Students at Dr. Levesque School spent many hours of class time
cyber-sailing the web in support of
local history. The students had fun completing projects on genealogy, local history, and a
technology-based booklet showing the growth and development of their families. This project
uses connections to the State of Maine Learning Results in all content areas
that include English Language Arts, Visual and Performing Arts, Health
and Physical Education, Mathematics, Science and Technology, Modern and
Classical Languages, and Social Studies, The use of technology
really enhanced our curriculum goals making learning fun and motivating students
to do more than was required. It has many socialization and cooperative
learning skills and is a great tool to use to cover curriculum, content,
and grade-level skills. This project contains
sample lesson plans, rubrics, and student generated sample material. It
could easily be adapted to grades at all levels by increasing/decreasing
difficulty of skills and by changing the location to reflect one's
This project gives students the opportunity
to achieve competence in a variety of skill levels recommended by National Standards.
The criteria used in developing the lessons contained in this project are a
reflection of the outcomes required by the State of Maine Learning Results.
It uses an interdisciplinary approach and touches on all content areas in the
State of Maine's Learning Results.
||The roots of the St. John Valley were traced back to France. Students started by
researching France on Internet.
Students learned French songs, developed vocabulary, and
learned to read in French during our French classes.
Students studied France's location and worked on map skills.
||Secondly, we studied the Acadians in Canada and their deportation.
Students researched on Internet, read books, and wrote about them
||Thirdly, we studied local history. Students learned
about such topics as bartering, lumbering, farming, border disputes,
traditions, colorful local characters and school history.
||Family research was accomplished with the help of
parents/grandparents who helped students complete their pedigree charts and
research during our Parents'/Grandparents'/ Genealogy Afternoon. In
class we worked on a family timeline.
||Finally, with all research and writings completed, students
put their information together to make a book that was bound and sent
To replicate this
project, click here.
Custom, then, is the great guide of human life. Look to
the past for guidance into the future. Robert Goodkin.
Background Music: "Un Canadien Errant" (Lyrics)