We are going to turn our time machine backwards and stop between the 11^th and 16^th centuries in West Africa. Have you heard that sometimes, history seems to repeat itself? There were two great empires during the middle Ages in West Africa. Despite their greatness, they declined and nothing was heard about them any longer. You are famous historians from Stevenson H.S., you are going to travel to the desert of Africa to gather information about these great empires. How did these “Lion Kings” rise to be great empires, and what made them to decline. What do you think could have been done to prevent the fall of these empires?

You will produce a two page report of your findings and present them in class orally using PowerPoint. You will follow the Global Public Policy Analysis steps in your findings, which will include information about the empires of West Africa, their rise to power and decline. You will have slides showing the different empires and their reign. You will also include in the slides the great rulers of the empires and any of their achievements.

You will be working in groups of three students.

Each group will use the resources available, which would include Internet websites, textbooks, journals, and any other resources you may find useful to fill out the GPPA worksheet which will be given to every student.

Each group will produce a PowerPoint presentation of the rise and fall of the Mali and Songhai empires, the rulers of the empires – Sundiata, Mansa Musa, Sonni Ali, and Askia and their contribution to the flourishing and fall of these empires. You may add any caption you think would be useful for your work.

You will find how the empires rose and the reasons for their decline using the resources below.

You will also suggest what would have been done to prevent the empires from declining.

Using the TIPS program you will fill out the handouts from the following hyperlinks:

1. Define the Problem worksheet1gh.doc

2. Gather the evidence worksheet2gh.doc

3. Determine the cause of the Problem worksheet3gh.doc

4. Evaluate the existing Policy worksheet3gh.doc

5. Find a Possible Solution to the Problem

http://www.csusm.edu/Black_Excellence/documents/pg-g-m-s-empires.html

http://www.hopewell.k12.va.us/techsol/mali.htm

http://www.royalty.nu/Africa/Mali.html

http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/mali/hg_d_mali_d1map.htm

You will be graded based on the contents of the rubrics below:

A - Exemplary: 45-50 points

B - Proficient: 40-44 points
Partially Proficient or Incomplete: Needs to be resubmitted - less than 39 points

PowerPoint Rubric

ACTIVITY	Exemplary	Proficient	Partially Proficient	Incomplete	POINTS
Research and Notetaking	6 points Notecards indicate group members accurately researched varied information sources, recorded and interpreted statements, graphics and questions and evaluated alternative points of view.	4 points Notecards show group members recorded relevant information from multiple sources of information, evaluated and synthesized relevant information.	2 points Notecards show group members misinterpreted statements, graphics and questions and failed to identify relevant arguments.	0 points Notecards show group members recorded information from four or less resources, and ignored alternative points of view.
Introduction	3 points The introduction presents the overall topic and draws the audience into the presentation with compelling questions or by relating to the audience's interests or goals.	2 points The introduction is clear and coherent and relates to the topic.	1 point The introduction shows some structure but does not create a strong sense of what is to follow.	0 points The introduction does not orient the audience to what will follow. The sequencing is unclear and does not appear interesting or relevant to the audience.
Content	8 points The content is written clearly and concisely with a logical progression of ideas and supporting information.	6 points The content is written with a logical progression of ideas and supporting information.	4 points The content is vague in conveying a point of view and does not create a strong sense of purpose.	0 points The content lacks a clear point of view and logical sequence of information.
Text Elements	3 points The fonts are easy-to-read and point size varies appropriately for headings and text. Use of italics, bold, and indentations enhances readability. Text is appropriate in length for the target audience and to the point. The background and colors enhance the readability of text.	2 points Sometimes the fonts are:  easy-to-read, but in a few places the use of fonts, italics, bold, long paragraphs, color or busy background detracts and does not enhance readability.	1 point Overall readability is difficult with lengthy paragraphs, too many different fonts, dark or busy background, overuse of bold or lack of appropriate indentations of text.	0 points The text is extremely difficult to read with long blocks of text and small point size of fonts, inappropriate contrasting colors, and poor use of headings, subheadings, indentations, or bold formatting.
Layout	3 points The layout is aesthetically pleasing and contributes to the overall message with appropriate use of headings and subheadings and white space.	2 points The layout uses horizontal and vertical white space appropriately.	1 point The layout shows some structure, but appears cluttered and busy or distracting with large gaps of white space or uses a distracting background.	0 points The layout is cluttered, confusing, and does not  use spacing, headings and subheadings to enhance the readability.
Graphics, Sound and/or Animation	3 points The graphics, sound and/or animation assist in presenting an overall theme and make visual connections that enhance understanding of concept, ideas and relationships.	2 points The graphics, sound/and or animation visually depict material and assist the audience in understanding the flow of information or content.	1 point Some of the graphics, sounds, and/or animations seem unrelated to the topic/theme and do not enhance the overall concepts.	0 points The graphics, sounds, and/or animations are unrelated to the content.
		-
Teamwork	6 points The group documents how members brainstormed, discussed, assumed roles and solved problems. Provides evidence that group members helped one another, shared ideas, developed and evaluated their finished product(s). The project is clearly a group effort.	4 points The group documents how members divided tasks, shared the workload and managed problems in a way that advanced the group goal.	2 points The group occasionally helped one another but required teacher assistance to resolve differences. One person documents that he/she did most of the work and/or problems were not managed in a way that advanced the group goal.	0 points The group required teacher assistance with dividing tasks and resolving differences. Few people contributed their fair share of work.
TOTAL POINTS					/50

COPYRIGHT 2001-2004 Joan Vandervelde
All Rights Reserved.
Updated: December 18, 2003

Standard 2:   Language for Literary Response and Expression

Students will read and listen to oral, written, and electronically produced texts and performances from American and world literature; relate texts and performances to their own lives; and develop an understanding of the diverse social, historical, and cultural dimensions the texts and performances represent. As speakers and writers, students will use oral and written language that follows the accepted conventions of the English language for self-expression and artistic creation.

Standard 2:   World History

Students will use a variety of intellectual skills to demonstrate their understanding of major ideas, eras, themes, developments, and turning points in world history and examine the broad sweep of history from a variety of perspectives.

You would have learned how the Mali and Songhai empires rose and fell, and what you should have been done to prevent its decline. You have also learned how to do research and do a PowerPoint presentation.