Chicago students use Pulitzer Gateways to create Museum of Current Crises

At Francis W. Parker School in Chicago, Martin Moran's 9th grade history class used the Pulitzer Gateways as a guidepost for a semester-long project.

Assignment: Museum of Current Crises

At the end of this first semester, your final project will be an opportunity to connect some of the history we have learned to a contemporary crisis somewhere in the world. Your final product will be a museum-style exhibit on the issue that will be presented on your desktop during the final exam period.

1. Go to http://pulitzercenter.org/gateways and explore some of the different "Gateways."
2. Explore the four gateways: Fragile States, Water Wars, Food Insecurity, or Heat of the Moment
3. You will be assigned one of the countries covered in one of these gateways
4. You should begin your research at the Pulitzer Gateway, but it doesn't need to end there. As you need more information or search for ideas, make use of ProQuest and other reliable sources as needed.
5. You will create a museum-style exhibit that will cover the country and issue you are assigned. This exhibit should:

• Summarize the issue and country
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    What is the crisis? Where and when is it concentrated? What caused it? Why is it happening there and now? Who is affected and how?
• Explain 2-3 different ways in which this modern problem could be taught in one of our units this semester (Environment or Government).
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    How would you teach this issue if it were covered in one (or both) of the units this semester? What ways does it connect to the essential theme or questions within the units? Where does it fit in?
• Outline a concrete action plan.
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    Identify one specific way in which you (as a high school student) can do something about this crisis and how you would implement this social action plan. Be sure to include the details of what action should be undertaken and what the desired result will be. Try to identify a way to address the issue that is satisfying to you and that would make you feel like you really accomplished something.
• Be explainable in a presentation of no more than five minutes
• Fit, in its entirety, on the top of a classroom desk
• Include a printed bibliography of any sources beyond the Pulitzer Gateway

During the final period, we will be selecting one or more of these action plans to pursue during the second semester.