You will learn
- Define region and name five African regions.
- Locate regions and sample countries.
- Describe features.
- Place Sierra Leone.
Version 0.2 · expanded edition · built from cited public sources Content is based on the official frameworks and sources listed under Sources and standards. No official endorsement is claimed. Written in the style of common primary school assessments. No exam result is promised.
Student lesson
- The African Union groups countries into five regions.
- Each region has varied landscapes and cultures.
- Africa has 54 UN-recognised countries.
- Sierra Leone is in West Africa.
Words to know
an area with shared features that is used to organise information about places
having no coast
a country made up of one or more islands
a group of neighbouring countries that work together
1. Discover: Five parts of a whole
Mr Cole colours a map of Africa in five colours. “North Africa includes Egypt and Morocco, with the Mediterranean coast. West Africa includes Senegal, Ghana, Nigeria and Sierra Leone. Central Africa has the Congo Basin. East Africa has the Rift Valley and the Indian Ocean coast, with Kenya and Ethiopia. Southern Africa includes South Africa, Botswana and Zambia,” he says. “Some countries are landlocked, like Mali, and some are islands, like Madagascar and Mauritius.”
Think: Why might neighbouring countries want to work together?
2. Understand: African regions
Idea 1: Regions
A region groups places with shared features. The African Union uses five: North, West, Central, East and Southern Africa. Africa has 54 countries recognised by the United Nations and 55 members of the African Union (including the Sahrawi Republic). Some are landlocked, such as Mali and Zambia, and some are island states such as Madagascar.
Idea 2: Features
North Africa: Mediterranean coast, Sahara and the Nile delta. West Africa: coast, forests, savanna and the Sahel. Central Africa: Congo Basin rainforest and rivers. East Africa: Rift Valley, highlands and the Indian Ocean coast. Southern Africa: plateaus, deserts and the Cape coast, with important mineral resources.
Idea 3: West Africa and cooperation
West Africa includes countries such as Nigeria, Ghana, Senegal, Côte d’Ivoire, Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone. A regional organisation like ECOWAS, founded in 1975, and the Mano River Union (1973) link neighbours on trade, travel and security. Other regions have bodies such as the East African Community and the Southern African Development Community.
3. Worked examples
Example 1 (I show you): Name
Five African regions.
- Think.
- Say.
- Check.
Answer: North, West, Central, East, Southern.
Example 2 (We do it together): Define
Landlocked.
- Think.
- Say.
- Check.
Answer: Having no coast.
Example 3 (You try): Name
A West African regional organisation.
Show the steps and answer
- Think.
- Say.
- Check.
Answer: ECOWAS.
Did you know?
Africa has more countries than any other continent.
Why this matters
Knowing the regions helps us read news and understand how countries work together.
4. Explore: Region atlas
Make an atlas page for each of the five regions with a coloured map, three sample countries, three physical features and one fact about people or cooperation. Add a short description of Sierra Leone’s neighbours.
- Colour.
- Name.
- List.
- Describe.
Think about it: what did you notice?
What did you notice? Each region is diverse.
5. Practise
Say it in a sentence
Use these starters when you talk about the lesson. Say them out loud.
- A region is ___.
- Landlocked means ___.
- An island state is ___.
- A regional organisation is ___.
Guided practice
Question 1. What is a region?
Area with shared features.
Question 2. What is landlocked?
No coast.
Question 3. What is an island state?
Country on islands.
Independent practice
Level 1: Start
- What is a region?
- What is landlocked?
- What is an island state?
- What is a regional organisation?
- Name a region.
Level 2: Grow
- Why regions?
- Why cooperate?
- Why neutral maps?
Level 3: Stretch
- Colour regions.
- Name countries.
- Describe Sierra Leone.
Answers are in the answer key below. Try first, then check.
6. Apply: Social Studies in everyday life
Name the five regions and one country from each.
Show a sample answer
North: Egypt; West: Ghana; Central: Gabon; East: Kenya; Southern: Zambia.
Another one. Find your country and its neighbours on a map with an adult.
Show a sample answer
Share.
7. Common mistakes
Fix: It has 54 countries.
Fix: They are diverse.
8. Lesson summary and revision card
- I can define region and name five African regions.
- I can locate regions and sample countries.
- I can describe features.
- I can place Sierra Leone.
9. Check and master
Answer all 14 questions. You will see feedback after each one.
Your result appears here after you answer every question.
10. Key takeaways
- The African Union groups countries into five regions.
- Each region has varied landscapes and cultures.
- Africa has 54 UN-recognised countries.
- Sierra Leone is in West Africa.
11. Next lesson
Next lesson: Cultural and linguistic diversity. Keep going with the next idea in this course.
Exam practice
These questions are written in the style of common school and international primary assessments. Try them on your own, without looking back. Then check your answers in the marking guide. The marks are shown in brackets.
- Define region and landlocked. [2 marks]
- Name the five regions of Africa. [3 marks]
- Describe two features of one region. [3 marks]
- Name one regional organisation and its aim. [2 marks]
Total: 10 marks.
Marking guide and model answers
- Region [1]; landlocked [1]
- Five [3]
- Region [1]; feature 1 [1]; feature 2 [1]
- Name [1]; aim [1]
Score guide: 9 to 10 = secure. 6 to 8 = nearly there, revise the parts you missed. Under 6 = work through the lesson again with a grown-up.
Printable worksheet
- What is a region?
- What is landlocked?
- What is an island state?
- What is a regional organisation?
- Name a region.
- Why regions?
- Why cooperate?
- Why neutral maps?
- Colour regions.
- Name countries.
Homework
Colour a map of regions.
Answer key and marking scheme
| Question | Expected response | Marks |
|---|---|---|
| 1. What is a region? | Area with shared features. | 1 |
| 2. What is landlocked? | No coast. | 1 |
| 3. What is an island state? | Country on islands. | 1 |
| 4. What is a regional organisation? | Neighbours working together. | 1 |
| 5. Name a region. | West Africa. | 1 |
| 6. Why regions? | Organise information. | 1 |
| 7. Why cooperate? | Shared goals. | 1 |
| 8. Why neutral maps? | Fairness. | 1 |
| 9. Colour regions. | Colour. | 1 |
| 10. Name countries. | Countries. | 1 |
| Total | 10 |
Independent practice answers. Level 1: 1 Area with shared features.; 2 No coast.; 3 Country on islands.; 4 Neighbours working together.; 5 West Africa.. Level 2: 1 Organise information.; 2 Shared goals.; 3 Fairness.. Level 3: 1 Colour.; 2 Countries.; 3 Describe..
Quiz answers: 1 B, 2 C, 3 A, 4 B, 5 C, 6 A, 7 B, 8 C, 9 A, 10 B, 11 C, 12 A, Challenge 1 B, Challenge 2 C.
Mastery and remediation
| Objective | Bronze (Developing) | Silver (Proficient) | Gold (Advanced) |
|---|---|---|---|
| O1 Define region and name five African regions | Shows this with help from an adult or a picture | Does this independently and explains how they know | Explains it clearly and uses it in a new situation |
| O2 Locate regions and sample countries | Shows this with help from an adult or a picture | Does this independently and explains how they know | Explains it clearly and uses it in a new situation |
| O3 Describe features | Shows this with help from an adult or a picture | Does this independently and explains how they know | Explains it clearly and uses it in a new situation |
| O4 Place Sierra Leone | Shows this with help from an adult or a picture | Does this independently and explains how they know | Explains it clearly and uses it in a new situation |
Courseversity badge thresholds (overall quiz score): Gold = 90–100%; Silver = 80–89.9%; Bronze = 70–79.9%. A badge is never a full record of progress.
If a learner struggles
- Find the misconception: “Africa has one government.” It has 54 countries.
- Explain another way: use real objects, pictures or actions first, then words.
- Show a simpler example: Make a regions chart.
- Guided practice: work through one example together and let the learner try the next one.
- Reassess: use the quiz again or the worksheet.
- Move on when the learner shows Silver-level evidence independently.
For parents and guardians
In this lesson your child learns the regions of Africa. Please look at a map of Africa together. You do not need to be an expert to help.
- Name countries.
- Play a map game.
- Respect all countries.
- Ask “how do you know?” after each answer, and listen.
- Praise effort, not only right answers. Mistakes are how we learn.
- Ten to fifteen minutes a day is better than one long session.
Teacher package
1–5. Objectives, prerequisites, materials, preparation, duration
Lesson objectives. Learners will: define region and name five African regions; locate regions and sample countries; describe features; place Sierra Leone.
Prerequisite knowledge. Grade 6 ideas: world geography, early civilisations, trade routes, empires and colonialism.
Materials. Outline maps. Low-resource options: use chalk or charcoal on a board or wall, drawings in the sand, and objects from the classroom instead of printed materials.
Preparation. Prepare outline maps.
Suggested duration. 45–60 minutes. It can be split into two shorter sessions.
6–9. Teaching procedure, explanation notes, guided and independent activities
Introduction (5 min). Tell the five parts of a whole story.
Explanation (10 min). Teach regions.
Guided activity (10 min). Region atlas.
Independent activity (10 min). Discuss.
Assessment and reflection (5 min). Ask each learner to say one thing they learned and how they know it.
Key questions. What are the main regions of Africa?
Teacher explanation notes. Start with a picture, story, map or local example. Then talk about what was seen, then draw and write. Always ask “how do you know?” and invite more than one view. Treat every family, culture and community with respect, and never ask learners to share private information.
10–12. Differentiation, formative assessment, common misconceptions
Support. Use pictures, maps, real objects and short sentences, and let learners work with a partner. Let learners point, show, act or draw instead of writing. Extension. Ask learners to find a new example from their own community and explain how they know.
Formative assessment. Listen to learners read and explain, ask “how do you know?”, and check the independent work.
Misconceptions. “Africa has one government.” It has 54 countries.
13–15. Assessment questions, answer keys, marking scheme
Use the quiz, the 10-mark exam practice and the worksheet on this page. All answers and marking guides are in the answer sections above. Re-check every answer before use.
16–19. Remediation, enrichment, homework, teacher reflection
Remediation. Make a regions chart. Enrichment. Find one new example near your home or school, draw or write about it and explain it to someone. Homework. See above.
Teacher reflection. After teaching, record: which ideas learners understood; which misconceptions occurred; which activities worked; which learners need more practice; and what to improve next time.
Sources and standards
This lesson is based on the sources below, and no official endorsement is claimed. Reference starting points: NCSS standards and C3 Framework, Cambridge Primary Humanities and the IB Primary Years Programme. Where a standard code is named, it points to the official framework.
Research used to shape this lesson. Courseversity Social Studies curriculum, Grade 6 Unit 4, topic 2; NCSS C3 Framework, global connections, culture, and geographic representations; Cambridge Lower Secondary Humanities, Africa and global connections; IB Primary Years Programme, where we are in place and time, and sharing the planet. These sources informed the lesson.