My U.S. History class was very excited about this project at the beginning of the year. Each student was assigned a person who was significant in colonial times. They had to include pictures and information about the person and display it as if it was a scrapbook page from the time period. We looked at various scrapbook designs and brainstormed ways to make the pages look authentic. I let each student choose a scrapbook page out of a set that had a vintage-like designs. The students had to display their pages for the class and give an oral presentation about their historical figures. Some of them spoke with such passion about the people they researched that it was evident this project was very effective for connecting them with history.
Thursday the power was out in my room all day so I had to think fast and come up with some lessons plans on the fly that didn't involve technology of any kind. I love it when a last minute plan works out really well. I had my U.S. History class read The Midnight Ride of Paul Revere by Henry Wordsworth Longfellow. We discussed the poem then I paired them up and assigned each group a stanza. They have to memorize the lines and figure out a way to act them out. We talked about various methods for memorizing information before I let them get to work. It was fun walking around listening to them work on the poem with their partners. A couple pairs of students have decided to rap their stanzas. Some were talking about costumes and props. Everyone was engaged in the project. I'm looking forward to their presentation in class on Wednesday! |
AuthorI teach middle school social studies: ancient civilizations, world geography, & U.S. history. I love teaching those classes! Luckily I get to teach both my loves- history and math! Archives
May 2013
Categories
All
History Blog SubscriptionFollow My Board on Pinterst |