1.
Aim:
Students will be able to compare leading cities of David's kingdom and explain
the risks and advantages of choosing various cities as the new capital.
They will also become aware of the great amount of scientific information
available about what life was like 3,000 years ago, demonstrating that it is both
preferable and realistic
to make reports which are well-informed.
2.
Rationale:
Students are aware of Jerusalem as a touchstone of Jewish identity, but usually
have little understanding of the way in which it came to occupy that role. This
unit of study will provide the students with an understanding of the basic
factors that went into the choice of the Israelite national capital.
3.
Goals and objectives: students will:
a.
Discover some criteria of the tenth-century-BCE
Middle East for
evaluating cities
b.
Read a terrain map
c.
Read an archaeological map
d.
Compare and contrast some military strategies and
tactics of attack and defense of cities in the 10th century BCE in the
Middle East
e.
Integrate different aspects of archaeological data
and other sources of information
f.
Make a pitch for a particular city to be selected
as David's new Israelite capital
g.
Debate the choice among various contending cities
as to which would make the best capital city for King David's
Israel
h.
Express an informed opinion about the relative
merits of various candidates to become the capital city of
King David's Israel
4.
Audience
and prerequisites:
a.
Students in grades 8-9 in a Jewish Day School
b.
Ongoing study of the Tanakh as a primary
source
c.
A basic understanding of the Torah and the
books of Joshua and Judges
d.
An in-depth acquaintance with the entire Book of I
Samuel
e.
An immediate, solid understanding of the Book of
II Samuel ch. 1-4
f.
A general knowledge of the geography of
Israel and environs
5.
Description of subject matter:
a.
Archaeological excavation accounts
b.
Archaeological excavation maps
c.
Topographical maps of
Israel and environs
d.
Individual artifacts from the Late Bronze and
Early Iron Ages
e.
The Biblical account and evaluation of King David
leading a strong, united
Israel
f. Biblical descriptions of various
cities
g.
Historical analyses of the political, military,
economic, and natural realities of the
Middle East
in the tenth century BCE
6.
Instructional plan:
a.
Students will begin with a review of
previously-studied information on a prefatory web page. They will then proceed
to the Introduction page, where their tasks will be summarized and they will
read instructions for navigating the webquest site.
b.
The first task for the students is for each team
of three to gather information about a different choice for the new capital for King
David. Each students will have to gather information about one of the following aspects
of each candidate city:
1)
The politics of location and accessibility
2)
Topography and military defensibility
3)
Economic resources, size of area, and size of population
c.
The candidate cities may include any or all of the following, at the discretion
of the teacher:
