What Does it mean to be a Leader?: African and Middle Eastern Leaders
Here are the specific SS ELA MGP resources that were presented and a general timeline of activities.
Preview Activity Ideas:
ELA:
"What does it mean to be a great leader?" or "What are the qualities of a 'good' leader and a 'bad' leader?"
Use as a:
Journal prompt
Philosophical chairs activity
Quick Write and Discussion
Compare/Contrast famous leaders from history
SS:
Anticipation guide addressing significant African and Middle Eastern leaders and events- includes misconceptions about each region (think about the key concepts: conflict between ethnic groups, artificial political borders during colonization, apartheid)
Student preview of leaders to select research focus
Step 1. Research and Bibliography
After introducing the project in both classes, the students should begin researching. Generally, the Social Studies teacher will conduct the research in class while the ELA teacher discusses formatting the bibliography. For our project, students were required to have at least FIVE sources, including AT LEAST one book, one image or political cartoon, and one credible online source. Use the Cobb Digital Library for online resources, talk to your media specialist about gathering physical books and library resources, and use EasyBib for help with citations.
List of African and Middle Eastern Leaders we used: Winnie Mandela (S. Africa) Mansa Musa (Ancient Mali) Mohammad Ali Jinnah (Pakistan) Yasser Arafat (PLO) Golda Meir (Israel) Thabo Mbeki (S. Africa) David Ben-Gurion (Israel) Saddam Hussein (Iraq) The Ayatollah Khomeini (Iran) Suleiman I (Ottoman Empire) Mamphela Ramphele (S. Africa) Benizir Bhutto (Pakistan)
Here is an example bibliography that can be used in class:
The students will be putting together a PORTFOLIO of artifacts (genres) on the leaders they have chosen. Basically, all the artifacts and documents will go into a single binder, file, folder (or more creative display) when it is turned in. As students are looking through their sources, they should be thinking about which genres they want to explore, and how they will tie them to the leaders they have chosen. We completed two artifacts as a class that were required for EVERYONE to complete (listed below).
As the students work on their artifacts, they should be aware of the Social Studies requirements that must be fulfilled for each. Regardless of the artifact genre, the students MUST relate the content to the Social Studies domains. The Social Studies requirements are general and apply to all the genres.
Step 3. Completing the Independent Portion of the Portfolio
The students also had to include a Letter to the reader. This is a foreword to the MGP documents, and it is the FIRST document in the portfolio. Students should include two paragraphs (at least) in the letter to the reader. Paragraph 1: a brief introduction to the chosen leader, including brief background information about who he/she is/was, and paragraph 2: WHY the student chose that leader as the focus of the MGP.
In addition to the two artifacts listed above, the students included THREE additional artifacts. Below, is a list of additional possible genres/formats for the MGP artifacts. The students were required to have AT LEAST 1 artifact from BOTH categories listed below. This was to ensure a balance of writing-heavy artifacts and more artistic (but less writing-intensive) options.
Category A (Must have AT LEAST 1)
Category B (must have AT LEAST 1)
-Personal letter/business letter` -Diary entries (at least 3) -Critique from another person’s perspective -Short story -Brochure / Newsletter -Speech -Personal monologue -Newspaper article
May be used as an anchor activity-ongoing summative assessment
May be used during reteaching/enrichment periods or as a culminating performance task
Choice of researched person incorporates differentiation
Can choose leaders for students more closely aligned with standards based on reading scores or data from assessment
What Does it mean to be a Leader?: African and Middle Eastern Leaders
Here are the specific SS ELA MGP resources that were presented and a general timeline of activities.
Preview Activity Ideas:
ELA:
"What does it mean to be a great leader?" or "What are the qualities of a 'good' leader and a 'bad' leader?"
Use as a:
SS:
Step 1. Research and Bibliography
After introducing the project in both classes, the students should begin researching. Generally, the Social Studies teacher will conduct the research in class while the ELA teacher discusses formatting the bibliography. For our project, students were required to have at least FIVE sources, including AT LEAST one book, one image or political cartoon, and one credible online source. Use the Cobb Digital Library for online resources, talk to your media specialist about gathering physical books and library resources, and use EasyBib for help with citations.
List of African and Middle Eastern Leaders we used:
Winnie Mandela (S. Africa)
Mansa Musa (Ancient Mali)
Mohammad Ali Jinnah (Pakistan)
Yasser Arafat (PLO)
Golda Meir (Israel)
Thabo Mbeki (S. Africa)
David Ben-Gurion (Israel)
Saddam Hussein (Iraq)
The Ayatollah Khomeini (Iran)
Suleiman I (Ottoman Empire)
Mamphela Ramphele (S. Africa)
Benizir Bhutto (Pakistan)
Here is an example bibliography that can be used in class:
Step 2. Walkthrough with the first two Artifacts
The students will be putting together a PORTFOLIO of artifacts (genres) on the leaders they have chosen. Basically, all the artifacts and documents will go into a single binder, file, folder (or more creative display) when it is turned in. As students are looking through their sources, they should be thinking about which genres they want to explore, and how they will tie them to the leaders they have chosen. We completed two artifacts as a class that were required for EVERYONE to complete (listed below).
As the students work on their artifacts, they should be aware of the Social Studies requirements that must be fulfilled for each. Regardless of the artifact genre, the students MUST relate the content to the Social Studies domains. The Social Studies requirements are general and apply to all the genres.
Interview Guidelines:
Poem/Song Guidelines:
Step 3. Completing the Independent Portion of the Portfolio
The students also had to include a Letter to the reader. This is a foreword to the MGP documents, and it is the FIRST document in the portfolio. Students should include two paragraphs (at least) in the letter to the reader. Paragraph 1: a brief introduction to the chosen leader, including brief background information about who he/she is/was, and paragraph 2: WHY the student chose that leader as the focus of the MGP.
In addition to the two artifacts listed above, the students included THREE additional artifacts. Below, is a list of additional possible genres/formats for the MGP artifacts. The students were required to have AT LEAST 1 artifact from BOTH categories listed below. This was to ensure a balance of writing-heavy artifacts and more artistic (but less writing-intensive) options.
-Diary entries (at least 3)
-Critique from another person’s perspective
-Short story
-Brochure / Newsletter
-Speech
-Personal monologue
-Newspaper article
-Wanted poster
-Classified ad
-Greeting card
-Comic strip/graphic novel excerpt
-iMovie / photostory
-Obituary
-Prezi / PowerPoint
-Timeline
Other Artifact Option Directions and Requirements - Includes Social Studies General Requirements:
Step 4. Final Product
The final list of items in the portfolio will include:
1. Letter to the Reader
2. Interview
3. Song/Poem
4. Artifact Choice
5. Artifact Choice
6. Artifact Choice
7. Bibliography
Step 5. Grading/Rubric
ELA Final Rubric:
Social Studies Final Rubric:
Differentiation:
May be used as an anchor activity-ongoing summative assessment
May be used during reteaching/enrichment periods or as a culminating performance task
Choice of researched person incorporates differentiation
Can choose leaders for students more closely aligned with standards based on reading scores or data from assessment