Teaching Africa.

I am in charge of teaching Africa for our geography class at co-op this upcoming month. I think Africa is an awesome place to study!! I am using CHC's Continents plan as a guide. These are from the CHC Grade 2 Lesson Plans. Since we only meet once a week and my class is about 45 minutes long, I don't have the luxury to include lots of fun crafts and activities. I get to stick to the basics! Even then, I still get to cover some fun things!!

Week 1
Continent Outline: Students will identify, label, and draw. I'll be using Uncle Josh's Outline Maps to print out a map of Africa. Deserts, forests, oceans, mountain ranges, and lakes will be taught and located on the map.
Activity: We will be learning an African song, "Siyahama," that the students will perform at the end of the unit.

Week 2
Animals, Attractions, and Landmarks: Students will learn about animals that are native to Africa. Basic facts about the Pyramids, the Great Sphinx, and Victoria Falls will also be presented.
Activity: Each student will create a mural in which they will be able to glue pictures of animals and landmarks. We'll continue to practice our song at the end of the class.

Week 3
Saints: We'll be learning about African, Catholic saints, including St. Charles Lwanga, St. Monica, and St. Augustine. We'll be able to place where they were from on our mural of Africa. Kids will be able to take home some coloring pages to be completed at home for a coloring contest.
Activity: Continue practicing song for performance.

Week 4:
Unit Wrap-Up: We'll be reviewing the unit on our last day and collecting all saint coloring pages to be entered into a contest. The prize will be a goody bag filled with a surprise! Since there are about 18 students in the class, I'm thinking of dividing up the contestants into age groups. But no one will be empty handed as I'll also be presenting the class with their finished murals and some yummy African treats. Then we'll give all the parents a treat with our presentation!

African Recipes
Calas
This is a rice fritter recipe from western Africa. This will yield approximately 2.5 dozen fritters.

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups cooked long-grain rice
• 1/4 cup warm water
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon grated whole nutmeg
• 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 3 large eggs, lightly beaten
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 tablespoon powdered sugar

Preparation

Place the rice in a medium bowl. Drizzle warm water over rice; mash rice with a fork until almost smooth. Stir in baking powder, salt, and nutmeg. Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Gradually add flour and eggs to rice mixture, stirring with a whisk until well-blended.

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Drop rice mixture by level tablespoonfuls into pan. Cook 4 minutes on each side or until golden. Remove fritters from pan with a slotted spoon. Pat dry with paper towels. Sprinkle with powdered sugar. Serve immediately.