In order to provide students a fuller version of the story of Sundiata Keita, sharing some of these key details (a fuller version is available in the Teacher Context for reference). Encourage students to take notes using the Note Taking Handout or another choice of your/their choosing. 

• Sundiata Keita, also known as the Lion King, was a great leader in the 13th century. Sundiata can also be spelled Sunjata. 
• Sundiata was born in 1190 and known for founding the West African Mali empire by uniting the Mande and Susu chiefdoms and freeing them from domination by the Susu. 
• In order to truly understand why his story is considered an epic we have to look at his full life and the obstacles he overcame. 
• King Maghan Konfara, had two sons- Dankara Touman and Sundiata Keita. The sons did not have the same mothers and therefore were considered half-brothers. Dankata was the older brother and the next heir to the throne. Sundiata was the younger brother and was also born unable to walk. 
• When Maghan died, he was succeeded by Dankara Touman, who banished his half brother Sundiata to exile. While in exile, Sundiata learned to walk. He also became a skillful hunter, leading him to be given the nickname of Jata meaning lion. 
• While Sundiata was exiled, Dankara was defeated and the Mande people begged Sundiata to come back. Sundiata came back to Mali, to save his people.
• He defeated the Susu ruler of Sumaworoin in 1235 at the Battle of Kirina and became the King of Mali.
• Under Sundiata, the Mande Charter of Kurukan Fuga (or Kouroukan Fouga), one of the first charters/constitutions, was developed in 1235. 
• As the Mande charter set out, Sundiata’s story was passed down orally by generations of bards also known as djeli/jeli or griots. 

Next, display for students the section on Sunjata Keita of Mali, from the Gold Road site using this link or by selecting Sunjata Keita after filtering by Mali and People. Review the history of Sunjata adding additional context and detail to the story to bring it further to life for students. 

As a closing activity students can reference their notes to either complete an exit slip or create a timeline for you to check their understanding.