Biography Bags

Biography bags are a favorite activity of mine! The kids love them too! You can put as much effort and time into these as you have available! They are so worth it! They're very fun to show off to parents at a museum day or invite another class over to see them! This PBL project is interdisciplinary.

Components

Writing: After researching their historical figure, students write a grade appropriate biography about their historical figure.

Math: Students create a timeline of his/her important life events. We used an app called Timeline. Students created a booklet ahead of time with dates & illustrations to add to their app creations.

Social Studies:  Students identify character traits that made his/her historical figure a good leader. We focused on Jackie Robinson's patience and Martin Luther King Jr's determination. But we branched out to other figures not in our second grade standards.

Other: Students learn research and note-taking skills, students artistically transform a paper bag into their historical figure, students learn cooperation as they complete this with partners or small groups, & students can complete self assessments at the end.

Artifacts: Students might include 2-3 representative artifacts inside the bag. These can be items brought from home or made in class. For example, a trophy to represent Jackie Robinson's induction into the Hall of Fame or a kite to represent Ben Franklin's discovery.

Maker Space Must-Dos

These maker space must-dos are projects I've done with my second graders. However, they could be adapted to work with other grades or other content. Trust me, the person who runs your maker space with be glad if your students arrive with a plan in mind! Plus, it helps students use their time wisely and narrow down the supplies they'll need.

FUSE BEADS

In Georgia, second graders study the Creek and Cherokee Native Americans. Students created a Native American artifact from fuse beads and later wrote a "museum plaque" giving information about the importance of the person or item to Native American life or culture. My students worked in partners & we spent about 1 hour in the maker space. 

I created a museum display outside my classroom using sheet protectors. They worked great for displaying these projects! Coworkers were immediately asking for the planning sheet & book their maker space times! My principal love this project so much, he featured us on the morning announcements! If you're an arts integration school or a STEAM school, this project is for you!

Monuments

After studying Martin Luther King Jr. & Jackie Robinson's impact on the civil rights movement, students were tasked with creating a monument that represents their contribution and their character. This took us two visits to the maker space, but the kids came up with some great stuff!

Again, students created a plan before heading to the maker space.. Additionally, students wrote down the main character traits of the historical figure they chose. After completing the project, the partnerships did a self-assessment on their project and their cooperation.

Have fun trying out these maker space must-dos! 

Comment below with any of your favorite projects for the maker space!