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Step 1
Develop a lesson plan for the semester. A good introduction to African history can be to first get the students to learn all the 54 different countries in Africa. From there you can divide the continent up into four different parts; North, South, East and West Africa.
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Step 2
You should include something about the ancient kingdoms in Egypt and the first university city in the world, Timbuktu. Children love reading about the pyramids and mummies so this shouldn't be a hard sell.
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Step 3
Have your students look at a map that depicts what parts of Africa that was colonized by what European country. From this, have them write a report on a country of their choice and explain how you can figure that out without a historical map by studying what the country is like today.
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Step 4
Consider that the history of African dance and the contributions made to dances around the world could fill a computer based homeschool lesson plan for a year. The sheer beauty of the costumes, rhythm and music in combination is spellbinding enough to bring people from all over the world.
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Step 5
Discuss the slave trade with your students, but make it age appropriate. There's no need to give your young students nightmares. Don't hold back facts from this dark period, but there's no need to into great detail about the more gruesome things that went on.
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Step 6
Music is a huge part of African history and culture. Have your students listen to some traditional African music and talk about some of the common instruments used, such as the djembe and conga drum.
