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Presidential Campaign 2004:
Alexander the Great vs. Genghis Khan

vs.

A WebQuest for 9th Grade

Introduction

This lesson was developed as part of the Ancient Leader Web Quest Project, in Alex Keenan-Gallagher's 9th Grade History class.

Alexander the Great and Genghis Khan were the greatest conquerors of their respective times. In this webquest you will explore the different leadership styles of these two historical leaders and how they would translate into modern politics.

Learners

This lesson is anchored in 9th grade History and Human Communities Classes. In order to complete it learners need to have a knowledge of navigating the internet, and on the civilzations of Genghis Khan and Alexander the Great. It can be extended and will serve as a good project also for grade levels just above or below the 9th grade.

Curriculum Standards

The execution of this webquest will allow students to learn about the dynamic qualities of two of the greatest leaders in ancient history. Through the research necessary to answer the questions asked of the students using this webquest will show students how these men led and what made them so successful during the times of their dominance. .

Process

Step 1: Divide into groups with 5 members each.

Step 2: Distribute one of each of the following jobs to each member of your group

Step 3: What would they strive to accomplish as president of a modern world super power based on what they did as a leader in the ancient world?

Step 4: What legacy would they want to have after their time in power, and how would this affect their campaign platform?

Step 5: How would they intend to lead the United States? What issues would be important to them?

Step 6: How Genghis Khan and Alexander the Great would gain the votes of the people of a modern day democratic country? What would the emphasize as their strongest qualties, in order to gain the peoples support?

Step 7: How would the conditions today help or hurt them and their ability to win the election? How might they change the political scene in America?

Step 8: As a group, compile the answers to all of the questions into two seamless documents that read as campaign strategies for each "candidate".

Step 9: In a separate paper decide who would win a mock election. You should provide support for your chosen outcome with evidence from each question answered in steps 3-7. Each member of the group should write their own paper.

Evaluation

Three key components for evaluation:
1. An individual grade assessing the students research, comprehension of the material, and analysis.
2. A group grade for the Campaign Strategies paper. Particular aspects of this section to focus on are: Teamwork, Organization, Efficiency, Quality and Clarity of writing, Presentation and Neatness of final paper.
3. An individual grade for the mock election winner paper. Is there convincing evidence of their decision? Do they use quotes to support their points? Do they cite their sources correctly? Are their spelling or grammatical errors? Is the writing clean and concise? Does the paper read smoothly? Does the paper reflect hard work, effort, and a complete understanding of the subject?

Conclusion
The execution of this webquest gives students valuable experience in researching historical topics, as well as giving them an opertunity to learn about two of the greatest military leaders in history: Genghis Khan and Alexander the Great.. They have also had to thuroughly understand the material presented, to the point where they have been able to relate historical evidence to modern times and politics.
Based on a template from The WebQuest Page