Student Research: Documentaries Made in the Community

ABSTRACT

Middle school students learned about their community when they created documentaries as part of a state bicentennial celebration. Students gathered multiple primary and secondary resources and worked with community members to interview them for their perspectives through video presentations as part of the inquiry process. Students work with local history to find connections between people both past and present. Looking at institutional histories allowed students to communicate their authentic findings to the people in the community.

KEYWORDS:

• Documentaries
• community
• inquiry
• local history