Project URL:
http://teachersnetwork.org/everywhere/Murray/index.html

How it works:
Our students created a website to deliver curriculum across the world toK-12 graders on the rich cultural, civic history of Mound Bayou, Mississippi, one of the first and only all black townships in America. Students visited Mound Bayou to meet elders, interview and videotape them, and create coloring books and storybooks which accurately reflected the town's history. When they returned, students developed the books, games based on the history of the town, and other activities. Students then put it all together into a website offering downloadable curriculum materials, and then offered two evenings of Teacher staff development and taught the curriculum and introduced the website. Many materials created by the students are completely downloadable, found on this site, and are ready for use by other teachers.

Curriculum Objectives:
Students learn the history of Mound Bayou; students have connection to Mound Bayou; students perform Service Learning for Mound Bayou residents; students create curriculum reflecting the history of Mound Bayou (which did not previously exist in print or online); students present class, outcomes and curriculum materials electronically, with taste and respect. Students showcase work and spread the word about this unit as a black history curriculum option.

Assessment:
Rubrics are included for the academic portion of the unit as well as the service-learning component, technology and a final presentation.

Overall value:
In this unit, students become the experts and train teachers on this areas of the country. This unit allowed my students to expand their cultural and civic activism and enthusiasm. Students were also challenged technologically, which led to greater skill enhancement. Our history of Mound Bayou was literally the first of its kind--no one had previously recorded information to the degree we had.
 
Tips: 
The technology skills that are demanded by this unit are very high; you may want to team up the most tech-savvy students with the least tech-savvy students in the class and develop a buddy system.|

This curriculum can be adapted for any other location that students would like to research, learn more about, travel to, and develop a curriculum for.

Teacher: Tina Murray

About the teacher:
Tina Murray is a Technology Teacher at Malcolm Shabazz Alternative High School in Madison, Wisconsin.

E-mail: 
tmurray@madison.k12.wi.us

Subject Areas:
Social Studies
Technology
Civics                   

Grade Levels: 
K-12