Introduction to Project

1. Ask the Essential Question: “What does it take to change our world?”  Elicit learner responses and create a K-W-L chart to record learners’ ideas. Leave the chart up throughout the project for reference.
2. Pose the Focus Question to the class, “Which people have positively impacted our world?” and record the brainstormed list of these people. Ask questions to ensure learners are thinking about people from all cultures, professions, age groups, and time periods.
3. Ask learners to choose three people to write about in their journals, giving reasons as to why they think these particular people have had a positive impact. Review journal entries to gauge learner understanding, thinking, and reasoning. Then lead a class discussion highlighting the characteristics and reasoning that are important to consider while researching.
4. Introduce the scenario for the project telling learners that they will take on the role of a “Great Thinker” and present to the class after conducting research to find out all they can about the thinker’s life and how they impacted the world.
5. Expose learners to additional possible Great Thinkers through guessing games and book passes. Using the original brainstormed list and these additional activities, have learners add twenty to thirty names to their journal of possible Great Thinkers they would like to become for this project. 
6. Ask learners to choose the two “thinkers” from the list who they would like to research in more detail and have them create an individual K-W-L chart in their journal regarding these “thinkers”. Review entries to ensure there are a variety of people represented and then assign one of the chosen thinkers to each learner.

1. Guide learners through a research process in which learners read a passage from an encyclopedia and then explain what the words really mean.
2. Set up research folders with category questions specific to Great Thinker research:
   
   • Personal life
   • Major accomplishments
   • Problems or obstacles
   • What else was happening in the world or with other Great Thinkers?
3. Ask learners to read through a variety of information from varied sources about a famous person and work in partners reading each article and deciding:
   • Is the source reliable? Are the sources consistent?
   • Is the information important?
   • If yes, to which category (from Great Thinkers research folder) does the information belong?
4. Provide learners with yet another encyclopedia article about another Great Thinker and have them complete the process alone and then compare their ideas with the class.

Researching Great Thinkers

1. Using the research folder, ask learners to gather information from a variety of resources. (Internet, books, encyclopedias, etc.) Prompt learners to create a bibliography that correctly documents their sources.
2. Remind learners that they are writing and delivering a 3-5 minute speech as their Great Thinker using the research they gather. Provide learners with the Speech Content Scoring Guide and the Oral Presentation Scoring Guide to help guide their research and clarify questions during the practice sessions for their Great Thinker speech.
3. Take notes while questioning and observing learners throughout the research process to monitor progress and assess learner understanding. 
4. As learners gain new information, prompt them to revisit and add to their initial K-W-L charts.
5. After roughly one week, give learners a short answer, research quiz to check on their progress. This quiz provides a snapshot of the research up to this point.  Most importantly, this quiz serves as a guide to learners about what they still need to find regarding the life and work of their Great Thinker.

1. To help learners prepare for taking on the role of their Great Thinker, ask them create an “I AM” poem based on the thinker’s life:
   
   • Provide learners with the Poem Scoring Guide to self-monitor the quality of work during writing.
   • Guide learners through the writing process complete with rough drafts, peer feedback, and teacher editing for content and conventions.
2. In addition, ask learners to create five diary entries based on events in the Great Thinker’s life:
   
   • Provide learners with the Diary Scoring Guide to guide their decisions during the diary writing.
   • Guide learners through the writing process complete with rough drafts, peer feedback, and teacher editing for content and conventions.
   • If necessary, discuss with learners ideas for writing about milestones and provide guidance as needed.
3. Assess the poems and diary entries using the scoring guides and ask learners to consider the comments and scores when planning for their upcoming presentations.
4. Ask learners to return to their K-W-L chart and reflect on what they learned about their Great Thinker, especially in regards to the Content Questions:
   • How did these “Great Thinkers” change the world?
   • Who did their work impact?
   • What obstacles did they overcome to change the world?

Concluding the Project

1. Revisit the Speech Content Scoring Guide and the Oral Presentation Scoring Guide to help learners plan, draft, practice, and present the life of their Great Thinker. Ask learners to self-assess before they present using the Speech Content Scoring Guide.
2. Ask learners to design and gather props to assist with their oral presentation. Encourage learners to practice their presentation before the class presentation. 
3. Ask learners to take notes in their journals as each presentation is delivered.
4. Assess the presentations using both scoring guides.
5. After all learner presentations, revisit the class K-W-L chart and ask learners to brainstorm everything they’ve learned about the Essential Question, What does it take to change our world?
6. Then have learners individually reflect in their journals answering the Focus Question, Which people have positively impacted our world? and What did it take to do it? Ask learners to cite specific examples from their research and their peers’ presentations when answering these questions. Review these entries looking for learners’ abilities to synthesize information and generate the key characteristics needed to be a Great Thinker.
7. Review anecdotal notes, journals, all scoring guides, the research quiz, and the final reflections to determine learner understanding and growth throughout the project.

< Return to Great Thinkers