The document outlines a comprehensive project for 8th-grade students studying the American Civil War, which includes themes like medicine, technology, and weapons. Students will engage in podcast-based research, create presentations, and write blog posts that reflect their learning experience, while also incorporating technology like videotaping. The project aims to enhance students' understanding of the topic and develop their public speaking and research skills.

1. American Civil War
8th Grade
Each year of the war is given a week of direct instruction that includes major
battles, battlefields, dates, and commanders.
To engage students in something that might be of more interest, I have
chosen themes for them to complete a special project. Students are allowed
to choose from these topics.
Themes include: Medicine, Prisoner of War Camps, Technology, and
Weapons.

2. Podcast
• Students will choose and sign up for a theme.
• After students sign up they will be assigned a partner.
• They will find and listen to at least one podcast that
relates to their theme, taking notes.
• Students are to be encouraged to find other sources
of information (other than direct instruction),
podcasts can be a fun, entertaining, and informative
way to learn new topics.

3. Online Research
• With their assigned partner students will research
the information they learned in the podcast they
chose.
• Students research must include two (2) websites.
Notes should be taken and citation information
documented.
The purpose of the online research is for students to
double check and verify the information given in the
podcast. Students should be revisiting what was
discussed earlier in the year about trusted websites.

4. Presentation
• Students will create a presentation that summarizes
the information that they gathered from the podcast
they listened to and their online research. They may
use PowerPoint or Prezi for the presentation; all
other mediums need prior approval.
• The purpose of the class presentation is to share
knowledge with classmates and work on public
speaking. We know as educators that students that
have a great understanding of a topic if they can
explain the topic to someone else.

5. Videotaping
• During the presentation to the class the partner will
videotape the presentation. This will allow the
presenter to review their public speaking at a later
time.
• This allows the partner a chance to explore the
technology of videotaping equipment.

6. Blog
• Students will write two (2) blog posts for this project.
• The first blog post will summarize what they have learned
about their theme. This will allow the teacher another way to
determine the students knowledge of the content, in case the
presentation did not go as planned.
• The second blog post will be a reflection of the complete
process of the project and should answer the questions what
was easy (or hard), and what the student enjoyed (or didn’t)
about the project. The reflection should cover
• Finding the podcast
• Doing the online research
• Creating a presentation
• Videotaping your partner and reviewing the video
presentation.