of Islamic beliefs, ethics, and law. (C, E, G, H, P)
7.15 Examine the importance of written and oral traditions in the transmission of African history and culture. (C, H)
7.16 Analyze the importance of family, labor specialization, and regional commerce in the development of states and cities in West Africa. (C, E, G, H, P)
7.17 Explain the importance of Mansa Musa and locate his pilgrimage to Mecca in 1324. (C, G, H, P)
7.18 Compare the indigenous religious practices observed by early Africans before and after contact with Islam and Christianity. (C, H)
Primary Documents and Supporting Texts to Read: excerpts from Sundiata: An Epic of Old Mali
Key Ideas and Details
- CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RH.6-8.1 Cite specific textual evidence to support analysis of primary and secondary sources.
- CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RH.6-8.2 Determine the central ideas or information of a primary or secondary source; provide an accurate summary of the source distinct from prior knowledge or opinions.
- CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RH.6-8.3 Identify key steps in a text’s description of a process related to history/social studies (e.g., how a bill becomes law, how interest rates are raised or lowered).
Craft and Structure
- CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RH.6-8.4 Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including vocabulary specific to domains related to history/social studies.
- CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RH.6-8.5 Describe how a text presents information (e.g., sequentially, comparatively, causally).
- CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RH.6-8.6 Identify aspects of a text that reveal an author’s point of view or purpose (e.g., loaded language, inclusion or avoidance of particular facts).
Integration of Knowledge and Ideas
- CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RH.6-8.7 Integrate visual information (e.g., in charts, graphs, photographs, videos, or maps) with other information in print and digital texts.
- CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RH.6-8.8 Distinguish among fact, opinion, and reasoned judgment in a text.
- CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RH.6-8.9 Analyze the relationship between a primary and secondary source on the same topic.
Range of Reading and Level of Text Complexity
- CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RH.6-8.10 By the end of grade 8, read and comprehend history/social studies texts in the grades 6–8 text complexity band independently and proficiently.
Africa, 400 A.D./C.E. – 1500s
Students analyze the geographic, political, economic, social, and religious structures of the civilizations.
7.13 Analyze the growth of Ghana, Mali, and Songhai kingdoms including trading centers such as Timbuktu and Jenne, which would later develop into centers of culture and learning. (C, E, G, H, P).
7.14 Draw evidence from informational texts to describe the role of the trans-Saharan caravan trade in the changing religious and cultural characteristics of West Africa and the influence of Islamic beliefs, ethics, and law. (C, E, G, H, P)
7.15 Examine the importance of written and oral traditions in the transmission of African history and culture. (C, H)
7.16 Analyze the importance of family, labor specialization, and regional commerce in the development of states and cities in West Africa. (C, E, G, H, P)
7.17 Explain the importance of Mansa Musa and locate his pilgrimage to Mecca in 1324. (C, G, H, P)
7.18 Compare the indigenous religious practices observed by early Africans before and after contact with Islam and Christianity. (C, H)
Primary Documents and Supporting Texts to Read: excerpts from Sundiata: An Epic of Old Mali
