Nothing produces greater results than with collaboration! This history lab is the result of a wonderful collaboration between Sweetwater teachers Cheryl Jones, Christian Moreno and me, Liz Wong.
Why was the Gupta Empire a Golden Age in India’s history? In the Gupta Achievements Olympics, students examine sources and they also do a number of hands on activities. They will write in Sanskrit, build a sculpture, create a coin and build a heliocentric model. After the lab, students have enough information to write an informational paper on the topic. To prepare the stations, you just have to: 1. Print Exhibits for each station. I print 4 each so that each within the 4-member student group can read along. I print them on card stock and in color. One station requires a video – Exhibit 4. Download it or if your students have iPads, you can always use QR Codes. I have QR codes placed on the evidence for those exhibits so that students can use their iPads and a QR Code Reader app to access to videos. I place them in big envelopes and place a Sticker that identifies the evidence on each envelope. I purchased sticker printer paper from Amazon. 2. Copy a Student Journal for each student. 3. To start the history lab with your class, take them through the PowerPoint. You have to download the attachments that go within the presentation in order for everything to run smoothly - Trailer and Timer. 4. With collaboration at the forefront of my mind, I design the labs to require no intervention on my end. Students rotate through the stations. They become used to hearing the bell at the end of the timer that signals its time to move and they move to the next station without prompting. Because they are able to collaborate and do the work completely independent of me, I am able to focus on their collaboration techniques. I listen for their use of the Collaborative Roles and give them feedback and assess their collaboration using the Collaboration Scoring Guide. FUN TWIST: At times, I make this a fun challenge by giving the group the collaborates the best hats or a trophy of some sort. Throughout the lab, I'll move the trophy or hats to the group that is doing really well collaborating. The group that is in possession of the trophy or hats at the conclusion of the lab, wins a small prize. |
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