This week

This week in social studies we have been exploring the movement of ideas about agriculture and herding in sub-Saharan Africa. The years between 1000 BCE and 200 CE were marked by great technological innovation and demographic change in Africa south of the Sahara. Iron working techniques were developed and later diffused from Central Africa. This innovation occurred independently of the famous, earlier development we studied earlier in the week of iron working in Anatolia (Turkey).  New farming techniques, developed in earlier eras, spread with human migrations into territories previously  inhabited only by hunter-gatherers. Agriculture in this era, however, added new crops and livestock. Some of these items, for example the chicken, were introduced to Africa by Indonesian migrants and traders.

On Thursday and Friday, we used class time to do an activity.


Task
Tell the story of how your people came to be farmers, so the young people and future generations will know their history. Make your story interesting. Don’t hesitate to be creative. But as you are
being creative, use Student Handouts 3.2 and 3.3 to find out concrete details about your community, the people from whom you learned about farming and herding, and the crops and animals that now provide you with most of your sustenance.

There is a set of questions to be used as a guide and a rubric in the handout  given to students.  This assignment is due Monday 2/25.