HCPS Middle School

Play "Ancient Mummies"

Students in Ms. Searle’s  cross-curricular reading classroom read and researched about the ancient Eygptian pyramids. After a general introduction to the material, her students picked a specific topic and learned how to safely search the internet and gather information. A big part of the lesson involved how to determine a website’s accuracy, reliability, and validity, and a clear understanding of copyright law. In collaborative groups her students created informational presentations and shared them with the class in formal presentations.

Popularity: 6% [?]

Play Vodcast

Students in Ms. Dyson’s Earth Science classroom researched information about earthquakes, volcanos, and tsunamis. In part one of the project,  students were taught internet safety and copyright law while gathering information from traditional and digital sources. In part two of the project, students were asked to create informational movies or news broadcasts like those seen on the evening news or on learning channels such as Discovery. As part of the process, students created a storyboard to organize their work, wrote and recorded their scripts, and organized their pictures in a video presentation. To accomplish the creative portion of this project students used Garage Band.

Popularity: 9% [?]

Play The Cell Cycle

Ms. Raine’s science students teach each other about the cell cycle using digital artwork and presentation software. Students used Appleworks draw tools to create original artwork portraying the cell cycle and they used powerpoint to create presentations a then movies to illustrate and teach the process.

Popularity: 6% [?]

Congratulations to Dr. Adria Hoffman who was a finalist for the Henrico 21 award for using creativity and innovation in the classroom.  Dr. Hoffman is the music teacher at L. Douglas Wilder Middle School.  She had her class identify and utilize music notation software and digital audio recording devices to create original musical compositions.  The end product of these compositions reflected the student’s musical interests, social identities, and school community.  Click on the play button below to listen to a student sample.

Nice Job all!

Popularity: 4% [?]

Our 7th grade Social Studies teacher Mr. Berry used Mash-On, an online website, to enhance digital pictures that students took in order to show their understanding of the Great Depression. There were 10 questions that students needed to answer for this assignment. The questions were:

1.    How did the stock market crash affect investors?
2.    How did tariffs affect the US economy?
3.    What role did the Federal Reserve play in the Great Depression?
4.    How did foreclosures affect people?

5.    What happened to banks during the Great Depression?
6.    How did the Dust Bowl affect farmers on the Great Plains?
7.    What were breadlines and soup kitchens?
8.    What was the goal of the New Deal?
9.    How was American society affected by the WPA and CCC?
10.    What ended the Great Depression?

Students then answered these questions in picture form. For each answer,they took one picture and added a caption that answers the question.  Each student created his or her own comic strip about the Great Depression.  The results were fantastic!

Popularity: 9% [?]