At the start of our Holocaust unit and our reading of the memoir, NIGHT, by Elie Wiesel, the students went to our school’s library and researched a specific topic pertaining to that (Hitler’s rise to power, Anti-Semitism, Jewish Ghettos, Transport to the camps, Auschwitz, Buchenwald, etc) making them our class “experts” on that aspect of the memoir.
The students then designed and developed a presentation for us using Google Slides, Canva, Prezi, or whatever format they felt most comfortable with – and then they shared that with the rest of the class in 7-10 minute presentations.
By doing this approach, it allowed my students to take ownership of the lesson instead of just sitting there and getting notes from the teacher. The feedback from the students showed me that they felt that this was empowering for them and also made them learn at a much deeper level than just taking notes from me. It also allowed them the chance to collaborate with their peers and to produce a final product that they took pride in and felt confident in their knowledge of.
Stephen Dykes
Pulaski County High School
Pulaski County Schools
9th and 10th English
