As a culminating project for our Social Studies Unit on Peru, students were guided through the research process as they researched, took notes, drafted, and designed presentations on various selected topics relevant to Peru. Their mission? To become experts on their topic and teach their classmates more than they would have known from our regular whole-group instruction on Peru.
Here is a sample--our student group who researched what it is like to go to school in Peru was captured on film to give you a taste of what our second graders were able to produce.
It was very impressive to behold the level of professionalism that students were able to carry out. Their process was mega-multistep:
1. Rate choices for topic preferences from 1-5.
2. Read and highlight key information in 3 print sources.
3. Reread highlighted information and paraphrase.
4. Make decisions within each group as to what material each student in the group would be responsible for reporting on.
5. Craft an outline for each PowerPoint slide with only KEY words.
6. Decide as a group on a slide layout and create slides.
7. Select images that would support text and insert on slides.
8. Craft notecards that elaborate richly on words from slides.
9. Rehearse as a group and provide feedback to one another before presenting.
10. Present as a group to the rest of the class.
11. Provide written feedback to one another and self reflections.
Wow. When I type it out like this, I am even more amazed at the grown up work our students have done. This is super exciting because these research, public speaking, and collaborative group work skills will serve our students well throughout life. Not to mention, students were able to compare and contrast life in CT to life in Peru with understanding, our goal in working to understand cultural significance and grow global perspectives.
We're settin' these second graders up for success!
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