(30)  Social studies skills. The student applies critical-thinking skills to organize and use information acquired from a variety of sources including electronic technology. The student is expected to:

(A)  differentiate between, locate, and use primary and secondary sources such as computer software, databases, media and news services, biographies, interviews, and artifacts to acquire information about the United States;

(B)  analyze information by sequencing, categorizing, identifying cause-and-effect relationships, comparing, contrasting, finding the main idea, summarizing, making generalizations and predictions, and drawing inferences and conclusions;

(C)  organize and interpret information from outlines, reports, databases, and visuals including graphs, charts, timelines, and maps

8.5 - Critical Thinking Skills

U.S. History classes will be divided into groups to create colorful photomontages, on the computer, depicting historical information of importance.  Their creations will be used to assist in teaching next year's 8th graders these important concepts/topics. Student groups will be able to choose from a variety of information.  Choices include: 

The seven principles of the U.S. Constitution (Federalism, Limited Government, Individual Rights, Popular Sovereignty, Republicanism, Checks and Balances, and Separation of Powers).  

The 13 Original Colonies (MR CaN, 2New Dramatic Preachers, Virginia Goes 2C Mary)

Results of Industrial Revolution - SCUMMM

Bill of Rigths (Amendments 1-10)

Roots of Democracy (Magna Carta, Fund. Orders of Conn, VA House of B., Mayflower Compact, etc.)

Key Reformers (Susan B. Anthony, Sojourner Truth, Dorothea Dix, E.C. Stanton)

Key Dates & Eras (1607, 1776, 1803, 1861, 1865)

Each class will grade their classes work and the best photmontages (one per concept/topic) will be blown up and printed out on our poster machine and shared with other social studies teachers in the school.   These photomontages will be used next year as instructional aids when teaching the content and when reviewing for the TAKS test.

Now that we've learned all about the the U.S. History from the explorers through the reconstruction era, how much can you remember? 

Do you remember all 7 principles of the U.S. Constitution? 

How many can you recall?  How about SCUMMM?   How about Reformers?

Who remembers something about each principle, topic, or person?

What's the difference between Separation of Powers and Checks and Balances?

How about Federalism and Republicanism?

Do you find Limited Government and Individual Rights to be confusing?

Who was Elizabeth Cady Stanton?  How about Sojourner Truth?

Wouldn't it be neat to have an instructional aid or photomontage that we could use as a quick reference in reviewing for the TAKS test? 

Would you all like to do a project that will not only help you further understand the differences, but also help the next FMS 8th graders get ready for the TAKS test?

How's creating a montage depicting this stuff side-by-side that we can put on the wall in the social studies hallway or share with other classes sound?

Who knows how to use fireworks?  Who's good with MS Publisher?  How about PowerPoint.   Who wants to learn these applications and create something useful at the same time?

Let's get started.

Students will create instructional photomontages of social studies information for teachers to use while teaching and preparing 8th graders for the TAKS test next year.  They will choose, from an approved list, the content they want to put into the photomontage.  They will be allowed to choose between Fireworks, Publisher, and PowerPoint software applications as well.

Caring and Responsibility: The students creating these instructional aids have no vested interest.  That is, they will have already taken the TAKS test by the time we do this project.  However, they are being responsible students showing and showing they do care about the students that follow them by creating these photomontages.  These instructional aids will make learning easier for next year's 8th graders taking U.S. History.

Students will prove they've mastered 8th grade social studies material by bringing together (CREATING) photomontages of key concepts and themes in a beneficial way.

Flexible Grouping - At the discretion of the teacher, students will be able to choose which photomontage group they would like to be in.  The teacher will ensure students with extensive technology skills are paired up with students that have less experience using Fireworks, Publisher, and PowerPoint.

Students will use computers to both research content and create their photomontage using a variety of software applications.  They will also be challenged to save their work to the teacher's dropbox on the server.

Teacher and Teacher Produced Photomontage to use as an example