SHS2 History · Semester 1 Week 15: Prelude to Colonisation and Colonial Rule

Lesson notes

Learning Objectives

Indicator: 2.3.3.LI.3 - Examine the effects of the European presence on the economy of Ghana.

By the end of the lesson, learners can:

Explain how European traders and colonial officials introduced or expanded cash crops such as cocoa, palm oil, rubber, and timber in the Gold Coast, and identify the motives behind this agricultural development.
Analyse the effects of European presence on the mining sector, including changes in gold, diamond, manganese, and bauxite extraction, and the labour systems that supported mining.
Describe the process of monetisation of the Ghanaian economy, including the introduction of British currency and the banking system, and explain its effects on everyday economic life.
Discuss the roles of Ghanaian entrepreneurs, including women, who emerged as a result of European commercial activity, and evaluate their contributions.
Assess both the short-term and long-term economic effects of European presence on different groups in Ghanaian society, using evidence from primary and secondary sources.

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Curriculum details

Strand: Age of Encounter and Exchanges Up to the 20th Century (Strand 3)
Sub-strand: Prelude to Colonisation and Colonial Rule (3.3)
Content standard: 2.3.3.CS.1 - Demonstrate understanding of the processes leading to the establishment of British rule in the Gold Coast and the impact on the people of Ghana. 2.3.3.LO.1 Use relevant historical sources and skills to investigate chronologically the major events leading to British rule in the Gold Coast and communicate effectively the long-term and short-term effects of European presence in Ghana.
Indicator: 2.3.3.LI.3 - Examine the effects of the European presence on the economy of Ghana.
Suggested placement: Semester 1, Week 15 (Week 15 of the year)
Our suggestion, laid out in curriculum order across three terms of twelve weeks. NaCCA does not fix the week, so follow your school's scheme of learning.
Curriculum reference: NaCCA curriculum document, p. 77

Exemplars (from the NaCCA curriculum)

Enquiry Routes: How did Europeans contribute to the development of agriculture in Ghana? How did Europeans begin trading in Ghana? What new ideas did Europeans introduce in the trading sector?
Experiential Learning: Learners collect from the environment some crops (fruits) that were introduced by the Europeans in Ghana.
Collaborative Learning:
- In groups, learners discuss why and how Europeans contributed to the cultivation of Palm /kernel oil, Rubber, timber, cocoa, and other cash crops in Ghana.
- Learners use relevant secondary sources to examine the effects of European presence on the mining sector in Ghana.
- Using the Talk for Learning technique, learners discuss the monetisation of the Ghanaian economy and the introduction of the banking system in Ghana.
Technology Enabled Active Learning (TEAL): Using authentic internet sources, learners form hypotheses and draw conclusions on how Europeans influenced trading activities in Ghana.
Group/Project-Based Learning:
- Working collaboratively, learners create a poster to show how changes introduced by Europeans affected the economic lives of Ghanaians.
- In small groups, learners identify and discuss Ghanaian entrepreneurs, including women who emerged as a result of European presence.
Teaching and Learning Resources:
- Primary sources: (the Bond of 1844, colonial maps of the Gold Coast, pictures, and paintings in the colonial archives)
- Secondary sources (textbooks, opinion papers, etc.)
- Tape/audio recorder
- Internet access
- Computer/ laptop/mobile phone, speaker-out devices.
- Stationeries
- Photographs of health, educational and housing facilities built by the colonial government.
- Secondary sources (textbooks, newspaper articles/opinion papers, etc.)
- Documentaries/ VFTs on colonial infrastructure in Ghana
- Resource person
- Realia (crops/fruits) introduced by Europeans or photographs Secondary sources (textbooks, newspaper articles/opinion papers, etc.)
- Documentaries on monetisation of the Ghanaian economy
- Raw materials from the environment such as cocoa pods, woods, clayey soil, animal skin, etc.
Assessment (2.3.3.AS.3). The document marks these depth-of-knowledge levels for this indicator: Level 2 Skills of conceptual understanding; Level 3 Strategic reasoning; Level 4 Extended critical thinking and reasoning.