EABrown

Lesson Plan

ThePowerofOne.doc
Size : 95.5 Kb
Type : doc

Rubric

Creative-Thinking-Rubric.pdf
Size : 33.54 Kb
Type : pdf

Creative Thinking - The Power of One

GRADE LVL: 4^thGrade and up

CONTENT AREA:: Health, Language Arts, Writing, Educational Technology

TIME: 1 month

TECHNOLOGY: Internet, Videos, Magazines, Newspapers, Books, Websites, Email, Graphics, Word Processing, Desktop Publishing, Timeliner.

The goal of this project is for students to learn critical and creative thinking by studying how the course of history can be changed by a single individual. Students will pick a historical figure and imagine themselves as that person and determine how history may have changed if they made different decisions.

Students will acquire the knowledge and skills to think analytically about how past and present interactions of people, cultures, and the environment shape the American heritage. Such knowledge and skills enable students to make informed decisions that reflect fundamental rights and core democratic values as productive citizens in local, national, and global communities.

Students will use technology to research and examine a variety of resources such as Internet, Videos, Magazines, Newspapers, Books, and Websites in order to develop a framework for their creative writing assignment. Student will use Word Processing and Desktop Publishing technology for self-expression and communication or Tom Snyder's Timeline to create the alternative history document.

Students will:

Use and develop their imaginations.

Improve their ability to learn history through creative writing.

To improve students' analytical skills relating to cause and effect.

Students will learn how personal decisions impact society as a whole.

Improve students' group collaboration skills.

Materials:

Computers with Internet access (optional)
Timeliner - Tom Snyder Productions

View videos in the Historical Figures Video Gallery and read articles on the Famous People and Women in History websites. Since this is a creative assignment you are not limited to people on those resource links. Begin brainstorming and jot down ideas of people you would like to be.

" Historical Figures Video Gallery"

“Famous People”

“Women in History”

Come to school dressed as the historical figure you chose and briefly describe your character. Also state why you chose that person and make a list of your reasons.
Find at least two additional articles about your historical figure and exchange names of historical figures with one other person and find one article for their character.
Student partners will meet and discuss their historical figures and question the validity of the data and verify the sources for accuracy and credibility.

Some creative thinking questions to be considered for partner discussion are:

Why did you choose this person?
What character traits do you have in common with your historical figure?
How are you different from your historical figure?
What major decision did they make that impacted history?
What would you have done differently? Why?
How do you think your decision would change history?

Analyze results from your personal observation list, partner discussion, and research and create a one page Newsletter using Microsoft Publisher or Word briefly describing your historical figure and why you chose that person. Creative writing should be used to explain how you may have changed historical events and why.

The newsletter will cover your life as that historical character, with photos and short stories about various events and activities.

Alternative:

Using Tom Snyder’s Timeliner - Evaluate their historical figures life events and determine how your decisions as that person would have affected history and create an alternative history timeline. Compare and contrast actual and revised history.