Academy Curricular Exchange
Columbia Education Center
Social Studies

TITLE:   Oral Reports through 'Personality Bags'  

AUTHOR:    Ben Pruitt; Alaska

OVERVIEW:
STUDENT'S ORAL REPORTS ON BIOGRAPHIES ARE ENHANCED BY THE
USE OF A "PERSONALITY BAG".  STUDENTS SELECT OBJECTS THAT
REFLECT THE ATTRIBUTES OF THE PERSONALITY IN THEIR BOOK.  THIS
ENCOURAGES THE USE OF CRITICAL THINKING SKILLS AND ENHANCES
MEMORY.

GRADE LEVEL/SUBJECT:     4-6
INTERMEDIATE STUDENTS ARE ENTHUSIASTIC ABOUT THIS PROJECT.
AREAS OF SOCIAL STUDIES, SCIENCE AND READING ARE MOST
ADAPTABLE.

PURPOSE:
STUDENTS MUST FIND THE MAJOR ATTRIBUTES OF THE PERSONALITY
IN A BIOGRAPHY  AND THEN APPLY IT TO AN OBJECT FOR
PRESENTATION. 

 
OBJECTIVES:
BESIDES THE BENEFITS OF DEFINING ATTRIBUTES AND ENHANCING
MEMORY THIS ACTIVITY ALSO ENCOURAGES CREATIVITY IN A
SOMETIMES FACTUAL AREA. SPEAKING PRESENTATIONS SEEM TO
BECOME MORE NATURAL FOR THE STUDENT WITH THIS ACTIVITY.
CRITICAL THINKING SKILLS ARE CHALLENGED AT ALL ABILITY LEVELS
FOR THEY MUST CREATE THIS BAG OF OBJECTS.

RESOURCES/MATERIALS:
NO RESOURCES ARE NEEDED HOWEVER I ALWAYS PROVIDE THE
STUDENT WITH A BOOK REPORT FORMAT TO ENSURE THAT THEY SHARE
FACTUAL INFORMATION SUCH AS TITLE, AUTHOR, COPYRIGHT,
PUBLISHER, NUMBER OF PAGES, EARLY LIFE, FAMILY, EDUCATION,
CAREER AND RECOMMENDATIONS ABOUT THE BOOK.

ACTIVITIES AND PROCEDURES:
STUDENTS FIND OBJECTS AROUND THEIR HOUSE, CUT PICTURES FROM
MAGAZINES AND SOMETIMES EVEN DRAW PICTURE TO ILLUSTRATE THE
MAIN ATTRIBUTES OF THE LIFE OF THE PERSON IN THEIR BOOK OR
REPORT.  THE BAGS ARE AS VARIED AS THE STUDENTS IN THE CLASS
AS THIS ACTIVITY CAN BE DONE BY ANY ABILITY LEVEL STUDENT.
SOME OF THE MORE CREATIVE STUDENTS MAY EVEN SAY THEIR PERSON
MAY HAVE SKATEBOARDED IF THEY LIVED TODAY BECAUSE THEY WERE
DARING OR PHYSICALLY FIT, ETC.   AT 5TH GRADE, PRESIDENT
REPORTS NOT ONLY SEEM MORE INTERESTING BUT THE PRESIDENTS
TAKE ON A MORE REAL CONTEXT TO THE STUDENTS.  THE CLASS HAS
BETTER RECALL OF PRESIDENTS WHEN DISCUSSING ERAS OR ISSUES.

TYING IT ALL TOGETHER:
ALTHOUGH I HAVE STUDENTS TAKE NOTES DURING BOOK REPORTS
THIS  VISUAL ACTIVITY DOES MORE TO INCREASE MEMORY AND
STUDENT INVOLVEMENT.  STUDENTS ENJOY THIS ACTIVITY.

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