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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Trekking to Timbuktu: A Center of Trade

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Learners conduct online research regarding the origins of the city of Timbuktu and discover why it became such an important place. Students write about the city's origins until it became a part of Mali.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Trekking to Timbuktu: Restoring the Past

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students investigate the environmental factors that threaten Timbuktu. Students investigate what measures are being taken to restore their mosques, and the condition of their ancient manuscripts. Students discover information about the...
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Lesson Plan
National Endowment for the Humanities

Trekking to Timbuktu: Mansa Musa Takes a Trip - Teacher Version

For Teachers 11th
Eleventh graders identify Mansa Musa and discuss his pilgrimage, explain how he related to leaders in the East, and describe decisions he made about his homeland. They discuss changes brought about in Mali as a result of his pilgrimage.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Paraphrasing-Timbuktu in Your Own Words

For Teachers 6th - 8th
How do you paraphrase information? Part of plagiarizing is taking information word for word and using it in your writing. Teach your writers how to paragraphs correctly to avoid this!   They watch a QuickTime video on Timbuktu and...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Trekking to Timbuktu: The Geography of Mali -Teacher Version

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Learners investigate the geography of Mali. They locate Mali on a satellite map, explore various websites, describe the landscape and climate, label a map, and write an essay about the Niger Riger.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

All The Way to Timbuktu

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Students discuss the concept of historic preservation and relate it to their own families and communities. After reading an article, they discuss the efforts of Mali to preserve their history. Using the internet, they research one...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Trekking to Timbuktu: Trade in Ancient West Africa

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students research how trade in Timbuktu was affected by geography. Students conduct online research to determine the major trade routes, main products of trade, plus how and why trade spread across Africa.
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Activity
Curated OER

Trekking to Timbuktu: Restoring the Past

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students describe the environmental conditions that presently threaten Timbuktu. They explain what efforts are being made to restore the ancient mosques, describe the condition of the ancient manuscripts and tell what is being done to...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Trekking to Timbuktu: Timbuktu: A Center of Trade - Teacher Version

For Teachers 4th
Fourth graders discuss the origins of Timbuktu, explain the importance of its location, and describe the kingdom of Mali. They also explain how and why Timbuktu became a part of Mali.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Trekking to Timbuktu: Timbuktu's Golden Age of Scholarship

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Middle schoolers study and identify the empire of Songhai through research and describe Timbuktu's role in its economy. They investigate how Timbuktu became an important spiritual and intellectual center of Islam. Students describe the...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Timbuktu: A Center of Trade

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Pupils pretend to take a field trip to Timbuktu. Using the internet, they research the origins and secrets of this important city. They use a map to discover how important its location is to trade. They also examine why Timbuktu...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Trekking to Timbuktu: Timbuktu's Golden Age of Scholarship

For Teachers 7th - 12th
Students access online information regarding education in Timbuktu and the mighty Songhai Empire. They write an essay comparing and contrasting the curriculum of the university at Sankore with that of their own school.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Trekking to Timbuktu: The Geography of Mali - Student Version

For Teachers 11th
Eleventh graders locate Mali on a world map, describe the landscape and climate of Mali, and locate the city of Timbuktu and describe the local weather. They compare life along the Niger in ancient times to that of today
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Trekking to Timbuktu: Mansa Musa Takes a Trip - Student Version

For Teachers 11th
Eleventh graders identify Mansa Musa and discuss his pilgrimage, explain how he related to leaders in the East, and describe decisions he made about his homeland. They discuss changes brought about in Mali as a result of his pilgrimage.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Trekking to Timbuktu: Making The Pitch to Globe Trekker - Student Version

For Teachers 11th
Eleventh graders create a large poster exhibit to highlight through image and written word the most interesting aspects of each topic investigated. The topics investigated include geography, trade, early years of Timbuktu, Mansa Musa's...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Trekking to Timbuktu: Assessment of Lessons 1-7 - Teacher Version

For Teachers 11th
Eleventh graders use several pieces of poster board taped together and make an illustrated timeline of the history of Timbuktu. For the illustrations, use graphics downloaded from websites visited during this unit or draw pictures freehand.
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Website
Library of Congress

Loc: Ancient Manuscripts: From the Desert Libraries of Timbuktu

For Students 9th - 10th
This is a collection of primary, historical documents from Timbuktu, Mali during the the 16th through 18th century. The documents cover all aspects of this advanced African civilization.
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Lesson Plan
National Endowment for the Humanities

Neh: Edsit Ement: Trekking to Timbuktu: Mansa Musa Takes a Trip

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Trekking to Timbuktu is a WebQuest for Grades 6-8. Mission 4 looks at Mansa Musa's journey to Mecca in 1324.
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Website
Annenberg Foundation

Annenberg Learner: Collapse: Mali and Songhai: Growth and Decline

For Students 9th - 10th
Engrossing site that explores the settlement and decline of Mali and Songhai. The site examines the city of Timbuktu and the impact of years of turmoil and conquest on the settlement.
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Primary
Library of Congress

Loc: Islamic Manuscripts From Mali

For Students 9th - 10th
Library of Congress site features 32 Islamic manuscripts in Arabic from Timbukti, Mali, and West Africa.
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Website
Digital History

Digital History: The Black Man's African Past [Pdf]

For Students 9th - 10th
Read the narrative of Oladuah Equiano (or Gustavas Vassa) who described the culture of Benin as he was growing up in mid-18th century. On this site there is also a brief, general history of Africa at this time. [pdf]
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Website
PBS

Pbs Learning Media: Paraphrasing Timbuktu

For Students 9th - 10th
This video segment from Religion and Ethics Newsweekly features the ancient city of Timbuktu, once a thriving center of learning and trade.
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Handout
Wikimedia

Wikipedia: Musa I of Mali

For Students 9th - 10th
A description of Mansa Musa's life and accomplishments.
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Handout
University of Calgary

Merchants & Traders: 330 Bce 1500ce

For Students 9th - 10th
Article provides a brief examination of the merchants and traders of Africa during the early period of African history.