Join Me On the Other Side - North vs. South Debate
NDCLP. For grade(s)
K
.In this project students use mywebspiration to put together their ideas about either the North or the South prior to the Civil War. Students will research the economies of both sides, their views on slavery, as well as many other differences between the two. Students will organize their information into arguements using mywebspiration in preparation for creating a video using animoto. The final product will be a short four minute video attempting to convince citizens of the United States to leave the north and fight for the south or vice versa.
Subject & Standards
2. Important Historical Events: 3. Economic Concepts:Equipment/Materials Needed
myWebspiration, Garage Band, Animoto, Sendit email accounts
Understandings & Goals
Communicate why the Civil War started and several key events/people with their own and other groups’ videos.
Questions Answered
Students will understand the causes of the Civil War and will know that it was more than just slavery that led to the war.
Students will make an argument based on research that will encourage a person to leave their home and join the cause for the opposing side.
Students will develop a deeper understanding of the Civil War through their study of the causes as well as through viewing the perspectives of others through the videos that are created.
Students will enhance their understanding of technology and the role it can play in helping them learn new material.
Procedures
1. Students will be partnered up with a classmate. You may want to do a survey of your kids prior to starting this to find out which students are more versed in technology than others. It might be a good idea to partner up those who are more advanced in technology with those who need the skills. This may or may not reflect their acadamic abilities.
2. Assign each group to one side or the other. You should have roughly half of the class in favor of the north and half in favor of the south. As with any debate, students will need to understand before beginning this project that they will need to have an understanding of the pros and cons of both sides in order to make an effective argument.
3. After being assigned their groups, each pair will be given four days in class to begin forming their arguments. Students will be instructed to have a minimum of four primary reasons why their side is superior to their enemy. These reasons should provide the basis for the webs on webspiration. Each primary reason should be backed up with supporting details.
4. Webspiration - Students will log onto the computer under an account created specifically for them for this project. In order to do this, they will need a sendit email account. They will publish their web to the webspiration site and will print off three copies. Each student will keep a copy with the group turning one in to the teacher. Once students have turned in their webs, they will begin to mail down the specifics of their video. The web students created will serve as the guide for the video.
5. Before beginning the video, students will need to figure out what images they or material they will use. They will have structured their arguments by this point but will need to come up with an animation plan prior to starting on the computer. Also, students will need to put together the script for their video. Animoto will let them use images and music. Students will also record their voices and narrate the piece into an mp3 format using Audacity. Once students have written and recorded their script, and found their music and images they will be ready to begin using Animoto.
6. Animoto - Students will create their three to four minute video using Animoto. Students should get everything in order before rendering the video and completing the project.
Lesson Created By
This lesson was created by alicia.marsh. Learn more about alicia.marsh on their profile page.