Exploring the Kingdom of Aksum: An Inquiry-Based Approach
Cindy Ann Coe
I first learned about Aksum, the East African empire originally founded in the first century, after moving to a new state and taking a position teaching sixth-grade social studies. Until then, I had taught grades eight through eleven, so adjusting to a new curriculum, new standards, and younger students with less experience in inquiry and research was a significant shift for me. Since inquiry projects are central to my teaching, I sought a lesser-known civilization for my students to investigate and found an article about a “lost town” in Africa regarding a highly influential yet
often overlooked empire.1 From there, I dug deeper, finding photos of artifacts, maps, and text that could be adapted for sixth grade. The result was a sixthgrade inquiry project rich in engagement, questioning, and new perspectives on African history. Aksum’s unique history and underrepresentation in traditional curricula make it an ideal topic for an inquiry-based social studies project. Studying the Aksum Empire is also a step toward creating a more inclusive curriculum on the contributions of the African continent.
South of Egypt, along the Red Sea, Aksum or, in modern spelling, Axum, was located in what is now northern Ethiopia and Eritrea (see Map 1 at left). It developed into an influential kingdom with an extensive trade network between the first and seventh centuries, C.E. People from Egypt, Greece, Rome, South Asia, and Arabia visited its shores to trade or to migrate there. Its geographical location was an important intersection between Europe, Africa, and the Middle East, with the Red Sea offering a prime trading port named Adulis. Adulis was a market for spices, ivory, papyrus, and gold, as well as being a market for enslaved people. 2 This kingdom developed Ge’ez, one of Africa’s oldest scripts, and minted its own coinage. One of its kings adopted Christianity and welcomed missionaries into his cities.
Including content on Aksum in the classroom provides a more complete picture of ancient civilizations during this time period. As the British Museum notes,
Aksum provides a counterpoint to the Greek and Roman worlds, and is an interesting example of a sub-Saharan civilization
to
out
Map 1. The Aksum Empire.
ON THE COVER: A map of the Aksum Empire. Inset: Sixth-grade students in Scottsdale, Arizona, examine aspects of Aksum prior
filling
a graphic organizer. (Photo by Payton Morgan).
Next, students moved through Dimension 2 of the Inquiry Arc (Applying Disciplinary Tools and Concepts). I revealed the name of the ancient society, Aksum (as well as the modern spelling of Axum), and directed students to the World Heritage site to see ruins of the ancient city. Students then developed additional questions for further research. After a group discussion on the evidence, our class chose to focus on “How does the Aksum empire contribute to our understanding of the Ancient world ? ” with subquestions such as “How did Aksum interact with other ancient societies? ” and “What made Aksum different from neighboring civilizations? ”
I then gave each group a modified secondary source— one or two paragraphs adapted for a sixth-grade level— focusing on a specific aspect of the Axumites, such as religion, political organization, trade, or language. The class marked up their text and annotated along the side, where there was space to write questions and ideas. I provided additional photos, maps and other visuals to the groups. Each group was responsible for becoming experts in their topic so that they could teach the class about what they had learned. Students chose a key quote as evidence to copy to the GRAPES chart, which now was filled with evidence from multiple
sources. Students took turns sharing their findings, leading the discussion while I facilitated the process. I trusted sixth graders to teach each other, intervening only to help with word definitions and pronunciation.
A key difference between my inquiry work with older students and my sixth graders was the level of support needed for research. I prepared sources in advance, breaking them into manageable sections. We discussed sourcing, and students recorded evidence along with its source (Dimension 3, Evaluating Sources and Using Evidence). I explained that their materials came from archaeology journals, National Geographic , and reliable news organizations. We also examined internet opinions on the Queen of Sheba’s connection to Aksum and the Ark of the Covenant, distinguishing between established facts and uncertain claims. While oral traditions are powerful, they don’t always have concrete evidence. Still, religion is crucial to understanding a culture, and Ethiopian Christians today fiercely protect the Ark and its story.
Through this process of inquiry, collecting evidence, and reciprocal teaching, my middle school students developed the disciplinary literacy skills that are needed for the study of history.14 National Geographic Education has an article on the Kingdom of Aksum
Sixth-grade students in Scottsdale, Ariz., examine an aspect of Aksum and fill out their graphic organizer section, before sharing what they learned.
Photo by Payton Morgan
that can be adjusted online for specific grade levels (see resources sidebar on p. 6).15 PBS has a video on Aksum that matches well with middle school.16 I chose this as our last source to provide extra audio and visual learning and as a way to synthesize everything we had learned. Printing the text also allowed for annotation, and the GRAPES graphic organizer offered a way to organize their evidence in preparation for writing a summative assessment on our essential questions. The summative assessment can take many forms, but I chose to have my students write an argumentative letter stating why Aksum should have a place in the sixth grade curriculum (Dimension 4, Communicating Conclusions and Taking Informed Action). Students wrote with enthusiasm and agency. While their argumentative skills weren’t at a high school level, their critical thinking and historical reasoning were
evident—even among those who struggled with basic reading assignments. Our inquiry study led to high engagement, active participation, and summative writing that showcased critical thinking and historical evidence. In letter after letter, students brought up specific archaeological evidence that proved the importance and influence of this kingdom.
In “Teaching about African History and Cultures Across the Curriculum,” Weihe highlights the need to shift the study of Africa from the margins of history and expand discussion and study beyond enslavement and colonialism.17 African history and its ties to Europe and Asia deserve greater emphasis in curricula and state standards.
Classroom teachers are increasing their efforts to add African empires, including Aksum, into their
Key Resources
World Heritage Site: Aksum
https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/15
Leveled informational text
National Geographic Education, “The Kingdom of Aksum,” https://education.nationalgeographic.org/resource/kingdomaksum/6th-grade
Video links
PBS,“The Aksum Kingdom: Trade and Ancient Africa,” https:// az.pbslearningmedia.org/resource/65020a47-68b4-457d-a4e70bf306450605/the-aksum-kingdom-trade-and-ancient-africa
BBC News Africa “The Rise Of Aksum - History Of Africa With Zeinab Badawi,” www.youtube.com/watch?v=A4OSEpexs_Q
Primary source
https://kwasikonadu.info, “Aksumite Trade and the Port of Adulis,” https://kwasikonadu.info/blog/2018/3/18/aksumite-trade-andthe-port-of-adulis
Archaeological connections
Archaeology Magazine, “Africa’s Merchant Kings,” https://archaeology.org/issues/july-august-2023/features/aksumethiopia-eritrea-kingdom
Current event
CNN, “Archeologists Unearth Lost Town from Little-known Ancient East African Empire,” www.cnn.com/2019/12/11/africa/ethiopiaburied-town-discovery-beta-samati-scn/index.html
Museum connections
The British Museum, “The Kingdom of Aksum,” https://smarthistory. org/the-kingdom-of-aksum
Note: For additional free student and teacher resources email cindycoe@asu.edu
Axumite coins
Discovery and Excavation of an Aksumite Town,” Antiquity 93, no. 372 (2019): 1534–52. https://doi.org/10.15184/aqy.2019.84
12. The College, Career, and Civic Life (C3) Framework for Social Studies State Standards: Guidance for Enhancing the Rigor of K-12 Civics, Economics, Geography, and History (National Council for the Social Studies, Silver Spring, MD, 2013); S.G. Grant, “From Inquiry Arc to Instructional Practice,” Social Education, 77, no. 6 (2013): 322-26.
13. Mr. and Mrs. Social Studies, “Teaching with Grapes in your Ancient Civilizations Class,” (2021), https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TMMB9 qyQLLM
14. Doug Beuhl, Classroom Strategies for Interactive Learning, (4th ed.), Routledge, 2024.
15. National Geographic Education, “The Kingdom of Aksum,” (2024), https://education.nationalgeographic.org/resource/kingdomaksum/6th-grade
16. PBS Learning Media, “The Aksum Kingdom: Trade and Ancient Africa,” https://az.pbslearningmedia.org/resource/65020a47-68b4-457d-a4e70bf306450605/the-aksum-kingdom-trade-and-ancient-africa
17. Elsa Wiehe, “Teaching African History and Cultures across the
Curriculum,” Edutopia, (July 3, 2020), https://www.edutopia.org/article/ teaching-african-history-and-cultures-across-curriculum
18. Anna Mariah Mills, “Teaching Ancient and Medieval Africa with the History Bento Box Project,” Middle Level Learning (May/June 2021): 1-14.
19. PBS Learning Media, “The Aksum Kingdom: Trade and Ancient Africa.”
Cindy Coe, EdD, is a Clinical Assistant Professor at Arizona State University, specializing in social studies methods and disciplinary literacy. She spent 32 years teaching grades 6–12 ELA and Social Studies in Oregon and Washington. Her research interests include brainbased learning, student-led inquiry, and engaging pedagogy to meet the needs of 21st century students.
Department-Wide Inquiry Initiatives: C3 Teachers Talk with Yoana Villarreal and Lindsey Mizerek from Monterrey, Mexico
Edited by MaryBeth Yerdon, Kathy Swan, John Lee, and S.G. Grant
Yoana Villarreal and Lindsey Mizerek have more than three decades of experience in the classroom; they teach and lead social studies at the American School Foundation of Monterrey (ASFM) in Mexico. Before moving to Mexico, Lindsey taught for many years at multiple schools in Illinois. Lindsey’s experiences span classroom teaching, inclusive co-teaching, special education, and leading grade-level teams. At ASFM, Lindsey teaches seventh-grade social studies and heads the middle school social studies program. Yoana attended the American School Foundation of Monterrey as a student, moved to the United States to pursue a degree in education, and then returned to ASFM as a teacher. At Monterrey, Yoana teaches AP social studies courses in the high school and leads the social studies department. Together, Yoana and Lindsey lead an inquiry initiative at the American School Foundation of Monterrey. We sat down with Yoana and Lindsey to discuss their journeys toward inquiry and how they’ve implemented this approach across middle and high school social studies courses.
C3 Teachers: How did you two come to inquiry for the first time, and what first drew you?
Lindsey: About nine years ago, while I was working at a middle school in Illinois, [I first encountered inquiry-based learning]. It was around the time that social studies was facing significant marginalization and the state was revising its social studies standards based on the C3 Framework. One of our educational coaches introduced the Social Studies Department to the Inquiry Design Model (IDM) and C3 Framework. Then, I attended two conferences in 2016 and 2017—the
IDM Summer Institute in Lexington, Kentucky, and then in Washington, DC. For me, the IDM structures the process of inquiry so that students discover new perspectives. It’s highly engaging for students, and oftentimes I’ll see kids change their minds based on multiple pieces of evidence, which is amazing, especially today. As a teacher, you can see kids developing critical thinking and deliberation skills in real time, and that’s what drew me in.
Yoana: During one of my first years teaching, the head of our department nominated me to go to the IDM Institute in Washington, DC. I learned a lot at the institute, and when I returned, I immediately began implementing inquiry in my classroom. What I love
Yoana Villarreal, Lindsey Mizerek, Jill Rothschild, and Sharlesque George (and Hobbes) from ASFM at a C3 Teachers Inquiry Leadership Meeting in Lexington, KY, October 2024.
Photo by Kathy Swan
and, if you can, send teachers to C3 workshops or partner with experts to get the ball rolling. Let teachers get their feet wet before jumping in. Starting an inquiry from scratch is hard, but there are great resources available. I think teachers naturally lean into inquiry because they feel successful doing it and they see how engaged their students are. Anyone who feels success will naturally want more.
Lindsey: And be intentional about it. We have a plan, our roll out is intentional, and our motivation is giving students deep and authentic learning experiences. We have hit some walls, of course, but success is happening, students love it, and they are learning complex skills, and every teacher likes to see that.
C3 Teachers: Is there professional learning or an approach that has been effective in getting teachers on board?
Lindsey: First, I think it’s best to have teachers observe inquiry in action, we call these learning walks. Teachers who are new to inquiry benefit from co-teaching with another teacher who is more experienced in teaching through inquiry. That obviously takes time and resources, but they are also learning in community. Second, get teachers new to the IDM started by giving them a vetted inquiry from the C3 Teachers site, either one of the featured inquiries or one from the state or organizational hubs. That process sets teachers up to feel the success right away, then they are hooked. Finally, once they are hooked, get them into professional learning communities so they can share their successes and challenges with trusted colleagues.
C3 Teachers: As you said, implementing inquiry takes time and requires agile facilitators. How do you help others develop that skill set?
Yoana: You have to give teachers space to be uncomfortable, not knowing what might happen next. You’re no longer the person standing in the front of the classroom giving a lecture. You are facilitating student learning, and you can’t always script everything that might happen out before kids begin digging into the
questions, tasks, and sources. As a teacher, you have to be okay with finding out where the inquiry will lead, together with your students. Mistakes will happen, and at the end of the day, to be a great facilitator, you have to be comfortable with being uncomfortable.
C3 Teachers: Finally, leadership can be a lonely place. Lots of school leaders are doing work on their own, not necessarily because they don’t want to collaborate, but because of time and resources. You two have an amazing partnership. What has it been like working together on this initiative?
Lindsey: You can do anything with a good thought partner! Yoana keeps me sane; it’s easy to go down the inquiry rabbit hole. We have a sense of trust with each other, and because we trust each other we can have challenging conversations. Our partnership has helped me become a better teacher and leader. We have two sets of eyes on everything; we have two minds generating ideas; and we are two teachers who are fully invested in what’s best for kids. This partnership is helping me bring inquiry to life like I never have before.
Yoana: I couldn’t do this alone. We complement each other; we are very different and come from very different perspectives. I’m from Mexico, and Lindsey grew up in the United States. I am an introvert, and Lindsey is more direct. Our differences are what make us a good team.
Lindsey: Yes, our differences are what make us stronger.
Yoana: Exactly, together, we are stronger because we have different approaches, but we are saying the same thing. Maybe on our own, we would get more push back, but when we are doing and saying the same thing, when we are aligned, and when others see that we are having success with our students, it’s hard not to listen.