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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Trekking to Timbuktu: A Center of Trade

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students conduct online research regarding the origins of the city of Timbuktu and discover why it became such an important place. Students write about the city's origins until it became a part of Mali.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Ancient Civilization of Mali

For Teachers Pre-K - 6th
Students explore the ancient civilization of Mali and examine various historical and cultural aspects of the civilization. In this ancient civilization of Mali lesson, students examine trade with respect to geographic locations, discover...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Trekking to Timbuktu: The Geography of Mali -Teacher Version

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Learners investigate the geography of Mali. They locate Mali on a satellite map, explore various websites, describe the landscape and climate, label a map, and write an essay about the Niger Riger.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Life in Ancient Ghana, Mali, and Songhai

For Teachers 3rd - 4th
Learners study the ancient African kingdoms of Ghana, Mali, and Songhai. They brainstorm what they know about ancient African kingdoms before investigating the trade and barter situations, and researching one of the kingdoms for an oral...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Trekking to Timbuktu: Trade in Ancient West Africa

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students research how trade in Timbuktu was affected by geography. Students conduct online research to determine the major trade routes, main products of trade, plus how and why trade spread across Africa.
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PPT
Curated OER

Culture and Kingdoms of West Africa

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Africa was home to many great ancient civilizations, this presentation covers aspect of 4 of them. Middle schoolers explore aspects of civilizations from Nubia, Ghana, Mali, and Songhay. Topics covered are achievements, culture, great...
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Worksheet
Curated OER

The Trans Saharan Trade Route

For Students 6th - 9th
For this trans Saharan trade route worksheet, students respond to 6 short answer questions about African trade routes after they read the included article.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Do You Really Know What Wealth Is?

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Students explore what it means to have wealth in Mali and in the United States. In this economics lesson, students read "Music in the Fields." Student groups answer discussion questions.  Students reflect on the purpose music serves in...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Trekking to Timbuktu: Restoring the Past

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students investigate the environmental factors that threaten Timbuktu. Students investigate what measures are being taken to restore their mosques, and the condition of their ancient manuscripts. Students discover information about the...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Timbuktu: A Center of Trade

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Middle schoolers pretend to take a field trip to Timbuktu. Using the internet, they research the origins and secrets of this important city. They use a map to discover how important its location is to trade. They also examine why...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Using Effective, Evocative Writing as a Model

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Students study an author's style to strengthen their own writing. They read an author's account of the resiliency of the Malian people and about their culture. They examine her focus on Malian women.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Trekking to Timbuktu: Timbuktu: A Center of Trade - Teacher Version

For Teachers 4th
Fourth graders discuss the origins of Timbuktu, explain the importance of its location, and describe the kingdom of Mali. They also explain how and why Timbuktu became a part of Mali.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Medieval Ethiopia, Mali and Nigeria: The Influence of Culture in Africa

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students are introduced to the concept of cultural diffusion. In groups, they identify the culture of Mali, Nigeria and Ethiopia and work together to research how cultural diffusion has changed the country. To end the lesson, they...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Do You Really Know What Wealth Is?

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Students examine what it means to have wealth-a concept that turns out to be philosophical as well as economic-and examine the importance of music. They examine the concepts of wealth in Mali and in the United States and consider the...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Medieval African Kingdoms

For Teachers 7th
Seventh graders examine the geography and political history of West Africa. They role-play as applicants to a company that transports customers to any historic time period. Working in teams, they create promotional products encouraging...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Trekking to Timbuktu: The Geography of Mali - Student Version

For Teachers 11th
Eleventh graders locate Mali on a world map, describe the landscape and climate of Mali, and locate the city of Timbuktu and describe the local weather. They compare life along the Niger in ancient times to that of today
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

MAPPING THE BLACK ATLANTIC

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Middle schoolers examine the geographic characteristics of Western and Central Africa, the impact of geography on settlement patterns, cultural traits, and trade. They compare political, social, economic, and religious systems of...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

A Nation of Nations Lesson Plan: Charting African Ethnicities in America

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students read a portion of the narrative, The Transatlantic Slave Trade, to explain the ethnic origins of enslaved Africans brought to the US. They create charts and bar graphs comparing ethnicities in the lowlands and tidewater regions.
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PPT
Curated OER

Early African Kingdoms & Empires

For Teachers 7th - 10th
Give your class a thorough view of African history with this series of photographs, maps, and engaging questions. Coupled with a lecture about human migration and religious and European influences on the continent, this presentation will...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Using Effective, Evocative Writing as a Model

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Students analyze the author's style to learn techniques for strengthening their own writing. They re-read "Music in the Fields" and highlight images that create vivid pictures in their minds-places where Young "shows, not tells" and...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

A Golden Age: Three West African Empires

For Teachers 7th
Seventh graders research the kingdoms and rulers of Ghana, Mali and Songhay. In groups, they explore the trade routes and the spread of Islam. Using the internet, textbook and other sources, 7th graders collect information and write a...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Trekking to Timbuktu: Making The Pitch to Globe Trekker - Student Version

For Teachers 11th
Eleventh graders create a large poster exhibit to highlight through image and written word the most interesting aspects of each topic investigated. The topics investigated include geography, trade, early years of Timbuktu, Mansa Musa's...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Cyberspace Safari

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Middle schoolers go on an information gathering hunt on the Internet to study West African empires. They work in teams; meteorologists, bankers, writers, and archaeologists. They collect data on all sorts of topics related to West...
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Worksheet
Curated OER

Sub-Saharan Africa: Physical Geography

For Students 6th - 9th
In this geography skills worksheet, learners respond to 22 short answer and map skills questions about the location and geographic features of sub-Saharan Africa.