This is the work of historians, 8th Grade Social Studies Launch

We launched our year of 8th grade social studies with a micro-project on historical study.

SS8: "This is the work of historians..."
"This is the work of historians..."docs.google.com

Asked to consider, “What is the work of historians?” students were requested to generate 3 BIG IDEAS. They documented their thinking on post-its. They were then assembled into trios, asked to share their ideas and then consolidate them to form 3 BIG IDEAS.

The task was more challenging than initially they may have anticipated. It was one of those examples of “simplexity.” Working collaboratively in their team with some teacher coaching, they had to craft each idea with precision, incorporating a descriptive adverb, powerful verb and noun. Online thesaurus were consulted and students dug into the task. Proposals were met with revision steps as they were asked to clarify their thinking further. I reminded students that as historians themselves, they needed to commit to the idea and feel inspired by it.

During our IDEA COLLECTION phase, students had to work collaboratively with their team to compile their ideas, clarity their thinking and add descriptive details to their 3 BIG IDEAS addressing, “This is the work of historians…”

The next step of the micro-project, it was three in total, required them to explore the school campus and capture images to connect with their BIG IDEAS. They then uploaded their pics, wrote their BIG IDEA as a caption, and finally present them to the class as an informal share out.

Here’s a video compilation of the student work.

I’m feel very proud of their work and their creativity. As we ask them to be active participants in their learning, they engage in a way that always delights, inspires and opens our mind, as an educator and learner, to new possibilities.