North Africa: Society and Culture

Students are introduced to the scope of North African cultures. Then they read and discuss contemporary life in North Africa. Next, students learn about the issues of children's education in North Africa, including gender discrimination. Finally, students research children's rights in one of the North African countries and write a letter in response.

This learning experience is designed for device-enabled classrooms. The teacher guides the lesson, and students use embedded resources, social media skills, and critical thinking skills to actively participate. To get access to a free version of the complete lesson, sign up for an exploros account.

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Overview

In this experience, students explore the range of cultures found across North Africa and research the cultural features of one country or territory. They then examine contemporary life in the region, including differences in urban and rural experiences and changing social roles. Finally, students analyze factors that can affect access to education, including gender, income, and location, and consider how education can shape individual opportunities and social change.

Objectives:

Describe cultural life in North Africa today
Explain educational and other challenges facing children in North Africa

North Africa is home to many societies and cultural traditions shaped by history, religion, language, family life, art, and everyday customs. Although countries in the region share some cultural influences, each has its own traditions and social patterns.

In this experience, you will examine different aspects of society and culture across North Africa, including the lives, opportunities, and challenges of young people in the region.

Objectives:

Describe cultural life in North Africa today
Explain educational and other challenges facing children in North Africa

painting of a snake charmer and a drummer with two onlookers

Culture can be seen in many parts of everyday life, including language, religion, clothing, food, music, architecture, traditions, and community activities.

Watch the video Destination: North Africa. As you watch, identify cultural markers you notice and record examples that show how people across North Africa express culture in everyday life.

What cultural markers did you notice in the video about North Africa?

Post your answer

After students respond, invite several students to share one cultural marker they identified and explain what they think it reveals. Record examples from different categories, such as language, religion, clothing, food, music, architecture, traditions, or community life.

Use the discussion to reinforce that a cultural marker is evidence of culture, but one example does not represent every person in a country or across North Africa. Encourage students to notice both shared influences and differences across the region.

Possible follow-up questions include:

Which cultural markers appeared more than once in the video?
What do these examples suggest about everyday life in different parts of North Africa?
Which markers seem connected to religion, language, history, or geography?
Did you notice any cultural markers that seemed unique to a particular place?
Why should we be careful about using one image or example to describe an entire country or region?
What additional evidence would help you better understand the cultures of North Africa?

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