Gold and the West African economy
Lesson details
Learning outcome
I can explain why gold was so important to the West African economy.
Key learning points
- Gold was the main resource traded in the Sahel.
- Empires in the Sahel could make a large profit from this trade.
- The Ghana and Mali empires indirectly controlled the goldfields through trade.
- The trade enriched the Islamic ruling elite of the Mali Empire.
- The Mali Empire used its wealth from the gold trade to improve its levels of knowledge and understanding.
Keywords
Islam - Islam is the religion of Muslim people
Elite - the elite are the group of people who hold power
Mine - a mine is an excavation in the earth to extract minerals
Trade - trade means the exchange of goods
Common misconception
Empires have to own land in order to control it.
Control can be gained through a variety of indirect means, such as through trade or tribute.
Teacher tip
When doing the source analysis task, you could extend the task by asking students to pick out what the author of the source got right and what he got wrong about the Mali Empire. Encourage students to use the provenance to help them understand why he got some things wrong, eg crown and sceptre.
Licence
Lesson video
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Prior knowledge starter quiz
6 Questions
Q1. This keyword is used in the Mali Empire to refer to the king or emperor.
Q2.This keyword is a group of territories ruled over by one person or group of people.
Q3.Which religion did the rulers of Mali and the people who lived in the trade cities generally followers?
Q4.Which of the following sentences accurately describes how Sundiata Keita ruled the Mali Empire? Select the two correct answers.
Q5.What happened when Mansa Musa tried to ensure his subjects all converted to Islam? Select the two correct answers.
Q6.Which famous Muslim scholar and explorer from North Africa did not approve of religious compromise?
Assessment exit quiz
6 Questions
Q1.Match the words with their definitions. Write the correct letter in each box.
the religion of Muslim people.
the group of people who hold power.
an excavation in the earth to extract minerals.
Q2. The keyword meaning the exchange of goods is .
Q3. How did the Ghana and Mali empires control the goldfields of West Africa?
Q4.Who drove the demand for West African gold?
Q5.What did the Mansa carry as symbols of his authority?
Q6.Which of the following statements accurately describes how the riches of the Mali empire were displayed? Select all the answers that are correct.
To help you plan your 7 history lesson on: Gold and the West African economy, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your 7 history lesson on: Gold and the West African economy, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs.
The starter quiz will activate and check your pupils' prior knowledge, with versions available both with and without answers in PDF format.
We use learning cycles to break down learning into key concepts or ideas linked to the learning outcome. Each learning cycle features explanations with checks for understanding and practice tasks with feedback. All of this is found in our slide decks, ready for you to download and edit. The practice tasks are also available as printable worksheets and some lessons have additional materials with extra material you might need for teaching the lesson.
The assessment exit quiz will test your pupils' understanding of the key learning points.
Our video is a tool for planning, showing how other teachers might teach the lesson, offering helpful tips, modelled explanations and inspiration for your own delivery in the classroom. Plus, you can set it as homework or revision for pupils and keep their learning on track by sharing an online pupil version of this lesson.
Explore more key stage 3 history lessons from the Medieval West Africa: why was medieval Mali so successful? unit, dive into the full secondary history curriculum, or learn more about lesson planning.