Lesson plan: DNA testing for African roots
September 13, 2000
Web posted at: 6:28 PM EDT (2228 GMT)
Objectives
Students will:
- Illustrate the difficulty of tracing African-American genealogies.
- Explain the two types of DNA tests involved in finding African-American origins.
- Evaluate the reasons for the African slave trade in past centuries and estimate its impact in modern society.
Standards
National Council for the Social Studies
II. Time, Continuity and Change
High school students integrate individual stories about people, events and situations to form a more holistic conception in which continuity and change are linked in time and across cultures. Students also learn to draw on their knowledge of history to make informed choices and decisions in the present.
Benchmarks for Science Literacy
The similarity of human DNA sequences and the resulting similarity in cell chemistry and anatomy identify human beings as a single species. Written records and photographic and electronic devices enable human beings to share, compile, use and misuse great amounts of information and misinformation. No other species uses such technologies.
Materials
CNNfyi article, "Reclaiming their roots"
Internet access
Maps
Charts or other visual illustrations
Suggested time
Two class periods
Procedures
1. Ask the class: What is DNA? What is DNA testing? How far back can you trace your family's genealogy? Has anyone in your family attempted to do extensive research on your family's genealogy? If yes, do you know of any problems that they have encountered?
2. Have students read CNNfyi article "Reclaiming their roots." Explain to students that the African diaspora is all of the places where Africans were taken involuntarily and are still found today. Then ask the following questions:
- What miniseries chronicled African-American history from slavery until the 1880s? How did slave owners erase Africans' culture when they arrived in America? Why would slave owners want to erase this culture? What has been developed to help African-Americans learn from which region of Africa they originated? How many ethnic groups are represented in the database for the DNA samples?
- How would you explain the two types of DNA tests -- mitochondrial and Y chromosome -- being used to establish lineage? Where did professor Rick Kittles' paternal lineage lead? How does he explain this common outcome? Why do you think that it is important for people to know their lineage? Explain.
3. Based on their interests, divide the class into six groups.
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Have one group select a famous African-American to see how far they can trace his or her genealogy. Some potential choices are Sojourner Truth, W.E.B. DuBois, Martin Luther King Jr. or Nat Turner. Have one group trace the genealogy of famous white Americans such as George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Susan B. Anthony or Amelia Earhart. Ask students in these two groups to discuss differences between tracing the African-Americans and the white Americans.
- Have a group research DNA genealogy tracing the mother's side and another group research DNA tracing the father's side. Encourage the groups to find charts or illustrations that can help them explain how this research works.
- Direct a group to research the roles of African tribal leaders and European slave traders to give a presentation about the reasons for and the methods behind African slave trade in earlier centuries. Have the final group research the African diaspora and illustrate the major relocation sites on maps. Have them choose one of these populations to research and report on how that population appears to be treated today.
Accommodation
Spatial intelligence: Have students create a map of the African diaspora. Direct them to research the history of the slave trade to find out where Africans were taken. Based on that information, they can create a world map that illustrates the African diaspora.
Evaluation
Have each group report their results to the class. The first two groups can compare how far each person's ancestry can be traced and discuss reasons for differences. The second two groups can compare the two methods of genealogy. The last two groups can offer a viewpoint on social history, considering why African slave trade was possible in the first place and the implications it has had for current history.
Extension
Invite a scientist or genealogist to speak to your class about DNA testing. Have students prepare a list of possible questions to ask the genealogist.
RELATED SITES:
African Ancestry
Oxford Ancestor Project
Beginnings of the African Diaspora
Start Your Family Research
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