Microsoft publisher in the Social Studies Classroom: A Personal Reflection

One of the most useful software programs integrated into my social studies classrooms is Microsoft Publisher. The benefits of this program is that it allows users to created a wide range of products such as newsletter, brochures, business cards, and menus.

My first introduction to Microsoft Publisher occurred in January 2002 when I successfully completed the Intel to Teach the Future program while working in the Avalon West School District. It was at that time that the possibilities of using the Publisher program became evident to me.

As outlined in the Intel Teach to the Future training manual, recommended educational applications for student publications include:

• Produce a travel Brochure
• Select a historical time period and create a newspaper from the perspective of an editor who lived in that era.
• Design Posters
• Prepare a guidebook or location Web site. Include the history, political structure, products, population, industries, famous places, descriptions of famous people who lived there, and so forth, for the location.
• Create a Web site for an historical figure or location
• Create a menu with appropriate period-specific or location-specific foods to accompany a research project or foreign language activity

Source: INTEL TEACH TO THE FUTURE with support from Microsoft Training Manual © 2000 Intel Corporation

One of the benefits that the Publisher program brings to the classroom is that it allows students to showcase their creativity. In  my History of Western Civilization, Canadian History, and World Issues courses, Publisher is employed on a regular basis for students to complete a variety of unit projects. Experience has shown that this works well with inquiry-oriented learning projects where students use online resources to complete a finished product.

Listed below you will find some of the unit projects assigned in my various courses for which students use Microsoft Publisher. Feel free to use or modify them to your needs.

First World War Trench Warfare (Newsletter): I assign this project for both my Canadian History 30S and History of Western Civilization 40S courses. It allows students to explore the conditions of trench warfare found during the First World War and write about their experiences.

Industrial Revolution  (Newsletter): Completed as a unit review activity for our History of Western Civilization 40S
 

A Monk's Life (Brochure): This project was completed for our unit dealing with the Protestant Reformation found in the History of Western Civilization 40S course.. Students researched and developed a brochure into the life of a monk to gain insight into the life of Martin Luther.

Life in the Middle Ages (Newsletter): A unit project designed for the Medieval Unit found in the History of Western Civilization 40S course.

The Age of Exploration (Newsletter): This newsletter was created for my History of Western Civilization 40S students who began a unit on the Age of European Exploration. For this project, they had to conduct research on some topics related to this time period.

Who Wants to Be a Voyageur? (Brochure): This was a Canadian History project completed for our unit on the fur trade and the early exploration of Western Canada.

European Society 1450 – 1750 (Newsletter): This project required students to examine trends in European (mainly British) society from the 15th to the 18th centuries. The research aspect of this projects allows students to explore how people lived on a daily basis during this time period and provides a variety of information about such topics as food/cooking, games, social activities, and sporting events.

French Revolution (Newsletter): This project requires students to research and report on some of the main events surrounding the French Revolution. A timeline activity is also included with the assignment that will allow students to gain insight into some of the main events associated with that important event in the history of Western Civilization.

Extreme Weather in Canada (Newsletter): This is a new project that I just recently introduced to my grade 10 20G Geography class. Utilizing the CBC Archives multimedia site, students are required to pick ANY TWO extreme weather events in Canadian history, conduct research, and use their information to form the basis of a one-paged newsletter detailing weather-related disasters.

To create rubrics for these and other Microsoft Publisher designs, visit RubiStar. It is a free service which requires you to register in order to acquire login information.

Online Microsoft Publisher Resources

There are numerous sites for you to visit to find out about using Microsoft Publisher and integrating it into your classroom. I've included a few for you.

• Using Microsoft Publisher in the Classroom
• Using MS Publisher in the Classroom
• Creating a Classroom Newsletter Using Microsoft Publisher
• Creating a Classroom Newspaper
• Microsoft Publisher Tutorials

If you have any questions or comments, or would just like to share your Microsoft Publisher classroom ideas, please touch base with me at Microsoft Publisher Comments / Ideas

Resources

Social Studies Audio/Visual/Multimedia Resources

MI Websites

Constructivism on the Web

Personal Reflections
on Course Content

Original Technology Integration

Teaching With Technology: Microsoft Publisher in the Social Studies Classroom

EDU 537 Group Project Promoting Tourism in Newfoundland & Labrador Webquest

Canadian Battlefields Tour of Europe Blog  (March 23 - April 1,   2008)

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