Islam in medieval West Africa
Lesson details
Learning outcome
I can describe the role played by Islam in the growth of the Mali Empire.
Key learning points
- Islam was the dominant religion throughout North Africa.
- Muslim traders helped other Muslim traders.
- The Islamic tradition prized literacy and education.
- Islamic thought influenced the culture of the Mali Empire.
- Many books were copied or written in the Mali Empire, and mosques were built to house some of these.
Keywords
Islam - Islam is the religion of Muslim people
Trade - trade means the exchange of goods
Muslim - a Muslim is a follower of the religion of Islam
Common misconception
Muslims mainly live in the Middle East.
Islam is the second most popular religion in the world, with Muslim-majority countries spread as far as Morocco in the west to Indonesia in the east.
Teacher tip
Show students a list or a video of some of the key discoveries from the Golden Age of Islam to help them appreciate what a global power Islam was at this point in time.
Content guidance
Depiction or discussion of peer pressure or bullying
Supervision
Adult supervision recommended
Licence
Lesson video
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Prior knowledge starter quiz
6 Questions
Q1.The religion of Muslim people is .
Q2.Which religion or worldview did most of the goldfield miners of Western Africa during the medieval period follow?
Q3.Match the name of the leader with the correct information. Write the correct letter in each box.
Q4.What did the elite of medieval Europe use the gold for? Select all of the correct answers..
Q5.The Sankore Mosque was improved upon under the leadership of Mansa Musa for which one of the following reasons?
Q6.An excavation in the earth to extract minerals is known as a .
Assessment exit quiz
6 Questions
Q1.A follower of the religion of Islam is a .
Q2.In which region of Africa did Islam begin to spread in the 7th century?
Q3.In which of the following areas did Islam made great scientific and technological advances?
Q4.Which of the following examples is a way in which knowledge was usually shared prior to the spread of Islam?
Q5.How was knowledge in West Africa usually shared after the spread of Islam?
Q6.Which flourishing trade emerged in Timbuktu after the spread of Islam?
To help you plan your 7 history lesson on: Islam in medieval West Africa, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your 7 history lesson on: Islam in medieval West Africa, 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.