American Identity and History Extravaganza

These materials are for two projects. The first is the upcoming National History Day competition. Students have been researching their topics since October, and it is time for them to build their exhibit boards, create documentaries or live performances. Students from higher income schools often put a great deal of money into their projects, and I want my students to feel that their projects can stand up to the high standard at NHD. Materials that students will get from this Donors Choose project include various colors of card stock and fancy printing paper to mount information on exhibit boards. Students creating exhibit boards will also have access to colorful foil and cellophane to create interesting backgrounds -- for example, one group researching the impact of the Atomic Bomb plans to build a mushroom cloud in the background of their board. Students planning performances need whiteboards and markers as part of the props and some documentarians plan to use these in regard to subtitles and scene changes.

Many students have come to my school following the hurricane in Puerto Rico, and they are now working hand sewing a map that incorporates family artifacts and personal stories, including audio recordings.

This project is geared toward migrant students, most of whom are still learning English. As they reflect on their own experiences, they will bring in photos and personal artifacts to sew into locations on the wall-sized map of Puerto Rico and their current neighborhoods in PA. They will use yarn and embroidery thread for this purpose, either sewn or hot-glued, and have access to fabric in various colors to add texture to the map. Each student will chose one story to tell in Spanish and English. Recordings will be on mp3 players that will remain in pockets built into the map.