The Empires of Ancient Africa

This WebQuest is designed to utilize a computer lab for approximately one day. During that time, students will conduct the bulk of their research. The following day in class there will be a discussion over key points in their research and on how to formulate the essay. Whatever time was not used in class to complete the essay will be assigned for homework. 

Standards

TEKS 113 Social Studies
(b) Knowledge and skills.

(1) History. The student understands that historical events influence contemporary events. The student is expected to:

(A) trace characteristics of various contemporary societies in regions that resulted from historical events or factors such as invasion, conquests, colonization, immigration, and trade; and

(B) analyze the historical background of various contemporary societies to evaluate relationships between past conflicts and current conditions.
(2) History. The student understands the influences of individuals and groups from various cultures on various historical and contemporary societies. The student is expected to:

(A) identify and describe the influence of individual or group achievements on various historical or contemporary societies
(B) evaluate the social, political, economic, and cultural contributions of individuals and groups from various societies, past and present.
(3) Geography. The student uses geographic tools to answer geographic questions. The student is expected to:

(A) pose and answer geographic questions, including: Where is it located? Why is it there? What is significant about its location? How is its location related to the location of other people, places, and environments?;
(D) create thematic maps, graphs, charts, models, and databases depicting aspects such as population, disease, and economic activities of various world regions and countries.
(4) Geography. The student understands the factors that influence the locations and characteristics of locations of various contemporary societies on maps and globes and uses latitude and longitude to determine absolute locations. The student is expected to:
(D) identify and locate major physical and human geographic features such as landforms, water bodies, and urban centers of various places and regions;

(E) draw sketch maps that illustrate various places and regions; and
(D) identify and locate major physical and human geographic features such as landforms, water bodies, and urban centers of various places and regions;

(E) draw sketch maps that illustrate various places and regions; and
(15) Culture. The student understands the similarities and differences within and among cultures in various world societies. The student is expected to:

(A) define culture and the common traits that unify a culture region;

(B) identify and describe common traits that define cultures;
(E) analyze the similarities and differences among various world societies; and

(F) identify and explain examples of conflict and cooperation between and among cultures.

TEKS 110 Language Arts
(14) Writing/Writing Process. Students use elements of the writing process (planning, drafting, revising, editing, and publishing) to compose text. Students are expected to:

(A) plan a first draft by selecting a genre appropriate for conveying the intended meaning to an audience, determining appropriate topics through a range of strategies (e.g., discussion, background reading, personal interests, interviews), and developing a thesis or controlling idea;

(B) develop drafts by choosing an appropriate organizational strategy (e.g., sequence of events, cause-effect, compare-contrast) and building on ideas to create a focused, organized, and coherent piece of writing;

(C) revise drafts to clarify meaning, enhance style, include simple and compound sentences, and improve transitions by adding, deleting, combining, and rearranging sentences or larger units of text after rethinking how well questions of purpose, audience, and genre have been addressed;

(D) edit drafts for grammar, mechanics, and spelling; and

(E) revise final draft in response to feedback from peers and teacher and publish written work for appropriate audiences.

(17) Writing/Expository and Procedural Texts. Students write expository and procedural or work-related texts to communicate ideas and information to specific audiences for specific purposes. Students are expected to:

(A) create multi-paragraph essays to convey information about a topic that:

(i) present effective introductions and concluding paragraphs;

(ii) guide and inform the reader's understanding of key ideas and evidence;

(iii) include specific facts, details, and examples in an appropriately organized structure; and

(iv) use a variety of sentence structures and transitions to link paragraphs;

Credits

Thank you for completing my WebQuest!
This was composed as a project for ETEC 5302 at TAMUCC. It will also be used in my 8th grade classroom during the upcoming year.

Works Cited

Annenburg Foundation. (2012). Collapse: Mali and songhai. Retrieved from http://www.learner.org/interactives/collapse/mali.html
Department of Arts of Africa, Oceania, and the Americas. (October 2000) "The Empires of the Western Sudan: Ghana Empire". In Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2000�. http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/ghan/hd_ghan.htm
Department of Arts of Africa, Oceania, and the Americas. (October 2000) "The Empires of the Western Sudan: Songhai Empire". In Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2000�. http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/sghi/hd_sghi.htm
Department of Arts of Africa, Oceania, and the Americas. (October 2000) "The Trans-Saharan Gold Trade (7th�14th century)". In Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2000�. http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/gold/hd_gold.htm
KidsKnowIt Network. (1998-3012). The kingdom of ghana. Retrieved from http://www.kidspast.com/world-history/0099-kingdom-ghana.php
Maps of the World. (2009). The kingdom of mali. Retrieved from http://www.mapsofworld.com/mali/history/kingdom-of-mali.html
Polyxeni Khalil. (1996, December 16). The kingdom of mali. Retrieved from http://www.thenagain.info/WebChron/Africa/Mali.htm
Rupert Hopkins. (2001-2012). The kingdom of mali. Retrieved from http://ruperthopkins.com/pdf/Kingdom_of_Mali.pdf
Rupert Hopkins. (2001-2012). The kingdom of songhai. Retrieved from http://ruperthopkins.com/pdf/The_Kingdom_of_Songhai.pdf
US History.org. (2008-2012). Kingdom of ghana. Retrieved from http://www.ushistory.org/civ/7a.asp
Wikipedia. (2012, June 17). Ghana empire. Retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ghana_Empire
Wikipedia. (2012, July 09). Mali empire. Retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mali_Empire
Wikipedia. (2012, July 02). Songhai empire. Retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Songhai_Empire