Take your middle school social studies students on an interactive exploration of the Mali Empire with this zero-prep West African Kingdoms Trans-Saharan Trade Map Activity. Complete with an interactive Google Slides click map, blank printable student maps, and primary source readings from Ibn Battuta and the Epic of Sundiata, this resource brings West African geography and economic history to life.
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This West African Kingdoms Common Core Africa Geography Trans-Saharan Trade clickable map activity includes three map resources, text excerpts, and two primary source excerpts. This product has been completely remastered and got a huge thumbs-up from my class! Students analyze the geography and economy of the West African Empire of Mali. They analyze, read, and interpret resources in this interactive notebook-friendly map activity.
The Geography of West Africa: The Sahara Desert, Sahel, Niger River, and key natural resources.
The Economy of Mali: Trans-Saharan trade routes, gold-salt trade, major trading centers (like Niani), and the 14th-century slave trade.
Primary Source Literacy: Excerpts from traveler Ibn Battuta’s journal and the oral tradition of the Epic of Sundiata.
Interactive Google Slides Click Map: An animated presentation that reveals continents, water bodies, major cities, and trade routes step-by-step as students click.
Printable Blank Student Map: Designed for students to label, shade, and plot major trading cities, physical landforms, and trade commodities.
Chunked Primary Source Handout: Differentiated, student-friendly readings paired with Common Core analysis questions.
Digital & Print Options: Fully pre-formatted for 1:1 Google Drive assignment or printable PDF packet use.
Complete Answer Keys: For quick grading or sub-plan preparation.
Map Literacy: Locating key cities, rivers, and desert routes of Medieval Africa.
Primary Source Analysis: Citing textual evidence from historical travelogues and epics.
Economic Systems: Analyzing how geographic location influenced wealth, trade, and cultural exchange in medieval empires.
For a visual walkthrough of these geography concepts in action, see the Trading Empires of West Africa Geography Video. This animated overview breaks down the Niger River, the Trans-Saharan gold-salt trade, and the geography of the West African kingdoms.
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