While reviewing information from the first semester, Amy Carper wanted to create an activity that allowed her eighth-grade history students to get creative. Carper had her students choose either an era or a person they were interested in, from the previous semester of coursework, to research and create a one-pager on. The students spent three days working on research and the creative aspect of this project. The goal was to describe your person or era by showcasing the importance of that person or events of an era. 

The original idea Carper came up with for this project was to have the students choose from the first 7 United States presidents as options. However, after seeing another educator Carper follows on social media post about snow globes her students made over the different historical time periods, Carper decided to incorporate her ideas.  

The students enjoyed this project, as they were able to dive into a person of interest and really get to know more about their background, why they are significant and how they impacted United States history.  

This was an exemplary project for the students as it utilized different styles of learning. Students who enjoy art and would rather create than write, were able to complete the research and spend more time detailing their picture. Students who prefer research were able to focus on the essay. Once they answered the background questions then they wrote an essay describing their person and everything they were using within the design of their project.  

“I was blown away by the talent of my students,” said Carper. “They are amazing and worked hard for the three days of class. A week later, students are still stopping to look at the images hanging up in the hallway.”