by Linda V. Chappetto, Jack Young Middle School, Baraboo, Wisconsin

Standards Covered:

Wisconsin B.8.1 Interpret the past using a variety of sources, such as biographies, diaries, journals, artifacts, eyewitness interviews, and other primary source materials, and evaluate the credibility of sources used

Materials Needed:

Graphic organizers for introduction “quotes” activity
Computers for each student to use to look at the Founders on the Founders site
Access to http://www.classtools.net/fb/home/page for students to create their “fakebook” pages
Additional sites for students to use for research to ensure that their profiles reflect accurate historical information

Introduction Activity:

Students think about the things that different people in their lives might say about them. They should write quotes from a few different perspectives – parents, grandparents, friends, siblings, enemies, teachers, etc – which reflect each person’s opinion about the student.
Students then turn to a neighbor and share some of their quotes.
Teacher asks for a volunteer to read all of their quotes aloud
Teachers tells students that we can learn a lot about someone based on what other people say about them

Guided Practice:

Students will use the “fakebook” utility to create a page for one of the historical figures on the Founders on the Founders site
The site helps them find a picture, they have to add the other Founders as “friends” and think about the kinds of conversation they might have had if this site had existed during the time of the founding of our country
Encourage them to think about what other historical figures they might have been “friends” with and what other aspects of the real Facebook they could incorporate in their fake profile

Closure:

Have students write for 3 – 5 minutes about the difference between how the founders are portrayed in picture and story books as opposed to how they look to them now after reading the quotes. Ask them to talk about why we wouldn’t have younger children read the quotes and learn about the Founders that way.
Have them share what they think with a neighbor