Fifth graders in the Massapequa School District are now experts on the people who have made a difference in the world. Students completed biography research projects, which is one of the fifth grade writing units.
At McKenna Elementary School, each student selected a person from the past or present who has been influential. They used books as well as online resources like Duckster, Epic and PebbleGo to learn more about them. Students then completed their research projects in Book Creator, including elements such as a timeline of events, fun facts, photos with captions, and a dedication page.
The young biographers included information such as the person’s early life, notable accomplishments and famous quotes. In addition to the report, they made soda-bottle dolls to resemble their famous figures.
Fairfield Elementary School fifth graders wrote biography reports, made the bottle dolls and also created videos on their famous people. The Canva videos added a digital component to the project that engaged the tech-savvy students.
Fifth graders at Lockhart Elementary School read “Who Was?” books about their famous people and took copious notes. They completed their research papers in Google Docs and designed covers with the person’s photo.
At the three schools, the famous people represented all facets of society and included artists, athletes, authors, civil rights leaders, humanitarians, inventors, scientists and world leaders.