The learning objective- Why people settle in new places or immigrate to new places
- Students can work in pairs or groups to interview each other as people traveling to the New World- what are the reasons for their journey? How do you think your life will improve in the New World?
- Students can work in pairs or groups to interview each other as people moving west in the Westward Movement. What are your reasons for moving west? What trail will you follow? How far will you go? What will you bring with you? Students can even talk about the hardships along the trail. They can also play a role of a Donner party survivor.
- Students can work in pairs or groups to interview each other as immigrants traveling to the US. Many students have immigrated here and can put personal reflections to their stories.
The learning objective: Understanding world cultures
- Students can work in pairs or groups to present a cultural study of a country they are currently studying.
- Students can create a digital travel log (itinerary) of places to see in a country they are studying.
- Students can create a digital story about their own culture to share with the class- they can use photos and video of things they do at home that are culturally specific to them.
- Students that have devices can record the stories of their grandparents journey to the US or about their childhoods as a "living history" of their families. How many students today understand the hardships and struggles of the older generations of their families? It would be an interesting project to pursue.
Those are wonderful ideas - great ways to support Social Studies and seamlessly integrate writing and technology. You might want to collaborate with your Theater Arts teacher to get props and costumes. Could students post their videos to a class blog?
ReplyDeleteGreat ideas Geneva! I agree with Christina; what a wonderful way to incorporate content and technology.
ReplyDeleteYes, they could post their videos on their class blog.
ReplyDeleteI love that you made it seem easy for both the teacher and the student to do this activity. I think I over think things and try to make them too complex. The amount of language practice for this activity would be great also. I agree with Christina's comment about getting with the theater arts teacher to embellish the videos. You could also have students interview classmates who have moved to the US in recent years.
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