Third grade students came over to the high school computer lab to put their research together. They had the opportunity to share what they found. This was all recorded in a Google Doc. They also had an opportunity to talk about the story that they wanted to tell about their subject.
Well, high school students continued their research on their own. Third grade students did their own research using primary sources and local books to see how their subject lived during 1883. They also looked at what life was like during this time period.
The goal of this is to bring the high school students together with the third graders to share and record their research jointly using Google Docs next week. Students split up again. Some of the students went to the library to do research and some of them worked in the computer lab on Google Docs, recording their research.
This week some students went to the Missoula Public Library to do research. Some students went to the computer lab at Sentinel High School and did online research using the LiveBinder website. The third graders did hard copy research in their rooms. Students in the computer lab used Google Docs to store all of the research and images they found. They also recorded some of their research using a shared Google Doc. In addition, students used Diigo to bookmark additional websites they found useful. Today Mrs. Petty and I met with the high school students only. We discussed the details of the assignment and the high school students chose which person they would like to research. Details were presented both about the primary and secondary resources that they would be using. Field trips and oral history interviews were discussed. Students were also told about the mobile app that was created for this project.
Another great face-to-face visit with the third graders and high school students. This time, however, the venue was the third grade room at Lewis & Clark Elementary School. Students were introduced to the actual project they will be working on and a description of the final project, the historical documentary, was explained. Students also discovered what all of the "mystery people" had in common. All of these people were children in 1883 when Missoula, Montana officially became a town. They will use primary sources and oral interviews to reconstruct life in Missoula County in the late 19th century through the eyes of children living at that time. In performing their research, they will visit local historic sites, examine photos, family histories, letters and diaries; and conduct interviews. After students conduct their research, they will analyze, organize, and present what they have learned to other students, parents, members of the community through the production of short video documentaries of each person they research. Following are images from this visit while students were research three questions.
Students discovered in their research that one thing that all of the people had in common was that they were all children during 1883, when Missoula, got it's first Mayor and when the first Northern Pacific passenger train came to Missoula. Students have the task of finding the identities of Mystery People and discover what they all have in common. Students will answer the Mystery People Questionnaire by using the Research Links provided.
A LiveBinder was created for all of the research links. Students accessed this from the website. Students were divided into teams and randomly selected their Mystery People. Third grade students met for the first time with the high school students at the high school computer lab to work on a project that addressed the question: What happened on the day you were born? This project included answering guiding questions as follows: What famous people do you share a birthday with? What news making events occurred on the day you were born? How did most people spend their free time when you were born? Students used Google Docs to record their research. This was an introductory research project to their final research project. It was amazing how much the high school students enjoyed working with the third graders. I have to say how exciting it was to watch how excited the third graders were and how engaged the high school students were. What could this strange object be? The third grade and high school historians pondered this question in Mrs. Petty’s third grade classroom at Lewis and Clark School. Students examined and analyzed mystery objects in an artifact analysis activity. Using their powers of observation, analysis, and inference, they tried to figure out the objects and their uses in the past. After researching an 1897 Sears Catalog, they discovered that that the mystery objects included a hog scraper, buggy steps, a twine winder, and a hat pin. Students learned that primary sources provide a window into the past. Helping students analyze primary sources can also guide them toward higher-order thinking and better critical thinking and analysis skills. Students attended a field trip to the Missoula Public Library to view the archives and learn about micro-film. Mary Doyle discussed the various research options the students will have. She discussed the Polk City Directory, how to use the Genealogy Computer and the micro-film reader. She demonstrated how to get the Daily Missoulian from microfilm for the time period that they will be researching.
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