Cross Curricular/Culture Unit

Fact File- Using an Atlas

Subject Areas: Social Studies, Library, Language Arts (reference skills)

Objective: Students will be able to use an atlas to find four geographic facts about Ethiopia.

Procedure: -Distribute an atlas to each student/pair of students. -Ask students to locate a map of the African continent using the index. Students

will then find Ethiopia on that map to gain a general sense of where the country is located.

-Ask students to locate a more specific map of Ethiopia, using the index.-Using this map, students will complete the Fact File (Appendix A1) by finding

four facts about Ethiopia, using only the atlas. Examples of facts can include capital city, major cities, bodies of water, neighboring countries, etc.

-When completed, students can present their findings to the class.

Note: If atlases are not available, distribute a copy of a Map of Ethiopia

The Ethiopian Flag

Subject areas: Art, Social Studies

Objective: Students will be able describe the Ethiopian flag using imagery or words to represent each color’s symbolism.

Procedure: -Display the Ethiopian flag (Appendix A2) -Ask students to identify the flag.-Explain the symbolism. The green stripe represents the land and growth of

crops. The yellow stripe symbolizes peace. The red stripe signifies war and blood shed. -Hand out a copy of the flag coloring page to each student (Appendix A3). Ask

them to draw pictures or words in each stripe to symbolize the concept the color represents and color the flag. (For example: in the green stripe, pictures of flowers, corn, a farmer, etc.)

Telling Time, Ethiopian Style

Subject Areas: Math, Social Studies

Objective: Students will be able to compare telling time the standard and Ethiopian way.

Background: Ethiopians also use a 12 hour clock, but it is centered around dawn to dusk hours. 7 AM is 1 in Ethiopian time because this is around the time when the sun rises and daylight begins. (8 AM is 2 when using the Ethiopian method, 9 AM is 3, etc.) 7 PM is 1, approximately the time when the sun sets. (8 PM is 2, 9 PM is 3, etc.)

Procedure: -Display 2 clocks. Set one to the current standard time and the other 6 hours later.

Ask students to determine the difference between the two clocks (a six hour time difference).

- Explain that Ethiopians tell time differently than we do in America. The second clock represents the current time, using the Ethiopian method. Describe Ethiopian time to students.

-Students complete the chart comparing standard and Ethiopian time (Appendix A4). - Review chart as a class and students complete the My Life in Ethiopian Time worksheet (Appendix A5)

Resources: http://www.linkethiopia.org/guide/travellers/travel_tips/time.html

http://www.ethioworld.com/CountryInformation/calendarandtime.htm

Ethiopian Calendar Years

Subject Areas: Math, Social Studies

Objective: Students will be able convert Gregorian calendar years (used in the US) into Julian calendar years (used in Ethiopia).

Background information: Ethiopia follows the Julian calendar. In the Julian calendar, New Year’s Day is celebrated on September 11th (Western calendar date) in non leap years and September 12th during leap years. It is approximately 8 year behind the western calendar. (Subtract 8 years from the Western calendar from January-September 11th or 12th. Subtract 7 years from September 11-12th until the end of December.) For example September 11th, 2009 was New Year’s Day for the year 2002 in Ethiopia. July 23, 2009 in the Western (Gregorian) calendar was during the year 2001 in the Ethiopian (Julian) calendar.

The Julian calendar also has 365 day (366 during leap year). It is composed of 13 months (12 months of 30 days and 1 month of 5 or 6 days)

Procedure: -Write the current date on the board with the Julian (Ethiopian) calendar year, 7 or

8 years behind. (For example, from January to September 11th in the year 2009 in the Western calendar is 2001 in the Ethiopian calendar. After September 11th, it is 2002) Ask the students to figure out what is different about the date.

-Explain that Ethiopians follow the Julian calendar. Use the example calendar chart (Appendix A6). Work as a whole class on examples until students grasp the concept. (For example: convert into Julian years the years when the school was built, they were born, the class started 1st grade, they will graduate, etc.)

-Students then develop a personal life timeline, documenting both the Gregorian and Julian years.

Further References:http://www.ethioworld.com/CountryInformation/calendarandtime.htm

http://www.ethioembassy.org.uk/fact%20file/a-z/calendar.htm

Rainy Season

Content Areas: Science, Social Studies, Math

Objective: Students will be able to compare and contrast precipitation amounts of Addis Ababa and Philadelphia, using a double bar or double line chart.

Procedure: -Distribute a copy of the Average Monthly Precipitation Charts of Addis Ababa

and Philadelphia (Appendix A7). Use rulers, tape measures, or yard sticks to help students visualize the precipitation amounts.

-Ask students to highlight which 4 months they believe make up the rainy season in Addis Ababa. (June-September)

-Students then create a double bar graph or double line graph using the precipitation data of the two cities. (Optional use of bar/line graph template- Appendix A8)

-Students then use the graph to answer the questions on the Rainy Days worksheet (Appendix A9, Answer Key Appendix A10)

Traditional Ethiopian Dance

Content areas: Dance, Social Studies, Physical Education

Objective: Students will be able to compare and contrast Ethiopian dancing with their own style of dance.

Procedure:-Show the class the following clips of various Ethiopian dances

http://vimeo.com/5301652 -While watching ask students to write down observations of what they see which

is similar and dissimilar to how they dance.-Create a class Venn diagram to illustrate these similarities and differences after

viewing the clip.-If space allows, students can try to imitate Ethiopian dancing. The following

videos are short promotional video in Amharic from a dance training company. It introduces the basics of many Ethiopian dances from different cultural groups.

http://www.ethiotube.net/video/4810/Ethiopian-Traditional-Dances-Training-Video-Guragigna-Wollo-Tigrigna

http://www.ethiotube.net/video/4811/Chifera-Vol-2-Ethiopian-Traditional-Dances-Training-Video-Oromigna-Welayta-and-Minjar

Jumping: A Marble Game

Content Areas: Physical Education, Social Studies

Objective: Students will be able to participate in a marble game called Jumping, which is a popular game in parts of Ethiopia.

Procedure:-This game is played outside. Split students into groups of 2-4. Spread out the

teams. Make a small hole in the ground (slightly larger than the size of the marble) for each group.

-Each student in the group is given a marble, preferably of different colors. Taking turns from the same distance away from the hole, students attempt to “shoot” their marble into the hole. To shoot, bend your thumb and curl your index finger around the thumb. Place the marble in between your thumbnail and the knuckle of you index finger. Push your thumb upward to shoot the marble.

-Students, alternating turns, shoots the marble from where it landed until it goes into the hole. First person to get their marble in wins.

Language: Amharic

Content Area: Social Studies

Objective: Students will be able use basic Amharic words and phrases.

Background: More than 80 languages are spoken throughout Ethiopia. Amharic is the official language of the country. It uses the Ethiopic (or Ge’ez) alphabet.

Procedure: Use Appendix A11 as a reference sheet for all phrases/words in the lesson below.

Greetings/Farewell-Greet students each day with the Amharic greeting “Selam” and ask them to respond with “Selam” as well. Selam means peace and is a common greeting in Ethiopia. Say good bye to your students using “ciao”.

Manners/ResponsesUse and encourage students to use Ameseginalehu (pronounced “Am-es-e-gi-nal-ehu” as thank you in class. Please is “Bakih” (pronounced ba-kih) when speaking to a male and “Bakish” (pronouned ba-kish) when speaking to a female. Yes is Awo and No is Yelem.

Numbers- After providing each student with a reference sheet, count with students and have them repeat each number.-After practicing these numbers, various games can be played such as:

Number Race- Teacher says a number word in Amharic. Students write down the number on their dry erase boards and hold it up. (Example: Teacher calls out the word “hulet” and students write 2 on their dry erase boards)

What did I roll?- In pairs, students take turns rolling a die. The student that did not roll says the number that was rolled in Amharic.

How many?- Teacher holds up some object (pencils, chalk, books, etc) and asks students how many things she is holding up. Students respond in Amharic. Once students become accustomed to the game, the student who correctly guesses the number of objects can then lead for the next round.

Religions of Ethiopia: Islam and Christianity

Content Areas: Social Studies, Religion

Objective: Students will be able to describe the two major religions of Ethiopia (Islam and Christianity) and find similarities and differences between the two religions.

Background Knowledge: The two major religions in Ethiopia are Islam and Christianity. According to the 2007 census, approximately 47% of the population is Christian and 45% is Muslim. These religions have coexisted peacefully in Ethiopia for many centuries.(Source: http://www.csa.gov.et/pdf/Cen2007_firstdraft.pdf)

Procedure:-Explain to students that the two major religions in Ethiopia are Christianity and Islam. -If resources allow, students can use computers to research information about both religions. If not, students can use Appendix A12 to understand the basics of Islam and Christianity. -Students then complete the comparison chart individually or in pairs (Appendix A13).

Ethiopian Coffee Ceremony-A Feast for the Senses

Content Area: Social Studies, Language Arts

Objective: Students will be able to describe the steps of the Ethiopian ceremony, using their senses.

Background: Coffee is an important part of the Ethiopian culture and economy. It is believed to be discovered in the Kaffa region of Ethiopia. Ethiopians enjoy their coffee and have many coffee breaks a day

Extra Materials: whole bean coffee, ground coffee

Procedure: -Ask students to close their eyes and make a “mind movie” as you read the Ethiopian Coffee Ceremony story (Appendix A14) aloud to them. -Distribute a copy of Ethiopian Coffee ceremony story to each student.-As a class, determine the steps of the Ethiopian Coffee Ceremony (Washing the beans, roasting the beans, grinding the beans, boiling the coffee, serving the coffee, and drinking the coffee) -Pass around a bowl of whole bean coffee for students to smell and touch. Explain that this is what the coffee looks like after the roasting stage. Then pass around a bowl of ground coffee. This is what the coffee beans look like after step 3: grinding.-Give each student 6 pieces of paper. Working individually or in pairs, students write the name of each step of the ceremony (one per page) and draw a picture of that step.-After completed, ask students to describe each step on the back of each sheet, using their senses (as both the participant and the performer of the ceremony). Because it is difficult in some steps to come up with something for each sense, I recommend asking students to use at least 4 sense statements. (For example: Washing the beans- feel= I feel the cool water, hear= I hear the water sloshing in the pan, etc.)

Additional Resources: http://www.ethiopianrestaurant.com/ethiopian_coffee.html

http://www.treats.com/gourmet_coffees_legend_of_kaldi.htm (Legend of Kaldi and the Dancing Goats)

Money Math- Birr

Content Areas: Math, Social Studies

Objective: Students will be able to convert Ethiopian Birr into US Dollars and vice versa.

Background: According to xe.com, the current exchange rate is 12.5 Ethiopian Birr for 1 US Dollar. Students should be familiar with rounding decimals to complete this lesson.

Procedure: - Explain to students that the ratio of US Dollars (USD) to Ethiopian Birr (ETB) is 1:12.5. - Do several conversion examples as a class. To get from ETB to USD divide by 12.5. To get from USD to ETB, multiply by 12.5. (For example: to convert 25 ETB to USD, 25÷12.5= 2 USD. To convert 4 USD to ETB, 4x12.5= 50 ETB)-When students grasp the concept, distribute the School Supplies sheet (Appendix A15) and the Shopping List Conversion chart (Appendix A16) to each student. Working individually or in pairs, students will convert the Ethiopian Birr prices on the School Supplies sheet into US Dollars and the US Dollar prices into Ethiopian Birr to complete the chart. In the total row, students determine how many Birr and Dollars they have spent on the supplies altogether.