• Materials
• Before the Lesson
• Internet Resources Directory
• Activities
• Extensions

1. For this activity, you will need an image of a piece of African art that everyone in the class can be observing at the same time. This can be achieved by:

• If all students can be looking at a computer screen (even several kids per computer), they can go to Image in the For Students section and do the activity while viewing the picture on the computer screen.

• Downloading and copying the Image. A black and white copy is fine if you don’t have color capability. You can also download it onto clear acetate sheets (available from places like Staples) for an overhead projector.

• If you have the Resource Guide for CAP in African Studies (a 3-ring binder), you will have either slides of African art, which you can project using a slide projector, or post cards, which you can use in an opaque overhead, or which you can photocopy. If you use an image from the Study Guide, you will find information on the chosen image either in the “Slide Guide” or on the back of the post card. But remember that everyone should be looking at the same image, not several different ones.

2. Computer Resources

Modem: 56.6 Kbps or faster.
Browser: Netscape Navigator 4.0 or above or Internet Explorer 4.0 or above.
Personal computer (Pentium II 350 MHz or Celeron 600 MHz) running Windows 95 or higher and at least 32 MB of RAM. Macintosh computer: System 8.1 or above and at least 32 MB of RAM.

The teacher will need to do the following before beginning this lesson.

1. Review materials list and make sure you have located, and, if necessary, printed and copied those necessary for this lesson.

2. Your knowledge of the online resources is very important. Review the online materials from the websites listed below. If appropriate, print out and photocopy student copies of the online material.

Click here for websites providing supplementary information for students on African art, culture, and geography, which will be necessary for completing the Research section of the lesson.

Every website we link to was visited by our team before we activated the link to make sure it's appropriate for children. But we do not monitor or control these sites and they can change. In addition, many of these sites may have links to other sites, which we have not reviewed.

A. Questions (20 minutes)

STEP 1: Show the image of the African object. Do NOT tell the class anything about the object at this point.

STEP 2: Designate one or more students as recorders. Their job is to write down each question as it is asked. Ideally, they should record the questions on a big pad of paper. But the blackboard will work as well. Depending on the age of your students and how fast they can write, you may decide to be the recorder yourself or designate another adult in the room.

STEP 3: Tell the class that you are going to go around the room and, as you come to each student, they are to ask a question about the image they are looking at. ANY question. There are no wrong questions. Give them a moment to think of several questions in case someone in front of them asks “their” question. Emphasize that they can only ask questions. They cannot answer questions or put their ideas in the form of a sentence. Questions only!!! Be strict about this.

STEP 4: Go around the room at least twice, pointing to or calling on each student. A student can “pass”, but make it clear that you will come back to them. You can contribute a question, too. Everyone can take their time. Be sure the recorder(s) is writing down all the questions. You and the students may be surprised at the number and variety of the questions, as well as how one question stimulates others.

Ask the class the following questions:

• What it was like just to ask questions and, not only NOT have to answer any, but not be allowed to answer any? (You may get a wide range of answers.)

• What happened when you listened to the questions of the others?

• What do you think the point of this activity is?

• What do you think the next step might be after doing this?

Note: Using this as a “warm-up” to looking at other African art, you can choose to stop here or go on to the steps below.

Look at your list of questions. Ask the class if they think any of the questions are related or could be put in groups. Create groups or categories of questions that are related by re-writing the questions by group on another piece of paper. Then ask the class to think of a name for each group of questions, i.e. “what it’s made of”, “what it’s used for”, “where it’s from”, “physical things” (size, weight, etc.), “emotions”. Write the title for each category above that list of questions.

STEP 1: Ask the class if they’d like to know the answer to any of the questions on the list. I hope they’ll shout “YES!” Read them the Information about the Image. Point out that that there is much more to learn about the object.

STEP 1: Now go category by category and ask them how they think they could find the answers to the questions they created. Some questions and categories will call for research and some, such as questions about what the object is thinking, feeling, or saying, may call for a more personal creative response. Please note that it may not be possible to find answers to all the questions.

Each student or group should pick a question or category they’re interested in finding out more about, guided by you to make sure that most, if not all, of the categories are covered. Ask them to choose from categories that probably have real answers. Therefore they should not choose a question from a category like “what are the feelings of this object?” this time around.

In the For Students section of this site, students can click on Research and find a series of links to maps. They can click on the area of the map the object is from and learn some basic things about the country or region and the people. They will also find other sites listed, which give information about the geography of different regions of Africa. Some of the sites found under Research have pictures, others only text. They can click on Art and go to one of several museum sites, including the Metropolitan Museum, where they may find something similar from the same culture that will help them in their investigation.

Depending on your students’ age and experience with internet research, you may want to preview these sites to see how the search process is set up and then explain it to them or help them as they work.

Of course, students can also do their research in books. You may want to collect some resource books on Africa from the school or local library to have in your room for this project. Or, having alerted your school librarian ahead of time, make a class trip to the library for this purpose (unless you find out that there are very few books on Africa there).

STEP 1: With the image projected or somewhere where the class can see it, have the students report on their findings. Check off each question as it is answered. Notice whether information beyond just answering the question is presented.

STEP 2: When everyone has made their presentation, discuss what new things the class has learned about the country or region that the object comes from.

Students can choose a question from the list that deals with the “affective” or emotional aspects of the object (or another piece of African art from the internet, the CAP Resource Kit, or other resources). They should write a short piece from the point of view of the object describing how it feels when it is used or not used, how it feels about what it does, the people that use or look at it, etc. Have students share their writing in groups or individually in front of the class.

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