Learning Cycle: Expansion Phase

For the expansion phase students will submit their research and give their presentations; linking their new knowledge of the Crusades to the present.  Students will be tasked with researching more current news articles relating to the relations between the West and the Middle East.  The timeline of such interactions and conflicts will range from the Ancient Greeks/Persian conflicts, the Crusades, the partition of Palestine, the Iran/Iraq War, the first Gulf War, Operation Iraqi Freedom, Israeli-Palestinian conflicts, and the current war in Afghanistan.  The broad range of topics will give the students a wealth of information and opportunities to link their new knowledge to more current events.  The goal is to give them an understanding of how the Crusades is a crucial part of the West/Middle East timeline and saga.