Educator Resources
Educator Workshops
Professional development workshops designed to help educators incorporate African content into the classroom.KASC develops a wide array of workshops open to all faculty, students, and educators interested in African studies and culture. In partnership with other KU Area Studies Centers or community organizations, we collaborate with educators, faculty, and community experts to host two-to-three workshops annually for Great Plains K-16 educators on a wide variety of pedagogical and curricular topics. These workshops are meant to help K-16 educators, students, communities, and educational institutions increase awareness and understanding of Africa. We also coordinate or sponsor over 80 events annually, such as lectures, symposia, film screenings, concerts and conferences, so there are many ways for you and your students to learn and engage.
Children’s Africana Book Awards
The Children’s Africana Book Awards (CABA) are presented annually to the authors and illustrators of the best children’s and young adult books on Africa published or republished in the U.S.
Lesson Plans
KASC has a collection of K-12 lesson plans available upon request that were created by teachers for teachers. Teachers can bring African culture to their classrooms through hands-on art projects to simulate traveling activities to engaging discussion.All of the activities in the lesson plans in the catalog can be replicated in the classroom, and any pedagogical materials can be requested from the center.
The following print resources of teacher created lesson plans are available by request. Please send an email to Charlotte Kukundakwe at kasc@ku.edu.
- Africa is My Home Lesson Plan (pdf)
- Akata Warrior Lesson Plan (pdf)
- Baby Goes to Market Lesson Plan (pdf)
- Black Dove, White Raven Lesson Plan (pdf)
- Chicken in the Kitchen Lesson Plan (pdf)
- Gizo-Gizo Lesson Plan (pdf)
- Mama Africa Lesson Plan (pdf)
- One Shadow on the Wall Lesson Plan (pdf)
- Sleep Well, Siba and Saba Lesson Plan (pdf)
- Soldier Boy Lesson Plan (pdf)
- The Bitter Side of Sweet Lesson Plan (pdf)
- The Matatu Lesson Plan (pdf)
- Wangari Maathai: The Woman Who Planted Millions of Trees Lesson Plan (pdf)
More Resources
KASC is happy to provide resources for classroom discussion and engagement with topics and themes surrounding African cultural awareness.
Looking for Africa-related books to incorporate into your K-8 classroom?
Here's a list of websites and selected books you can use to introduce your students to contemporary Africa.
Websites with a specific focus on:
Social justice issues - Visit the organization's website for books and resources on teaching about Africa.
Teaching tolerance - Visit the organization's website for resources (articles, guides, lessons, films, webinars, frameworks and more) on racial justice and equity.
Facing History prejudice - Visit the organization's websites for resources addressing racism, antisemitism, and prejudice at pivotal moments in history.
Books for K-3 Students
I lost my tooth in Africa by Penda Diakite and Baba Wague Diakite (2006) - Age 3+
A good book to talk about migration, home away from home, and the similarities we share as people, albeit draped in cultural varieties.
Mama Panya's Pancakes by Mary Chamberlin, Rich Chamberlin, and Julia Cairns (2006) age 4+
Placed in Kenya, this book sets an ideal context to talk about sharing and to introduce Kiswahili.
I Know That! by Maryanne Bester and Shayle Bester (2014) Jacana Books, age 4+
This book continues the Bester sisters' series featuring Gaps, the Nguni Calf. I Know That!teaches youngsters the value of reading, books, and learning.
Alternatively, the book provides an opportunity to talk about Nguni cattle and how they might differ from cattle elsewhere in the world.
Art
Smithsonian National Museum of African Art
The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, Kansas City, Missouri.
The Museum for African Art in New York
The Martin & Osa Johnson Safari Museum, Chanute, Kansas
University of Pennsylvania, Arts and architecture.
University of Virginia, Arts, aesthetic and meaning.
University of Iowa, Art and life in Africa online.
Recipes
A Cookbook of Uganda's Traditional Foods (pdf) [A printable A Cookbook of Uganda's Traditional Foods is available by request. Please email Charlotte Kukundakwe at kasc@ku.edu.]
African Recipes from the University of Pennsylvania
International Vegetarian Union African Recipes - 122 Vegan Sub-Saharan
African Recipes
Recipe Source: Online African Recipe Archive
The Africa Guide: African Cookbook
International Programs
Council on International Educational Exchange - "For U.S. students, faculty, and administrators, CIEE offers programs including study abroad, teach abroad, and faculty development seminars."
International Student Exchange Program - "ISEP, the first global student exchange consortium, is a worldwide network of over 300 higher education institutions in 50 countries cooperating to provide affordable access to international education for a diverse student population."
University of Kansas Office of Study Abroad
External Links
Kansas Council for the Social Studies
National Council for the Social Studies
International Relations Council
University of Texas, Austin Library System Collection of African Maps
National Capital Language Resource Center: Culture Club for Language Educators
Afrophile: Recommended titles on Africa for children and young people.
Africa Access: An online database that contains reviews and annotations of over 900 materials on Africa.
Database on Africana materials
Dogon Niger Lobi: Excellent pictures from several areas of Africa.
Teach and Learn about East Africa
Stanford University Resource Guide on Africa
H-AfrTeach- a discussion list whose mission is to provide a stimulating forum for those teaching or considering the possibilities of teaching about Africa at all educational levels.
H-AfResearch - a member of H-Net Humanities & Social Science OnLine. It encourages discussion of issues surrounding the use of primary sources in African humanities and social sciences research.
Wonders of the African World by Henry Louis Gates, Jr.- Join Gates on a journey to discover African history and culture
[PLACEHOLDER for Information about the EGARC film collection]
KASC supports the acquisition of resources that are housed in Ermal Garinger Academic Resource Center (EGARC) and KU lIbraries
Link to EGARC
Link to KU Libraries
Looking for Africa-related books to incorporate into your K-8 classroom?
Here's a list of websites and selected books you can use to introduce your students to contemporary Africa.
Websites with a specific focus on:
Social justice issues - Visit the organization's website for books and resources on teaching about Africa.
Teaching tolerance - Visit the organization's website for resources (articles, guides, lessons, films, webinars, frameworks and more) on racial justice and equity.
Facing History prejudice - Visit the organization's websites for resources addressing racism, antisemitism, and prejudice at pivotal moments in history.
Books for K-3 Students
I lost my tooth in Africa by Penda Diakite and Baba Wague Diakite (2006) - Age 3+
A good book to talk about migration, home away from home, and the similarities we share as people, albeit draped in cultural varieties.
Mama Panya's Pancakes by Mary Chamberlin, Rich Chamberlin, and Julia Cairns (2006) age 4+
Placed in Kenya, this book sets an ideal context to talk about sharing and to introduce Kiswahili.
I Know That! by Maryanne Bester and Shayle Bester (2014) Jacana Books, age 4+
This book continues the Bester sisters' series featuring Gaps, the Nguni Calf. I Know That!teaches youngsters the value of reading, books, and learning.
Alternatively, the book provides an opportunity to talk about Nguni cattle and how they might differ from cattle elsewhere in the world.
Art
Smithsonian National Museum of African Art
The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, Kansas City, Missouri.
The Museum for African Art in New York
The Martin & Osa Johnson Safari Museum, Chanute, Kansas
University of Pennsylvania, Arts and architecture.
University of Virginia, Arts, aesthetic and meaning.
University of Iowa, Art and life in Africa online.
Recipes
A Cookbook of Uganda's Traditional Foods (pdf) [A printable A Cookbook of Uganda's Traditional Foods is available by request. Please email Charlotte Kukundakwe at kasc@ku.edu.]
African Recipes from the University of Pennsylvania
International Vegetarian Union African Recipes - 122 Vegan Sub-Saharan
African Recipes
Recipe Source: Online African Recipe Archive
The Africa Guide: African Cookbook
International Programs
Council on International Educational Exchange - "For U.S. students, faculty, and administrators, CIEE offers programs including study abroad, teach abroad, and faculty development seminars."
International Student Exchange Program - "ISEP, the first global student exchange consortium, is a worldwide network of over 300 higher education institutions in 50 countries cooperating to provide affordable access to international education for a diverse student population."
University of Kansas Office of Study Abroad
External Links
Kansas Council for the Social Studies
National Council for the Social Studies
International Relations Council
University of Texas, Austin Library System Collection of African Maps
National Capital Language Resource Center: Culture Club for Language Educators
Afrophile: Recommended titles on Africa for children and young people.
Africa Access: An online database that contains reviews and annotations of over 900 materials on Africa.
Database on Africana materials
Dogon Niger Lobi: Excellent pictures from several areas of Africa.
Teach and Learn about East Africa
Stanford University Resource Guide on Africa
H-AfrTeach- a discussion list whose mission is to provide a stimulating forum for those teaching or considering the possibilities of teaching about Africa at all educational levels.
H-AfResearch - a member of H-Net Humanities & Social Science OnLine. It encourages discussion of issues surrounding the use of primary sources in African humanities and social sciences research.
Wonders of the African World by Henry Louis Gates, Jr.- Join Gates on a journey to discover African history and culture
[PLACEHOLDER for Information about the EGARC film collection]
KASC supports the acquisition of resources that are housed in Ermal Garinger Academic Resource Center (EGARC) and KU lIbraries
Link to EGARC
Link to KU Libraries