Making Meaning from the Past

Students investigate the use of monuments and memorials in various cultures in this three day Language Arts or Social Studies lesson. Emphasis is placed on in-class discussions, research, and individual creative projects.

Students write a biographical poem about themselves. They observe a teacher-led demonstration, write an autobiographical poem and a biographical poem about a famous person using a template form, and display the poems side-by-side.

Middle schoolers identify and interpret both individual families and whole cultures learn about their pasts by collecting and analyzing stories and artifacts. Then they identify that not all archaeological finds readily reveal their...