The Age of Imperialism ‖ The Scramble for Africa

Goals & Objectives

Students will be able to recall prior historical knowledge on the Industrial Revolution to
understand the political, economic, and social position European powers were in. Students
will be able to use the Scramble for Africa simulation activity to comprehend why certain
countries were able to colonize more regions. Students will be able to predict the short-
term and long-term consequences of the Scramble for Africa based on new content they
have learned in the lesson.

California State Content Standards

History-Social Science Standard 10.4.1: Describe the rise of industrial economies and their link
to imperialism and colonialism (e.g., the role played by national security and strategic
advantage; moral issues raised by the search for national hegemony, Social Darwinism, and the
missionary impulse; materials issues such as land, resources, and technology).
History-Social Science Standard 10.4.2: Discuss the locations of the colonial rule of such
nations as England, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, Russia, Spain, Portugal, and
the United States.

Common Core Literacy Standards

CCLS History/Social Studies 9/10.2: Determine the central ideas or information of a primary or
secondary source, provide an accurate summary of how key events or ideas develop over the
course of the text.

CCLS History/Social Studies 9/10.3: Analyze in detail a series of events described in a text;
determine whether earlier events caused later ones or simply preceded them.

Driving Historical Question frames the lesson

How was the new age Imperialism in the late 19th century a result of the Industrial
Revolution? Why were certain colonial powers able to colonize larger regions of land than
others? What were some of the short-term and long-term consequences of the Scramble for
Africa?

Lesson Introduction (Anticipatory Set/Hook/Accessing Prior Knowledge) ‖ Time: 5 mins.

The lesson will begin with students taking part in a think-pair-share activity where they
will be recalling information on the Industrial Revolution, the unit they have just
completed. The content being taught to them in this lesson is the first they will be learning
in regard to Imperialism, which in many ways is a direct result of the Industrial Revolution
in Europe. After allowing for students to think independently and then share with the
person sitting next to them, students will share their answers to the whole class in a
discussion facilitated by myself.
Vocabulary (Content Language Development) ‖ Time: 10 mins.
Key content related to the Scramble for Africa will be explained to students on a
PowerPoint slide following the Scramble for Africa simulation activity which will take place
before the lesson closure. *This section of the lesson will be following the Student
Engagement (Critical Thinking & Student Activities) section of the lesson.*

Content Delivery (Method of Instruction) ‖ Time: 20 mins.

After giving students specific directions about what to expect during the Scramble for
Africa simulation, students will work with their groups on a specific set of tasks assigned to
them for the simulation. Certain groups will have a longer set of tasks to do than others,
which is done purposely to illustrate that certain imperial powers were better prepared to
colonize than others. Students will specifically be grouped into groups of five or six
students who will be collaborating to complete their group’s specific tasks.

Student Engagement (Critical Thinking & Student Activities) ‖ Time: 10 mins.

Following the Scramble for Africa simulation, students will take part in a post-simulation
discussion. In this post-simulation discussion, students will be asked to answer two specific
questions posted on the PowerPoint slide about what had transpired in the simulation. The
two questions are: 1) How successful was your country at conquering different parts of the
room? and 2) Why was your country successful (or not) at conquering different parts of the
room? Students will first discuss the answers to these questions with the members of their
group and then with the class as a whole.

Lesson Closure ‖ Time: 10 mins.

After the post-simulation discussion and showing students a PowerPoint slide with key
content about the Scramble for Africa, students will take part in an exit ticket activity.
During this activity, students will be asked to extend their thinking by writing down an
answer to the question of what some possible short-term and long-term consequences of
the Scramble for Africa would be. After giving students time to answer the question
individually, different students will volunteer to share their answers to the whole class.

Performance Task
The specific performance task students will take part in for this specific lesson is in the
form of a summative assessment, specifically a writing assignment. In the field of social
science, specifically in history classes, historical writing is a major backbone for those who
are a part of it. During this lesson, students will be learning specifically about a historical
event known as the Scramble for Africa, in which European powers such as Great Britain
and France, among others, colonized different parts of the African continent. Much of, if not
all of this colonization of the continent was done with little regard for how the Native
Africans felt about it or thinking about what possible future consequences would be. For
their performance task, students will be asked to write one detailed body paragraph in
which they discuss what they felt the most major effect was of the Scramble for Africa. Once
students have designated what they believe to be the most major effect, they will find two
scholarly sources to use as evidence in their body paragraph. Their body paragraph will be
outlined as follows: topic sentence, PPA #1 (point-proof-analysis), PPA #2 (point-proof-
analysis), and a concluding sentence. In the rubric for the performance task, there will be
seven different categories where students can receive either a grade of: extending,
proficient, developing, or beginning (highest to lowest). The rubric is analytic in nature,
which students will use to assess both theirs and each other’s knowledge of the content and
quality of the body paragraph they have written.

Assessments (Formative & Summative)

There will be two formative assessments during the simulation, with one being the post-
simulation discussion and the other being the exit ticket activity. During the post-
simulation discussion, I will be circling the room to assess student learning by listening to
different student’s responses to the post-simulation discussion questions. Additionally, I
will be collecting student’s exit ticket writing assignments to assess their thinking on what
the possible consequences of the Scramble for Africa would be.

Accommodations for English Learners, Striving Readers and Students with Special Needs
There are different accommodations put in place to support English Learners, Striving
Readers, and Students with Special Needs considering they all learn better with different
instructional strategies. There are different instructional strategies throughout the lesson
to support visual learners, auditory learners, tactile learners, and kinesthetic learners. For
students who excel at visual learning and prefer to keep their thoughts organized, having a
PowerPoint presentation posted throughout the entirety of the period with explicit
directions will support their learning. For auditory learners, there will be multiple points
throughout the lesson for them to take part in discussions with their partners, small
groups, and the entire class. They will also be given verbal instructions to the specific tasks
they are to complete during the lesson along with them being posted on the PowerPoint
presentation. Students who succeed in tactile learning prefer to take notes whether they
are reading through activities or during lectures. Following the post-simulation discussion,
a short lecture slide will be displayed on the PowerPoint presentation to summarize key
points to take away from the simulation, helping support those who absorb content most
effectively from tactile learning. Lastly, the Scramble for Africa simulation activity will
support kinesthetic learners by giving them the opportunity to “do” rather than watching
or listening by taking part in the simulation activity.
Resources (Books, Websites, Handouts, Materials)
During this lesson, students will have access to: a PowerPoint presentation projected on
the screen, a poster, colored pencils, sticky notes, and a specific set of directions for the
simulation activity.