We are currently working on the DAR project. The topic is "I Spy: Espionage During the American Revolution". Essays should include information about the motivations of Revolutionary War spies (loyalists or patriots), experiences during the war, and consequences of thier actions (both personal and to the war effort in general). 8th graders are expected to have a typed, properly formated title page, a typed essay of 600-1,000 words, & a typed properly formatted bibliography. We will have 3 scheduled class periods to work on this project here at school. Work outside of school will be necessary. All students have received a paper explaining the format of the paper. If there are additional questions please contact Mr. Lytle.
States and Colonies Presentations - Students will work with a partner to present
information on of the original 13 colonies and it's present day state. One member of
the team will research and present information about the colonial era, and the other
member will research and present information about the modern state. Research
should focus heavily on the five themes of geography and adquate examples will be
provided by Mr. Lytle. Each group member will present a prop with thier
information. Props can be anything, including, but not limited to: posters, costumes,
artwork, music/video projects, and models. Though students will be working and
presenting with a partner, the grading is strictly individual. No aspect of your grade
will affect your partners grade in any way.
DAR Paper (Daughters of the American Revolution) - The local DAR chapter sponsers
this national essay contest. A topic is provided to everyone by the DAR. This topic
may or may not be something that we have discussed in class. With this
understanding, grading is relatively lenient on this paper. Mechanics, grammer, and
professionalism are expected. Students will need to follow directions carefully as all
essays are entered into the local, state, and then national contests (if applicable).
McDowell students typically do very well in this contest, and there is prize money at
stake for those students judged worthy by the DAR. This is a requirement for the course,
without it, students will earn an "I" (incomplete) on the grade card.
Symbols of America Presentations - Students will agian be working a partner, and this
time part of the grading will be shared and part will be individual. Teams of two will
share one of the symbols of America. The team will then need to research the
symbol, prepare and give a presentation to the rest of the class about what they
learned. Teams and symbols are randomly choosen. Groups will share a prop and
a prop grade. Each team member is expected to deliver half of the total presentation,
without repeating each other. Presentation grades will be largely individual in nature.
Industrial Revolution/Invention Project - Sell a unique invention to your investors (classmates) and see
who comes out on top during this excercise in capitalism! Create a product, present it to your
clients, identify your target customers, use a tested marketing strategy, create an advertisement, deal
with the challenges of production costs and realistic sales costs, you can do it!
Civil War Powerpoint - This is the end of the year project for the 8th grade. Students
will research a topic related to the American Civil War. The topic could be anything
related to the Civil War that the student chooses. Information will be gathered and
put into a Powerpoint presentation. The Powerpoint will then be delivered to a joint
session of Coach Smith and Mr. Lytle's classes (when applicable). This will be a
larger audience than our previous presentations, and the students will be using a
podium with a microphone as well as an overhead screen and a computer. This is a
joint project with the McDowell Technology Department, and it is a wonderful
project that students enjoy studying, creating, presenting, and watching. It is a great
way to end the year.