Students will create detailed maps, large and small, of West Africa using topographical and historical maps for reference. ‘Big Maps’ is an interdisciplinary teaching strategy to help students place the stories of history in relation to the lands and peoples whose lives and cultures they are studying. Students can embellish a base map with many different kinds of information from their discussions and readings as their study progresses. 

• To make a “Big Map”, students may begin to trace the continent or region onto paper. 
• Together, students need to decide on the themes that the map will capture. Religion, trade, economy might be some themes they choose. 
• As a next step, students make a list of the features related to the theme.
• Students then add features, such as rivers, names of places, natural resources, transportation corridors, as they do additional research and learn about them, so that the “story” on the “Big Map” grows richer and more complete as the unit progresses.
• Students should add natural resources and features in the appropriate areas. Maps should include places where the following are located: salt mines; copper mines; iron mines; gold mines; fishing industry; and areas of commercial agriculture. Natural features include rivers, the Sahara, the sahel, mountains, highlands, etc.
• Major cities/architectural components  of Africa and the established trade routes should also be represented