Overview
The History Hounds lesson utilizes various technology tools and programs for students to create a newspaper that contains articles, photos, and advertisements from historical events in their community. The central question for this lesson is "What changes have taken place in our community?" Before the activity, students collect photos, news articles, stories, and other memorabilia from past events. These items are reformatted into a newspaper for display. Students also decide how to assess their work and present their completed newspapers.
Student Pages
Introduction
Learners explore the changes in their community by researching events and photos for an "old fashioned" newspaper. Technology tools such as word processing, page layout, photo enhancing, and using clip art are learned while students design, write, and print their own accounts of what changes have occurred in their community.
Resources
Online
- Effective Research lists the steps you need to follow in order to do effective research.
- Creating a Classroom Newspaper has a basic lesson for creating a classroom newspaper.
- American Memory Collection is a very extensive collection of Americana from the Library of Congress. It includes photographs, manuscripts, rare books, maps, recorded sound, and moving pictures. You can get a taste of the past from viewing the materials.
Off line
- Contact the local library about historical books and information. They are usually very good about lending materials to students. They might also know a local history buff that you can invite as a guest speaker.
- Contact the local newspaper(s) and see if they will provide you with copies of past issues for your research.
- Plan on taking a field trip to the local museum, newspaper and/or library to learn about the history of your community.
- Perhaps your class will invite a guest speaker from the local community who could give a local history presentation and answer questions.
Technology Use
- Computer with word processing software
- Desktop publishing software
- Tape recorder for interviews or guest speakers
- Internet access
Materials
Before you jump into this project, you'll need to do some warm-up activities that help you develop an overview of the local community history. Arranging for field trips, inviting guest speakers, contacting the local historical society, library and/or museum are excellent ways to discover the local historical resources. Developing a community history time line to show what happened and when serves as a good organizer and focusing device.
If you need help with creating a newspaper, perhaps the school librarian or a local newspaper person or team will work with your class or you can find assistance from resources online.
Driving question: How does my community and the changes it goes through affect me?
Tasks
Before you start publishing the newspaper, the class needs to share what is already known about the history of where you live. And, more importantly, decide what you want to know about your community's history!
- Develop a time line of your community's history. (Maybe you can use a software program like Timeliner!)
- Choose a partner to work with or you can work on your own.
- Pick an event or time period to research.
- Do your research both online and off line by reading, taking notes and interviewing people. (Talk to your family members. They just might remember an interesting historical event that happened in the community. Reading or recording first-hand accounts is a great way to do historical research.)
- Learn about the different parts of a newspaper.
- Learn how to write a newspaper article.
- Collect one or two historical photographs that match the event or time period in which you are interested.
- Write the newspaper article to go accompany the photo.
- Work in teams to create the newspaper.
- Celebrate the publication of your community newspaper, the "History Hound Gazette."
Assessment
Upon completion of this lesson, the student will:
- present evidence of the use of critical thinking skills in examination of community experiences from historical, current, and future perspectives.
- develop a better understanding of how change directly affects them.
- be able to research and evaluate materials using web browsers.
- demonstrate the ability to utilize a variety of technology skills.
Downloading and Printing Files
These pages can be downloaded to your computer as files. Files can then be opened and printed. You can choose from two file formats:
Microsoft document format opens the files in Microsoft Word. You can make changes in the pages before printing them.
Acrobat Reader or Portable Document Format (pdf) opens the files in Adobe Acrobat Reader. Pages cannot be edited in this format. However, .pdf files are less likely to be distorted. Pages that contain graphics or large images look better in .pdf and print very nicely. For your convenience, Acrobat Reader can be accessed from this page.
Microsoft Word (.doc)
Acrobat Reader (.pdf)
About Acrobat Reader
Files in the .pdf format can be read using Acrobat Reader. Acrobat Reader is a free software. You can download and install it by clicking on the link below.
GO TO: Acrobat Reader Download Page
Content Standards
- 1) Basic operations
- 2) Social, ethical and human issues
- 3) Technology productivity issues
- 4) Technology communications tools
- 5) Technology research tools
- 6) Technology problem solving and decision-making tools
- New Mexico Standards and Benchmarks
- Social Studies
- 2) Students will know and understand how personal and group identities are shaped by culture, physical environment, individuals, groups and institutions.
- 4) Students will know and understand the ways in which human beings view themselves and others over time.
- 11) Students will know and understand the diverse, dynamic, and ever-changing nature of culture.
- 13) Students will know and understand the impact of science and technology on societies.
- Language Arts
- 2) Students will understand and use Language Arts as a learning tool.
- 4) Students will use a variety of listening and reading strategies appropriately.
- 5) Students will speak clearly and write effectively for a variety of audiences and purposes.
- 6) Students will speak and write clearly, effectively, and correctly.
- 7) Students will respond personally, analytically, and critically to written and spoken language, and other media.
- 8) Students will appreciate the respect their own language, culture, and literature will learn about the language, culture, and literature and will learn about the language, cultures, and literature of others.
- 9) Students will use language and literature to gain insight into their own and others' lives, and to build understanding of the moral and aesthetic dimensions of human experience.
- 10) Students will use state-of-the-art computer and other technology to gather, use and synthesize information, and to create and communicate knowledge.