Student Reflection
At first, I thought it would be boring to read old newspapers. And when I looked at the cartoons, they didn't seem very funny. But then I read an article about the Maine blowing up in Havana Harbor and it was like it just happened. Not like reading about it in our history book, but as if it were on the news today. What I enjoyed most was learning how to put everything together in Publisher. And my parents enjoyed reading my newspaper.
Teacher Reflection
This project allowed me to learn more about the world when my father was born. One example particularly stands out. In teaching WWII, I've explained the attack on Pearl Harbor, and shown films of the burning battleships. I've taken students to the Arizona memorial in Pearl Harbor. But I never realized that the Arizona was commissioned just before my father was born. Newspapers around the country had articles about the navy's most powerful dreadnought, along with photos and illustrations. My father certainly remembered the events of 7 December 1941. I wonder if he knew that the Arizona came into this world the same week he did?