Biographical essays
Subject:
Computer Science, Social Studies, Language Arts and Art
Grade:
Middle or High School
Materials:
Computers, TV, Internet access, VCR, access to Media Center (library),
Concepts Taught:
Students will utilize the internet, media use and the basics of essays for
this project.
Objectives:
1. Students will research via the internet a famous African American.
2. Students will understand the difference between primary and secondary sources of information.
3. Students will organize and interpret written information for the essay.
4. Students will be able to form questions to quiz others about their project.
5. Students will create an interpretive picture to accompany their project.
6. (optional) Students will work as a group on the project and will work cooperatively while
collaborating.
Activities
1. Watch a movie/video on a famous Black American. Discuss after the movie what made this person famous, how our lives as Americans were changed because of their intervention. Have the students list 5 things about the person that they are particularly interested in. Discuss the lists.
2. Make sure that the students understand the 5 paragraph essay form.
3. Either assign or have the students sign up for people for their projects.
4. Make sure the students know the 6 steps to online research.
a. Questioning- before beginning, students should have structured questions b. Planning- students should have a search strategy with a list of sites to investigate c. Gathering- use the web to collect and gather info d. Sorting and sifting- students analyze and categorize the data they gathered on the web e. Synthesizing- students integrate the info into the lesson and draw conclusions f. Evaluating- students assess the results and IF NECESSARY, begin again
5. Students will complete their research via the web and through the media center. Students need at least 10 verifiable sources, with no more than 7 of them being web sites.
6. Students will write their essays.
7. Students will: (any or all of the following)
a. Read their essays to the class
b. Have the essays placed on the walls of the room in the form of a time line.
c. Have their art placed on the walls (can also be in the form of a time line)
d. Students will then write monologues using their person as a character and perform
them for the class (school? team?)
e. Students will create web pages with their essays as the content of their pages.