About The Curriculum
For three weeks during the summer of 2013 The African School will release our first online curriculum. The curriculum is currently titled Africans In America: Six Lessons You Haven't Learned In School. This online educational experience will guide students through a series of 6 lessons in African-American history (two lessons released each week) that are focused on three main areas: Business & Economics, Agriculture, Community Development.
Some of the features & benefits of this curriculum are:
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It's Online: Allowing students to participate wherever they are, even if they're traveling on summer vacation.
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Downloadable Worksheets: Lessons can be printed if the student prefers.
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Learning Journal: Participants can document what they learn into a downloadable booklet and use the info for any of their projects/homework for the upcoming school year.
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Guided Experience: Very easy to follow and is designed to have a parent or teacher assist the student through the process.
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No Previous Knowledge Required: It is a learning experience for both the young student and the parent/teacher who is following along.
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Certificate of Completion: Each participant will receive a certificate acknowledging that they have finished the program.
- It's Fun!
Our Goal
To create an online curriculum that not only teaches history, but makes the lessons relevant to today. So, for example, a lesson on master agriculturalist George Washington Carver will also ask the student to visit a local farm/garden in their area or to use what they've learned to nurture their own small plant.
Why
We are developing this curriculum for two main reasons. First, we see and hear the excitement of children and adults who have attended and enjoyed our workshops (see below for more info about our workshops). After our events we are typically asked if we have any lessons that they can work on at home. Secondly, we have been asked by people who do not live in our area if we could bring our workshops to them. Creating an online curriculum allows those in other locations to experience what we are doing.
What We Need
We are raising $5,000 that will be used to:
- Develop a website where participants can log in and access their weekly lesson.
- Pay educators who are helping to write the curriculum.
About The African School
The African School was formed with the purpose of creating opportunities for children and youth to learn about the histories and cultures of Africa and the African Diaspora that are typically not taught in most schools. The idea for The African School came when Tonya Poole realized that her then elementary school-aged daughter, and other school children of all ages, were not learning much more than an overview of these very important topics. Tonya began creating 3-4 interactive educational workshops annually, each with a different theme, that are designed to give students the learning experience they may not receive in school. The first workshop, titled "Discovering Our History Through Sound, Word, & Art", was facilitated by local artists and poets to teach history through their art forms. Another workshop focused on Ghana, South Africa, and the Caribbean, and was facilitated by people from these parts of the world who shared their cultures with workshop participants. Now The African School offers workshops for both children and adults.
Other Ways You Can Help
Please share the link to this campaign with others!!!! Thank-you for your support.