The big ideaWhen there is a lot of something, each piece is worth less.
How it works
Amara lived in Mali, a rich land in West Africa, where there was lots of gold. Mali traded gold for salt from the desert.
Mansa means king. Mansa Musa made a great journey to the faraway city of Mecca, with thousands of people and many camels.
In Cairo, a big, busy city in Egypt, he gave out pouch after pouch of gold. Gold lay on every table in the market.
People say gold became worth less there, because there was suddenly lots of it. When there is lots of something, each piece is worth less.
💧food and water⛺tents💰sacks of gold
What the camels carried.A little gold or lots of gold.
Example 1: Trading for salt
Mali had lots of gold.
Salt came from the desert.
So Mali traded gold for salt.
Example 2: The caravan
Camels carried food and water, tents, and sacks of gold.
They walked for many months to cross the desert.
At last the caravan reached Cairo.
Example 3: Why gold was worth less
In Cairo, Mansa Musa gave gold to the people he met, pouch after pouch.
Soon gold lay on every table in the market.
There was suddenly lots of it, so each piece was worth less.
Example 4: A little or a lot
One piece of a rare thing is worth a lot.
Lots and lots of the same thing makes each piece worth less.
That is the idea in the story.
Words to know
caravan
A big group traveling together, with camels.
Mansa
King.
rare
There is not much of it.
market
A place full of stalls where people buy and sell.
Watch out
Gold did not rust or get smaller in Cairo. There was suddenly lots of it.
Mansa Musa decided to travel to Mecca. Cairo is a city the caravan reached.
It is a story people tell: it says people say gold became worth less.
Try it
What did Mali trade gold for?
How long did it take to cross the desert?
Why did gold become worth less in Cairo?
What does Mansa mean?
Answers: 1. Salt · 2. Many months · 3. There was suddenly lots of it · 4. King
Try at homeWith a grown-up, find Mali and Cairo on a map. How far is the road between them?
For grown-upsFind Mali and Cairo on a map together and talk about how far the road is. Then try the idea at home: if there were suddenly lots and lots of stickers, would one sticker be worth as much?
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