Early West African Societies
Chapter 5
3000 BC-AD 300
Pp. 108 - 125
The Geography of Africa – Map activity
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Section 1 – 2 Notes
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Standards Review
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Chapter 5 Test
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Student Signature
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Date
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Parent Signature
Standards:
HSS 7.4 – Students analyze the geographic, political, economic, religious, and social structures of
the sub-Saharan civilizations of Ghana and Mali in Medieval Africa.
HSS 7.4.3 – 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.
HSS 7.4.4 – Trace the growth of the Arabic language in government, trade, and Islamic
scholarship in West Africa.
HSS 7.4.5 – Describe the importance of written and oral traditions in the transmission of African
history and culture.
1
Section 1 – Geography of Africa
Main Ideas:
-
The Big Idea:
Key Terms:
– rifts:
– sub-Saharan Africa:
– Sahel:
– savannah
– rain forests
2
Section 1 Assessment:
1. Define: What is a savannah?
2. Contrast: How might living in the Sahel be different from living in a
rain forest?
3. Evaluate: In which African climate region would you most like to live?
Explain why.
4. Identify: What were two of early West Africa’s important mineral
resources?
5. Explain: How were these resources related to West Africa’s physical
geography (where were they found)?
6. Elaborate: Why do you think miners kept the location of the gold
mines a secret?
7. Summarizing: Complete the chart to describe the characteristics of
West Africa’s four climate regions.
Climate Region
Characteristics
Section 2 – Early Culture and Trade
Main Ideas:
-
-
The Big Idea:
–
Key Terms:
– extended family
– animism
Section 2 Assessment:
1. Identify: What are two groups to which a person in early West Africa
may have owed loyalty?
2. Analyze: How did animism reflect what was important to early West
African peoples?
3. Describe: How did the use of iron change farming?
4. Identify: What animal made trade across the Sahara easier?
5. Summarize: In what directions did the main trade items of West Africa
move?
6. Identifying Cause and Effect: Using the diagram below, identify two
reasons towns grew:
Effect: Growth of Towns
Standards Review:
Reviewing Vocabulary, Terms, and People: Fill in the term that best
completes each statement:
1. An area near the equator that has many trees and heavy rainfall may
be called a _________________________
A. Tropical area
C. Savannah
B. Rain forest
D. Woodland
2. The belief that natural objects have spirits is called _________________
A. Animism
C. Animalism
B. Vegetism
D. naturalism
3. The entire region south of a large North African desert is called
___________________
A. Drakensberg
C. Sub-Saharan Africa
B. Extended Africa
D. The sub-savannah
4. Between the Sahara and the savannah lies the ______________________
A. Rain forest
C. Zambezi
B. Inland delta
D. Sahel
5. Long, deep valleys formed by the movement of the earth’s crust are
called __________________
A. Chasms
C. Volcanoes
B. Rifts
D. Earthquake zones
6. A grassland with few trees where grazing animals may live is a
__________________
A. Savannah
C. Desert
B. Sahara
D. Meadow
7. If aunts, uncles, parents, grandparents, children and cousins live
together in the same household, these people are members of
_________________________
A. A group household
C. An age-set
B. A kinship home
D. An extended family
8. If a group of people has followed a certain custom for a long time, we
may say that the custom is _______________________
A. Timely
C. Traditional
B. In an age-set
D. Based on animism
9. Along what river did great civilizations develop in early West Africa?
10. How does Africa’s climate affect vegetation?
11. Today salt is not nearly as valuable as gold. Why do you think salt
was so important in West Africa?
12. What effect did the growth of trade have on some West African
towns?
13. What hard metal changed daily life in West Africa? How did it
change farming? How did it change hunting?
14. How were social groups defined in traditional West African cultures?