All students must create a project that can be shown on the sidewalk in front of half of the media center on April 24th.
This project can be done in groups of any size (students can select own groups), or individually.
Rubric:
1. The project must be displayable.
2. The project must be about the country Ireland.
3. The project must NOT be done by parents and MUST be done by students.
Whatever you do, this is how it will be viewed, people (other students, teachers, superintendents, etc.) will stop by our booth and browse. If your display looks particularly interesting, they might read a sentence or two. If the sentence or two is interesting, they might read the whole thing. Having visual, easily glanced at items is good. Having interactive materials is good too. However, the project should NOT be all gravy, include some meat and potatoes in it too. After they browse our booth, they’ll wander to another team’s booth and learn about another country. Each team will be given 45 minutes during April 24th to wander about and view all the other booths.
Remember: I am Irish. I grew up in Ireland. I can tell at a glance if it’s authentic or not.
Having said that:
Here’s some ideas:
Create recipe cards for an Irish dish and/orring samples of Irish food.
Tell the history and meaning of the Irish flag.
Create a display about Irish immigration and/or emigration.
Tell about the famine or another time in Irish history.
Describe the Irish system of government.
Showcase a famous Irish poet or playwright biography. W.B. Yeats, George Bernard Shaw, etc. on a baseball card format.
Create a map of Ireland and highlight the different geographical/political areas and boundaries.
Give a brief history of the Troubles, the IRA, the H-blocks.
Teach how to count in Irish.
Showcase some famous Irish rock groups like U2 or Thin Lizzy.
Showcase Irish dancing.
Describe the past and present monetary system. (What money do they use in Ireland?)
Talk about the “Celtic Tiger” and Ireland’s role in European, World economics and/or politics.
Plan a vacation trip for people who might like to visit Ireland.
Talk about the Book of Kells, Bunratty Castle, the Irish airlines, Aer Lingus; Trinity College, or the DART system.
In other words, when people stop by our booth, they should learn more about Ireland than they knew before their visit. Displays should be attractive and inviting, but OF SIXTH GRADE versus ADULT caliber. Poster boards, science boards, mobiles, recipe cards, brochures, board games, carnival type games, baseball type cards, authentic items (that will not break your heart if they are broken/lost) are great to use. Essays are acceptable, but in my experience, will not be widely read in that format. NO NEED TO SPEND A LOT OF MONEY, a pencil, pen, and box of crayons, colored pencils, and paper or a poster board should suffice for materials.
Projects are DUE ON Wednesday, April 22, 2009.
