Global Terrorism Presentations
You have been assigned to brief the President of the United States as a member of the FBI, CIA, Dept. of Homeland Security or NSA on your research about an active terrorist group. ( I have a few friends who really do this for a living. It’s amazing to hear their stories!) Please make sure your group answers the following questions:
Who is in the terrorist group? Who are their leaders? Who is their enemy? Who is likely to join the group?
What are their methods for conducting attacks? What weapons do they use?
When have they been active? When did the problem that they are killing for start?
Where do they operate? Where do they attack? Where do they get funding and weapons?
Why are they killing? Why choose terrorism instead of peaceful means?
and finally: What - if anything - should the US do about these terrorists?
You must present the answers to your questions with visual aids and supporting details from reputable sources. If you use Wikipedia as a starting place, please click in the small blue numbered links and you will find the original source of the evidence. It is far more professional to use the original source for the evidence to prove your point than it is to use Wikipedia. Great sources to use include the BBC, Guardian, Telegraph, CNN, Fox, NBC, CBS, ABC, Time, Newsweek, The Economist, The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, Washington Post.
Your information must be as current as possible to the day you present, because more attacks could have taken place in the few days before you present.
How to score well on the presentation:
-Make eye contact with the audience as frequently as possible (usually this means using small note cards to hold in front of you instead of full-sized paper).
-Dress appropriately for a presentation (button-down shirts, professional looking pants/skirt).
-Speak clearly and loudly enough for people in the back row to hear you.
-Don’t wear hats or chew gum while speaking.
-Remain silent while searching for the right word or phrase instead of filling the dead space with “ummmmm.....” or “like” or “you know”-type phrases. These can be distracting when they become repetitive.
-Have all the answers you are expected to present and go beyond just the basic answer with additional detail if you can.
-Provide the President with copies of all your research articles and sources of information.
-Use audio/visual evidence to support your presentation. This can range from a poster to a Powerpoint/Keynote presentation with embedded video from CNN/BBC etc.
Presidential Duties
As US President, you must listen attentively to the presentations, gather the original research data from the presenters, and then reflect on the information.
While the rest of the class researches their topics, you watch several State of the Union speeches by different presidents to learn the proper speaking style for a public speech.
Write and present a speech in which you, as US President, formulate a policy for the US government toward each terrorist group and give your explanation why based on specific pieces of evidence provided to you by the researchers.
Dress and speak appropriately and see the description for good public speaking above.
Ancient Civilizations Presentation
Your group has been assigned to study one of the major civilizations of the ancient world: Chinese, Egyptian, Mesopotamians, Minoans/Phoenicians/Hebrews, and the people of ancient India. Information can be found in Chapters 2 through 4. https://mastersonworldhistory.weebly.com/textbook.html I would like you to teach us about the religions, cities, farming, geography and social organization of the people in the civilization. Add other information that you find to be interesting also.
To be a civilization, experts agree that the people must have an organized government and legal system, an organized religion, job specialization, public works, and a language/writing system. Give some focus to these areas as you prepare for your presentation, along with an explanation of how the people used their geography and their natural environment to their advantage.
You are to summarize the information from the appropriate sections of the text, add details from outside sources, and teach this information to the class in a presentation, with at least four school days between presentations. Try to show me in your presentations the best ways for me to teach you throughout the year. Imitate the strategies of the best teachers or public speakers you’ve learned from.
Your presentation should include a major visual component. Powerpoint or Keynote are the most effective, as you can show many visuals that go along exactly with your speech. Avoid using small visuals or loading the slides with text. We’ll listen to what you have to say instead of read it on the slides. Show us visual evidence and samples of what you are talking about.
Please create a group-made five question quiz over the material that you will give to the rest of the class after each presentation. Make sure that no questions are asked over material you didn’t cover. Avoid “gotcha” questions about stuff you barely mentioned or was too detailed for most people to remember. Please give me a copy of the quiz one day before you present so I can review it and photocopy it.
You need to use at least two outside sources and include them on a "Works Cited" slide at the end of your presentation.
See my presentation advice above in the Global Terrorism project for how to score highly on this assignment.