Britain in Africa (British Empire)

This resource includes information on the Scramble for Africa and the takeover of Egypt through the Suez Canal.
The lesson is introduced through discussion activities on the European nations which took over African land.
The lesson then moves on to motivations for colonising Africa and the various reasons for this, inc. religion, competition, territory, economy.
Following this, there is a discussion on the attitude of Cecil Rhodes towards Africa - focusing mostly on racial motivations for colonisation.
This is followed by another discussion activity on what students’ think was the most significant motivating factor for European expansion in Africa.
To conclude the lesson, there is an exam practice activity which includes two sources. The current question reads ‘How useful are Sources A and B to a historian studying attitudes to European expansion in Africa?(8 marks)’ but this can be modified to suit other exam boards.

This lesson was designed for a 1 hour KS3 (high-ability) lesson but can be adapted for various modules across GCSE level. This lesson uses information and images from the textbook ‘Thematic Studies, Oxford AQA GCSE History’.