Happy Birthday!: Internet Research and Historic Events

Talk about intrinsic motivation! Begin where your students' natural interests lie  -- with themselves -- and launch a variety of projects with this activity. Class members research important events that took place on their birthdays. They learn about famous individuals or significant scientific advances that share their anniversary. They can create timelines based on what they discover, or write reports. Idea: Dress up as your historic figure and, in character, present your findings to the class. Lesson Planet's Curriculum Calendar is another useful source of calendar-based ideas.