The MIMI curriculum combines video, print, and software to create and interdisciplinary, thematic, multimedia approach to the material.  This curriculum uses video to draw students into a serialized adventure.  It consists of 12 episodes and is the story of archaeologists in search of a lost Mayan city while scrambling to defeat a gang of villainous looters who are plundering ancient Mayan sites.

     Interspersed between the 12 dramatic episodes are documentary-style expeditions to places where real science is done, including the Monteverde Cloud Forest in Costa Rica where students learn about this fragile ecosystem, and the Old Royal Observatory in Greenwich, England where students can study the movement of the earth around the sun.

    Student books include activities and projects that further involve students in the content of the story.  Teacher materials help plan lessons on archaeological dating techniques, theories about the Mayan ball game, etc.

     Software includes “MayaQuest” and “A Field Trip to the Sky”.  “Mayaquest” is a learning adventure that takes students on a “virtual field trip” of ancient Maya ruins as captures on film by the Maya Quest bike team.  Along the way, they learn about the region’s unique culture, geography, ecology, and ancient history.  “MayaQuest” features over 1500 photos, journals, and video clips.  Biking through Central America, students direct their own exploration of more than ten archaeological sites.

     “A Field Trip to the Sky” allows students to experience the mystery of space.  They will explore the sun-Earth-moon relationships in the interactive Sun and Moon Labs.  They will discover how civilizations – like the Maya – perceived planetary bodies.  NASA video, out-of-this-world photosand animations provide a visual context for the astronomical concepts explored.
 
 

DECISIONS, DECISIONS: IMMIGRATION mixes computer software, background information booklets, and pencil and paper as it allows students to play the role of the President of the United States facing a recurring dilemma in U.S. History while they explore the topics and issues in the history of American immigration.  This unit also builds and reinforces essential critical thinking and social skills.  Working in groups and sifting through conflicting information, students practice group problem-solving along with the individual skills that go with that process.
    Some of the important topics and issues covered include:

An overview of the history of immigration in the United States

The impact of immigrants on American society throughout history

Effects of illegal immigration and methods for dealing with it

Differences between economic refugees and political refugees

Nativism and immigration in the 1840's and 1850's

The first new immigrants and the growth of cities at the turn of the century

Immigration restrictions in the 20th century

Immigration reform

    Some of the skill and process goals are listed below.  Student will:

• Analyze historical and contemporary information
• Recognize various viewpoints and understand multiple perspectives
• Identify an individual's values and biases (including their own)
• Apply understanding of past events to new situations
•  Identify cause and effect relationships
• Predict the consequences of actions
• Weigh alternatives
• Furnish support for their beliefs

 
 

GALAXY

    This unit is a simulation of a future space society on the brink of civil war.  The galaxy is sharply divided between the Old Guard Federationists who want to maintain control and the New Guard Visionaries who dislike the laws binding them to the Inter-Galactic Federation.  Great differences in social, economic, and political beliefs lead to a Civil War.

     At the beginning of the unit students are Space Cadets from 36 different solar systems attending the Inter-Galactic Space Academy.  There they develop skills and increase their knowledge by studying spacecraft design, basic astronomy, space navigation, and galactic history.

    On graduation day the Civil War begins, pitting cadet against cadet.  Students become combatants and strategists on one side or the other.  They select forces and plot strategy as they go into combat in simulated battles.  Battles are simulated through the student’s ability to plan strategies and answer battle questions that draw on their cadet training.
 
 

 ON THE CAMPAIGN TRAIL
To disagree is easy;
To dialogue is productive

    We can assume that students will meet people they disagree with throughout their lives.  That’s a given.  But we can’t assume they’ll know how to negotiate with those people successfully.  The universally valued skills of critical thinking and cooperative learning, and the ability to dialogue – not just to disagree, but to have meaningful conversation- are not innate.  These skills require constant and ongoing practice by students and adults.
     Decisions, Decisions: On the Campaign Trail introduces many important contemporary domestic and foreign policy issues in the context of a presidential election.  Topics covered include:
· The workings of the Electoral College
· The major differences between Democrat and Republican, liberal and conservative
· Campaign financing
· The power of special interest groups and political action committees (PACs)
· Contemporary campaign strategies

       The simulation draws from both current events and the history of campaign politics in the United States.  It presents valuable content in the areas of American history, social studies, critical thinking and cooperative learning.  Some of the content explored will be election history and contemporary issues.
      As students work in groups sifting through conflicting information, they practice group problem-solving and the individual skills needed for that process.  These critical thinking skills will include analyzing historical and contemporary information, separating fact from opinion, predicting the consequences of actions and appreciating the complexities involved in decision-making.

 

Digital Storytelling Project
 
 

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