Bringing the Presidency to Life

Objectives:
Students will learn about historical presidential events and bring them to life.
Students will integrate history with technology.
Students will create a written report about the president or events that happened during their presidency.
Students will create a digital report about the president or events that happened during their presidency.


Students will research a US President and gather information about them. They will choose the president by random drawing so that there are not multiple projects of the most noted presidents. If students want to trade with one of their classmate, that will be allowed.

The students should be given approximately 1 week to gather their information and create a written report. The report should be 5 - 8 pages in length; double-spaced.

The student will create a written report using a (computer) word processor in which they identify the topics about the president or events that occurred during their presidency. The topics can include anything the student feels they want others to know about.

Photographs can be scanned in the report from historical reference materials. Once imported into the report, the pictures should be no larger than 2" x 2".

The student will dress up like the president based on a picture they have found. The student will be recorded as they present their report about the president or events during their presidency. Their videos should be no longer than 5 minutes in length.

Throughout the year, the videos can be shown over the school's TV before or after announcements so that everyone in the school can see the projects and learn a little more history.

Our school maintains an electronic portfolio for every student while they are there for 6th, 7th, and 8th grade. The word processing document and the recording will be included in their electronic portfolio at the school. At the end of their 8th grade year, they receive a copy of their electronic portfolio burned on a CD or DVD.



Materials needed:

Access to the Internet
Historical reference books from the school's media center or the local library


Technology Used:

Word processor
Digital video camera
Video editing software
CD Rom burner/DVD burner
USB Flash drive
Scanner
Online encyclopedia
School TV network













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