Instructional+Activity


 * Title: **Courage in America Digital Story

ELA (GPS), Grade 8, Writing ELA8W1: The student produces writing that establishes an appropriate organizational structure, sets a context and engages the reader, maintains a coherent focus throughout, and signals a satisfying closure. Social Studies (GPS), Grade 8, Historical Understandings SS8H6: The student will analyze the impact of the Civil War and Reconstruction on Georgia. Character Education Trait: Courage
 * Standards: **
 * a. Selects a focus, organizational structure, and a point of view based on purpose, genre expectations, audience, length, and format requirements.
 * b. Writes texts of a length appropriate to address the topic or tell the story.
 * c. Uses traditional structures for conveying information (e.g., chronological order, cause and effect, similarity and difference, and posing and answering a question).
 * d. Uses appropriate structures to ensure coherence (e.g., transition elements, parallel structure).
 * e. Supports statements and claims with anecdotes, descriptions, facts and statistics, and specific examples.
 * b. State the importance of key events of the Civil War to include Antietam, Emancipation Proclamation, Gettysburg, Chickamauga, the Union blockade of Georgia's coast, Sherman's Atlanta Campaign, Sherman's March to the Sea, and Andersonville.


 * Materials: **
 * Computer Lab/Cart
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Windows Movie Maker
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Courage in America Digital Story File
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Example of Digital Storytelling
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Courage in America Rubric

<span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"> Their writing should establish a context and engaging the reader. It should maintain a coherent focus throughout and a satisfying closure.
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Step-by-Step Procedures: **
 * Step 1: Discuss how courage was important for Civil War soldiers, for today's soldiers, and for ourselves.
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Step 2: The class will watch Courage in America: A Digital Story.
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Step 3: Students will learn about digital story making using audio, images, and video files.
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Step 4: Students will have access to Courage in America Digital Story File
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Step 5: Students will be given a tutorial on Windows Movie Maker []
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Step 6: Teacher will assign students to work in groups
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Step 7: Groups will choose a topic to create a digital story about Courage in America during the Civil War
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Topics:
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Antietam
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Emancipation Proclamation
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Gettysburg
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Chickamauga
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Union Blockade of Georgia’s Coast
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Sherman’s Atlanta Campaign
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Sherman’s March to the Sea
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Andersonville
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Step 8: Groups will use computers to access the Courage in America Digital Story File including Civil War and Georgia History websites
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Step 9: Students will create a storyboard for their projects. The project must have 16 to 20 slides including a title, resource, and credit slide.
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Step 10: Students will gather audio, image, and video files to create a digital story of their topic.
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Step 11: Students will write in an appropriate organizational structure about their topic to include:
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">dates
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">location
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">important people
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">important facts
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">example of courage
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Step 12: Students will share their work with the class.

<span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"> **Assessment Strategies** <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Rubric for Courage in America Digital Story Project


 * **<span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Courage in America Digital Story ** || **<span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Excellent ** || **<span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Good ** || **<span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Satisfactory ** || **<span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Needs Improvement ** ||
 * **<span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Content: **


 * <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Identifies **
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">1.Topic **
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">2.Dates **
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">3.Location **
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">4.Important People **
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">5.Important Fact **
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">6.Example of Courage **

<span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Identifies all content areas.
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">70% ** || <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">1 2 3 4 5 6

<span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Uses specific examples relating to the topic.

<span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Contains unique information. || <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">1 2 3 4 5 6 <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Identifies 4-5 content areas.

<span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Uses solid examples relating to the topic.

<span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">All information is relevant and meaningful. || <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">1 2 3 4 5 6 <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Identifies 2-3 content areas.

<span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Connections between examples and topic are weak.

<span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Most information is relevant to the topic. || <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">1 2 3 4 5 6 <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Identifies 2 or less content areas.

<span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Contains little or no examples.

<span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Majority of the information does not relate to the topic. ||
 * **<span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Spelling/Grammar **


 * <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">10% ** || <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Uses advanced punctuation.

<span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Advanced words are used and spelled correctly.

<span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Sentence structure is varied. || <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Uses correct punctuation.

<span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Most words are spelled correctly.

<span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Sentences are complete. || <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Many words are used or spelled incorrectly.

<span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Lacking proper punctuation in places.

<span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Sentences may be fragmented. || <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Grammar usage distracts the reader and interferes with information in the project.

<span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Consistent spelling, grammar, and punctuation errors. ||
 * **<span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Organization/ **
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Presentation **


 * <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">10% ** || <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Content is well organized, easy to understand.

<span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">A variety of meaningful images and graphics.

<span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Layout is clear and consistent with title, audio, images, and video. || <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">The overall organization and presentation is appropriate.

<span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Appropriate images and graphics are used.

<span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Layout is visually appealing with titles, audio, images, and video. || <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Most of the content is logically organized and clearly presented.

<span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Majority of images and graphics relate to the time period.

<span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Layout is ok but readable with titles, audio, images, and video. || <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">There is no logical organizational structure.

<span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Lacks relevant images and graphics.

<span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Layout is hard to read and/or is missing any of the following: titles, audio, images, and video. ||
 * **<span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Creativity/Style **


 * <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">10% ** || <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Project is unique and creative in approach and design.

<span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Student’s personal touch/voice is evident.

<span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">A variety of presentation styles are used (more than 4): <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Title <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Font <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Background <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Transitions <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Effects <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Credits || <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Project is unique and creative.

<span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Contains evidence of student’s personal touch/voice.

<span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">At least 4 different types of presentation styles are used. || <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Project shows evidence of creativity, yet lacks evidence of student’s personal touch/voice.

<span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Presentation appears to be rushed and/or messy.

<span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Contains at least 3 different types of presentation styles. || <span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Project shows little or no evidence of creativity.

<span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Presentation is messy or incomplete.

<span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Contains 2 or less different types of presentation styles. ||