The Akan and the Manding. An Instructional Unit for Third Grade.

This teaching guide provides objectives, activities, resources, and evaluation criteria for a four-week minicourse on the Akan and Manding tribes of Africa. It is intended for use by third grade classroom teachers as they develop and implement African area studies programs. The objective is to help students overcome negative attitudes toward Africa and African heritage by exposing them to positive aspects of African culture in a classroom setting. The instructional guide is the product of a summer workshop for teachers on African curriculum development. Ten lesson plans are presented. Topics include African geography, stereotypes, distribution of Akan and Manding ethnic groups throughout Africa, and cultural and social organization of Akan and Manding people. Students are involved in a variety of activities including working with maps and globes, playing word association games, role playing, discussing issues in class, preparing Akan and Manding food, analyzing folk tales, and listening and dancing to African music. For each lesson, information is presented on objectives, basic skills, materials, time required, activities, resources, and evaluation. (DB)