Resources for Educators
Lending Library for Educators
The African Studies Center has books and other materials available for teachers to borrow free of charge for their classes. Fiction and non-fiction works, for ages kindergarten through high school, are available. We also offer thematic book sets grouped by several popular themes. For younger readers, the books in these sets are primarily Children’s Africana Book Award winners which focus on themes such as Family, Folktales, Livelihoods, Childhood Pastimes, Environment and Farming, History, and Country/City Life. All our materials are available free of charge and the ASC will pay the shipping in both directions. The book sets can be reserved through the Carolina Navigators Reservation System.
Senegal and Kenya Culture Kits
Filled with hands on objects used in everyday life, the ASC’s Culture kits were designed in consultation with K-12 educators. Included in the kits are instructions for games, art projects, and recipes, as well as objects such as a school uniform and books, religious materials, household objects, and toys. The kits are free to borrow for K-12 teachers and the ASC will pay shipping in both directions. The culture kits can be reserved through the Carolina Navigators Reservation System.
Learning Boxes
To deepen understanding of the cultures and histories of African societies, the ASC offers Learning Boxes, featuring sets of African-themed novels for student reading. These are available free of charge to N.C. educators, and the ASC will pay the shipping costs in both directions. Each kit includes a class set of 30 books, background on the novel’s setting and theme, student reading guides, discussion questions, and activities.
The novels available are: Rise of the Golden Cobra, by Henry T. Aubin; No Turning Back, by Beverley Naidoo; Trouble in Timbuktu, by Cristina Kessler; and Burn My Heart, by Beverley Naidoo.
We also offer a Learning Box on the life and work of Wangari Maathai, a Kenyan environmental activist who founded the Green Belt movement. The box contains picture books, background materials, and a DVD appropriate for middle school ages and up which explores the activism of Wangari Maathai. All of these materials can be reserved through the Carolina Navigators Reservation System.
News for Educators
Middle East and African Cultures Teacher Fellows Program
The Middle East and African Cultures Teacher Fellows Program is a funded, eight-month intensive fellowship for teachers to explore Middle Eastern and African history, cultures, and diaspora through structured experiential learning experiences across North Carolina. The next session will take place in Spring and Summer 2023.
