Assignments, Rubrics, Reflections
November 10, 2010
World History and Geography 1 DCPS Standards
G E O G R A P H I C S K I L L S
9.4. Students analyze the geographic, political, religious, social, and economic structures of the sub-Saharan civilizations of Ghana, Mali, and
Songhai of West Africa in the Middle Ages.
1. Locate and identify the site of these civilizations, the importance of the Niger River, and the relationship between vegetation zones of forest,
savannah, and desert to the trade in gold, salt, food, and slaves. Illustrate the growth of the Ghana, Mali, and Songhai kingdoms/empires
(e.g., trading centers such as Timbuktu and Jenne, which would later develop into important centers of culture and learning). (G, E, I)
2. Describe the role of the trans-Saharan caravan trade in the changing religious and cultural characteristics of West Africa and the influence
of Islamic beliefs, ethics, and law. (G, R, S)
3. Trace the growth of the Arabic language in government, trade, and Islamic scholarship in West Africa. (P, S, I)
4. Describe the importance of written and oral traditions in the transmission of African history and culture. (S, I)
5. Trace the rise to prominence of Sundiata Keita, the legendary founder of the empire of Mali. (P)
6. Analyze the importance of family, labor specialization, and regional commerce in the development of states and cities in West Africa. (S, E)
7. Explain the importance of Mansa Musa and his pilgrimage to Mecca in 1324. (P, R, E) Students study current events to explain how human actions modify the physical environment and how the physical environment affects
human systems (e.g., natural disasters, climate, and resources). They explain the resulting environmental policy issues.
8. Students explain how different points of view influence policies relating to the use and management of Earth’s resources.
9. Students identify patterns and networks of economic interdependence in the contemporary world.
H I S T O R I C A L R E S E A R C H , E V I D E N C E , A N D P O I N T O F V I E W
1. Students distinguish valid arguments from fallacious arguments in historical interpretations (e.g., appeal to false authority, unconfirmed citations,
ad hominem argument, appeal to popular opinion).
2. Students identify bias and prejudice in historical interpretations.
3. Students evaluate major debates among historians concerning alternative interpretations of the past, including an analysis of authors’ use of
evidence and the distinctions between sound generalizations and misleading oversimplifications.
4. Students construct and test hypotheses; collect, evaluate, and employ information from multiple primary and secondary sources; and apply
it in oral and written presentations.
Art DCPS Standards- 8th Grade
8.1.1 Explore the significance and purpose of art.
8.1.2 Analyze how real objects are created from 3-d forms such as sphere, cone, cube, cylinder, pyramids, and their variation or combinations.
8.1.3 Use and identify hues, values, intermediate shades, tints, tones, complimentary, analogous, and monochromatic colors.
8.1.4 Observe and explain how artists create unity and harmony in assemblage sculpture.
8.1.5 Explain criteria of quality aesthetic design.
Arts Beats Beyond: A project-based interdisciplinary approach
October 27, 2010
Engaging students to learn without having to sit still and quietly at a desk, opens doors to students creative potential.
