The Bronx High School for the Visual Arts

Mr. Broudo

Civilization is Collapsing!!!

The Ancient Maya and Modern Day Nauru

INTRODUCTION

Civilizations collapse all the time. There are many reasons that a Civilization might collapse. You are going to look at two societies. One that has collapsed and one that is in the process of collapse. When a civilization is collapsing it is usually clear to all its members. The reactions to this problem are pretty much the same.

TASK

Your job will be to figure out what exactly these policies are and whether or not they were effective in fixing the problem. You will have to write a short paper analyzing the why and how of the collapse of these societies.

The Ancient Mayan Civilization collapsed suddenly hundreds of years ago. The modern day island of Nauru is in the process of collapse. By looking at the problems and policies of Nauru we can guess at the problems and policies that the Maya followed before their collapse.

PROCESS

In order to do all this you will have to follow the steps below to examine the problems and policies of the island of Nauru and the Ancient Maya.

The Work You Need to Accomplish

You will have to write a short paper detailing what you have discovered here. Your paper should take the form of the terms used above to analyze this question. You must collect all of the information requested above. Answer each part in full sentences and explain where you got your information. In order to receive full credit you must complete each step in the process for each civilization. The simplest model to follow will be to answer each question in a paragraph. This will be graded as a short exhibition.

In order to do each of these steps click on the step itself to link to a guide explaining the meaning of each.

Identify the Problem: State what the problem on the island of Nauru is and what the problem in Ancient Maya might have been using the links for each below.

Gather the Evidence: Using evidence found in the links below give specific evidence for the problem. What is or was going on in these societies. Is everything going well? If not what is going wrong? How do you know?

Determine the Causes What policies are the Nauru following and did the Ancient Maya follow that may have led to collapse? Use the links below and internet research to figure out what they was going on in these societies that may have led to collapse.

Evaluate the Policy Figure out how effective the policies pursued by the Ancient Maya and the Nauru were. Did they help either society avoid collapse? What were the results of these policies?

Comparative Analysis Compare the policies of Nauru and the Ancient Maya. Did they pursue different policies? Have you learned anything about what Civilizations ought to do in this situation?

Resources

Use these resources to gather the information requested above

Nauru

CIA World Factbook

Maya

Online Encyclopedia

United Nations

Google

Evaluation OF YOU

EXCELLENT	SATISFACTORY	Poor	UNSATISFACTORY
Organization	Organization	Organization	Organization
Student essay is logical, clear and fully engages the reader’s interest.	Student essay is logical, clear and somehow engages the reader’s interest.	Student essay is somewhat logical and clear, but does not engage the reader.	Student is illogical, unclear and inadequate.
Subject Knowledge Student demonstrates knowledge of subject matter and beyond.	Subject Knowledge Student demonstrates adequate knowledge of subject matter.	Subject Knowledge Student demonstrates little knowledge of subject matter.	Subject Knowledge Student does not know subject matter.
Accuracy No grammatical errors	Accuracy Very few grammatical errors	Accuracy Some grammatical errors	Accuracy Too many grammatical errors that distorts sentence sense.
Graphics At least three appropriate color and fonts	Graphics At least two appropriate color and fonts	Graphics At least one appropriate color and fonts	Graphics No color and variety in fonts
Sources Excellent variety of sources. Excellent use of relevant materials.	Sources Adequate number of sources adequate use of relevant materials.	Sources Minimal use of sources and of relevant materials.	Sources Inadequate use of sources. Lack of relevant materials
References References in End Notes and Bibliography.	References Correctly credits references.	References Incorrectly credits references or credits missing.	References No attempt to provide documentation for materials used.

New York State Social Studies Standards

Standard 2

Student will use a variety of intellectual skills to demonstrate their understanding of major ideas, eras, themes, developments, and turning point in world history from a variety of perspectives.

Standard 4: Students should develop the skills of historical analysis, which include the ability to investigate differing and competing interpretations of the theories of history, hypothesize about why interpretations change over time, explain the importance of historical evidence, and understand the concepts of change and continuity over time.

New York State English Language Arts Standards

1. Students will read and write for information and understanding.

2. Students will read and write for literary response and expression.

3. Students will read and write for critical analysis and evaluation.

4. Students will speak and listen for social interaction.

Conclusion

By the time you complete this Web Quest you will have gained an understanding of some of the reasons that Civilizations collapse. The important thing is that you will see that these problems occur in many different places at many times and that these problems can be analyzed using the process that you have mastered.