The 14 Wonders of the World – seven from the past and seven from the present – were the focus of a research project in Peggy Meininger’s fourth grade class at Fairfield Elementary School.
The Seven Wonders of the Ancient World include Colossus of Rhodes, Great Pyramid of Gaza, Hanging Gardens of Babylon, Lighthouse of Alexandria, Mausoleum at Halicarnassus, Statue of Zeus at Olympia and Temple of Artemis at Ephesus. There are also Seven Wonders of the Modern World – Chichén Itzá, Christ the Redeemer, Colosseum, Great Wall of China, Machu Pichu, Petra and Taj Mahal.
Each student selected one of the wonders and created a digital book using Canva. The books were filled with facts and photos. Students did extensive research online, complied notes and wrote their drafts. Some of the information on each wonder was its location, its design and why it was built.
As part of their full immersion into nonfiction writing, fourth graders included all of the elements a printed book would have like a table of contents, about the author page, glossary and references. The project culminated with a publishing party, as each student received a boarding pass and passport to travel around the classroom, read each other’s books and learn about all of the world’s marvels.