Blending Research and Poetry to Capture Historical Events

The independent research project has been a staple in my gifted classroom. For the longest I struggled with ways to challenge my students to not only narrow their focus in their research but also convey what they have learned in creative and novel ways. Instead of finding basic facts on Google and throwing these facts back at me, I wanted something different and something that would push my students' thinking. This is especially difficult during my summer program, where my time is limited to 30 minutes. And this year, our program covered a theme that was rich in history: The Freedom Summer Movement of 1964. 

I was so pumped to learn that our program would focus on this pivotal event of the Civil Rights Movement. Students were going to dive into exploring primary resources of the time period, speak to community leaders who participated or lived through the actual movement as children, and even take a tour of sites in our community that served as locations for local rallies. I felt the pressure to deliver an experience for my students that involved more than the technology. Although I was assigned as their Technology Instructor, it was obviously more than just the tool for me, but about creating a learning experience to help them capture the mood and essence of Freedom Summer. The following is what I came up with.

Freedom Poems

Since students were devoting a majority of their time researching and examining key figures and events of Freedom Summer in the regular classes, I had students apply the information they have gathered to compose poetry. I chose poetry because it provided a structure for students to convey the moods, feelings, and themes that emerged from this difficult time in Mississippi history. I challenged students to think from the perspective of those who lived through the movement, which proved to be a challenging endeavor for them. I also added a visual element to this assignment by having students base their poems on actual pictures that were taken from the experience. 

To view some sample poem templates that work well with historical research, click here. 

To explore poem templates for younger learners, click here.  

Theme Memes 

Another project option I offered were Theme Memes. This idea was inspired by a post shared by a colleague on the NAGC Computers & Technology Facebook Page, where she used them to capture the theme of a documentary. I took that same concept and had my students choose a word to capture what Freedom Summer meant to them or those individuals in their pictures. Much like the previous project mentioned, the theme memes would be based on the images that occurred during Freedom Summer. The final step was to create a tagline to elaborate or exemplify their word. 

To create your own Theme Memes, visit: bighugelabs.com

Our source of inspiration.

 

Reflection

Overall, I was very impressed with the insight my students brought to these projects. Although they initially struggled with the concept of presenting themes and information from another's point of view, they put forth their best effort. I would love for you to share how you bring history to life with your students. 

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