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North Africa Lesson Plan

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Africa Unit: North Africa Lesson (Week 1 of 4)

This is week 1 of a 4 week hands-on unit study on Africa. This week's focus is North Africa. Dramatize the mummification process, carve clay cartouches, eat a Tuareg-style meal, make Moroccan Khobz, hold a Moroccan Berber fantasia and more!

My lessons are geared toward 4th-5th grade level children and their siblings. These are lessons I created to do with a weekly homeschool co-op. We meet each week for 2 ½ hours and have 16 children between the ages of 1-13. Even if you're not meeting with a co-op, you can still use these fun lessons with your family or classroom!

If you'd like more information on how you can start your own homeschool co-op or if you're curious how I operate my co-op, check out my lens: How to Start a Homeschool Co-op.

Introduction & Begin Making Moroccan Khobz

1. Opening: Pray & Introductions.

2. Begin making Moroccan Khobz. Each mom will lead a group of 4 children in making the below recipe. Children will complete all the steps. Moms will be there to tell children what to do if they have questions and will also make sure everyone in the group gets a turn.
ALL MOMS: YOU WILL NEED: 1 small mixing bowl or 2 cup liquid measuring cup, 1 large mixing bowl, 1 mixing spoon (preferably wooden), 1 rubber scraper, 1 cup measuring cup, measuring spoons, a rectangular baking sheet, and a kitchen towel. If you have a mat for rolling out dough, please bring that as well.
MOM 1: YOU WILL NEED: 8 tsp. sugar, ¼ c. yeast, 8 tsp. salt, 8 Tbsp. vegetable oil
MOM 2: YOU WILL NEED: 12 cups flour

Moroccan Khobz

Printable Version

Geographical Features of North Africa

3. Ask the children what they know about Africa. Have each child at least say 1 thing. Pass out atlases of Africa. Give 1 atlas to each group of 3 or 4 children. Discuss what children notice. Point out Sahara Desert and ask children what they know about deserts. Give each child a chance to respond.
MOM 3: YOU WILL NEED: 4-5 world atlases
It's a Big Big World

It's a Big Big World

by: Brierly

Amazon Price: $1.24 (as of 06/04/2012)Buy Now
Used Price: $1.24

This is our favorite atlas to use. It's large enough so that a group/classroom can see it, and it includes lots of relevant features to each map (i.e. pyramids in Egypt, diamonds in South Africa, etc.). My children love flipping through this atlas.

Egypt and the Bible

4. Have the children find Egypt on the map. Ask them who they can think of in the Bible who went to Egypt. (Abraham, Hagar, Joseph, Moses, Jesus, and others) Quickly relate how God used Joseph to bring the Israelites to Egypt. Read a book about Moses in Egypt. Mention that after Jesus returned to heaven, Mark (the one who wrote the Gospel of Mark) brought the Gospel to Egypt. Egypt was a Christian nation in the 300's but was invaded and overtaken by Arab Muslims in 639.
MOM 3: YOU WILL NEED: a book on Moses in Egypt
The Children's Bible

The Children's Bible

by: Golden Books

Amazon Price: $7.66 (as of 06/04/2012)Buy Now
Used Price: $0.03

We used the pictures from this children's Bible to relay the events of Joseph's and Moses' times in Egypt. The illustrations seem to be historically accurate.

Clay Cartouches

5. Quickly discuss clay cartouches. (You can find general information by reading http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cartouche.) In the most simple terms, they displayed the names of a king and were placed in tombs kind of like a gravestone. Give each child a small ball of clay. Have them flatten it into a rectangle. Then have children engrave their name onto a clay cartouche using hieroglyphics. (Find a simplified hieroglyphic alphabet at www.quizland.com.)
MOM 4: YOU WILL NEED: self-hardening clay*, wax paper, toothpicks, hieroglyphic alphabet sheets, the names of the youngest children already printed off in hieroglyphics (*Ahead of time divide up the pieces of clay so that you already have 1 piece per child.)

Mummification Process Description

6. Describe the mummification process.
  • Quickly discuss pyramids and mummies by flipping through some of "Mummies Made in Egypt" by Aliki.

  • Ask the children which organ they think is the most important. The Egyptians thought the brain was a useless organ, so they removed it by poking a stick up the nose of the deceased and have the brain drain out. (Pass around a clothes wire hanger.)

  • Then they removed the organs and placed them individually in canonic jars. These needed to be preserved for the afterlife.(Pass around a homemade version of a canonic jar).

  • They thought the heart was the most important organ, so they removed it and weighed it. Ask, "Would a heart always weigh more than a feather?" If the heart weighed more than a feather, then the person was deemed good. They then put the heart back inside the dead person's body. (Pass around a feather.)

  • Hold up a container of salt. Ask, "What is this used for?" Next the person's body was placed in a natron bath and/or their insides were packed with natron (now that the organs hand been removed.) Natron is kind of like a mixture of salt and baking soda. There was plenty of it found along the Nile River. It helped to remove the water from the body so that the body wouldn't decay.(Pass around a container of salt.)

  • Ask, "Who's ever smelled a piece of uncooked meat or chicken fat that's been sitting in the trash can for more than a day? How does it smell?" (If desired, pass around a Ziploc bag that is holding a piece of chicken fat or raw meat that has been sitting out for more than a day.) If they hadn't used the natron bath, the body of the deceased would have started smelling like this pretty quickly.

  • After 40, the body may have significantly less moisture. If the person had originally weighed 160 pounds, they would now only weigh 60 pounds! They still might stink a bit, though. They removed the body from the naton bath. Sometimes they removed the natron and filled the insides with strips of linen and sawdust (since the organs were gone). They would clean the body and add good-smelling spices like cinnamon, frankincense, myrrh, and other items. Frankincense and myrrh are used to make perfume. (Pass around a container of cinnamon and perfume.)

  • If the person was rich, like a pharaoh, the priests might lay individual gold "cups" over each finger and toe.

  • Then they started wrapping up the body in strips of linen. (Pass around a piece of clothing made of linen and/or sports wrap.) They carefully wrapped each individual body part. They wrapped the thumb a few times, and then the index finger, and then the middle finger, and so on. Occasionally they would add amulets, which were like lucky charms or idols that they thought would protect the body. (Pass around small animal figurines or toys.) They continued this until they covered the entire body in at least a few layers of linen. They used about 20 pounds of linen on 1 body!

  • Ask, "What do you like to do at parties?" A few hundred years ago, some rick people would hold mummy unwrapping parties. They would buy a mummy from Egypt. All the guests got to take turns unwrapping some of the mummy. If they unwrapped an amulet, they got to keep it. The amulets were like party favors.

  • Finally, they would add a mask. The Egyptians believed that after a dead person's soul journeyed through the afterlife, they came back to look for their body. If they couldn't recognize their body, the wandering soul didn't get to return to the body. That's why they believed they needed to preserve the body and place a face mask over it.
MOM 1: YOU WILL NEED: wire clothes hanger, a homemade version of a canonic jar (I used a flower vase painted gold and placed an animal puppet on the top so that the animal head would stick out), feather, a container of salt, a Ziploc bag that is holding a piece of chicken fat or raw meat that has been sitting out for more than a day (optional), a container of cinnamon and perfume, a piece of clothing made of linen and/or sports wrap, small animal figurines or toys

7. Compare Egyptian beliefs after the afterlife to what the Bible teaches.
Mummies Made in Egypt (Reading Rainbow Books)

Mummies Made in Egypt (Reading Rainbow Books)

by: Aliki

Amazon Price: $2.85 (as of 06/04/2012)Buy Now
Used Price: $0.01

My family read through MANY books on the mummification process, and this was our favorite!

Favorite Books on Ancient Egypt

We read MANY books on Ancient Egypt. These were our favorites.

There are so many great books out there on Ancient Egypt! A few more that we loved include "Pharaoh's Boat" by David Weitzman, "The Mystery of the Hieroglyphs" by Carol Donoughue, "Seeker of Knowledge: The Man Who Deciphered Egyptian Hieroglyphs" by James Rumford, "The Egyptian Cinderella" by Shirley Climo, "The Shipwrecked Sailor: An Egyptian Tale with Hieroglyphs" by Tamara Bower, "Pepi and the Secret Names" by Jill Paton Walsh, "Tutankhamen's Gift" by Robert Sabuda, "Bill and Pete Go Down the Nile" by Tomie dePaola, "The Winged Cat: A Tale of Ancient Egypt" by Deborah Nourse Lattimore, "Pyramid" by David Macaulay, & "The 5,000-Year-Old Puzzle" by Claudia Logan.
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Dramatize the Mummification Process

8. Dramatize mummification process. Divide children into groups of 3-4. Hand each group a roll of toilet paper and have each group wrap up 1 person in their group as a mummy. The first team to wrap up the entire person wins.
MOM 2: YOU WILL NEED: 1 roll of toilet paper per group

Favorite Books on Modern Egypt

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Shape Dough & Review Egypt

9. Return to the kitchen and get back into groups of 4. Shape the dough. Divide the dough equally among the children. Have each child use the palm of their hand to flatten the dough into a circle about 1/4" thick. Lay the circles on the prepared baking sheet. Cover with a towel, and leave to rise about one hour, or until the dough springs back when pressed lightly with a finger.

10. Quickly review what we learned about ancient Egypt and the Sahara Desert.

Tuaregs & Veils

11. Quickly look at pictures of & discuss Tuaregs (twah regs), nomads who live in the Sahara Desert. They were also know as the blue people because Tuareg men usually wore scarves dyed blue with indigo around their faces. Sometimes the dye would come off on their skin, so their skin would be blue. We'll experience that next week when we make Nigerian tie-dye shirts. Tuaregs were also know as "people of the veil" because the men wore veils around their faces.

***Divide up the boys and the girls.***

12. Boys: Go outside and head each boy a scarf. Help each boy use a scarf to cover their face like Tuareg men do. (See pictures of Tuareg men by going to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tuareg_people.) We tied the scarf by first putting them around their heads with a "pony tail" of scarf in the back. We twisted up the "pony tail" and then crossed it in front of their faces below their eyes and tucked it in the other side of their faces near their ear. Tuareg men start wearing scarves around the age of 15 when they were considered a man. Ask, "Why do you think men would wear a veil?" (It keeps the sun from burning their faces, the sand from blowing into their noses and mouths, and keeps people from recognizing them - which was important when they used to be raiders/thieves.)
MOMS 3: YOU WILL NEED: 1 scarf per boy

Tuareg Tents

13. Boys: Divided the boys into groups of 4. Have each group of boys set up a tent outdoors using whatever materials we have and then lay out 8 "mats" in each tent. Secretly toss in a few toy scorpions onto the mats. Discuss how Tuaregs are nomads who live in the Sahara Desert. In order to provide food for their goats and camels, they must travel around the desert since plants are scarce. They live in tents. Mats are on the floor and the servants sweep them and shake them out several times a day to rid them of scorpions. You can see pictures of tuareg tents at www.travelblog.org and http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tuareg_people
MOM 4: YOU WILL NEED: tent-making materials (pop-up tents, sheets, broomsticks, etc.), 1 "mat" per child (towels, placemats, etc.), & toy scorpions (optional)

Tuareg-Style Meal Preparations

14. Girls: While boys work outside, have the girls work in the kitchen to prepare a Tuareg-style meal of millet/couscous, dried dates, goat cheese (optional), and goat milk. Divide girls into 2 groups.

Group A: Prepare 1-2 boxes of couscous according to the package directions. While you wait for the water to boil you can mention that couscous is tiny grains of dough rolled from barley or millet. Millet is the Tuareg's staple food, which means that's what they eat the most. When the couscous is ready, divide it among the 2 trays/large plates that should already have a ring of dried dates and goat cheese. The couscous will go in a heap in the middle of the plate/tray.
MOM 1: YOU WILL NEED: couscous (sold near dried pasta & rice), saucepan, boiling water, salt, & mixing spoon

Group B: While Group A prepares the couscous, pour a small amount of goat's milk into disposable cups (1 cup per child) and place the cups on 2 trays. Tuaregs drink goat milk or camel milk. Ask, "Why wouldn't they drink cow's milk?" (Cows require too much grass to eat. Since they live in a desert, they have animals like goats and camels which can tolerate the desert heat and conditions.) Have them divide up dried dates and goat's cheese (if using) between 2 trays. The couscous will go in a mound in the middle of the plate. Have them place 8 plastic spoons on each food platter. While many Northern Africans eat with their fingers, Tuaregs use wooden spoons to eat their food. We'll pretend the plastic spoons are made of wood.
MOM 2: YOU WILL NEED: dried dates, goat's cheese (sold near specialty cheeses in grocery store or Wal-Mart), goat's milk (purchased at Wal-Mart next to regular milk), cups, platters/dinner plates, & plastic spoons

Favorite Books on the Sahara Desert

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Bake Bread, Tuareg-Style Meal, and Greeting

15. MOM 3: *While children go outside* begin baking the Moroccan Khobz. You will do this without the assistance of the children. Preheat the oven to 435°F. Score the top of the bread with a very sharp knife to form a large X, or poke the dough with a fork in several places. Bake the bread for about 15 minutes - rotate the pans about halfway through the baking time - or until the loaves are nicely colored and sound hollow when tapped. Transfer the bread to a rack or towel-lined basket to cool. (*You can join us for the on-going activities, but please keep an eye on the bread. Rotate them in the oven every 7 minutes and keep baking the loaves until all the loaves have been baked.)
MOM 3: YOU WILL NEED: a sharp knife

16. Tuareg-style meal: Divide children between the 2 tents. Have the girls bring the food and drinks outside to serve in the tents. Tuaregs, like many Africans, eat communally. That means everyone eats from the same dish. Eat the "meal" in tent which discussing what and how Tuaregs eat. Remember that boys must continue to wear their veils, though they can pull them down from around their mouths. Also, be sure to look out for scorpions!

17. Tuareg Greetings: After the "meal" have everyone come out of their tents. Explain that when the Tuareg meets a friend they don't shake hands. Instead they brush right palms against each other and then each person withdraws his hand quickly and snaps his fingers against his palm. Have everyone find a "friend" in the group and practice this greeting a few times.

18. Remind children that Tuaregs are nomads, so they must frequently break down their tents and move them in order to find plants for their animals. (If time allows) Break down tents and go back inside.

Moroccan Berbers & Fantasia

19. Point out Morocco on a map and quickly discuss it using pictures from a book. Many Berbers live in Northern Africa, including Morocco. Unlike Tuaregs, Berbers are Muslim. The men can remove their veils. Now the girls must cover their faces or at least heads with veils and scarves.

20. MOM 4: *While children are outside* prepare items for Bedouin Tea Time. Pour sweetened mint tea into disposable and place cups onto 2-3 trays/plates. Place fried eggs on 2-3 platters/plates include a small plate of olive oil. If all the knobz hasn't been baked yet, slice the baked knobz into 2-3 pieces. Place at least 8 pieces of knobz on each platter.
MOM 4: YOU WILL NEED: olive oil, cold sweet mint tea, disposable cups, sharp knife, 4-6 platters/plates, & fried eggs (1 for every 2 children)

21. Execute a Moroccan Berber fantasia, a cavalry charge. Go outside. Have the children line up in 4 lines. Tell the children Moroccan Berber's participate in a cavalry charge which they call fantasia. It's kind of like a medieval jousting tournament, but instead of armor, the men wear white jellabas. Have 4 children go at a time. Each racer will wear a white long-sleeved shirt, hold on to a stick horse, and hold a "rifle." (If we're able to get 4 water guns for the rifles, fill them with water ahead of time.) You will stand at the finish line holding a white "turban." At the drop of the turban, the children will race on their "horses" to the end of the field and then pretend to shoot a "rifle." If we have water guns, we can lay out 4 targets for them to shoot at with their water guns. Have the first group return to the starting lines and pass off the white shirts, stick horses, and rifles to the next children in line. Repeat until all children have had a chance to charge. (See a picture of a Berber fantasia at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fantasia_(culture).)
(Note: Girls can take off their scarves for this event since they'll have to pretend to be men as only men participate in Berber Fantasias.)
MOM 1: YOU WILL NEED: white shirts, stick horses, a white "turban", & rifles/water guns

Favorite Books on Morocco

A few other great picture books on Morocco include "The King's Fountain" by Lloyd Alexander, "Mint Tea in Morocco" by Geoff Ellsworth, "Kassim's Shoes" by Harold Berson, and "The Bachelor and the Bean" by Shelley Fowles. "Morocco" by Annette Solyst is a 96 page book full of beautiful photographs that capture life in modern day Morocoo. "Risking the Forbidden Game: Maude Cary" (Trailblazer Books) by Dave Jackson and Neta Jackson is a great 160 page historical fiction chapter book that focuses on a Christian missionary to Morocco.
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Bedouin Tea Time

22. (If you are not limited by time) Move the tent materials to another location. Emphasize that Bedouins, like Tuaregs, are nomadic Arabs. Have children set up the tents again, but in a different place.

23. Bedouin tea time: Because the Bedouins are Muslim, girls and boys do not eat together. Divide the girls & boys into separate tents or into separate parts of the room if there was not time to set up the tents again. When a guest arrives at a Bedouin tent, they are served at least 4 cups of very sweet mint tea. Just like the Tuaregs, they eat communally, all from the same platters. Instead of using wooden spoons, Bedouins use bread (knobz) to scoop up their food. They also only use their right hands to eat. Serve communal olive oil and fried eggs, common afternoon snack foods in Morocco.

24. Review what we learned about North Africa.

Optional Lapbook and Map Homework

If you'd like to do more at home, you can create a lapbook or map or play a geography game using one of the below resources.

Free Lapbooks:
Modern Egypt Lapbook
Ancient Egypt Lapbook
Ancient Egypt Lapbook
Africa Lapbook

Free Printable Map:
Map of Africa (*We printed this off and wrote in & colored the Nile River, Mediterranean Sea, and Red Sea. We glued yellow sugar crystals over where the Sahara Desert would be and added a pyramid near the Nile. You can make a pyramid out of paper. We used a pyramid-shaped container that held a tea bag.)

Free African Geography Computer Games:
African Geography Tour Computer Game
African Brainteaser Computer Game
African Map Puzzle Computer Game

Lessons in My Africa Unit

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  • JoyfulPamela Nov 22, 2011 @ 7:25 am | delete
    Very cool! We are currently finishing an ancient Egypt / desert unit, so your fun ideas will be a great way to wrap it up (pun intended, sorry)! =D Thanks for adding my page.
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iijuan12

I was an 8th Grade American History teacher and now I am a homeschooling mom of 5. I love finding activities that appeal to kinestic learners, storybo... more »

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