Massachusetts Standards Addressed in this Project
Social Studies:The Emergence and Expansion of Islam to 1500
WHI.1 On a map of the Middle East, Europe, Africa, and Asia, identify where Islam began and trace the course of its expansion to 1500 AD. (H)
WHI.2 Describe significant aspects of Islamic belief. (H)
A. the life and teachings of Muhammad
B. the significance of the Qur’an as the primary source of Islamic belief
C. Islam’s historical relationship to Judaism and Christianity
D. the relationship between government and religion in Muslim societies
WHI.3 Analyze the causes, course, and effects of Islamic expansion through North Africa, the Iberian Peninsula, and Central Asia. (H, G)
A. the strength of the Islamic world’s economy and culture
B. the training of Muslim soldiers and the use of advanced military techniques
C. the disorganization and internal divisions of Islam’s enemies
D. the resistance and/or assimilation of Christianized peoples in the Mediterranean
WHI.4 Describe the central political, economic, and religious developments in major periods of Islamic history. (H, E)
A. the sources of disagreement between Sunnis and Shi’ites
A. B. the importance of the trade routes connecting the Far East and Europe and the role of the Mongols in increasing trade along these routes, including the silk routes to China
C. the relationship of trade to the growth of Central Asian and Middle Eastern cities
D. the sources and uses of slaves in Islamic societies as well as the extent of the Islamic slave trade across Africa from 700 AD on.
WHI.5 Analyze the influence and achievements of Islamic civilization during its “Golden Age.” (H)
A. the preservation and expansion of Greek thought
B. Islamic science, philosophy, and mathematics
C. Islamic architecture
WHI.10 Describe the rise of the Ottoman Empire in the 14th and 15th centuries, including the capture of Constantinople in 1453. (H)
Technology Standards:
Standard: Demonstrate proficiency in the use of computers and applications as well as an understanding of concepts underlying hardware, software, and connectivity.
1.32 Create a slide presentation using appropriate applications.
Standard: Demonstrate ability to use technology for research, problem-solving, and communication. Students locate, evaluate, collect, and process information from a variety of electronic sources. Students use telecommunications and other media to interact or collaborate with peers, experts, and other audiences.
3.9 Communicate results of research and learning with others using the most appropriate tools (e.g., desktop published or word processed report, multimedia presentation)
Standard: Media Production - Students will design and create coherent media productions (audio, video, television, multimedia, Internet, emerging technologies) with a clear controlling idea, adequate detail, and appropriate consideration of audience, purpose, and medium.
27.3 Create a media production using effective images, text, music, sound effects, or graphics.
27.5 Use criteria to assess the effectiveness of media presentations.
English Language Arts Standards:
Standard 21: Revising
Students will demonstrate improvement in organization, content, paragraph development, level of detail, style, tone, and word choice (diction) in their compositions after revising them
21.6: Revise writing to improve organization and diction after checking the logic underlying the order of ideas, the precision of vocabulary used, and the economy of writing.
Standard 24: Research
Students will gather information from a variety of sources, analyze and evaluate the quality of the information they obtain, and use it to answer their own questions.
24.4: Apply steps for obtaining information from a variety of sources, organizing information, documenting sources, and presenting research in individual projects:
• differentiate between primary and secondary source materials;
• differentiate between paraphrasing and using direct quotes in a report;
• organize and present research using the grade 7–8 Learning Standards in the Composition Strand as a guide for writing;
• document information and quotations and use a consistent format for footnotes or endnotes; and
• use standard bibliographic format to document sources.
Standard 25: Evaluating Writing and Presentations
Students will develop and use appropriate rhetorical, logical, and stylistic criteria for assessing final versions of their compositions or research projects before presenting them to varied audiences.
25.4: As a group, develop and use scoring guides or rubrics to improve organization and presentation of written and oral projects.
