Sahara Desert covers 1/4 of African 

continent, lies in the North

Geographic features of 

Africa

Equator

Physical Features of Africa

Opening AssignmentAfrica Vocabulary:Choose 24 of the following terms and randomly place on your BINGO sheet.  Leave room to define the terms or define them on the back.

• Plateau• Sahara• Sahel• Savanna• Tropical Rainforest• Jungle• Congo Basin• Great Rift Valley• Bantu• Bantu Migration• Oral Tradition• Griots• Matrilineal• Kush• Aksum

• King Ezana• Swahili• Great Zimbabwe• Shona• Ghana• Tunka Manin• Soninke• Mali• Mansa Musa• Timbuktu• Sonni Ali• Songhai• Mohammed I Askia• Sundiata

Reasons 

for 

Migration

Causes of the Bantu Migration

Bantu people spread throughout Sub­Saharan Africa

Equator

Bantu Migration Patterns 

Shade where the Bantu originate.

Draw arrows to indicate where the Bantu migrated.

Opening Assignment

Work on defining one row of terms on your Africa Bingo Sheet

Impact of the Bantu Migrations

Bantu peoples migrate throughout Sub­Saharan Africa

spread and evolution of the Bantu language throughout Sub-Saharan Africa

spread of Bantu culture as evidenced by folk tales, (Griots)

development of agriculture in Sub-Saharan Africa & spread of farming techniques

development towns and villages in areas previously inhabited by nomadic hunter-gatherers

hybridization of crops and introduction of new crops to new areas

spread of tools and weapons made of metal

"Headliner"On a separate sheet of paper, write a 1­2 phrase news headline explaining the 

connection of trade routes and migration patterns.

Thinking Like a Historian

Language Diffusion

mixing of different words and grammar structures between multiple languages

Learn about cultural values

folk tales and stories passed down from generation to generation (oral traditions), the Griots (traditional African story tellers)

Evidence of cross­cultural interactions

Musical instruments from AsiaTrade goods from different areas such as India & AsiaBlending of religious ideas

Evidence of agricultural development

Hybridization of different cropsIntroduction of crops from different areas (ex. bananas from Asia to Africa)

Evidence of a complex society complex towns & villages

Ticket out The door

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Explain how Bantu contributed to settled agriculture.

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G

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Language & Literature

Cross­Cultural Exchange

Agricultural Developments

Discovering Sub­Saharan Africa's Past

Patterns of Lifethe Culture of 

Sub­Saharan Africa

Settlements Role of Women

Religious BeliefsGoverning & Authority

Page 186

Opening Assignment

On a sheet of paper, list everything you already know about Ancient Egypt and civilizations along 

the Nile River

Kush Aksum

Kush

• along the Nile, region known as Nubia

• Important trade corridor from Red Sea to Nile

• Capital ­ Napata• close trade ties with Egypt• governed by a pharaoh for 500 years

• frequent conflicts with Egypt• taken over by the Assyrians (80 years)

• City of Meroe known for iron working

• build pyramids• develop written language• absorbed into kingdom of Aksum

Aksum

• along Nile, in the Ethiopian highlands

• controls trade between Red Sea and the Nile River

• known for trading:> ivory> gold> rhinoceros horns> glass

• minted its own coins• King Enzana converts to 

Christianity (Christianity comes to dominate Ethiopian highlands)

• strong military power• plagued by problems with 

agriculture & loss of farmland• loss of trade & territory first to 

Persia then to Islamic states

Learning Log

1.  What did I learn today?

2.  What did I find Interesting?

3.  What was the point of todays lesson?

Benefits 

of 

Trade

Kingdoms of Africa Features of Africa

Kush

Aksum

Great Zimbabwe

Swahili States Region

Ghana

MaliSonghai

Mark and label the following cities:

> Napata> Meroe> Aksum> Timbuktu> Goa> Mogadishu> Mombasa> Kilwa

Swahili States Great Zimbabwe

Location 

in 

Africa

Important 

Features

Important 

Achievements

East African Trading States

State Location in Africa Important Features Important Accomplishments

Ghana

Mali

Songhai

West African Trading States

Influential Leaders of Africa

Sundiata Mansa Musa