This article describes the process, tools, and benefits of engaging highly gifted middle-school age students in producing historical documentaries. Dallas Price, a sixth-grade teacher in a self-contained public school program for highly gifted students, highlights the project components that help students develop twenty-first-century skills within a content- and inquiry-driven historical documentary project. Collaboration, communication, critical thinking, and craftsmanship are project outcomes.
BergerR. (2003). An Ethic of Excellence: Building a Culture of Craftsmanship with Students. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.
2.
BernardS.C. (2007). Documentary Storytelling: Making Stronger and More Dramatic Nonfiction Films. Amsterdam: Focal Press.
3.
BossS.KraussJ. (2007). Reinventing Project-based Learning: your Field Guide to Real-world Projects in the Digital Age. Eugene, OR: International Society for Technology in Education.
ISTE (2010). National Educational Technology Standards. International Society for Technology in Education. Available fromhttp://www.iste.org/standards.aspx (accessed November 2010).
7.
Making History: How to Create a Historical Documentary (2006). Santa Barbara, CA: ABC-CLIO.
8.
MindTools.com (2010). Forming, Storming, Norming and Performing – Leadership skills from MindTools.com. Mind Tools – Management Training, Leadership Training and Career Training – Right Here, Right Now. Available fromhttp://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/newLDR_86.htm (accessed 28 November 2010).
9.
NAGC (1996). NAGC Position Statements: Cooperative Learning. National Association for Gifted Children. Available fromhttp://www.nagc.org/index.aspx?id=386 (accessed November 2010).
10.
NHD (2010). National History Day Contest. Home of History Education: National History Day. Available fromhttp://www.nhd.org/Contest.htm (accessed November 2010).
11.
Partnership for 21st Century Skills (2010). Framework for 21st Century Learning. Available fromhttp://www.p21.org (accessed 28 November 2010).
12.
PrenskyM. (2001). Digital natives, digital immigrants. Part 1. On the Horizon9(5): 1–6.
13.
St. JohnMAndrewTEberhartS. (2004). Leaders in Technology Institute. Anchorage, AK: Anchorage School District.
14.
WigginsG.P.McTigheJ. (2006). Understanding by Design. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education.
