1. ZOOLOGY : ANIMALS
a. ecology : pollution
b. botany : plants
c. chemistry : atoms
d. history : people
Comparison is a higher-order thinking skill (analysis and synthesis in the Cognitive Domain from Bloom's Taxonomy, right?). So, the logic goes, if students can draw comparisons between something remote and distant, like something or someone from the French Revolution, to something from modern, popular culture, maybe they'll learn it better. The motto at my school is "Relationships, Rigor, and Relevance" and what could be more relevant to a 16-year-old than Kim Kardashian or Glee or the Dallas Cowboys? This was the thinking behind the French Revolution Simile Project.
So here's the assignment: choose from one of about 25 topics from the French Revolution. Then, match that up with one of about 25 topics from popular culture that I came up with (or students could generate their own).
Then find three ways in which those two things are similar. Present your findings in either a Google Docs Presentation or a YouTube video (everything's gotta be in the Cloud so we're not futzing with flash drives or connecting video cameras to the projector). Did every kid have it in the correct format? Of course not. For many of my students, this was their first time every using Google Docs (and they're high school sophomores! I was shocked!). Did I mark them down for not having it in the right format? Nope. Not this time, anyway. It's much more convenient for me to have it all in the proper format, but I don't want to deduct points, at least not this time around. Now that they see that Google Docs is possible (and easy) or that their peers can shoot, edit, and upload a video to YouTube (all from their phone, I might add), that barrier of impossibility has been broken down.
Then find three ways in which those two things are similar. Present your findings in either a Google Docs Presentation or a YouTube video (everything's gotta be in the Cloud so we're not futzing with flash drives or connecting video cameras to the projector). Did every kid have it in the correct format? Of course not. For many of my students, this was their first time every using Google Docs (and they're high school sophomores! I was shocked!). Did I mark them down for not having it in the right format? Nope. Not this time, anyway. It's much more convenient for me to have it all in the proper format, but I don't want to deduct points, at least not this time around. Now that they see that Google Docs is possible (and easy) or that their peers can shoot, edit, and upload a video to YouTube (all from their phone, I might add), that barrier of impossibility has been broken down.
For the complete project description, check out my classroom blog entry here:
The result: Marie Antoinette compared to the Kardashians. King Louis XVI compared to Justin Bieber. Napoleon Bonaparte compared to an iPod Touch. The French flag (the Tricolor) compared to Jersey Shore. Some presentations were better than others and some kids had their facts down a little more, but the connections were there.
Here is how Napoleon is like an iPod Touch:
Here is Justin Bieber and King Louis XVI (kids wanted to include fancy animations so I allowed them to upload their PowerPoint to Google Docs and share that with me):
http://posterous.com/getfile/files.posterous.com/ippmodcivprojects/S42oNCrLaxIVo3WBxh5jNyOht2rZkUIscPCncwhFCcw2YBVwtCNb4JEEHghH/Comparing_Justin_Bieber_to_Kin.ppsx
And here is Marie Antoinette and the Kardashians:
http://posterous.com/getfile/files.posterous.com/ippmodcivprojects/S42oNCrLaxIVo3WBxh5jNyOht2rZkUIscPCncwhFCcw2YBVwtCNb4JEEHghH/Comparing_Justin_Bieber_to_Kin.ppsx
And here is Marie Antoinette and the Kardashians:
If YouTube is blocked at your school, then have your students e-mail you the link at least 24 hours in advance and download the videos at home using http://www.keepvid.com. Save them all to a flash drive so you have them all in one place. Or, have students upload their videos to SchoolTube. You can create a free educator account and then students can create free accounts as well. On SchoolTube, you become the moderator of your students' work, so you screen it before it's published. If that's too complicated, go YouTube. I like YouTube because--just like Google Docs--it's something that is used in the real world. There's an "upload to YouTube" function right in iMovie, so students can use an iPad, iPod Touch, or iPhone to shoot, edit, and upload a video without ever having to use a computer.
Not every kid's presentation was stellar. One of the things we talked about was focusing primarily on the historical fact side of things. Some kids got a little too caught up in the modern-day, pop culture side of the project or had a little too much fun making the video, to the detriment of the historical "meat" of the project. We talked about bringing it back to the central goal of the project. Other kids put WAY too much text on their presentation slides. We talked about "death by PowerPoint" and how both teachers and students can often put too much information on a presentation slide.
Overall, I think my students learned a few things. First, it was a good review of the things we've been learning the past couple weeks about the French Revolution. Second, I think my students learned the critical thinking skill of comparison. Finally, I hope this project broadened my students' technological horizons by teaching them how to use real-world technology to present their work.
And by the way, the answer to the analogy question is B.
RVI
Not every kid's presentation was stellar. One of the things we talked about was focusing primarily on the historical fact side of things. Some kids got a little too caught up in the modern-day, pop culture side of the project or had a little too much fun making the video, to the detriment of the historical "meat" of the project. We talked about bringing it back to the central goal of the project. Other kids put WAY too much text on their presentation slides. We talked about "death by PowerPoint" and how both teachers and students can often put too much information on a presentation slide.
Overall, I think my students learned a few things. First, it was a good review of the things we've been learning the past couple weeks about the French Revolution. Second, I think my students learned the critical thinking skill of comparison. Finally, I hope this project broadened my students' technological horizons by teaching them how to use real-world technology to present their work.
And by the way, the answer to the analogy question is B.
RVI
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