Submitted by: Janet Deyo
School: Short Pump Middle School
Summary
To commemorate the 100th anniversary of RMS Titanic’s sinking, 6th grade English students “adopted” a child passenger from the ship and researched their experiences onboard the luxury liner. Students then created individual and group projects in tribute to their passenger and shared them online. Using social media, blogs, and websites, we are extending an invitation to other classes to create a page on our Google site. When a teacher completes the “Add Your Page” contact form, they will be sent information on how to login and edit their website page.
TIPC Ratings
Research and Information Fluency: Students began the unit with teacher selected materials, and as the unit progressed, students select their own resources. Students used literature, videos, databases, and websites to find information. This information was displayed on the online Titanic’s Children Memorial website.
Communication and Collaboration: By creating a website to showcase our projects, students are able to communicate with other students in real and non-real time. Students had the option to collaborate with any student who had me for English- not just the students in their block. All of the work created for this project was original.
Critical Thinking and Problem Solving: Students had to use real-world problem solving skills to complete the project. The biggest hurdle for students was creating a project that was capable of being put on a Glogster page. Students worked together learning how to use Adobe Photoshop Elements, saving Powerpoints as pictures, and even how to use movie editing software. Teacher used meaningful questioning to help facilitate those student decisions.
Creative and Innovation: In this unit, students had to use critical thinking, research methods, and communication skills to create an original project that was capable of being displayed on Glogster. Students were able to communicate in large and small groups both inside and outside the classroom. The final product was a website that is easily shared with the world.
