Curate a Class Museum: Exploring History for 1st Graders
Created byBetsy Roxburgh
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Curate a Class Museum: Exploring History for 1st Graders

Grade 1History1 days
In the "Curate a Class Museum" project, first-grade students explore history by creating their own museum exhibit. They engage in activities such as evaluating and selecting artifacts, collaborating in groups, and presenting their findings. The project aims to develop students' understanding of the role of museums, enhance their research and collaborative skills, and improve their ability to articulate historical significance through discussion and written explanations.
MuseumHistoryArtifactsCollaborationResearchEducationFirst Grade
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Inquiry Framework

Question Framework

Driving Question

The overarching question that guides the entire project.How can we create a class museum that helps us understand the past and displays our historical discoveries of interesting artifacts, stories, and objects that we think are important?

Essential Questions

Supporting questions that break down major concepts.
  • What is a museum and what purpose does it serve in understanding history?
  • How can we find out about the past and what tools do historians use?
  • How can objects and artifacts tell us stories about the past?
  • What skills and qualities make someone a good historian?
  • How do we decide which historical findings are important enough to be in a museum?

Standards & Learning Goals

Learning Goals

By the end of this project, students will be able to:
  • Students will understand the role and purpose of museums in preserving and presenting history.
  • Students will learn how to research and gather information about historical artifacts.
  • Students will develop questions and find answers about historical topics by engaging with primary and secondary sources.
  • Students will improve their ability to collaborate with peers through group discussions and project work.
  • Students will develop basic skills in writing informative texts to explain historical concepts.

Common Core Standards

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.1.1
Primary
Ask and answer questions about key details in a text.Reason: Students will ask and answer questions about historical findings and artifacts as part of their museum project, which is a core skill for understanding details in texts.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.1.2
Primary
Write informative/explanatory texts in which they name a topic, supply some facts about the topic, and provide some sense of closure.Reason: Students will write descriptions and explanations of their artifacts for the museum, which aligns with writing informative texts.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.1.4
Primary
Describe people, places, things, and events with relevant details, expressing ideas and feelings clearly.Reason: Students will describe historical artifacts and their significance, expressing their findings and understandings clearly as part of oral presentations or museum tours.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.1.1
Secondary
Participate in collaborative conversations with diverse partners about grade 1 topics and texts with peers and adults in small and larger groups.Reason: Students will engage in discussions with peers to decide what artifacts to include in their museum, reflecting collaborative conversation skills.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.1.7
Secondary
Use the illustrations and details in a text to describe its key ideas.Reason: Students will use visuals and object details to convey key ideas about historical topics, similar to interpreting illustrations and details in written texts.

Entry Events

Events that will be used to introduce the project to students

Artifact Mystery Box

Present students with a sealed box labeled 'Artifact Mystery Box.' Inside are various replicas of historical artifacts related to their community or significant historical events. Students will have to guess the purpose and origin of each artifact, sparking curiosity about history and the role of historians in uncovering the past.
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Portfolio Activities

Portfolio Activities

These activities progressively build towards your learning goals, with each submission contributing to the student's final portfolio.
Activity 1

Collaborative Curation: Deciding What Matters

In this collaborative activity, students work in groups to decide the most important artifacts for their museum. It fosters group discussion and decision-making skills, promoting teamwork.

Steps

Here is some basic scaffolding to help students complete the activity.
1. Break students into small groups and give each group a collection of artifacts to discuss and evaluate.
2. Guide groups to debate and decide which artifacts they believe should be included in their museum exhibit based on importance.
3. Facilitate a class discussion where each group presents their selected artifacts and reasoning behind their choices.

Final Product

What students will submit as the final product of the activityA curated selection of artifacts chosen by students as the centerpiece of their class museum.

Alignment

How this activity aligns with the learning objectives & standardsAligns with CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.1.1 by engaging students in collaborative conversations about selections of historical significance.
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Rubric & Reflection

Portfolio Rubric

Grading criteria for assessing the overall project portfolio

Mini Museum Project Rubric

Category 1

Collaboration and Communication

Evaluates students' participation in group discussions and their ability to express thoughts and listen to peers effectively.
Criterion 1

Active Participation

Assesses student involvement in group discussions, their willingness to contribute, and ability to listen to others.

Exemplary
4 Points

Actively participates in discussions, listens carefully to peers, and consistently encourages others to share ideas, showing leadership in group settings.

Proficient
3 Points

Participates in discussions regularly, listens to peers, and contributes relevant ideas to the conversation.

Developing
2 Points

Occasionally participates in discussions, listens to peers but struggles with contributing relevant ideas.

Beginning
1 Points

Rarely participates in discussions and demonstrates minimal listening and engagement with peers.

Criterion 2

Expressing Ideas

Assesses students' ability to clearly present their ideas and understanding of artifact significance during group discussions.

Exemplary
4 Points

Presents ideas clearly and confidently with well-formed arguments about artifact significance, enhancing group understanding.

Proficient
3 Points

Communicates ideas effectively and discusses artifact significance with clarity and relevance.

Developing
2 Points

Attempts to express ideas but may lack clarity or relevance in discussions about artifact significance.

Beginning
1 Points

Struggles to articulate thoughts and shows limited understanding of artifact significance in discussions.

Category 2

Critical Thinking

Measures students' ability to evaluate artifacts and make informed decisions about their historical significance.
Criterion 1

Decision-Making

Assesses the rationale behind students' choices of artifacts to include in the museum, based on historical significance.

Exemplary
4 Points

Makes informed and well-reasoned decisions about artifact selection, providing strong justification based on historical significance.

Proficient
3 Points

Makes reasonable decisions about artifact selection with clear justifications tied to historical significance.

Developing
2 Points

Makes inconsistent decisions about artifact selection with some attempt at justification.

Beginning
1 Points

Struggles with decision-making and provides weak or no justification for artifact selection.

Reflection Prompts

End-of-project reflection questions to get students to think about their learning
Question 1

What did you learn about the importance of museums in understanding and preserving history through this project?

Text
Required
Question 2

How confident do you feel in your ability to work collaboratively with classmates on projects like this?

Scale
Optional
Question 3

Which skills do you think are most important to be a good historian, and why?

Multiple choice
Required
Options
Asking questions
Researching
Storytelling
Collaborating
Analyzing artifacts
Question 4

What challenges did you face while deciding which artifacts to include in the museum?

Text
Required
Question 5

Rate your interest in learning more about history after completing the Mini Museum Project.

Scale
Optional