Assessment
Historians have learned a great deal about the Crusades from chroniclers like William of Tyre and Ibn al-Qalanisi. Today, journalists travel all over the world to report firsthand on international events as they happen. Imagine what we might know about the Crusades had there been journalists on the front lines with access to television, cell phones, and social media in the 13th century.
Time for you to be an international journalist! Use social media to report from the thick of the action during the Crusades! Your assignment is to keep the world informed by posting 10 brief updates. Remember, as a reporter you should remain neutral and report the facts. As you prepare each update, keep the following expectations in mind:
- Write a total of 10 posts. Your updates should be thorough, contain enough information to be interesting, and be written in complete sentences.
- Include the date (if available), details about the events and key figures you discuss, the location, and the short- and long-term consequences of the events in each post.
- Include at least two maps from the lesson with your updates. Be sure to explain how the geography of the area affected the events you discuss (ex. mountain ranges, bodies of water, proximity to the Holy Land, etc.).
- Your updates should describe several different Crusades that happened over the course of nearly 200 years. Be sure that your updates relate to the Crusades discussed in the lesson.
Check out this sample post (Hint: this is just a post to demonstrate the writing style and does not reflect the content in the lesson.):
It’s Monday, January 13th. I’m here reporting from the front lines with the Spanish troops who have gathered and are awaiting battle. The troops seem optimistic about their chances. They’ve each got heavy packs for what will surely be a long journey along the coast and then across the mountains to the enemies’ front lines. They tell me they’ll keep their mission in mindto reclaim land for the Spanish crown. If they are successful, they’ll gain the favor of the king. More to come after the battle commences.
