What if you found a box filled with interesting historical items that correlate with sections of a lost diary? When you read the diary, you come to realize the importance of the items in the capsule and how history dramatically shaped one person’s life.
That is what the 8th grade English students have created with their Diary Boxes project. After practicing writing historical fiction, using figurative language, incorporating accurate historical exposition, integrating historical figures, and citing primary and secondary sources in MLA format, the students read an established author’s diary-style novel, analyzed the work for writing methods, and incorporated these skills into their compositions. See a Photo Gallery of all of their Diary Box presentations.
The Diary Box Project was on display for a week in the Middle School hallway last month, and viewers voted for the audience choice award. The top two in each 8th-grade English class also were awarded prizes by teacher Brook Bassett. Read the top Diary Box Projects and discover a new perspective on history:
— Lindsey Mullins: A Boy during the Crusades
— Reagan Heller: A Servant during the French Revolution
— Dua Shahbaz: A Daughter of a Priest during the French Revolution
— Gemma Ritchie: A Refugee from the Russian Revolution
— Evie Thorp: A French Resistance Fighter during World War II
