KS3 Slavery: The Triangular Trade

The aim of this lesson is to assess how the Triangular Trade operated.

The first part of the lesson explains the Triangular Trade and examines the different goods, transactions and routes involved in the transatlantic slave trade. Students use documentary and video evidence to investigate how the system operated before recording their findings in a table. A mini plenary then checks their understanding of the Triangular Trade and its impact, while a ‘what if?’ question challenges students to think more deeply about its consequences.

The second part focuses on the story of Olaudah Equiano, examining his life before enslavement and what happened after he was captured. Students explore his experiences through his account but are also challenged to question the reliability of his version of events and investigate conflicting evidence surrounding aspects of his story. This develops students’ ability to analyse historical sources rather than simply accepting an account at face value.

The final part of the lesson examines how enslaved Africans were captured and by whom. Students investigate the different methods and circumstances of capture, before prioritising the most common forms and using historical sources to extract further information about the process of enslavement.

The lesson is fully enquiry-based, with a key question introduced using a lightbulb enquiry at the beginning and revisited at the end, allowing students to demonstrate how their thinking and understanding have developed.
.
Included in this lesson:
Fully editable PowerPoint
Trade routes and the movement of goods
Documentary and video evidence
Impact of the Triangular Trade
Olaudah Equiano & his account of enslavement
Conflicting evidence and interpretations
Prioritising methods of capture
Retrieval practice activities
Suggested teaching and learning strategies
Differentiated materials

Please leave a review, which would be gratefully received.