Grade 6 term 1 classroom support

ACTIVITY PLANNING OVERVIEW

Subjects covered:

English, History (social sciences),

Connecting Classroom themes:

Core skills:

Analytical and critical thinking, communication, historical enquiry, creativity, writing skills

Learning outcomes:

1.      Learn by writing and drawing about Mapungubwe

EXAMPLE ACTIVITY: TRAVELERS DIARY

Research project

This activity is a great and fun way for learners to remember more about what they learnt on Mapungubwe. For this activity students will take on the role of a traveler like Marco Polo. They can be taking the role of a trader, a general traveler or someone visiting a relative who lives in Mapungubwe.

The will write a dairy of their stay in Mapungubwe. They should also draw what they see during their stay in Mapungubwe.

[Ensure the students have a bibliography attached at the end of their diaries. Using Harvard method.]

The students should write about at least 3 of the following areas:

1.      The geography of the city of Mapungubwe. How does the city look like etc.

2.      Trade practices – describe what was traded, with whom, using the river/ports used.

3.      Describe the society – rich and poor

4.      The history of the earliest settlers of Mapungubwe. For example: I was told by my brother that the very first citizens of Mapungubwe were here from 1000ad to 1300ad and were Stone Age settlers.

5.      Attending a burial in the city. Both a rich and poor burial – artifacts that will be buried with the person and location of the burial.

6.      Mapungubwe state – economy, king and queen. It was a global superpower because of trade and one of the state’s leading the first stages of globalization.

7.      Importance of gold in Mapungubwe

8.      Farming practices

Give points for creativity – how descriptive they are and the amount of research they put into their diary.

ACTIVITY PLANNING OVERVIEW

Subjects covered:

English, History (social sciences),

Connecting Classroom themes:

Core skills:

Analytical and critical thinking, communication, historical enquiry, creativity, writing skills

Learning outcomes:

1.      Learn through group activity about trade

EXAMPLE ACTIVITY: Traders

Research project/group project

This is a group activity. Divide the students into 4 groups – Mapungubwe trader, Chinese traders, Indian traders and Arabian traders.

Have the students do a group research project on trade. Have them cover the following topics:

1.      The bartering system (the beginning of trade before money was introduced)

2.      Trade – why did people trade?

3.      Trade and the beginning of globalization (How it connected cities, formed trade routes, Silk road etc.)

[Report must have a bibliography at the back. Harvard style referencing]

Role play as traders:

Give them a list of the items their country trade and what items their countries need from the others. (including the quantity they have and need of the items)

Have them colour/draw/write the items on strips of paper.

Each group should have a section of the class to themselves which if they want they can decorate according to theme with pictures etc. If possible they can dress up.

Give the students between 15 -20 minutes to roleplay as traders. See which group comes out on top and who doesn’t. At the end of the roleplay discuss how it was like to trade- was it easy of difficult etc.

ACTIVITY PLANNING OVERVIEW

Subjects covered:

English, History (social sciences),

Connecting Classroom themes:

Core skills:

Analytical and critical thinking, communication, historical enquiry, creativity, writing skills

Learning outcomes:

1.      Learn about the importance of rivers in the birth/and death of civilizations

EXAMPLE ACTIVITY: Civilizations and water : Rivers the lifeblood of a civilization

Research project

Set a research project for the students on why the relationship between rivers/fresh water sources and civilizations were important. They should present this on a poster board and present it to the class.

The civilizations the students can look at is: (if you want to make the presentation more varied)

1.      Mapungubwe

2.      Egypt

3.      Mesopotamia

4.      Any other civilization

It is important students cover why their location to seas/rivers/fresh water sources was/is important to these civilization for:

1.      Farming

2.      Trade

The report should cover the first settlers and also the death/decline of the civilization due to climate change etc.