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Celebrating Black History Month
A Collaborative Project Honoring Famous African Americans
During the month of January, students in Dogwood Hill School’s Fifth Grade participated in the study of famous African Americans. Fifth grade teachers, Ms. Feeney and Ms. Harrison, assigned a biography book report and students wrote an informational piece which addressed various aspects of the lives of famous Americans, the time period in which they lived, and their contributions to America.
In the Library Media Center with the help of Mr. Smiraldi, our District Technology Coordinator, students learned about web site evaluation and researched appropriate online articles which would provide a second source of information. Additionally, the Library Media Specialist, Ms. Miggels, assigned a project to create a visual representation of the students’ famous person along with an oral presentation that highlighted their childhoods and accomplishments. Students also discussed plagiarism and the responsible use of information. They learned how to cite the multiple sources used in their projects.
In addition to practicing skills in reading, writing, speaking and listening, students used specific online resources: Nettrekker Academic Search Engine, a hotlist created by Ms. Miggels, and an online citation maker. All were linked to Ms. Miggels teacher web site provided by our district. This allowed learning to continue at home as students could access all the necessary resources from a remote location.
After presenting to a peer audience, students worked in small groups with Mr. Smiraldi to create podcasts of their projects. Students learned how to take a digital photograph and upload it to Garage Band, a podcasting software program. They also worked hands-on to set the length of their speech to the visual that appears on screen, and used basic editing tools to create sound fades. The fruits of those labors appear here. Please join us in celebrating Black History Month by enjoying these student-created podcasts.