Learning Activity

Triangular Trade: Thinking About the People and the Process

Subject Area

English Language Arts
Social Studies

Grade(s)

5

Overview

Students will read and view two types of informational texts that address the Triangular Trade. They will take notes to recognize centers of the slave trade and the establishment of the Triangular Trade routes. Students will also analyze the two texts by comparing them for effectiveness.

Social Studies (2010) Grade(s): 5

SS10.5.6

Describe colonial economic life and labor systems in the Americas.

Unpacked Content

UP:SS10.5.6

Vocabulary

  • economic
  • labor system
  • establishment
  • Triangular Trade Route
  • Hemisphere
  • Americas
  • Latin America
  • North America
  • South America
  • island

Knowledge

Students know:
  • Each colony's economic life and labor system was unique and based on the geographic location of the colony.
  • Most slaves came from a variety of countries in Africa and were brought to the Americas by slave traders using the Triangular Trade Route.

Skills

Students are able to:
  • Locate each colony on a physical and political map.
  • Describe and explain the types of labor used in each colony (indentured servitude, slaves, free blacks, merchants, farmers, shipping, fishing/whaling, among others).
  • Trace, examine and evaluate the Triangular Trade Route and its impact on colonial economy and labor systems.

Understanding

Students understand that:
  • Different labor systems were used to build and grow each of the 13 colonies.
  • Slave labor was brought to the Americas by the Northern colonial shipping industry and purchased and used in the Caribbean islands and Southern colonies.
Social Studies (2010) Grade(s): 5

SS10.5.6.1

Recognizing centers of slave trade in the Western Hemisphere and the establishment of the Triangular Trade Route
English Language Arts (2021) Grade(s): 5

ELA21.5.26

Analyze how two or more texts address similar topics in diverse media and formats, including graphics, live and/or recorded performances, and written works.

Unpacked Content

UP:ELA21.5.26

Vocabulary

  • Analyze
  • Topics
  • Diverse media and formats
  • Graphics
  • Live and/or recorded performances
  • Written works

Knowledge

Students know:
  • Strategies to analyze text and diverse media formats.
  • Similar topics can be presented in different formats.

Skills

Students are able to:
  • Analyze and explain how two or more texts explain similar topics in diverse media and formats.

Understanding

Students understand that:
  • Similar concepts can be explained in different ways depending on the format of the text and the viewpoint of the author.

Phase

During/Explore/Explain
Learning Objectives

Learning Objectives

The student will:

  • read and analyze how two different texts address Triangular Trade. 
  • recognize centers of slave trade and the establishment of the Triangular Trade Route.

Activity Details

The teacher will:

  1.  Review with the students the three main areas of concentration of the Triangular Trade (Europe, Africa, and the Americas).
  2. Distribute the Notes and Analysis sheets to each student. Explain that they will be reading and viewing 2 different texts about the Triangular Trade. They will fold the Notes and Analysis sheet along the middle line and use each column to take notes as they or after they read or view the text, making sure to address the required prompts.  Explain that some of the prompts will have to be answered using inferences. For example, the text may not mention a ship’s crew and captain, but the reader will infer that the ship had a crew and captain.  
  3. Instruct the students to access the two texts (the article and the graphic). Explain that you will give them about 20 minutes to view and take notes on both of them. They can start with whichever one they want and then do the other one. At the halfway point, let the class know they should be starting the second text if they have not already. Give them time to read/play both texts and take notes on the supplied Notes and Analysis sheet. 
  4. When time is up, take some time to discuss as a group 
    • the people, both the enslaved and the operators or captors.
    • the process of the Triangular Trade while also reviewing the main centers of the slave trade.  Discuss how the process affected all of the people involved, noting what drove the establishment of the Triangular Trade.
    • the 2 different presentations of information.  Which did they prefer?  Did one give the information more clearly?  

     Note:  Point out that while the graphic shows the U.S. as the “13 colonies”, the Atlantic trade of enslaved people lasted well into the 1880s after the colonies had gained their freedom from Great Britain and was its own country, even though the import of slaves had been banned in the U.S. in the early 1800s.  It continued to be legal to own slaves until The Emancipation Proclamation was enacted and the Civil War ended.  

5.  Collect the Notes and Analysis sheets.

Assessment Strategies

Assessment Strategies

Monitor verbal responses in the discussion portion of class to determine that students are able to recognize centers of the slave trade and the establishment of the Triangular Trade Route.

Collect the Notes and Analysis sheets (Answer Key) to verify that:

  • students recognize centers of the slave trade and the establishment of the Triangular Trade.
  • students analyzed how the two texts addressed the same topic.

Acceleration

Instruct your advanced students to look for a very important additional date and explanation that they can then add to the timeline created in the previous related learning activity History of Enslavement Collaborative Timeline (1808 - the import of enslaved people was banned in the U.S., and it is noted in the article).

Intervention

Both the slides of the graphic text and the article could be printed out for struggling students to take notes from or to use highlighters to point out the answers to most of the prompts. The prompts that require a statement in response could be answered verbally instead of in writing. 

Approximate Duration

Total Duration

31 to 45 Minutes

Related Learning Activities

Learning Activity (Before)

The Triangular Trade: Thinking About the Places

Learning Activity (During)

Triangular Trade: Thinking About the People and the Process

Learning Activity (After)

Triangular Trade: Mapping and Explaining It

Background and Preparation

Background / Preparation

The students will need to be somewhat familiar with the trade of enslaved persons and the establishment of Triangular Trade routes. Students should have basic reading, writing, and computer skills.

The teacher will need to either share the two online texts with students or be prepared to demonstrate accessing them through the Alabama Virtual Library.  Follow these instructions to navigate to the two articles:

  1. Go to the Alabama Virtual Library homepage.
  2. Click the Elementary School tab near the top.
  3. Scroll down and select Britannica School Elementary.
  4. Search for triangular trade.
  5. When the results appear, the article is the top result and the interactive map (graphic text) is linked to the left of the article (titled “Interactive”).  These are the 2 informational texts you will need access to.  

Be familiar with the information in both texts. Note that the graphic text takes less than 4 minutes to play through without pausing, and the article should take about 4 minutes to read through without stopping. Adjust the recommended time of 20 minutes as you see fit for your class. Make copies of the Notes and Analysis sheet for each student. Note that the topic of slavery is a difficult issue. Please be respectful of all students when teaching this topic, and adhere to your system’s procedures for teaching sensitive material.

Materials and Resources

Materials and Resources

Students:

Teacher:

If the links to the 2 texts take you to a sign in page instead of the full text article and interactive map, there is an easy way to access them.  Follow these instructions:

  1. Go to the Alabama Virtual Library homepage.
  2. Click the Elementary School tab near the top.
  3. Scroll down and select Britannica School Elementary.
  4. Search for triangular trade.
  5. When the results appear, the article is the top result and the interactive map (graphic text) is linked to the left of the article (titled “Interactive”).  These are the 2 informational texts you will need access to.  

Digital Tools / Resources

Triangular Trade (Informational Text) and Triangular Trade (Graphic Text) artic…
https://www.avl.lib.al.us/

Approved Date

Owner (Author)

sjordan
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