4- Leadership

How Do the Leaders of Yesterday and Today Compare? How Do They Contrast?

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Questions to consider when researching:

• What are traits of effective leaders?

• What do leaders think about?

• What do leaders say? How do they communicate to those they lead?

• What do leaders believe in?

• How did the leader in the past affect the culture?

• What positive and/or negative contributions did he or she make to society?

• How does the leader of today compare with the leader from the past?

• What qualities do they share or differ on?

• How did (does) the leader make connections between their culture and other cultures?

• How does (did) religion play a role in the leadership of the culture?

Project Procedures

1. Access the outline of a body graphic organizer listed below. Write all around the body traits that you think a good leader should have.

2. Choose one leader from a classical culture. Research that leader.

3. On the second project sheet with an outline of a body write down the traits you learned about the leader of the culture you are researching.

4. Find out who the leader of that culture (country) is today. Research that leader.

5. Use a second copy of the body graphic organizer and record the traits you learned about the modern leader.

6. Write down 8-10 interview questions that you would ask the classical leader, and 8-10 interview questions you would ask the modern leader. Include the answers to your questions that you think each leader would say when asked.

7. Act out the interview you created by videotaping the mock interview and share it using Windows MovieMaker.

8. You can also add digital photos of the leaders you chose to your movie to make it multimedia.

Leaders of the Past to Consider (though you may choose any):

Abraham – patriarch of Christian/Islamic Religions

Archimedes – ancient Greek mathematician, physicist, astronomer, and engineer

Aristotle – Greek philosopher

Ashoka – Indian emperor who added a moral and ethical component to governance

Charlemagne – the greatest of medieval kings, he founded the Holy Roman Empire

Confucius – Chinese thinker and philosopher whose teachings are the foundation of Chinese education

Copernicus – Polish astronomer

Elizabeth I – one of England’s most beloved leaders of all time

Galileo – Italian physicist, mathematician, astronomer, and philosopher

Henry VIII – King of England and Lord of Ireland

Ibn Battuta – Arabian scholar and judge

Jesus – first century Jewish leader and central figure in Christianity

Julius Caesar – Roman military and political leader

King Ezana of Axum – ruler of the Axumite Kingdom

Leonardo da Vinci – Italian scientist, mathematician, engineer, inventor, painter, sculptor, architect, botanist, musician, and writer

Marco Polo – Italian trader and explorer

Martin Luther – German monk and founder of Protestantism

Michelangelo – Italian Renaissance painter, sculptor, architect, poet, and engineer

Montezuma – the fifth Aztec emperor

Muhammad – founder of Islam

Plato – Classical Greek philosopher

Pope Urban II – started the First Crusade

Shi Huangdi – Chinese founder of the Qin dynasty who is also noted for building the Great Wall

Siddharta Gautama (Buddha) – spiritual teacher from ancient India and founder of Buddhism

Socrates – Classical Greek philosopher

William Shakespeare – English poet and playwright

Zheng He – Chinese mariner, explorer, diplomat, and fleet admiral

Online Resources for Research

Gale Biography in Context Database

Access the Resources section for many more databases.

Effective Leaders Diagram

Graphic organizers help us organize our thinking. Select this link to access a Google Doc version of the diagram below. Go to File> Make A Copy to make your own copy of the Doc. Save the Doc to your GATP Google Drive folder. Fill in information about your leader under each of the headings.

Two Leaders Comparison Chart

Graphic organizers help us organize our thinking. Select this link to access a Google Doc version of the chart below. Go to File> Make A Copy to make your own copy of the Doc. Save the Doc to your GATP Google Drive folder. The chart has space for you to compare to leaders by providing information for each heading.