We continued our study of African geography last week. We covered the history of the great African empires of the Mali and Songhay and the powerful economic centers of the western Sudan that resulted from the trans-Saharan trade routes. We also learned about how the spread of Islam impacted west Africa during this time. Continuing with our theme of learning through biography, we studied the stories of Sundiata and Mansa Musa. The students were able to make connections between the African empires and what we learned about ancient Roman history last year. They also made connections with some of the Chinese dynasties we studied earlier in the fall. It is exciting to see them take the material in and have the depth of understanding that allows them to see trends in humanity across centuries and across the world.
We jumped ahead a few centuries and drew a map of Africa showing the current countries and borders. This exercise set the stage for the students' country report assignments. We discussed the pros and cons of doing one in-depth country report per student and decided that we'd like to learn about more countries, so each student will be doing a short report on five countries. They will share their research with the class, and we will be able to cover over half of the countries this way. So far, they seem to be enjoying their research, and they are learning about the complexities and impacts caused by the colonial political borders on the peoples whose traditional lands span areas outside of those borders. This assignment is also strengthening project management and organizational skills. We've discussed timelines and pacing with some guiding dates, but they are ultimately responsible for their own pacing on this assignment. I look forward to hearing them share their reports and their work process!
In math, we continued our work with polynomials. The equations are getting more complex, so I've slowed the pace to allow for plenty of time for understanding, review, and confidence-building.
We are reading the memoir The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind, and we're all feeling it very deeply. We are reading the Young Reader's edition, but there is an adult version of the book if you would like to read along with us. It is an uplifting and inspirational story for all ages.
