By Trinity Minus
In Mr. Pant’s 9th grade U.S. History class students are coming to the end of their African-American history unit. To cap off the unit, students participated today in the "Harlem Renaissance Gala." This Gala assessed students' knowledge of the famous person they chose and demonstrated their understanding of the Harlem Renaissance.
The students started this unit by learning about African-American history, beginning with slavery. They then moved on to Jim Crow laws and The Great Migration. The Great Migration was the movement of African-Americans from the South to the North through many modes of transportation. Along the way the students completed journal entries based on the chapters for the book Journey to Freedom.
The Renaissance Gala will be similar to a project Mr. Pant did two years ago when he was a 7th grade teacher. All of the students will be required to come dressed as their famous person or as a representative for them (ex. Their Agent). The students will also need to make an artifact. The artifact will be something related to their character. If a student chose a painter, they could bring in a picture of one of their paintings. If they got a musician, they could bring in some music or perform the song themselves.
The students also had to make a new part in their digital history museums using Unreal. Unreal is a video game program that Mr. Pant has been using all year to link all of the units together. This is the first year that Mr. Pant has used it. At the end of the year, the students can go into their levels and walk through all of their units from the year. Lastly, students have to write a research paper that explains the importance of the Harlem Renaissance.
Today at the gala, students put up their handmade decorations and mingled and talked with one another just like if they were at an actual gala. On Thursday, December 8th, some of the students will show off their Unreal levels and what they did at the Gala, including a Mannequin Challenge video!
