Mr.

Cs Class Black History Project

Objective
The students will brainstorm a list of words (adjectives specifically) to describe a prominent Black History figure.

Criteria
For Tagxedo portion, in small groups, the students will discuss each figure and compile a list of at least 15 words (adjectives) that describe him/her. For News Cast portion, in small groups, the students will design, film, and produce documentary news cast answering three questions about an assigned Black History Hero.

Summary of Project
Tagxedo: The students studied four prominent figures in Black History. They were: Harriet Tubman, Martin Luther King, Jr., Rosa Parks, and Jackie Robinson. After reading about each figure and watching a short biography video, the students broke into small groups and brainstormed words that they felt best described the persons attributes, attitude, and character. The words were then added into www.tagxedo.com. After the words were added, the students chose an outline they felt portrayed a significant part of the persons life. The tagxedo picture was then printed and displayed in the hallway. It was also saved and included on the Mr. Cs Class Black History Project website. News Casts: After the Tagxedo pictures were completed, the next portion of the project was to create a News cast. The criteria for the videos were that each group member must play a part (anchor, reporter, expert, and cinematographer) and the script must include an introduction by the anchor, a lead in by the reporter, and a summary of why the person is a Black History hero by the expert. The students were responsible for who would do which job in creating the news cast, writing the complete script, shooting all frames of the video, and editing the video in Windows Live Movie Maker. In the video, the students had to answer three questions: Who is your Black History Here? What is one thing they did that changed our lives today? How is that person honored today? The teacher was responsible for overseeing the work and rendering the video using the correct parameters for viewing on a computer. Once the videos were completed, they were added to the website as well. Weebly Site: During a class discussion to summarize and review the unit, it was decided that the two separate parts should be combined into one. We decided to create a website specifically to house the project and enter it into the Georgetown County Technology Fair. The website was created using the free service www.weebly.com. The teacher registered the URL using his account while the students chose the theme, layout, and wording for each page of the site. The site can be found at http://mrcsclassblackhistoryproject.weebly.com.
Standards Addressed: SL.2.1 Participate in collaborative conversations with diverse partners about grade 2 topics and texts with peers and adults in small and larger groups. SL.2.2 Recount or describe key ideas or details from a text read aloud or information presented orally or through other media. SL.2.3 Ask and answer questions about what a speaker says in order to clarify comprehension, gather additional information, or deepen understanding of a topic or issue.