Summary
The generation of Americans who survived the Great Depression and then went on to defeat totalitarianism in World War 2 are often called the “Greatest Generation”. The sacrifices they endured, and the efforts that they made, assured the safety and prosperity we continue to enjoy today. This “Greatest Generation” could not realize how important their strength, faith, and perseverance would impact American history – but time has made even the common man a hero by today’s standards.
Working in small groups, students will understand the impact of either the Great Depression, or World War II on a common person through research and analysis of internet resources. They will create a webpage using Google Sites which will document their historical character. They must include several artifacts: a photo scrapbook that personally pertains to their character, two personal letters the character would write to a friend or loved one during this time period, a brief biography of the character, and a citation page.
TIPC Ratings
For students to understand the impact of either the Great Depression or World War II on a common person, they had to conduct thorough research and analysis of internet resources. They had to create a webpage using Google Sites including several artifacts: a photo scrapbook, two personal letters, a brief biography, and a citation page. All of these artifacts takes extensive research using a variety of digital resources including primary sources, archived newspapers, and photo & video resources.
Students had to create a Citation Page where they cited 10 or more resources. They included the web address and date accessed. Each image was also cited and included a caption explaining what the image is and how it relates to your character. Additionally, they included a statement of validation for each source – explaining why they believe the source is valid and credible for use in this project.
The entire project was created on a class collaborative Google Site. The teacher added the Overall Project, Tasks, Directions, and Characters. The students chose a character that they would like to focus on and worked in groups of 2-3 to create a webpage within the project Google Site. Students worked as a team to create the different artifacts for this project.
Since the project was created using a collaborative Google Site and digital scrapbooks (using student choice of tools), the students were able to work with their group, even while at home.
Students had to create a biography of their character explaining the role they would have played in the greater conflict and the impact he or she would have felt from the events as they unfolded. They also had to write two personal letters that their character would write to a friend or loved one during this time period. Each letter must reflect at least three real events that would have affected your character. This type of assignment is not easy to plagiarize and requires higher levels of synthesis and analysis to produce.
Students creatively wrote two letters from their characters perspective. They had to relate the Great Depression or World War II historical events to the persons life and demonstrate the synthesis of that knowledge in the form of a letter. They also made a photo scrapbook which personally pertained to their character. They had a choice to use any program that allowed them to Share their digital scrapbook. Some suggested programs included: Google Drawing or Presentation – located in Google Drive, Spaaze, Photobucket, Prezi, Shutterfly, and Cropmom.
Student Artifact
