Celebrate Colonial Maryland!

Research Process		Directions to Students
	Scenario	Your grade level is planning a fair this year to celebrate Maryland history. Your class has decided to focus on Colonial Maryland. You have been asked to work with fellow classmates to create an exhibit highlighting one aspect of daily life in Colonial Maryland. Essential Question: How were the lives of people living in Colonial Maryland different from our lives today?
	Task	Research a topic on Colonial Maryland and its importance in the daily life of the people who lived during that time. You will be part of a three member team researching one of the following topics:  Food/Farming  Transportation  Slavery Clothing  Family Life  Recreation  Religion The Ark and the Dove Native Americans Early Towns Your team will create a video quiz show or make a presentation to your class or grade level showing that part of life in Colonial Maryland.
	Product	Research your topic, then, as a group, create five Power Point slides highlighting your topic on Colonial Maryland. Your presentations should include at least: One title slide to introduce your topic Three slides with interesting details about your topic A final slide which includes your group members' names Note: Each group member is responsible for one of the three slides that has details about your topic. After participating in the fair and/or after viewing the other groups' presentations, write three journal entries in which you compare things in your life with the daily life of the colonists in Maryland. Your teacher may decide to assign an alternate type of presentation from the following list: Oral report Poster Pamphlet
	Assessment	The following scoring tools will be used to assess your final products: Individual Power Point Slide - at least one created by each team member Group Power Point presentation - by group members as a team Journal entries - minimum of three by each individual team member You will also be graded on your work in your group using this Group Work Scoring Tool.
	Questions	Essential Question: How were the lives of people living in Colonial Maryland different from our lives today? What was life like for people living in Colonial Maryland? What are some specific details about your assigned Colonial Maryland topic? What information do you need to gather to best present your Colonial Maryland topic in an exhibit for Celebrate Maryland Day?
	Gather	Each member of your group should use a different item from this list to gather resources about your topic: Specific websites about your topic Keyword searching to locate additional websites An online encyclopedia, print encyclopedia, or CD-ROM encyclopedia Your library's catalog to locate books about the topic in your school library Use this notetaking sheet to record your information. Use these guide sheets for helpful tips during your research: Using a Web Browser Using a Book Index
	Organize	Synthesize: Meet with your fellow group members to decide which group members will prepare which slides about the information related to your topic. Use the first section of this Presentation Planning Tool as a guide. After meeting with your group, use the information you have gathered on your notetaking sheet to create your Power Point slides. Use this Power Point Tutorial if you need additional help. Evaluate: Review the checklist for your individual PowerPoint slide(s) to make sure you have completed all requirements. If you are missing information, go back and use the resources to find the missing information and complete your slides. Next, meet with your fellow group members to prepare your slide show combining all group members' slides and information. Use the second section of the Presentation Planning Tool for direction in putting together your Power Point presentation.
	Conclude	Share your presentation with your classmates during your school's or your class's Maryland history celebration. Use a projector with a computer or have a "gallery walk" in your computer lab by visiting various classmates' computers. View all of your classmates' presentations, using this Gallery Walk tool to gather information for your journal entries. After all groups have shared their information, decide which three Colonial Maryland topics held the greatest interest for you . Write three separate journal entries in which you discuss how each of these three topics is similar to or different from your life today.