Summary
In this lesson, students learn about the way trade affects the spread of religion by studying the contributions of Mansa Musa to the culture of West Africa. Students examine the empire that Mansa Musa led by viewing images related to Mansa Musa’s contributions, viewing a video, and reading an article about Mansa Musa. In an extension of learning, students learn about the annual re-plastering of the Grand Mosque and examine how it reflects Mansa Musa’s impact on West Africa. This is a multimodality lesson, which means it includes face-to-face, online, and hybrid versions of the lesson. The attachments also include a downloadable Common Cartridge file, which can be imported into a Learning Management System (LMS) such as Canvas or eKadence. The cartridge includes interactive student activities and teacher's notes.
Essential Question(s)
How does trade contribute to the spread of religion?
Snapshot
Engage
Students read an article about the richest people in history.
Explore
Students view photographs related to the Mali Empire to make inferences about Mansa Musa.
Explain
Students watch a video and read an article about Mansa Musa, summarizing both on a Paired Text H-Chart.
Extend
Students watch a video that details the annual re-plastering of the Grand Mosque.
Evaluate
Students respond to a reflection question about Mansa Musa’s legacy.
Instructional Formats
The term "Multimodality" refers to the ability of a lesson to be offered in more than one modality (i.e. face-to-face, online, blended). This lesson has been designed to be offered in multiple formats, while still meeting the same standards and learning objectives. Though fundamentally the same lesson, you will notice that the different modalities may require the lesson to be approached differently. Select the modality that you are interested in to be taken to the section of the course designed for that form of instruction.
Materials
Lesson Slides (attached)
Painting a Picture Image Packet (attached; one per student)
Painting a Picture Chart (attached; one per student)
Painting a Picture Chart: Teacher’s Notes (attached)
Paired Texts H-Chart (attached; one per student)
Mansa Musa of Mali reading (attached; one per student)
Huffington Post article (linked)
Engage
10 Minute(s)
Use the attached Lesson Slides to guide the lesson. Show slide 3. Review the essential question with students. Show slide 4 and review the lesson objectives with students.
Show slide 5. Introduce the Think-Pair-Share strategy.
Ask students to compile a list of the wealthiest people to ever live. After giving students a few minutes to make a list, have them share their lists with a partner. Ask volunteers to share their responses with the whole class.
After students have created their individual lists and shared with classmates, pass out or display the Huffington Post article: "Mansa Musa of Mali Named World’s Richest Man of All Time; Gates and Buffet Also Make List."
Show slide 6. Ask students to answer the following questions as they read:
Who was the richest person in history?
How did this person gain their wealth?
After giving time for students to read, ask for volunteers to answer the questions above. Then, have a class discussion about the article and ask students if they were surprised by who the richest person in history is and if anyone in class has ever heard of him.
Explore
20 Minute(s)
Once students demonstrate some mastery of the concept of Mansa Musa and his vast wealth, introduce them to some images that contribute to their understanding of his effect on West Africa.
Introduce students to the Painting a Picture strategy.
Show slide 7. Instruct them to use observations of what they see, together with any background or prior knowledge they have, to draw inferences about the content being explored in an effort to interpret the overall "picture."
In other words, have students use multiple resources to figuratively paint a picture of the topic being studied. In this case, ask them to use the observations they make in response to artifacts and photos to "paint a picture" of Mansa Musa’s contributions to West Africa.
Pass out the attached Painting a Picture Chart handout to each student. Give students time to examine each image displayed around the classroom and to complete their charts. When students have finished recording their observations, give them about one minute to discuss their observations with a partner. Have them add any additional information gleaned from the partner discussion to their charts.
When students are ready, call on a few volunteers to share their thoughts with the whole class. From here you can either affirm the types of observations students make or offer them more guidance and direction.
Explain
30 Minute(s)
Show slide 12. Introduce the Paired Texts H-Chart instructional strategy as a way for students to learn more about Mansa Musa’s impact in West Africa. Ask students to partner with someone else for this activity.
Pass out the attached Paired Texts H-Chart handout to each student. Show students the TED-Ed video, "Mansa Musa, one of the wealthiest people who ever lived - Jessica Smith," linked on slide 13. Have students summarize the video on the left side of the H-Chart. As students view the video, ask them to look for ways that Mansa Musa used his wealth and how he contributed to the spread of Islam in Africa.
After giving students time to summarize the video, pass out the attached Mansa Musa of Mali reading and have students read the short essay. As they read the essay, ask them to highlight evidence of trade leading to the spread of Islam in West Africa. Ask students to summarize the article on the right side of the Paired Texts H-Chart.
Allow students time to share their summaries with a partner to compare and contrast what they chose to write down. Then, ask for volunteers to read their summaries and have a class discussion about Mansa Musa and the Mali Empire. Ask students to think about how trading in Timbuktu led to establishing the religion of Islam in West Africa and how Mansa Musa encouraged Islam in his empire.
Extend
10 Minute(s)
Show slide 14. Play the PBS video, titled "The Great Mosque Is Replastered," about the annual re-plastering of the Great Mosque in Mali. As students watch the video, ask them to think about the following questions:
What is the importance of re-plastering the mosque for people in Mali?
What does the upkeep of the mosque today say about Mansa Musa’s legacy?
Ask for volunteers to share out their thoughts. Have a class discussion about the importance of re-plastering the mosque to the people in Mali. Invite student to examine how this annual event reflects on Mansa Musa’s contributions to the area.
Evaluate
20 Minute(s)
For the final activity, show slide 15. Ask students to respond to the prompt in the middle of the Paired Texts H-Chart: How did trade and Mansa Musa's reign contribute to the spread of Islam in West Africa?
Encourage students to use the video and readings and the Painting a Picture Chart to write their responses. Instruct students to write at least one paragraph in response to the prompt.
Have students submit their completed Paired Texts H-Chart. Review their work and check for student understanding.
Resources
Bennett-Smith, M. (2012, October 17). Mansa Musa Of Mali Named World's Richest Man Of All Time; Gates And Buffet Also Make List. Huffington Post. https://www.huffpost.com/entry/mansa-musa-worlds-richest-man-all-time_n_1973840
Cartwright, M. (2021). Mansa Musa I. World History Encyclopedia. https://www.worldhistory.org/Mansa_Musa_I/
Daley, J. (2019). New exhibition highlights story of the richest man who ever lived. Smithsonian Magazine. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/richest-man-who-ever-lived-180971409/
Griggs, M. B. (2014). Iron age coin hoard. [Digital image]. Smithsonian Magazine. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/hoard-gold-coins-found-california-180949900/
HistoryNmoor. (2015). Empire_mansa_musa.jpeg. [Digital image]. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Empire_mansa_musa.jpeg
K20 Center. (n.d.). Mercury Reader. Tech Tools. https://learn.k20center.ou.edu/tech-tool/2169
K20 Center. (n.d.). Padlet. Tech Tools. https://learn.k20center.ou.edu/tech-tool/1077
K20 Center. (n.d.). Paired Texts H-Chart. Strategies. https://learn.k20center.ou.edu/strategy/132
K20 Center. (n.d.). Paired Texts H-Chart. Template. https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1ysuENPdp5iVC5A9Eq4-1UWP26zNKmnwvVp15CYvG3eo/edit#slide=id.ga584862db9_1_18
K20 Center. (n.d.). Painting a Picture. Strategies. https://learn.k20center.ou.edu/strategy/1331
K20 Center. (n.d.). Think-Pair-Share. Strategies. https://learn.k20center.ou.edu/strategy/139
National Geographic Society. (2020). Mansa Musa (Musa I of Mali). https://www.nationalgeographic.org/encyclopedia/mansa-musa-musa-i-mali/
PBS. (2020). The great mosque is replastered. [Video]. https://www.pbs.org/video/great-mosque-replastered-ickx10/BS
Smith, J. (2015). Mansa Musa. One of the wealthiest people who ever lived. [Video]. Ted-Ed. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O3YJMaL55TM&t=232souTube
Wikimedia. (2010). Ancient manuscripts from the desert libraries of Timbuktu exhibition. [Digital image]. https://www.loc.gov/exhibits/mali/mali-exhibit.html#obj16
Wikimedia. (2020). 1375 Atlas Catalan Abraham cresques. [Digital image]. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:1375_Atlas_Catalan_Abraham_Cresques_ZU2020.jpg
Wikimedia. (2008). Mansa Musa. [Digital image]. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Mansa_Musa.jpg
Wikimedia. (2007). Sankore Mosque Timbuktu 01.jpg. [Digital image]. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:2007_Sankore_Mosque_Timbuktu_01.jpg
Wikimedia. (2001). Upyernoz. Djinguereber in Timbuktu.jpg. [Digital image]. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Djinguereber_in_Timbuktu.jpg
