Five
Themes and the Swahili Coast
Annotation: This lesson is for middle school geography
students. Its purpose is to use
the Swahili Coast region to show an application of the 5 Themes of
Geography. The region itself is
defined in terms of location, the name itself, and the cultural characteristics
that make it unique. An emphasis
is placed on how the movement of people, goods and ideas has shaped it over time and continues to make this
a dynamic culture. Finally,
students will be able to explain what impact the movement theme has on their
own lives.
Theme: This lesson will apply the 5 Themes of Geography
to a specific place, the Swahili Coast of East Africa. It will primarily focus on the Movement theme,
showing how the culture has been influenced by many factors and continues to
change to this day.
Grade
Level: 8
Title: Cultures on the Move
Overview: Students will use the October 2001 National
Geographic article, “Swahili Coast”, to define the region according
to the 5 Themes of Geography. They
will then analyze how the movement of people, goods and ideas has shaped this
place. We will focus on how these
rich city-states were established because of trade with India and Arabia for
their natural resources. They will
also learn how movement affected the decline of this region’s economic
status and has continued to alter its appearance today.
Time: Two 50 minute class periods
Subjects: This is primarily a geography lesson.
Prerequisite
Knowledge: Students will have
recently learned what the 5 Themes of Geography are and what purpose they
serve. It will probably be
delivered early in the course.
Required
Materials: large wall map of the world,
atlases, class set of the Oct 2001 National Geographic magazine, Swahili
Coast worksheets, 5 Themes graphic organizer.
Optional
Technologies: the teacher may include
maps showing the religions of the world, the Indian Ocean trade routes, etc.
Objectives:
•Students will be able to define the Swahili Coast as a
region using the 5 Themes of Geography.
•Students will be able to show how the trade with India and
Arabia established a rich and diverse culture on the Swahili Coast that is
unique to Africa.
•Students will be able to describe several examples of “movement”
that lead to the economic decline of this region.
•Students
will determine if and/or how movement has affected their own culture.
Suggested Procedure (Pedagogy):
- Opening
•Read aloud the first paragraph of the article. How many people can picture these
places in their mind? What is
needed to gain some of the sailor’s perspective of these places? (Location—one needs to know
where they are to understand what he is talking about)
•Review the 5 Themes of Geography and allow students to try
to articulate their purpose. We
will be using a magazine article about a region of the world in order to
demonstrate how applying these themes helps us learn about and understand what
a place is like.
Location
The location theme provides a necessary context for beginning our
study of the region.
Locate places mentioned in the paragraph and later in the article:
•Assign student volunteers to locate the following places
using their atlas:
Arabian Peninsula (Arabia) Indian
Ocean India
Kenya Somalia Tanzania
Mozambique Oman Dar
es Salaam
Comoros Mombassa Mogadishu
Bombay Mangalore Lamu
Zanzibar
•Volunteers will draw large circles around these locations
on the large wipe-off wall map in front of the room. Their peers will check the locations in their own atlas. (see also p. 109 inset map)
•Hand out the 5 Themes graphic
organizer. Have students
write the relative location of the Swahili Coast
- Development
Place
•Read the paragraph again. Does knowing the locations help? What else is needed?
(students may reply that they have no idea what these places are like
so they can’t picture them).
•The Place theme helps describe the place using physical and
cultural characteristics.
•Read aloud the next 5 paragraphs and fill in the
“Place” section as a group by listing the physical and cultural
characteristics found in the section.
Add any other characteristics that can be implied by any of the
descriptions. For example,
“mosque” would imply that some are Muslim and
“coconuts” would imply a tropical climate.
•Discuss any terms that they don’t recognize, such as
“dhows”, “archipelago”, “monsoon”. Define and add to the lists.
Human Environment Interaction
•Briefly discuss the meaning of this theme and have students
brainstorm examples using the passages they have already read. For example, trade with India and
Arabia was due to the natural resources the land provided. (the environment affecting the
humans in a positive way) Add these to their graphic organizer.
•Ask students if they can imagine how this example can work
in reverse. In other words, how
humans have affected the environment in a negative way. (depletion of resources, pollution,
etc.)
Movement
•Briefly discuss the movement theme and brainstorm examples
of how this place has been affected by the movement of people, goods and
ideas. Add to the graphic
organizer.
1. people: sailors from other ports who marry
local women; local sailors who are influenced by the cultures of their port
cities; new languages (Arabic word “swahil” means coast—defined
the region), customs
2. goods: prosperity from trade, new
products such as spices, etc.
3. ideas: Islamic religion came from Arabia and
altered beliefs, lifestyles (called to prayer 5 times per day
Regions
Discuss definition
•helps to define a place as a separate region from the rest
of the world--what makes it unique
•can compare it to other places
•can be defined many different ways (physical, cultural,
etc.)
•can divide a region into smaller regions as well
Add to graphic organizer
Student Activity
•In small groups, read the rest of the article aloud,
pausing for clarification if needed.
•Answer the questions as a group on the worksheet
provided.
•Assign a 2 page summary of the region using the 5
Themes. Students should
1. describe the region using the Place
theme
2. describe examples of how trade with
India and Arabia created a rich and diverse Swahili Coast culture
3. discuss examples of how
“movement” lead to the economic decline of the region.
4. give an example of how movement has
influenced their own culture.
Closing
•Discuss examples of influences on our own culture, what
makes it unique, how it has changed and if how the movement theme has affected
our region.
•Students may begin writing their summary.
Suggested
Assessment:
Students
will be assessed on class participation, the Swahili Coast worksheet and the 2
page summary.
RESOURCE BAR
Definitions
dhow kofia
caps kanzu
robes bui-buis
mangrove monsoon sawahil archipelago
Geography
Standards 1, 4, 6, 13
Web
Links for Teachers and Students
Religions
of the world map http://www.anthro.mankato.msus.edu/cultural/religion/index.shtml
Muslim
dress http://www.nbccongress.org/facts/dress_b.htm
Discussion Questions (suggested answers to some worksheet questions)
1. What was the city of Lamu’s most important export until the early 1980’s? mangrove trees
2. What was this product used for? What qualities did it possess? house building/long, straight poles, termite and rotproof
3. Where did they ship this product to and why? Arabia—it was treeless
4. How did ship building technology affect this trade? Dhows were replaced by large ships that could carry hundreds of tons and were not dependent on the monsoon winds so they could come and go at any time of year. They soon overcut the forests
5.
Where there other outside influences that affected the market for this
product? The oil boom in Arabia allowed them to afford steel for their
homes, which replaced the market for mangrove trees
6. With the decline of their major export, what is now an important part of Lamu’s economy? tourism
7.
Is this new industry good or bad for the people of this old town? Explain. The older generation views it
as a threat to their ancient culture.
Younger people accept a balance of old and new, and
are comfortable with the dynamic nature of their culture.
Credits
Bob Manning
8th grade geography
Stillwater
Junior High School