Assignments - MrRoughton.com

Below you will find links to and descriptions of all the assignments we use for Choose Your Own Adventure.
Click on the individual assignment links to get the full instructions and printable worksheets.

The assignments are divided into three categories based on what skills you will use to complete them.

	Detective: A detective closely examines historical facts and puts them together in many forms. They work with charts to represent information clearly and logically. They enjoy answering questions and finding details.
	Artist: An artist focuses on pictures to learn about the past. They produce drawings and crafts to present information to others in unique ways. They enjoy creating work that shows off their skill and talent.
	Profiler: A profiler is mostly interested in people and how they think. They like to imagine themselves in historical situations and write about how they would have reacted. They usually present their findings through short writings.

History assignments for just about any topic!

5 Point Assignments
20-30 Minutes to complete

Name	Type	Description
Acrostic Poem		A word from the unit is written vertically and then each letter is used to start each line of a descriptive poem.
Advertisement		Create a print advertisement for an invention from the given civilization.
Advice Letter		Write a letter to a historical figure giving him or her advice on a problem.
Be the Thing		Write a short explanation of the life experience of a particular object from history like Da Vinci's first paintbrush.
Bio-poem		Complete a poem with a pre-made layout about a specific person or group in history.
Bumper Sticker		Create a witty bumper sticker about a specific topic. Recommended only for highly creative students.
Cause and Effect Chain		Describe two causes and two effects for a given historical event.
Countdown!		Complete a 5-stage graphic organizer including key terms, review questions and a symbol.
Creative Line Art 1 2 3		Using a picture with random shapes and scribbles create a scene from or representing the current unit.
Day Planner		Write out the daily schedule for someone living in an ancient civilization.
Epitaph/Gravestone		Design the epitaph and gravestone for a famous figure. May require outside research.
Game On!		Design a game that could be played in a civilization we've studied. Consider the impact of their geography and culture.
In 'N' Out		Complete a graphic organizer highlighting the influences and contributions of a civilization or person.
Neo Venn Diagram		Like a Venn Diagram only less reliant on drawing properly sized circles (which I can't do...)
Picture Analysis		Answer a series of thought-provoking analysis questions about a photograph or piece of art.
Picture Frame		Design a graphic organizer in the shape of a picture frame about a historical figure.
Postcard from the Past		Make a postcard as if you were visiting an ancient civilization.
Report Card		Gives grades to a historical figure in categories assigned by your teacher.
SOAPS		Create a simple chart to help you understand a primary source.
Top Ten		Create a top ten list of contributions and achievements from a civilization.
TXT MSG SMRE		Write a summary of a historical event in the form of a text message to a friend.
Venn Diagram		Complete a Venn Diagram (kinda...) to compare and contract two historical figures, events or civilizations.
Wanted Poster		Create a wanted (or hero) poster for a person from history.

10 Point Assignments
45 minutes to complete

Name	Type	Description
Annotated Illustration		Students draw a full-page picture of a historical object or location and write 6 captions to describe it.
Bio Box		A 3-D graphic organizer that highlights the key characteristics and events of a person's life courtesy of mrwoodside.com.
Brain Chain		List 10 important people, events, concepts, etc. and 5 generic history terms then create conceptual links between them in a graphic organizer.
Character Clash!		Complete two bio-poems side to side to highlight the similarties and differences between two historical figures or groups.
Circle Summary		Complete a graphic organizer as a history unit summary. Requires the unit to be broken down into 5 parts to work as shown here.
Comic Strip		Create a 3-5 panel comic strip showing an event from a historical perspective.
Dear Diary		Write a series of diary entries as if you were a person in history truly experiencing a historical event.
Flash Cards		Create flash cards for 4 key terms from the unit.
Illustrated Map		Draw a map and add captions or small pictures to bring the map to life.
Illustrated Timeline		Draw a timeline and add captions or small pictures to bring it to life.
Instant Messages		Create an instant message conversation between two historical figures about a historic event.
Introduction Speech		Write and recite an introductory speech for a historical figure. May require outside research.
Invitation		Create an invitation (the who, what, when, where, what to bring, etc.) to a historical event we studied in the unit.
Legal Brief		Write a legal defense for a historical figure who may have committed a crime.
Mannequin		Draw the clothing a historical figure would likely wear and describe some of his/her inner thoughts and feelings.
Personal Pyramid		Create a 3-D monument to memorialize a person from history.
Perspective		Imagine how a historical figure would view modern inventions and ideas.
Quest for Knowledge		A series of activities to help get the most information possible out of a section of reading in the textbook.
Recipe for a Civilization		Write a recipe with a list of ingredients it would take to create a given civilization. This definitely requires abstract thinking.
Remote Control		Create a television channel line-up based on a recent unit. Decide what shows would on to match up to the culture.
Song Rewrite		Rewrite the lyrics to a song to make it about a historical period.
Time Machine		Transport yourself back in time and figure out what would happen to someone your age and gender in a given civilization.
Trading Cards		Create three trading cards for people, events or objects from a given unit. The cards each include basic information and a "relevance rating." Try to collect them all!
Worlds Collide		Draw pictures contrasting key points of two civilizations.

20 Point Assignments
90 minutes to complete

Name	Type	Description
Civilization in a Bag		Find 5 modern items that represent different aspects of a civilization and use them to report on the civilization.
Create a Crossword		Make your own crossword puzzle using terms from the current unit.
Deadliest Warrior		Research information on the warriors of two civilizations and then simulate a battle between them.
HiStory		Write a creative fictional story using key terms and figures from the unit.
iHistory		Imagine what personal information would be included in a historical figures apps.
Letters Home		Write a series of letters home as if you were traveling on a long journey.
Magazine Cover		Design a one-page magazine cover for a given section of the textbook.
Movie Madness		Use art and writing to recreate a given unit as a movie. Includes designing a movie poster and writing a movie review.
Paper Bag Puppet		Create a puppet of a historical figure along with a list of statements that person might say.
Picture Book		Create a children's book about a given topic.
Play		Write and perform a short play about a historical event. Completed in pairs or small groups.
Pop Culture		Create a "pop-up" 3D display of the key aspects of a culture.
Social Network		Create a social network page for a historical figure
Storyboard		Create a storyboard layout for a movie based on a historical event.
Travel Brochure		Create a six-panel foldout brochure that highlights the history, hot spots, and accommodations of a civilization. You also get to design an amusement park!
Web Page		Create the layout for a web page about a specific topic from the unit.
What If? Aka: Fracture		Flip the script on an event in history. Change one major detail from the event then speculate how this would have changed the outcome. Show your results in a recreated textbook page.

40 Point Assignments
All 40 point assignments require significant work outside of class and take up to 4 hours to complete.

Name	Type	Description
A-Z Book		Working with a partner create a picture for 26 key terms each starting with a different letter of the alphabet. If you ask nicely I might let you skip 2 of the tougher letters.
Bloom Ball		Create a soccer ball shaped graphic organizer that represents different aspects of a civilization.
Board Game		Create a board game using historical information. Be creative and follow directions carefully.
Model		Write a report on and build a model of a historical object or location.
Newscast		Working with a group of 3 - 4 students film a short newscast about a historical event.
Newspaper		Working with a partner create a newspaper with sports reports, comic strips, ads and other articles about a civilization.
Mind Map		Create a large word cluster using terms from the unit. Then write sentences explaining how the words are connected. It is basically a very large Brain Chain.
Slideshow Presentation (coming soon)		Create a PowerPoint presentation on a topic. It must be at least as good as what you see from me in class!
Textbook Remix		Create a textbook section on a topic from history. Our textbook is terrible so help me make a better one!

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