#How2Hum: Research, Summary, and Analysis Web Site/ E-Zine Project 2 Spring 2019

Task: As a class, we will create a single issue of an e-zine or website, “#How2Hum,” centered around our
second unit and the timing of Black History Month: ​see Heritage Month guide here​. You will each contribute
some individual learning, synthesis, research, and analysis to it. You are my first attempt at this: 😬.

(1) Brainstorm, review your notes and annotations, and create a thorough graphic organizer of ​what you have
learned:​ a retroactive version of this ​K-W-L chart​, mind maps, freewriting, or outlines. For example, if you did
not know about the Kingdom of Ghana or the Mali Empire of West Africa (Marks, pg 55), then they should
appear in your chart. They will be pertinent to our creation and analysis.

(2) Research an important ​global​ event, community, or person in Black History. The heroines, regions of the
world, and topics that arose from our brief scavenger hunt activity may inspire your choice of interest. ​Create
at least 5 NoodleTools notecards​, paraphrasing important elements and details, and find ​1-2 relevant images,
maps, or photographs​. Use ​2 sources​ from our databases in the ​libguides.

(3) Create a solid summary paragraph (½ page single-spaced) describing your event or key figure. If your
paragraph is about a single person or group of people, then it should demonstrate some basic understanding of
the historical context or localized history that person or group existed within. Key terms should be defined.

See rubric for paragraph below:

(4) Create a 300-500 word op-ed piece making sense of concerted efforts to amplify or center the experiences
and histories of nondominant/marginalized/minority groups, such as alternative narratives and Heritage Months.

Your op-ed piece (analysis) can:

❏ Apply the framework of dominant and alternative narratives to ​Heritage Months​ in order to reveal their
purpose in historical memory.
❏ Juxtapose the effectiveness of Heritage months with your perception of their necessity (or lack thereof).
How does our class’ prior knowledge and engagement with (non)Eurocentric historical narratives
influence how we might think about Heritage months? What unintended insights arise from this work?
❏ Respond to “​Black History Month Includes Black Queer History, Too​” by articulating how it helps us
answer the questions about Black History Month’s effectiveness, impacts, and purpose.
❏ Engage the question: what is lost or gained by framing histories separately, around ethnic or affinity ties,
rather than together under the umbrella term “History”?
❏ Offer ​any​ of your emerging insights as we make sense of the paralleling themes that emerge from our
acknowledgement of Black History (Month) and the alternative narrative to how our modern world
came to be that Marks narrates.

See rubric for op-ed piece (analysis) below:

******​sample summary descriptive paragraph on Marco Polo’s travels to Asia​******

 Due Dates:
Graphic Organizer Due Thursday February, 14th
Notecards Due Friday February, 15th
Summary Paragraph Due Tuesday, February 19th
Op-Ed Pieces Due Friday February 22nd
Graphic Organizer = HW grade Wow! Got it! Almost Needs Oh no!
Notecards = 5 points work
Paragraphs = 10 points
Op-Ed piece and analysis = 20 points

ORGANIZATION: the summary paragraph is organized into . . .

● Topic sentence ​(clear statement of topic and something about it)
● Body ​(main points explained, relationships between ideas through
transitional words and phrases)
● Closing statement ​(summary of main idea or reminder of why the topic
is significant)
IDEAS: the summary paragraph includes . . .
● A description of ​who​ is involved (nations, states, people)
● Description of ​when & where​ (setting and context)
● Description of ​what​ (the narrative or plot)
● Explanation of ​why​ (discuss what the event was ​contingent ​upon)
● Key terms​ are included and defined

Op-Ed Piece
IDEAS: reflection includes . . .
● Critical Thinking ​that makes meaningful connections between previous
concepts and content studied
● An evident ​Understanding​ of how different regions of the world (circa
the 14th and 15th centuries) impacted how our modern world came to
● An evident ​Application ​and ​Understanding ​of historical narratives and
historical memory
● Evidence​ in support of your reasoning to make informed claims that
move beyond feelings
● Offers ​original​ and ​authentic​ personal insights
● Key terms​ are included and defined

CONVENTIONS
● Minimal errors​ in spelling, capitalization, grammar, and mechanics
● Bibliography​ in Chicago style
● Footnotes ​in Chicago style
Students will/ should know:

● Afro-Eurasian Trade systems in the 14th and 15th century

● Zheng He & Ibn Battuta
● Abode of islam
● Kingdom of Ghana in West Africa, Mali empire→ economic world forum information
● China and East Asia’s role in the Afro Eurasian trade systems, etc.

Students will be able to:

● Explain the significance and role that different regions of the world circa the 14th and
15th centuries played in how our modern world came to be
● Assess/Analyze the effectiveness and necessity of their individual and collective Black
History Month educations (and other initiatives to amplify the voices, experiences and
histories of marginalized, nondominant, or minority groups)
● Apply their understanding of historical narratives and historical memory to content
● Compare and contrast what they knew about Black (African) History prior to our unit
with the knowledge that they gained after the unit
● Compare and Contrast the nomenclature and content of Black History and World History
or Chinese History and World History, etc.
● Paraphrase and synthesize important information
● Create topic sentences
● Write in the active voice