21st Century Skills in Our 8th Grade Model Classroom

Janeen Gannon's goal was to teach the students in her 8th-grade social studies class about the Road to Freedom.  Moving away from the traditional teacher-centered approach to learning, Mrs. Gannon challenged her students to learn about the Road to Freedom through independent and small group research.  Students gathered information through multiple traditional and online resources and then created presentations sharing their knowledge using either TimeToast a digital timeline maker with graphics and Pictochart an infographic creator.  The students then presented their final projects using GoogleCast from their Chromebooks or mini-projectors in various parts of the classroom.  As four groups presented simultaneously  members of each group scored the presenter using a rubric focusing on presentation skills.  What a great way to build 21st Century Skills!