West
African
Kingdoms
Interactive
Notebook
1
Table of Contents
Page 3-4
Vocabulary Cards
Page 5-6
Ghana
Page 7-8
Mali
Page 9-10
Songhai
2
Vocabulary Pocket & Cards
Cut out
pocket and
put glue
along the
curved
edge only.
Cut out
cards along
the dotted
line and
write
definitions
on the
back.
Caravan
Berbers
Expedition
Griot
3
Sundiata Keita
Mansa Musa
Sunni Ali
Askia
Muhammed
Sahel
Savannah
Sahara
Trade
4
West African Vocabulary
Caravan – a group of people especially traders traveling together across
a desert
Berbers – a group of nomadic people from North Africa who used camels
to carry goods across the Sahara desert
Expedition – a journey or voyage
Griot – a member of a class of traveling poets, musicians, and
storytellers who maintains a tradition of oral history in parts of West
Africa
Sundiata Keita – founded the Mali Empire
Mansa Musa – Mali king who helped promote Islam
Sunni Ali – first king of the Songhai empire
Askia Muhammed – Songhai King who expanded and strengthened the
empire
Sahel – a semi-arid region of north-central Africa south of the Sahara
Desert
Savannah – a grassy plain with few trees in tropical and subtropical
regions
Sahara – the world’s largest desert located in North Africa covering
approximately 3.5 million square miles
Trade – the act or process of buying, selling, or exchanging commodities
5
Cut along the solid lines and glue
down behind the title “Ghana”.
Ghana
Write notes below each flap.
Ghana
Geography
The Empire
Trade
The Fall of
Ghana
6
Ghana Notes
Geography:
To the North of the Empire were the Sahara Desert
& the Sahel.
On the savannahs they were able to grow millet &
sorghum. They also grew sweet potatoes.
The Empire was located between the Senegal & Niger
Rivers.
The Empire:
King collected taxes on all trade goods & owned
everything.
They were located at a crossroads between Northern
and Southern trade routes so they offered
protection to traders and collected taxes from
caravans traveling through.
Trade:
Salt & gold were the most important trading
products. Salt was needed to preserve food!
Also traded cloth, copper, ivory, & slaves
Berbers moved trade goods across the Sahara.
The Fall of Ghana:
Weakened by war & conquered by people from the
north who wanted to control the gold & salt trade
7
Mali
Kings
Rise to Power
The Fall of
Trade
Mali
Cut around the whole shape and
then in the middle of the puzzle
pieces.
Glue down by the flaps on the
outside.
Write notes below each piece.
8
Mali Notes
Rise to Power:
1235 - Mali rose to power
The empire eventually expanded from the Atlantic
Ocean to Lake Chad (1,800 miles) and included the
fertile region of the Niger River and many gold
mines.
Kings:
Sundiata – founded the Mali empire by conquering
neighboring kingdoms
Mansa Musa –made a famous pilgrimage to Mecca
carrying a vast amount of gold
Trade:
Gold & salt were still the most important trade items.
Also traded slaves, horses, kola nuts, ivory, & cloth
The Fall of Mali:
Some smaller states under Mali broke free from its
control.
Songhai forces began conquering Mali cities and
eventually took all of Mali’s power.
9
Cut along the solid lines and glue
in the middle under “Songhai”.
Songhai
Rise to
Power
Kings
S
o
n
g
h
a
i
10
Write notes below each flap.
A
Center
of
Learning
The Fall
of
Songhai
Songhai Notes
Rise to Power:
Conquered Mali & expanded empire from the
Atlantic Ocean to modern-day Nigeria
Took control of Saharan trade routes (Salt & gold
continued to be the most important trade products.)
A Center of Learning:
Skilled workers and scholars were encouraged to
migrate to Gao, Jenne, & Timbuktu
o Gao – artists paradise
o Timbuktu – center of learning
o Jenne – medical knowledge
Griots told stories describing historical events to help
people learn about the past.
Kings:
Sunni Ali - conquered Timbuktu and Jenne and
became the first great ruler of the Songhai Empire
Askia Muhammed – encouraged learning and
literacy during his reign
The Fall of Songhai:
The riches of the salt and gold trade made them a
target for invaders.
1591 – conquered by an army from Morocco
11
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