Active Citizen Project 2013

Two years ago, the 8th graders (in the 2011-2012 class) did our first Active Citizen Project.  It was a huge hit: The Patch did a story on them, equal rights groups posted their gay-rights commercial, and the students really enjoyed picking from a "menu" of project options.

This project challenges students to showcase their knowledge from our government unit in a way that shows how they are members of a participatory democracy.  Combining our objectives, tech skills, and real-world knowledge, students set out to show their active membership in our democratic society.

So before winter break, we wrapped up our government unit with this same project, with a few modifications to update some of the tech pieces to 2013 standards.  The students were challenged with picking two to three projects from the project menu that added up to 100 points.  There were many different project choices the students could pick from (check out the options below), and they were given a few days in class to work on their projects (as well as whatever they needed to finish up at home) to get their projects completed.  This time, to turn in their projects, students created an "Active Citizen Project" folder in their Google Drive, shared it with me, and the uploaded all of their projects to this folder whenever they finished them.

Overall, (once again!), I was completely blown away by the projects these students created.  The political cartoons were great, the commercials were informative and engaging, and the letters were heart-felt and about real issues that were important to the students.  Check out a sampling of some of the projects below.  Enjoy!

Voki Cartoon

Political Process Cartoon 1

Political Process Cartoon 2

Political Process Cartoon 3

Political Process Cartoon 4

Editorial 1

Editorial 2

Editorial 3

Editorial 4

Letter to a Leader 1

Letter to a Leader 2

Letter to a Leader 3

3 Branches of Government Project

In social studies we are currently waist-deep in our Early American Government Unit.  We have just learned about the separation of powers, checks and balances, and 3 branches of government system we have here in the US and where it came from (Articles I, II, & III of the US Constitution!).

Students were challenged to create their own project that detailed our government system in a medium that they felt would best showcase their learning and understanding of this concept.  They could choose from an iMovie, cartoon, song/rap, news article, or an infographic (check out the full project details here).  Once students decided on what project they were going to do, they set out to create their project that showcased all about the 3 branches of government.

First off, the variety and creativity of the projects that were turned in was astounding; not one project was like another (I love this!!), yet they all included the same information, material, and concepts!  I really love project-based learning, and I feel like this project definitely hit on that concept.  Students were able to choose a project medium that they could present their information and knowledge in the best possible way.

Anywho, check out a few of the various projects from below!  I hope you'll enjoy them--and find them as informative!--I sure did!

3 Branches Prezi

3 Branches iMovie

3 Branches News Article

3 Branches Infographic

3 Branches Song

Constitutional Convention Video Challenge

In social studies we have been completely immersed into our Early American Government unit.  Lately we have been looking at the creation of our Constitution (and other important docs that have shaped the US) and the Convention where it all began.

I remembered a couple years ago we did a Lewis and Clark Expedition Video Challenge in our Manifest Destiny unit, and I thought that a similar challenge would be a great learning activity for the students to do now!

Therefore, I created the Constitutional Convention Video Challenge.  Taking all of their knowledge, notes, and readings on the Constitutional Convention, students were tasked with creating a video (using iMovie) that included all of the following information below about the Constitutional Convention.

Students had to have their movie uploaded to our class YouTube channel by 5pm on the day they started working on their project (I gave them a little extra time after their class ended because it does take a little bit to export the video and upload it to YouTube).  Check out some of the students' videos below.  Keep in my they only had about 45 minutes in class to create these...but I am once again impressed with what these students can come up with!

 

Articles of Confederation Children's Book

Recently we have just started our second unit in social studies, Early US Government.  One of the first things we look at is the Declaration of Independence, and then we move to (what I call it) the "rough draft" of the US Constitution: the Articles of Confederation.

We spent a day talking about what exactly the Articles were and why they only "worked" for a short time.  Students were then challenged with this project: they had to create a children's book detailing what the Articles of Confederation were.

Check out the links below to a few of the books the students created!  Overall, I was very impressed with the quality of these children's books--especially taking 18th century text and rewriting it into kid-friendly language that elementary school students could understand.  Enjoy!

Book 1

Book 2

Book 3

Book 4

Book 5

Active Citizen Project

To wrap up our government unit and the second quarter of 8th grade, social studies students completed an Active MRH Citizen Project that was a culmination of everything they've learned in our government unit and putting it into action.  Everything from branches of the government, political processes, jobs of the government, the Constitution and its parts, and much more that we covered in our unit.

Students were given a "menu" of choices that they could choose projects from that they wanted to complete to earn 100 points total.  Students could choose from: letter to a leader, political commercial, political process cartoon (animated or illustrated), political cartoon, editorial/news article, and political process song.

I was blown away by what the students created; I was simply amazed with the songs, cartoons, news articles, and songs the students created!  Below is a sampling of some of the amazing work the students turned in for their projects.  I hope you enjoy looking at these as much as I did!

How A Bill Becomes A Law (video 1)

How A Bill Becomes a Law (video 2)

Checks and Balances Song

Classroom "Branches"

Lately we've been exploring US Government and the Constitution.  Today I decided to try a classbuilding activity mixed in with some content about the separation of powers and our three branches of government.  I think the kids totally enjoyed this activity--especially being up and moving!--and I think it definitely gave them a visual element to the branches of government.

Here's what we did:

1. Laid out the rules: no "peeking" at your "branch" element and no talking.
2. Gave each student a "branch" element on a string, put it around their neck so that their element was on their back so that their classmates could see it but they couldn't
3. Instructed the students that they needed to form the branches of government without talking or looking at their own element as well as figuring out which element in the branches they were
4. Let the students GO!  They are to use their own intuition and ideas (with NO talking!) to form the branches and figure out what each person "is"
5. When completed, debrief activity and the branches activity: What was the point?  What did you learn?  How was everyone held accountable?  What did this teach you about the make-up of our government?  ...and so on!