Last spring, my Librarian colleague, Valerie Loughman, and I completed a project funded by a MassCUE Initiative Grant.

Background:

Third graders traditionally study famous people who have lived in Massachusetts (MA HSS Standard 3.7). Unfortunately, what should be a celebration of contributors to our state turns into mass confusion for this age level. Appropriate materials simply are not available for all these leaders.

Our solution:

Enlist the help of a 5th grade class to analyze the resources and create podcasts and flash (quick fact) cards that would serve as an accessible, multimedia, research experience for the 3rd graders. A newly, created Library Wiki and dedicated iPods served as the portal of learning.

The outcome:

Third graders were engaged with research materials that were appropriate for all learning styles and reading levels. In the end, these flexible materials helped yield a “green screen” sharing of knowledge. Third graders produced a mock CNN style interview.

What follows is our presentation that we shared at this fall’s MassCUE Conference. Please check it out to read more about our goals and see the specific equipment and software that we utilized.