Upper Key Stage 2 Benin (900 to 1300CE)
Benin Timeline

Experience traditional Benin food, listen to music and research modern and ancient Benin. Build a tabletop timeline of the Benin civilisation using a series of research challenges to gather information. Gather information about the Benin Empire and learn about the warrior kings. Create drawings of Benin City using descriptions from 17th-century traders. Find out about the British role in the end of the Benin Empire.

Session 1 Building the timeline

Objectives

History

  • Pupils should continue to develop a chronologically secure knowledge and understanding of British, local and world history, establishing clear narratives within and across the periods they study.
  • Construct informed responses that involve thoughtful selection and organisation of relevant historical information.

Geography

  • Pupils should use maps, atlases, globes and digital/computer mapping to locate countries and describe features studied.

Lesson Planning

Experience a traditional Benin food, listen to some of their music and start to research modern and ancient Benin using a series of research challenges. Build the base of a tabletop timeline of the Benin civilisation using a series of research challenges to gather information. Work in groups to find out the main facts and dates about the Benin Kingdom and place on the timeline.

Teaching Outcomes:

  • To experience traditional Benin food, listen to some of their music and start to research the modern country of Benin.
  • To become familiar with the modern country of Benin, including its location on a world map and some facts about the country.

Children will:

  • Experience traditional Benin food and music and understand more of the modern and ancient Benin using a series of research challenges.
  • Build the base of a tabletop timeline of the ancient Benin civilisation and work in groups to find out the main facts and dates about the Benin kingdom.

Provided Resources

  • How to make traditional Benin Yovo Doko (or European Beignets)
  • Benin research questions
  • How to construct a Benin Tabletop Timeline

You Will Need

  • Equipment and ingredients for Yovo Doko: yeast, butter, caster sugar, salt, evaporated milk, eggs, plain flour, oil for frying and icing sugar
  • Sticky-notes
  • Globes and atlases
  • Lego™ bases and Lego™ or strips of card
  • Marker pens

Session 2 The beginning of Benin

Objectives

History

  • Continue to develop a chronologically secure knowledge and understanding of British, local and world history, establishing clear narratives within and across the periods they study.
  • Construct informed responses that involve thoughtful selection and organisation of relevant historical information.

D&T

  • Select from and use a wider range of materials and components, including construction materials, textiles and ingredients, according to their functional properties and aesthetic qualities.

Lesson Planning

In research groups, look in more detail at the beginning of Benin. Make rainforest trees to place at the beginning of the 3d tabletop timeline and buildings to represent Benin City.

Teaching Outcomes:

  • To research in more detail the beginning of the Benin Kingdom.
  • To study the structures and style of Benin buildings.
  • To make rainforest trees to place at the beginning of the 3D tabletop timeline and buildings to represent Benin City.

Children will:

  • Research in more detail the beginning of the Benin Kingdom.
  • Understand the structures and style of the Benin houses.
  • Create rainforest trees to place at the beginning of the 3D tabletop timeline and palaces to represent Benin City.

You Will Need

  • Air drying clay
  • Knife, rolling pin and mat
  • Twigs
  • Card
  • Glue
  • Green tissue paper
  • Long white card, tape.

Session 3 The Benin Empire

Objectives

History:

  • Continue to develop a chronologically secure knowledge and understanding of British, local and world history, establishing clear narratives within and across the periods they study.
  • Construct informed responses that involve thoughtful selection and organisation of relevant historical information.

Lesson Planning

Gather information about the Benin Empire and learn about the warrior kings. Add information to the timeline and create drawings of the City using descriptions from 17th century traders.

Teaching Outcomes:

  • To gather information about the Benin empire and learn about the five warrior kings.
  • To understand where this information appears on the timeline.
  • To create drawings of the City using descriptions from 17th century traders.

Children will:

  • Gather information about the Benin empire and learn about the five warrior kings
  • Understand where the warrior kings feature on the timeline of Benin history
  • Create drawings of the City using descriptions from 17th century traders

Provided Resources

  • The 5 warrior kings jigsaw
  • Audio transcript: How did traders from Europe see Benin?

You Will Need

  • Crayons/coloured pencils
  • Clay
  • Plasticine™
  • Lego™

Session 4 The end of an empire

Objectives

History:

  • Continue to develop a chronologically secure knowledge and understanding of British, local and world history, establishing clear narratives within and across the periods they study.
  • Construct informed responses that involve thoughtful selection and organisation of relevant historical information.

Lesson Planning

Find out about how the British put an end to the Benin Empire - how they wanted the land for palm oil and rubber and how they razed the City to the ground and made Benin part of the British Empire. Add details to depict this take over onto the 3D tabletop timeline.

Teaching Outcomes:

  • To understand more about how the British put an end to the Benin Empire.
  • To understand something of why the British attacked Benin and razed the City to the ground and made Benin part of the British Empire.
  • To add details to the tabletop timeline to depict the events at the end of the Benin empire - the arrival of the British, the razing and looting of the city.

Children will:

  • Understand more about how the British put an end to the Benin Empire.
  • Understand something of why the British attacked the Edo and razed the city to the ground and made Benin part of the British Empire.
  • Add these events to events to the timeline and understand where they occur in history.

You Will Need

  • Red, orange, yellow tissue paper
  • Tape
  • Thread