So here is my problem: I have only two days to cover the important battles from the American Civil War in my eighth grade class AND keep my students engaged?
Solution-Day 1:
Students were broken up into six different groups, one group for each battle. They were allowed to work in their teams or independently, the choice was theirs. Then students answered the following questions for each battle: When and where did it occur, three important details about the battle, and the outcome or historical significance of the event. Once the questions were answered, students created a color drawing of the battle. For most students, this required more research to help find an image to inspire their creative juices.
Day 2:
In different groups then yesterday, students shared their pictures, explaining what is happening and the meanings of the images. Then, students shared their information about their battles with other students. The entire class answered the same questions about all six battles. The expert students shared their information with others.
Important management note:
I have very clear expectations for students sharing information. They must verbalize their information. This is when one student explains their answer and the other student writes the answer down. There is not coping of answers, as one student is seeking information, and the other is verbally sharing. During this time, students will ask follow up questions, such as "how do you spell that name?", or "Is that really true?", or "That answer doesn't answer the question" Yes, I did hear that during the activity. Both students are either presenting and working - no walking away by one student while the other student is copying the work. Engagement and seeking of answers between the students is the KEY!
The exchange of information take about about 25 - 30 minutes.
Once students have shared their information, then as an entire class, we share information. This is to ensure the information is correct. Sometimes, bad information is shared and shared again while in the small groups. So, this is their opportunity to correct any false information, or allow them to add more detailed information.
Videos are key
After we have check our information, I show the class short videos (no more than 6 minutes) for each battle. This is important as it helps those visual learners to understand the important concepts.
Outcome
Students were engaged. As I walked around the room, the discussions between the students were about the battles and students asked more details questions about the events they were reading or learning about. For my struggling readings, we read the passages together and asked questions. These students were also engaged.
Once I showed the video, students were asking still more follow up questions.
