Trans-Saharan Trade Lesson Plan: Global Connections
Click to open and customize your own copy of the Trans-Saharan Trade Lesson Plan.
This lesson accompanies the BrainPOP topic Trans-Saharan Trade, and supports the standard of examining the influence of trans-regional trade networks on economic and cultural developments. Students demonstrate understanding through a variety of projects.
Step 1: ACTIVATE PRIOR KNOWLEDGE
Display an image like this one:
Ask students:
- What do you notice?
- Why might someone travel like this?
- What challenges might someone face traveling in an environment like this?
Step 2: BUILD KNOWLEDGE
- Read aloud the description on the Trans-Saharan Trade topic page.
- Play the Movie, pausing to check for understanding.
Step 3: APPLY and ASSESS
Assign the Trans-Saharan Trade Quiz, prompting students to apply essential literacy skills while demonstrating what they learned about this topic.
Step 4: DEEPEN and EXTEND
Students express what they learned about Trans-Saharan trade while practicing essential literacy skills with one or more of the following activities. Differentiate by assigning ones that meet individual student needs.
- Make-a-Movie: Create a commercial for camels that answers this question: Why are camels the best animals for navigating trans-saharan trade routes?
- Make-a-Map: Make a concept map identifying the impact of trans-Saharan trade routes on the economies and cultures of the societies involved.
- Creative Coding: Code a museum with artifacts representing different elements of trans-Saharan trade.
Additional Support Resources:
- Pause Point Overview: Video tutorial showing how BrainPOP Pause Points actively engage students to stop, think, and express ideas.
- Modifications for BrainPOP Learning Activities: Strategies to meet ELL and other instructional and student needs.
- BrainPOP Learning Activities Support: Resources for best practices using BrainPOP.
