Religion and Religious Change · SHS3 History

Lesson notes

Learning Objectives

Indicator: 3.3.1.LI.1 - Discuss indigenous African religious beliefs and practices.

By the end of the lesson, learners can:

Identify at least five key beliefs in indigenous African religion, including belief in a Supreme God, deities, nature spirits, ancestors, and life after death.
Describe four or more religious practices of Africans before foreign contact, such as prayer, sacrifice, festivals, and rites of passage.
Explain the role of women in indigenous African religious life, including their service as priestesses, medicine women, healers, and soothsayers.
Discuss how indigenous African religion sustained culture and livelihood in African societies.
Analyse which aspects of indigenous African religious beliefs have changed and which have continued to the present day.

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Curriculum details

Strand: Age of Encounter and Exchanges Up to the 20th Century (Strand 3)
Sub-strand: Religion and Religious Change (3.1)
Content standard: 3.3.1.CS.1 - Demonstrate understanding of the religious change and continuity in Africa. 3.3.1.LO.1 Use relevant historical sources in the environment to recount trends of change and continuity in African religious practices, establishing the impact on African societies.
Indicator: 3.3.1.LI.1 - Discuss indigenous African religious beliefs and practices.
Suggested placement: Semester 1, Week 19 (Week 19 of the year)
Our suggestion, laid out in curriculum order across three terms of twelve weeks. NaCCA does not fix the week, so follow your school's scheme of learning.
Curriculum reference: NaCCA curriculum document, p. 118

Exemplars (from the NaCCA curriculum)

Enquiry Routes: What was the nature of African religion before their contact with foreign groups? What were the religious beliefs and practices of Africans before contact with foreign groups? How important were these religious beliefs and practices to the African society?
Collaborative Learning:
- In pairs, learners create an outline of key African religious beliefs making references to earlier civilisations studied: E.g., belief in life after death, a Supreme God, deities, nature, ancestors, etc.
- Learners hold small group seminars on the religious practices of Africans before their contact with foreign groups.
Experiential Learning:
- Learners watch a documentary or pictures on African religious practices and discuss their observations in groups.
- In groups, learners act out the roles of females in indigenous African religious practices including serving as priestesses, medicine women, healers, soothsayers, etc.
Talk for Learning:
- In mixed-ability groups, learners discuss how African traditional religion helped to sustain African culture and livelihood.
- In a Snowball activity, learners discuss aspects of the indigenous African religious beliefs that have changed or continued over time.
Teaching and Learning Resources:
- Resource persons including traditional priests and leaders/ griots
- Primary source and secondary data including folk songs, photographs, and videos of indigenous religious practices.
- Primary and secondary source data on missionary activities including photographs, videos, documents, etc.
- Internet access
- Computers/ laptops, LCD projector/screen, video/ audio player
- Documentaries on Introduction of Islam and Christianity in Africa.
- Stationery
Assessment (3.3.1.AS.1). The document marks these depth-of-knowledge levels for this indicator: Level 2 Skills of conceptual understanding; Level 3 Strategic reasoning.