HCPS Middle School

Students in Mrs. Clements’ 6th grade Gifted and Talented class worked together to create ad campaigns centered around a product of their choice.  Students were organized into groups (“agencies”) that were responsible for creating an ad designed to sell their product. Students had to work together and effectively communicate key components of their product with a larger audience. In their groups, students created TV commercials, radio commercials, and billboards that highlighted their product. Once the products were created they had to share them in a professional and informative presentation.

This lesson allowed a wonderful opportunity for students to engage in a lesson that they could easily transfer into a “real world” context. Before creating their own campaigns, students used the internet to research PR firms, listen to adds, and generate ideas based on their findings. Technology enabled students to create multimedia products that were very professional. Students were engaged and excited about the unit.

Because students starred in their television commercials we will not be able to post them here, but can share some of their radio ad’s. We hope you enjoy!

“The Ultima Show” (Radio Ad)

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“Groovy Gum” Bubblegum (Radio Ad)

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Popularity: 6% [?]

Students in Mrs. Tierney’s 7th grade Social Studies class researched and studied FDR’s New Deal programs (SOL USII.5d)). To teach this unit Mrs. Tierney had students research FDR’s programs using a variety of resources and tools (research & information fluency), write their own “fireside chat” (creativity & communication), and record their scripts in Garage Band.

In this lesson students not only learned about key features of the New Deal, but also how to use research and communication tools to clearly articulate information. Each vodcast (podcast with pictures) was unique and supported students’ understanding of the New Deal programs.

A pre/post test on this SOL demonstrated major gains in student mastery with 98% pass rate on the unit assessment for this specific SOL.

For more information about this lesson please contact Mrs. Tierney

Popularity: 6% [?]

Through our Library Information Center, students in grades 6-8 create book reviews to share with their peers. The format of the website not only allows students to post their review, but rate other books listed on the site.

More to come

http://byrdmiddle.org/books/

Popularity: 6% [?]

In conjunction with their unit on The Diary of Anne Frank, Mrs. Hunnicutt’s advanced 8th grade English students researched and studied The Holocaust and other instances of genocide as a way to bring to life the idea of promoting dignity and respect among all people. For this unit, students completed a learning contract that offered a wide variety of topics of study topics and a wide variety of ways to demonstrate learning. Students were asked to utilize critical thinking and reading skills as well as a myriad of tools to create traditional as well as multimedia artifacts that demonstrated their knowledge and creativity.

Mrs. Hunicutt was consistently amazed and impressed by the depth of knowledge and feeling that students  demonstrated in their projects from vodcasts about The Trail of Tears to original songs composed and recorded on Garageband, to scripted chapters of Elie Wiesel’s Night, to interviews with Holocaust survivors, to community service projects, to paintings and collages that profoundly communicate the pain and suffering caused by intolerance.

The SOLs covered by this project are as follows: 8.1, 8.2, 8.4, 8.6, 8.5 8.7

My Own Memory – Original Music Score

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Why? – Original Music Score

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Popularity: 8% [?]