Unit Two: Studying Africa through the Social Studies

Module Eight: Culture and Society in Africa

Student's Edition

Activity Four: Homework - Evaluate

Here are photos of two different families in Africa. The first family lives in a medium size city in the country of Zambia. The second family is from Mauritania, and they are nomadic herders.

Assignment 1

Choose one family and use your own creativity to write a short narrative about what you think their lives are like. You should base this information on what you have learned so far about Africa, but also use your imagination to make the story interesting. Conclude your narrative with a brief statement about what things we can and cannot really know about these people's lives by merely looking at a picture. How could you find out more about their lives? Put the stories in your Exploring Africa Workbook.

Assignment 2

Pick someone close to your age in one of the two families above to write an imaginary letter about what your own country's culture is like. You may want to explain to them what language(s) people speak, what kinds of families and communities exist, what religions are most common, or what people do from day to day. You can invent a name for the person or just start the letter "Dear friend." Place the letter in your Exploring Africa Workbook.

Assignment 3

Two lists have been made below. The first list is for your nuclear family. The second list is for those members of your extended family that you know. List their names, and write their relationship to you next to the name. For example, for your sister you may write: "Sarah Jones, my sister." You may need to ask your parents or another family members to help you with some of the names for extended family. Put the lists in your Exploring Africa Workbook.

Nuclear Family

Extended Family

Go on to Module 9: Economics in Africa or select from the other activities in this lesson.

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