Make a Copy

If you have been following along on my Class Calendar, ​you know that we spent most of February battling Mother Nature. As a result, my Group A and Group B students ended the month with a different number of instructional days each. And while that would typically just be a nuisance that I could work around in my classroom, it turned into a problem I had to address when our Board of Education voted to bring back all of our students 4 days per week starting at the end of March. 

My solution was to put together an enrichment activity for my Group A students while my Group B students and I worked through the information in the Roaring Twenties Pear Deck. After some consideration, I settled on this #historybento activity that I adapted from a template shared by the amazing Amanda Sandoval.

My version, which I described to students as a museum box,  required them to start by answering our unit questions and then decide on an item that would best represent their answer. They then searched for clip art to add to their museum and worked to describe its symbolism on the chart. For example, a student working on question #2 might include a discussion of the Harlem Renaissance in their answer. They might then add on image of a trumpet to their museum and connect that to Louis Armstrong in their symbolism column. 

All in all, it was a fun activity that pushed students to think more deeply about the content. Try it for yourself and let me know what you think.

Make a Copy

We are continuing our look at post-war America with a dive into the Roaring Twenties, including social and cultural changes like Prohibition, the Scopes Trial, and the Harlem Renaissance. The Pear Deck begins with a Word Wall Activity requiring students to review the vocabulary from last week. I've found that this step is essential right now since I only see students twice per week and so much is lost during their 5 day weekends. These activities have proven to be a good way top get even my most reluctant students to participate. Because of that, I suspect that I will eventually upgrade my account so I can make more than the 5 interactives allowed in the free version.

Let me know what you think.