Estimated Time

Content

Materials

5 mins.

Introduction (“Ignite”) 

Have students read aloud the learning targets:

• I can describe how European-imposed borders led to problems for Somalia.  

• I can compare/contrast Somalia’s border issues with ethnic border conflicts in Africa as a whole.

Slide #1

(skip slide #2) 

Slide #3

10 mins.

DOK 3

Geographic Review: (“Chunk”)

Review Somalia’s key geographic location at the intersection of the Red Sea, Gulf of Aden, and Indian Ocean.

• Discuss the colonization of Somali areas by Italy (Italian Somaliland) and Britain (British Somaliland), focusing on the economic investments made by Italy versus the British neglect.
• Share about the nomadic patterns (north) versus agricultural (i.e. more settled) practices of the agrarian (south).
• Ask what cultural differences might result from these patterns…?
• Introduce the concept of Aqal Soomaali (a Somali thatched hut that is transportable and often adorned by weavings) and show 2 minute video from the Somali Museum of MN. Why does this seem like a good housing choice for the Somalis?

Slide #4

Slide #5

Slide #6

15 mins.

DOK 3

Mapping Activity/Case Study (“Chew”)

Provide students with maps of Somalia and its colonial divisions, which emerged after the dynastic era in Somalia.

Ask if anyone can describe the difference between colonization and imperialism… (Note that colonization can be a manifestation of imperialism.)

Then have students identify key geographic features, colonial borders, and regions affected by European imperialism.

Discuss how these borders created divisions among the Somali people.

maps of Somalia (either online or as print-out)

Slide #8

Slide #9

10 mins.

Political Cartoon Analysis: Turn and Talk

Have students take a moment to absorb the political cartoon drawing by themselves.

Then have them turn and talk with their neighbor about what they see in it.

Solicit feedback from the pairs, aiming to extrapolate from them the difference between colonists as gold diggers and the end result being imperialism, on the part of Europe and the U.S. Have students discuss who has power and privilege and WHY in this depiction of the relationships between Europe, the U.S., and Africa.

Slide #10

10 mins.

DOK 4

Class Discussion

Discuss how the division of Somalis created problems, including the concept of Pan-Somalism and conflicts like the Shifta War and the Ogaden War. (The Shifta War – fought from 1963–1967 – was a guerrilla insurgency primarily affecting Kenya. The Ogaden War was a conventional interstate war between Somalia and Ethiopia fought from July 1977 to March 1978.)

Ask students to think critically about the impacts of these conflicts and the historical context of Somali-Kenyan relations.

Slide #11

Slide #12

5 mins.

DOK 3

Exit Ticket:   (“Review”)

Ask students to respond to the following question: “How did European-imposed borders contribute to the ethnic conflicts in Somalia?”

Scrap paper

Estimated Time

Content

Materials

5 mins.

Recap of Previous Lesson and Learning Targets: (“Ignite”)

Review the previous class’s exit ticket responses to “How did European-imposed borders contribute to the ethnic conflicts in Somalia?”

… and learning targets:

Have student read aloud:

“I can describe how European-imposed borders led to problems for Somalia.”  

“I can compare/contrast Somalia’s border issues with ethnic border conflicts in Africa as a whole.”

Slide #1

Slide #3

20 mins.

Film: Somalia: The Forgotten Story (20 minutes)  (Here is the complete version of the film) (“Chunk”)

Screen the documentary, focusing on how historical events have shaped contemporary Somali society and conflicts.

Encourage students to take notes on key points related to the learning targets.

Ensure that they know these key points about greater Africa’s colonization: (from Wikipedia):

“The Scramble for Africa[a] was the invasion, conquest, and colonisation of most of Africa by seven Western European powers driven by the Second Industrial Revolution during the late 19th century and early 20th century in the era of “New Imperialism“: Belgium, France, Germany, United Kingdom, Italy, Portugal and Spain.

In 1870, 10% of the continent was formally under European control. By 1914, this figure had risen to almost 90%; the only states retaining sovereignty were Liberia, Ethiopia, Egba,[b] Aussa, Senusiyya,[2] Mbunda,[3] Ogaden/Haud[4][5], Dervish State, the Darfur Sultanate,[6] and the Ovambo kingdoms,[7][8] most of which were later conquered.

The 1884 Berlin Conference regulated European colonisation and trade in Africa, and is seen as emblematic of the “scramble”.[9] In the last quarter of the 19th century, there were considerable political rivalries between the European empires, which provided the impetus for the colonisation.[10] The later years of the 19th century saw a transition from “informal imperialism” – military influence and economic dominance – to direct rule.[11][12]

The Forgotten Story (20 minutes) 

T-Chart Note-Taking graphic organizer

15 mins.

DOK 2

Secondary Source Analysis and AI (“Chew”)

Provide students with excerpts from historical analyses regarding Somalia’s borders and conflicts: at the middle and “easiest” levels. Have one group read the AI version from the “hardest” level.

In small groups, have them analyze the sources, focusing on the perspectives presented and connecting them to the previous day’s discussions.

Differentiation…based on version of Brown University paper, from “easy” to “middle” level, to “hard”.

10 mins.

Class Discussion 

Facilitate a discussion on the secondary sources and their implications.

Include Dr. Abdirashid Ali Sharmarke’s perspective on the impact of colonial borders on Somali identity and unity.

Slide #13

5 mins.

DOK3

Conclusion and Exit Ticket (“Review”)

Summarize the discussion and key takeaways from both class periods.

Exit Ticket: “How can the historical context of Somalia’s borders help us understand current ethnic conflicts in Africa? Provide at least one example.”