Teacher Process
Teacher Information: This lesson will need to be done over a few days. The first day should be devoted to the students browsing through the figures in order to decide which one interests them. The students are working with their small groups during this time, so the teacher should encourage discussion about the figures among the groups.
The second day should be devoted to the students working independently to research their chosen individual. The students should use the websites given and the graphic organizer to summarize the information.
The third day should be devoted to the students creating their newspaper column from their graphic organizer. The students will need to make a rough draft first, then revise and create their final column. The students should use their notes and information from the graphic organizer to help them create their written response.
On the last day, the students should spend time sharing their columns with their groups. The students should critically listen to each member's written response and discuss the important contributions that person made on society. The students should discuss how each person chosen directly affects our lives today within their groups.
The teacher can use his/her disgression to divide the students in groups. Some classes may need to be placed in groups, while others are mature enough to choose their own. This portion can be left up to the teacher.
The only stumbling block I can see is students in the same group wanting to research the same figure. The students are responsible for choosing different characters within their groups. If two or more students want the same character, they will have to work that out themselves. This will affect their teamwork/collaboration part of the evaluation.
I think this lesson is easy enough for a novice teacher because the teacher is mostly the facilitator. The students are directing their own learning, so the teacher will need to monitor the groups continually. Management issues will be needed in order to make sure all students are working and constantly on task.
This lesson can either be used as a learning center, during computer lab time, or in the classroom, if enough computers are available.
Explanation of the Process:
Your first task will be to work with your group (4 members) to browse through the different links to get an idea of who and what made the twenties "roar". Begin looking for the person that you are the most interested in. Make sure you visit each individual, in order to get a complete idea of life during the 1920's.
After you have browsed all of the characters, choose the person that best fits your interest. Each person in the group should choose a different character. Discuss with your group who you are interested in and why. Make sure no two members have the same person.
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Individually, read through the suggested websites to learn more information about what made your character roar. Use the figure graphic organizer to complie your findings and summarize your research.
Once you have completed your figure graphic organizer, write a newspaper column about your character's accomplishments and contributions to society. Remember to make your column interesting to read. Remember to include the important aspects of how your character contributed to the changes that took place in America in the 1920's.
After everyone in your group has written their newspaper column. Share these with your group members. Make sure you listen to your group member's character and the important contributions he/she had on our society.