Submitted by: Nancy Pierpont
School: Fairfield Middle School
Summary
During our study of the Great Depression, students are given a take home project to create a scrapbook imagining that they lived during the Great Depression. Unlike other such projects where students receive the assignment after we’ve learned the topic in class, students receive this assignment at the beginning of the unit. This is so that as we learn things and complete activities they can reflect on in their scrapbook, they can add to their book. For example, after an activity where students act as a family to adjust their budgets due to changed circumstances student could reflect on such changes in their scrapbook, or, students could add a writing assignment about depression era photographs once we’ve completed them. Students are given a variety of options for what can be included in a scrapbook as well as some web sites to help get them started. Students may complete their scrapbook in any format they choose – some complete a paper book, others choose an ActivInspire flipchart, and some sign up for web sites such as Mixbook among others.
TIPC Ratings
This project asks students to conduct research throughout a marking period to complete a cumulative project. Prior lessons have reinforced information literacy. Students must choose resources to obtain information. They are given some sites as a starting point. Students choose tools to display the information such as pictures and other digital media as an option.
As a project, this assignment requires individual contribution and completion. Group work was not involved in completing the assignment outside of class.
This lesson poses a very challenging task to students. Students must apply a variety of digital tools in order to complete the project. Students generate questions to guide research through the project. Students were not, however, coached through asking higher-level questions within the project or to reflect upon their roles as they set goals.
Students analyzed a wide variety of information from the Great Depression. They were asked to create original and creative work that meets the criteria. Students did not communicate or collaborate on the project or respond to an authentic task necessarily. Students did not analyze trends to make a new solution to an existing problem. There was no reflection built into the lesson. Some digital tools were offered but not utilized. Instruction on tools was not provided nor was an exemplar utilizing technology.
