Students will use a variety of sources to research topics relating to the city of New Orleans; students will create a presentations to be judged by the class; students will be prepared to answer questions regarding their presentations, and generally be able to discuss their research and its significance.
1) Students will asked what they know about the city of New Orleans, Louisiana. A list will be compiled of prior knowledge regarding New Orleans.
2) The class will be divided into small groups the size of which will be determined by the teacher. Each group will select or be assigned a topic regarding New Orleans. Each group will be required to research their specific topic and prepare a presentation to share with the class.
3) Topics may include:
- The History of New Orleans; Control during the Colonial Period
- Geography of New Orleans; How geography has affected life in New Orleans
- The Economy and Industry of New Orleans
- The French Quarter
- The Cuisine of New Orleans
- Entertainment and Tourism of New Orleans
- Trade and Commerce
- Katrina and its Aftermath
Any other topics relating to New Orleans that are introduced during the initial discussion may be added to the list above. Below are some websites with which to begin the research.
4) When research is completed and all presentations are ready, each student or group of students will present his or her research to the class. Using the rubric attached to this lesson, students will judge each presentation and award points to the presenter. The student or group of students with the most points will be acclaimed as “Researcher of the Term.”
This lesson could be extended by having the students delve deeper into a specific aspect of something discovered during their research. Several examples might be the development of Jazz, which would stem from the Entertainment and Tourism topic, or the failure of FEMA in the aftermath of Huricane Katrina.