Melina Varney

Timeline

Curriculum Timeline
WEEK 1
Day 1
Reading
Quick-Write & PairShare What do you
think life is like in
Africa?
Class Discussion KWL
chart; What do we think
we know about Africa?
What are we still
wondering?
Activity Take two
column notes
(observations and
questions) on
photographs from
Africa
& discuss

Day 2
Reading
Think-Pair-Share What is
culture?

Day 3
Reading
Think-Pair-Share How
do we study other
cultures?

Read-Aloud Introduction
Africa Is Not a Country
by Margy Burns Knight
& debrief

Read-Aloud The
Sacred Rac
& debrief

Group Work Read

excerpts from Africa Is
Not a Country by Margy
Burns Knight; groups
make comparisons
between several African
countries

Writing
Quick-Write & PairShare What are some
pieces of your own
culture that may seem
strange from an
outsiders perspective?

Writing
Quick-Write & Pair-Share
What are important
pieces of your own
culture?

Activity Cultural
essentialism (lesson
plan 1); brainstorm
sentence starters for
talking about culture

introduce portfolio
assignment and
research project

Writing Workshop
meet with group
members; look through
sources; begin filling
out graphic organizer
about Senegals culture

Class Discussion What

are elements of culture?
Which of these
elements could we
research?

Day 4

Day 5

Reading
Think-Pair-Share
How can we
observe other
cultures in nonjudgmental ways?

Art
Think-Pair-Share Show
students pictures of Cheri
Sambas art; What do you
notice? What sticks out to
you?

Activity Take two

column notes
(observations and
questions) on
photographs from
Senegal

Class Discussion What

does Cheri Sambas art
tell us about West African
culture?

Class Discussion
What kind of
observations did
you make? What do
you think is going
on in the picture?
Were you able to
stay nonjudgmental?
Writing
Quick-Write & PairShare Imagine your
parents just told
you youre moving
to Senegal.
Describe your first
day of school in the
country.

Lecture/Brainstorm
Introduce project and
brainstorm topics. Task:
Think about your own
culture and how you
would want other people
to see it. Are there things
that you wish you could
change about it? Create a
piece of artwork about a
piece of your culture.
(Connect to SS study of
gun violence in the
community)
Project work on artwork

Melina Varney

Timeline

Writing Workshop
independently
brainstorm list of
elements they may
want to research; begin
looking at resources
key activities

performances of understanding

Writing Workshop
continue conducting
research and filling
out graphic
organizer
on-going assessments

WEEK 2
Day 6

Day 7

Day 8

Day 9

Day 10

Reading
Think-Pair-Share What
have you learned
about Senegalese
culture?

Reading
Think-Pair-Share Why
is it important to
learn about other
cultures?

Reading
Think-Pair-Share What
was the most interesting
thing youve learned?

Reading
Presentations groups
present their research
on an aspect of
Senegalese culture to
the class

Activity pictures
Senegal or America
based on evidence

Group Work read CIA

Factbook pages for
Senegal and the US;
take two column
notes: What stands
out to you? What do
you have questions
about?

Art
Think-Pair-Share In
[Senegal] ...everyone is
an artist because art in
Africa is not a commercial
enterprise but is part of
life itself. What do you
think this means?

Activity Google Maps

tour from Philadelphia
to Senegal
Writing
Quick-Write & PairShare What
similarities and
differences did you
discover between
Senegal and the US

Writing
Quick-Write & PairShare How has
learning about
Senegal influenced
your view of your own

Partner Work read poem

from Senegalese street
poet, annotate; What do
you think the main idea
is? What sticks out to
you? What questions do
you have?
Read-Aloud read poem to
whole group; talk about
students notes; watch
youtube video of poem
Writing
Quick-Write & Pair-Share
Imagine you just moved

Writing
Workshop final
reflection and
portfolio work time

Discussion share art from

Senegalese artists
Project work on artwork

Melina Varney

based on the picture

activity?
Class Discussion
influences of West
African culture on the
US
Writing Workshop
finish graphic
organizer; start
planning how to
present information
key activities

Timeline

culture?
Class Discussion
Dakar vs tribal culture
& graphic organizer
Writing Workshop
begin final product

from Senegal to the

United States. Describe
your first day of school in
America.
Writing Workshop
finish final product;
practice presentation

performances of understanding

on-going assessments