Potential Topics:
If you find another topic that interests your group more, you must receive teacher approval of your topic BEFORE
moving forward.
1. Jim Crow
2. Wilber Wright
3. Orville Wright
4. G.W. Carver
5. A.G. Bell
6. Thomas Edison
7. Samuel Morse
8. T. Roosevelt
9. G.A. Custer
10.Crazy Horse
11.Sitting Bull
12.Andrew Carnegie
13.John D. Rockefeller
14.C. Vanderbilt
15.J.P. Morgan
16.Samuel Gompers
17.Jane Addams
18.W.E.B. DuBois
19.Carrie C. Catt
20.Susan B. Anthony
21.Alice Paul
22.Amelia Earheart
23.Woodrow Wilson
24.Archduke Franz Ferdinand
25.Gavrilo Princip
26.Langston Hughes
27.Louis Armstrong
28.Henry Ford
29.Charles Lindbergh
30.Al Capone
31.Duke Ellington
32.Woody Guthrie
Your topic: ______________________________________ Teacher’s
Signature:_______________________________
Group members’ signatures:
_____________________________________________________________________________________________
____
_____________________________________________________________________________________________
____
ELA Standards
Performance Standard: ELACC5W2Write informative/explanatory texts to examine a topic and convey ideas and information
clearly.
Performance Standard: ELACC5W4
Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development and organization are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience.
Performance Standard: ELACC5W7
Conduct short research projects that use several sources to build knowledge through investigation of different aspects of a topic.
Performance Standard: ELACC5W8
Recall relevant information from experiences or gather relevant information from print and digital sources; summarize or
paraphrase information in notes and finished work, and provide a list of sources.
Performance Standard: ELACC5W10
Write routinely over extended time frames (time for research, reflection, and revision) and shorter time frames (a single sitting or
a day or two) for a range of discipline-specific tasks, purposes, and audiences.
Performance Standard: ELACC5RI7
Draw on information from multiple print or digital sources, demonstrating the ability to locate an answer to a question quickly or to
solve a problem efficiently.
Performance Standard: ELACC5RI9
Integrate information from several texts on the same topic in order to write or speak about the subject knowledgeably.
Social Studies Standards
SS5H2.b
Explain the work of the Freedmen's Bureau.
SS5H2.c
Explain how slavery was replaced by sharecropping and how African-Americans were prevented from exercising their newly won
rights; include a discussion of Jim Crow laws and customs.
SS5H2: Reconstruction
The student will analyze the effects of Reconstruction on American Life.
SS5E1
The student will use the basic economic concepts of trade, opportunity cost, specialization, voluntary exchange, productivity, and
price incentives to illustrate historical events.
SS5E1b
Explain how price incentives affect people’s behavior and choices (such as decisions to participate in cattle trails because of
increased beef prices).
SS5G1
The student will locate important places in the United States.
SS5G1b
Locate important man-made places; include the Chisholm Trail; Pittsburgh, PA; Gettysburg, PA; Kitty Hawk, NC; Pearl Harbor, HI;
and Montgomery, AL.
SS5H3
The student will describe how life changed in America at the turn of the century.
SS5H3a
Describe the role of the cattle trails in the late 19th century; include the Black Cowboys of Texas, the Great Western Cattle Trail,
and the Chisholm Trail.
SS5H3b
Describe the impact on American life of the Wright brothers (flight), George Washington Carver (science), Alexander Graham Bell
(communication), and Thomas Edison (electricity).
SS5H3c
Explain how William McKinley and Theodore Roosevelt expanded America’s role in the world; include the Spanish-American War and
the building of the Panama Canal.
SS5H3d
Describe the reasons people emigrated to the United States, from where they emigrated, and where they settled.
SS5H3e
Describe the impact of westward expansion on Native Americans; include the Battle of the Little Bighorn and the relocation of
Native Americans to reservations.
SS5E2
The student will describe the functions of four major sectors in the U. S. economy.
SS5E2a
Describe the household function in providing resources and consuming goods and services.
SS5E4
The student will identify the elements of a personal budget and explain why personal spending and saving decisions are important.
SS5H4
U.S. From World War I to 1929
The student will describe U.S. involvement in World War I and post-World War I America.
SS5H4.a
Explain how German attacks on U.S. shipping during the war in Europe (1914 - 1917) ultimately led the U.S. to join the fight against
Germany; include the sinking of the Lusitania and concerns over safety of U.S. ships, U.S. contributions to the war, and the impact
of the Treaty of Versailles in 1919.
SS5H4b
Describe the cultural developments and individual contributions in the 1920s of the Jazz Age (Louis Armstrong), the Harlem
Renaissance (Langston Hughes), baseball (Babe Ruth), the automobile I(Henry Ford), and the airplane (Charles Lindbergh).
SS5H5
The student will explain how the Great Depression and New Deal affected the lives of millions of Americans.
SS5H5a
Discuss the Stock Market Crash of 1929, Herbert Hoover, Franklin Roosevelt, the Dust Bowl, and soup kitchens.
SS5IP1.b
Organize items chronologically.
SS5IP1.e
Identify main idea, detail, sequence of events, and cause and effect in a social studies context.
SS5IP1.f
Identify and use primary and secondary sources.
SS5IP1.k
Draw conclusions and make generalizations.
SS5IP1.n
Formulate appropriate research questions.
SS5IP1: Information Processing Skills
The student will be able to locate, analyze, and synthesize information related to social studies topics and apply this information
to solve problems/make decisions.
Technology Standards
Element: T3.b
Locate, organize, analyze, evaluate, synthesize, and ethically use information from a variety of sources and media.
Element: T3.c
Evaluate and select information sources and digital tools based on the appropriateness to specific tasks
Element: T5.a
Advocate and practice safe, legal, and responsible use of information and technology
Music Standards
M5GM.5 – Composing and arranging music within specified guidelines
a. Create rhythmic and melodic motives to enhance literature.
b. Create simple songs using any of the following: quarter note, quarter rest,
eighth note, half note, dotted half note, whole note, or text within an
octave scale using simple meter.
c. Arrange rhythmic and melodic patterns creating simple form,
instrumentation, and various styles.
5th Grade: It’s a W(rap), Y’all!
Purpose:
•
We are completing a review of the research process with a specific task in mind.
•
Your task: You work for the website Flocabulary. Your job is to create a high-quality and engaging rap
music video. Your driving question for this project is: How can we, as educational video creators,
make a rap music video that teaches other students about these important people who changed
the course of history? Your driving question should drive your research, in other words, it should
always be in the back of your minds while you ar e researching and creating your projects.
•
Attached you will find a list of potential topics. Your group of 2-4 must choose one important
historical figure who was prominent in the United States and/or World History from Reconstruction to
the Great Depression. You will research your topic, compose your rap, record your rap, and create a
music video.
•
Use the attached rubrics as your guide when completing your research and project.
Schedule:
Week 1- Week of 9/22: Introduction of Lesson and Task Definition
Week 2 – Week of 9/29: Information Seeking Strategies
Week 3 & 4 – Week of 10/6, 10/13: Location & Access
Weeks 5-7 – Weeks of 10/20, 10/27, 11/3 : Use of Information
Week 8-11 – Weeks of 11/10, 11/17, 12/1, 12/8: Synthesis
Week 12 – Week of 12/15: Presentation of Projects – Film Festival, Class Winners!
Week 12- Week of 1/6 : Evaluation
Big 6 Research Framework
#1 Task Definition:
1. What kind of final product are you expected to present to the teacher?
• Is it a written report?
• An oral presentation?
• A poster?
• Or something else?
2. Does it have to be a certain length, size, or duration of time?
• Do you have any freedom of choice in how to present what you will learn?
3. What is the topic of the assignment?
• Does your teacher give you the specific topic (subject) of your assignment?
• Do you have any freedom to select a topic for yourself?
• Do you have to create a thesis statement (take a position, make an argument) ?
• Did the teacher give you a very general topic that you have to focus to a smaller topic?
4. What is the due date for your final product?
• Are there any parts of the assignment due before the final due date (like a rough draft, notes, outline, etc.)?
Helpful Hint: Get an assignment calendar and write any due dates in it. This will help you plan your time to get the assignment done
by the due date. Most teachers will take off points from your grade for late work.
#2 Information Seeking Strategies
List all possible sources of information as a class. Remember to think outside of the box!
#3 Location & Access
Find the information sources (4 or more)
Find the information within the sources (write down web addresses, databases, page numbers in books).
#4 Use of Information
Read, view, or listen to the source.
Take notes.
Give credit to all sources. Include author, title, pages, URLs
#5 Synthesis (4 weeks)
Create your rap and accompanying video. Draft, revise, record!
#6 Evaluation
Check final project against the rubric.
Reflect on the quality of your class song and pictures.
Are you proud of your research and shared information? Are you proud of your rap and video? Is it ready to
be shared with the rest of the world? Does it have a good shot of winning the contest or being published on
the Flocabulary website?
#2 Information Seeking Strategies
List all the places your group can think of where you could get information. Write them in the
space below. Think creatively!
#3 Location & Access
Source #1
Database or Book Title:
Article Title (if available):
Author:
Where did you find this source (circle one)?
CDL
a book in the LC
(please specify)
a book from home
magazine
a website
other
magazine
a website
other
Is this source?
print
web
Page number(s) if available:
Source #2
Database or Book Title:
Article Title (if available):
Author:
Where did you find this source (circle one)?
CDL
a book in the LC
(please specify)
Is this source?
print
web
Page number(s) if available:
Source #3
Database or Book Title:
Article Title (if available):
Author:
a book from home
Where did you find this source (circle one)?
CDL
a book in the LC
(please specify)
a book from home
magazine
a website
other
magazine
a website
other
Is this source?
print
web
Page number(s) if available:
Source #4
Database or Book Title:
Article Title (if available):
Author:
Where did you find this source (circle one)?
CDL
a book in the LC
(please specify)
Is this source?
print
web
Page number(s) if available:
a book from home
Research Rubric
CATEGORY
Expert
Intermediate
Novice
Beginner
Points
Research
Questions
4 points
3 points
2 points
1 point
______/4
Wrote clear,
creative and
interesting
questions which fit
the topic.
Wrote clear
questions which fit
the topic.
Wrote some
questions which did
not fit the topic.
Wrote many
questions which did
not fit the topic.
4 points
3 points
2 points
1 point
Identified useful
sources in many
formats (books,
magazines,
electronic).
Identified mostly
useful sources in
many formats
(books, magazines,
electronic).
Identified a few
useful sources in
one or two formats.
Identified no useful
sources in any
formats.
4 points
3 points
2 points
1 point
Located and
recorded
information which
answered all of the
research questions.
Located and
recorded
information which
answered most of
the research
questions.
Located and
recorded a lot of
information that
did not answer the
research questions.
Located and
recorded
incomplete
information which
failed to answer
any of the research
questions.
Organized neat,
easy-to-read notes.
Organized notes
and most were neat
and easy to read.
Failed to organize
notes effectively;
many were messy
and hard to read.
Did not organize
notes; all notes
were messy and
hard to read.
Wrote all notes
using own words
and key facts.
Wrote most notes
using own words
and key facts.
Wrote some notes
that were copied
word-for-word from
the source.
Copied most or all
of the notes wordfor-word from the
source.
4 points
3 points
2 points
1 point
Presented all
information in a
clear and organized
way.
Presented most of
the information in a
clear and organized
way.
Presented
information which
was poorly
organized or was
difficult to
understand some of
the time.
Presented
information which
was poorly
organized, hard to
understand.
4 points
3 points
2 points
1 point
Included all sources
used and listed
sources in the
correct format.
Included most
sources used and
listed sources in the
correct format.
Included most
sources used, but
some information
was missing or
incorrect.
Failed to include
most of the sources
used, and a lot of
the information was
missing or
incorrect.
Selection of
Sources
Note-taking
Sharing
information
Listing Sources
______/4
______/4
______/4
______/4
Music Video Rubric
CATEGORY
Expert
Intermediate
Novice
Beginner
Points
Topic/Content
4 points
3 points
2 points
1 point
______/4
Covers topic
completely and in
depth. Includes
properly cited
sources and
complete
information.
Encourages viewers
to know more.
Includes essential
information with
most sources
properly cited.
Includes enough
elaboration to give
viewers an
understanding of
the topic.
Includes some
essential
information with
few citations and
few facts.
Includes little
essential
information and
one or two facts.
4 points
3 points
2 points
1 point
Shows excellent
understanding of
elements of
medium including
shot composition,
sound recording,
lighting and
editing.
Good shot
compositions,
lighting, sound and
accurate editing
techniques.
Edited material
contains no shaky
footage, audio is
clear, and is edited
without jumps or
"glitches".
Shaky camera
shots, poorly
recorded audio or
carelessly edited.
4 points
3 points
2 points
1 point
Grammar, spelling,
punctuation, and
capitalization are
correct. No errors
in the text.
Includes 2-3
grammatical errors,
misspellings,
punctuation errors,
etc.
Includes 3-4
grammatical errors,
misspellings,
punctuation errors,
etc.
Includes more than
5 grammatical
errors, misspellings,
punctuation errors,
etc.
4 points
3 points
2 points
1 point
Works well with
others. Assumes a
clear role and
related
responsibilities.
Motivates others to
do their best.
Works well with
others. Takes part
in most decisions
and contributes fair
share to group.
Works with others,
but has difficulty
sharing decisions
and responsibilities.
Cannot work with
others in most
situations. Cannot
share decisions or
responsibilities.
4 points
3 points
2 points
1 point
Communicates
ideas with
enthusiasm, proper
voice projection,
appropriate
language, and clear
delivery.
Communicates
ideas with proper
voice projection.
Adequate
preparation and
delivery.
Some difficulty
communicating
ideas, due to voice
projection, lack of
preparation, or
incomplete work
Great difficulty
communicating
ideas. Poor voice
projection. Little
preparation or
incomplete work.
Technical
Requirements
Mechanics
Cooperative Group
Work
Oral Presentation
Skills
______/4
______/4
______/4
______/4
From the list choose 2 topics and list them below. Then, go to our print encyclopedia or one of our online
encyclopedias in CDL and do a search using your topics’ first and last names as your KEYWORDS. Under the
Information, Ideas, and Questions column, list interesting things you learned, ideas your reading may have
sparked, additional KEYWORDS, and further GREEN LIGHT questions you may have come up with.
Your GREEN LIGHT questions will drive your research and it’s part of your research rubric. Take the time
to come up 4-5 GREAT GREEN LIGHT questions.
Possible Topics:
Information, Ideas, Questions
Topic #1
Topic #2
“It’s a W(Rap)” Reconstruction to Great Depression- Pre-search
Names: ________________________________________
Get excited! You’re doing research on the topic YOUR GROUP chooses. Research should be fun; it’s
kind of like being a detective.
Look at the list of topics on the last page, and narrow your choices down to TWO. After you do your
pre-search you will have narrowed it down to ONE. Remember: this topic will be the focus of this
project for 12 weeks. Make sure it’s someone who you really want to know more about.
Your Name: ________________________________
Date: ________________
“It’s a W(Rap)”
CATEGORY
RESPONSIBILITIES
Capitalization
□I have capitalized the first word of each sentence.
□I have capitalized the names of people.
□I have capitalized the names of months, days, and holidays.
□I have capitalized the names of cities, states, countries, famous places, etc. (e.g.
Appomattox, Gettysburg).
□I have capitalized the titles of books, newspapers (e.g. The Liberator).
Conventions
□My rap makes sense.
□My rap’s stanzas have one main idea.
□I used commas, periods, question marks, and exclamation points correctly.
□My final draft is typed.
□I have included a properly formatted bibliography using EasyBib at the end of my
video and my typed lyrics sheet.
Fluency
Ideas
Organization
Word Choice
□My lines begin in different ways.
□The meaning of each of my lines is clear.
□My lines flow from one to another.
□There are no incomplete thoughts.
□I used brainstorming and a concept map or outline to create and organize ideas.
□My ideas are logically related to one another.
□Ideas are written in my own words.
□I understand my topic.
□My rap is clear and focused. I stay on topic.
□My details give the viewer important information.
□My rap is sequenced in a logical order.
□My introduction is inviting.
□I have a hook or chorus that repeats.
□My ideas flow well and are clearly connected to one another.
□I have a satisfying conclusion.
□Every word seems just right.
□I used a lot of descriptive words (adjectives and adverbs).
□I used strong action verbs (e.g. darted, exclaimed, pursued) .
□I used synonyms to add variety.
□I used some similes and/or metaphors.
Before you turn your paragraphs in…
□Did you do everything in the assignment and include all that was required for
the music video?
□Did you check your music video against the rubric?
□Did you give credit to all your sources in a list at the end of your video?
□Do you have a paper copy of your lyrics including an attached bibliography?
□Would you be proud for anyone to see and hear your music video?
Keywords, Main Ideas, Questions
Notes:
Summarize:
Mind Mapping Notes
Idea 1 w/ Details:
Idea 2 w/ Details:
Topic:
Feel free to add more idea boxes if you have more notes to Idea 4 w/ Details:
Idea 3 w/ Details:
take.
Outlined Notes
Major Topic:
If you have more notes, add them to the bottom of this page, or flip the page over.
I. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------A. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------B. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------C. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
II. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------A. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------B. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------C. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
III. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------A. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------B. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
C. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Rap Rough Draft: This page should be used for writing your rough draft rhymes. It’s a
ROUGH DRAFT, so cross-outs are fine. Your rap should be between 1 and 2 minutes long.
As you write, practice each line to make sure you have THE FLOW! Tell an interesting
story. Remember, this is your job! You can use the front and back of this paper. Ask Mrs.
Kindschy if you need more paper to compose your masterpiece!
Evaluation:
Which video was your favorite and why?
Remember to include the group members’ names and the subject of their video. We will
submit class favorites to the folks at Flocabulary. They will choose the overall winner and
feature it on their blog!
WOW!