Submitted by: Janet Deyo
School: Short Pump Middle School
Summary
In an effort to preserve and share American culture at the beginning of the 21st Century, our classroom will create a virtual museum that will allow future generations to understand the stories, ideas, and events that have made an impact on students’ lives in the year 2012. Students will collaborate in small groups to create a ballad that tells the story of an event in their life that has been memorable to them. These events may be personal or cultural and should contain a theme as well as the basic elements of a story.
TIPC Ratings
IDEAL/TARGET: Students were allowed to select, research, and write about an event of their choice using the method most appropriate given their topic. For students who were writing about current events, they selected websites and databases. Some students were writing about popular book series and were rereading passages from the novels during the research process. Although they were not using a chart to officially list and record the answers to their questions, students did generate their own questions and research answers throughout this process.
IDEAL/TARGET: The goal of this project was to create a web presence that would communicate the wants and values of their generation with those who come after them. Students selected their own groups for this project and communicated with each other both inside and outside the classroom using Google Docs and Schoolspace. Through the reflection process, students were able to assess their own contributions to the project as well as their group members. Their reflection responses were incorporated on the Collaboration and Reflection rubric.
IDEAL/TARGET: In the beginning of this project, students were answering teacher-directed questions, but as the project progressed, they began asking and answering their own questions using higher-order thinking skills. Students were not told how to complete this project; rather, the assignment was open-ended, giving students choices in how best to accomplish the goal. In the reflection part of the project, students answered open ended questions explaining the thought process behind the creation of their project. This reflection was part of Collaboration and Reflection rubric.
IDEAL/TARGET: Students had to apply what they learned about ballads and the way authors gain inspiration from their culture and personal experiences to create their own ballad that revealed an insight into their own culture. Once the ballad was created, students were free to use their choice of a technology tool that would enable them to share their work on the web. In the reflection, students were given an opportunity to reflect on what they learned as well as identify future goals for themselves.
Student Artifact
