By Anthony Abney
Virtual Learning Complex Facilitator
Last year, as a fourth- and fifth-grade teacher at West Hollywood Elementary School, I used 1:1 technology to take our learning in social studies to a new level of student motivation and development of Common Core State Standards skills. My inspiration came from an article about a National History Day contest in which students could create historical documentaries related to the theme of Rights and Responsibilities. I thought, “Wow! Wouldn’t this type of project be more motivating for students than writing a report or creating a poster?”
I knew that using technology wasn’t enough in itself for students to experience what I hoped for them. I had recently had an “aha moment” at a professional development workshop: The facilitator told us that technology can yield facts with a few keystrokes, but that it is our imperative to teach kids how to use those facts; how to analyze information; and how to think critically and creatively. So, for this project, I didn’t want my students to create a movie that simply regurgitated information they were reading from the Internet. I wanted them to absorb and synthesis the information they were reading, in order to make their own assertions about it. I wanted them to analyze primary documents and views of experts in the field, and to use those references as evidence for their assertions.
This became a major project for my students. They had to research, find and analyze primary documents, find experts and interview them, write a script, and then create a movie. It required daily class and homework time, but what my students produced blew me away! Not only were they practicing all of those new Common Core State Standards skills (close reading, citing evidence, etc.); they also were thoroughly engaged and motivated! Can you imagine more meaningful homework? This definitely was not a worksheet! During class, I spent most of my teaching time conferring with individual students about where they were in the project and what their next steps would be. I spent very little time actually teaching students how to use the technology (iMovie), because they used problem-solving skills to make their way through any challenges. In the end, the project took about nine weeks.
The tenth week, students presented their movies to the class, their parents, and invited guests. Although I graded each student’s final product, I also placed heavy emphasis on each student’s process, and the scholarliness with which they approached their daily project work. If students were not satisfied with their grade, I gave them an opportunity to edit their documentary and turn it in again the following week.
If you are interested in creating historical documentaries for your class, I have some resources available for you:
- Historical Documentary Student Examples
- Project Overview, Rubric, and Student Evaluation Sheets
- National History Day Competition
If you are interested in other technology projects I’ve done with my class, click here. You’ll find information on “Designing California’s 22nd Mission—A Keynote Presentation,” “Creating Informational iBooks,” “Habitat iMovies,” etc.