Creator: Primary Research | visit site
Grade Range: 8 - 11
<i>Primary Research</i> is an archive of student projects related to local history near Beverly, Massachusetts. Projects range from an examination of local cemeteries and tombstones to the lives of African Americans in antebellum Boston. The site represents an excellent example of the kind of innovative projects student groups can undertake, and might spark ideas for similar projects regardless of the location. The "Library" section of the site provides primary documents used in the student projects, while the "Guides" section gives additional instruction used in the analytical sections of the projects.
In the Classroom
Provide this site to students who are considering group History Day projects, and it will surely encourage creative ideas. Consider adapting one of the projects to your local area for an entire class, or for a group of students looking for additional challenge. Why not make the projects even more interactive, by having students create multimedia projects. Have students narrate a photo using a site such as ThingLink, <a href="/single.cfm?id=13216">reviewed here</a>. Have students create online books using a tool such as Bookemon, <a href="/single.cfm?id=10404">reviewed here</a>. Challenge students create using a site such as Powtoon, <a href="/single.cfm?id=13954">reviewed here</a>, and share them SchoolTube, <a href="/single.cfm?id=9437">reviewed here</a>. "Map out" your local history using a tool such as Click2Map, <a href="/single.cfm?id=16308">reviewed here</a>. The project possibilities are endless!
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