Global Connections · SHS3 History

Lesson notes

Learning Objectives

Indicator: 3.3.2.LI.1 - Investigate the nature and impact of the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade.

By the end of the lesson, learners can:

Define the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade and identify the continents involved in the trade.
Describe how the trade was carried out, including the capture of enslaved Africans, their treatment in castles and forts, and their transportation across the Atlantic on the Middle Passage.
Explain at least three reasons why the volume of the trade increased dramatically in the 18th century.
Analyse the effects of the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade on Africa and on the West (Europe and the Americas).
Distinguish between indigenous African slavery and the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade.

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Curriculum details

Strand: Age of Encounter and Exchanges Up to the 20th Century (Strand 3)
Sub-strand: Global Connections (3.2)
Content standard: 3.3.2.CS.1 - Demonstrate understanding of the advent and impact of the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade in Africa. 3.3.2.LO.1 Use relevant historical sources to develop historical perspective on the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade in Africa and justify the forms of resistance Africans put up against the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade.
Indicator: 3.3.2.LI.1 - Investigate the nature and impact of the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade.
Suggested placement: Semester 2, Week 4 (Week 24 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.
Source document note: The official curriculum document has a fault in this entry, so the curriculum text above is transcribed exactly as printed:

indicator text - p.122: the document prints this learning-indicator code as "3.3.2.L1.1" - a digit one where the I of LI belongs. Settled from the file, not from the rendered stroke: the page's content stream draws the code as the TJ operands (3.3.) (2.L1.) (1) with a WinAnsiEncoding simple TrueType font that carries no ToUnicode CMap, so the byte after the L is 0x31, DIGIT ONE; in this face the digit one and the capital I are different outlines with twice the advance width (1024 against 512); and every L1 code run in the document measures 64 px wide against 60 for every LI run of the same length. Filed under LI, which is the document's own code vocabulary (CS|LO|LI|AS)
Curriculum reference: NaCCA curriculum document, p. 122

Exemplars (from the NaCCA curriculum)

Enquiry Routes: What is the Trans-Atlantic slave trade? Which continents were involved in the trade? How was the trade carried out? Why did it increase in volume in the 18th century? What were the effects of the trade on Africa and the West?
Talk for Learning:
- Learners brainstorm the difference between indigenous African slavery and the Atlantic Slave Trade.
- In a Pair-Share-Repeat activity, learners discuss the advent of the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade in Africa.
Project Based-Learning: In small groups, learners create posters to show the continents that were involved in the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade and explain the concept of Triangular Trade. HINT: Let learners who are physically challenged observe posters and discuss with their peers.
Experiential Learning:
- Let learners embark on a field trip or a Virtual Field Trip (VFT) to any of the slave castles across Africa to enquire on how the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade was conducted.
- Use pictures and videos to describe to learners, the nature of the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade including how slaves were captured, treated in castles/forts, and transported to the New World through the 'Middle Passage'.
Talk for Learning:
- In a snowball activity, learners discuss why the slave trade increased in volume in the 18th century.
- In a concentric circle, learners discuss how the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade affected women in Africa.
Project-Based Learning:
- Learners research on the effects of the slave trade on Africa and the West and make group presentation.
- Learners debate on the impact of the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade.
Teaching and Learning Resources:
- Documentary on slavery and the slave trade in Africa.
- VFT on slave castles across Africa.
- Pictures of slave castles, dungeons, ships, shackles
- Secondary accounts on the slave trade (textbooks, newspaper reports, opinion papers)
- Map of the world
- Internet access
- Computer/ laptop/mobile phone, speaker-out devices.
- Stationery
- A chart on the nature of African Resistance against the Slave Trade.
- Documentaries/ movies on African resistance against the slave trade.
- Pictures and documentaries on Abolitionists.
- Primary and Secondary sources on Resistance to Slave Trade
- A poster on the decline of the Caravan Trade
Assessment (3.3.2.AS.1). 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.