Factuation

Shakespeare penned new words so I thought I'd try my hand at it as well.

Factuation is a hybrid mix of fact and imagination. The students in Room 503 got a taste of this in their afternoon Social Studies activities.

Students were split into groups of four. Together, they read aloud the last section of our first textbook chapter, Mapping the Past. They then answered questions regarding the chapter content as a group - with one person serving as secretary. Students were encouraged, as always (and are probably deathly sick of me saying), to "dig deeper." Meaning: once a question is answered, they are always encouraged to ask themselves, "is there more?" Then they are to continue asking the question until they believe they have delved as deeply as they possibly can into the answer.

Next, students were asked to create a CULTURE - a culture created by way of fact and imagination.

First, each group had to come up with a name for their culture. Then they had to create a timeline, detailing what periods of time their culture existed (anywhere between 3000 B.C. and 2008 A.D. Then the group had to choose one of the rivers that is being researched in our River Project. They had to locate the river on the world map, and use that river - and its region - to inform the choices they made in creating their imagined culture. The students next had to create customs and religions that their culture observe. They had to decide on what kind of government was used, what kinds of food the people ate, what kind of artifacts they used and what their clothes looked like and what they were made of.

The rules were as follows:

Listen to one another’s ideas.
Be thoughtful.
Dig Deeper.
Have fun!

Most of the students really took to the activity. After debriefing, some of the students expressed that there could have been better ways to work as a group, and we discussed what worked and what didn't and what could be done differently next time.

In fact, I imagine that next time will take place again soon!

Not penning my own, but this time quoting the master: "Parting is such sweet sorrow..."

Cheers,
Ms. Pitman