Below you will find links to and descriptions of all the assignments we use for Choose Your Own Adventure. Click on the individual assignment links to get the full instructions and printable worksheets.
We have divided the assignments into three categories based on what skills you will use to complete them.
/ Artist: An artist focuses on pictures to learn about the past. They produce drawings and crafts to present information to others in unique ways. They enjoy creating work that shows off their skill and talent.
/ Profiler: A profiler is mostly interested in people and how they think. They like to imagine themselves in historical situations and write about how they would have reacted. They usually present their findings through short writings.
5 Point Assignments
20-30 Minutes to complete
Acrostic Poem
PDF / / A word from the unit is written vertically and then each letter is used to start each line of a descriptive poem.
Advertisement
PDF / / Create a print advertisement for an invention from the given civilization.
Annotated Illustration
PDF / / Draw a picture of a historical object or person and annotate it with captions.
Be the Thing
PDF / / Write a short explanation of the life experience of a particular object from history like Da Vinci's first paintbrush.
Bio-poem
PDF / / Complete a poem with a pre-made layout about a specific person or group in history.
Bumper Sticker / / Create a witty bumper sticker about a specific topic. Recommended only for highly creative students.
Cause and Effect Chain
PDF / / Describe two causes and two effects for a given historical event.
Countdown!
PDF / / Complete a 5-stage graphic organizer including key terms, review questions and a symbol.
Creative Line Art
123 / / Using a picture with random shapes and scribbles create a scene from or representing the current unit.
Day Planner
PDF / / Write out the daily schedule for someone living in an ancient civilization.
Epitaph/Gravestone
PDF / / Design the epitaph and gravestone for a famous figure. May require outside research.
In 'N' Out
PDF / / Complete a graphic organizer highlighting the influences and contributions of a civilization or person.
Neo Venn Diagram / / Like a Venn Diagram only less reliant on drawing properly sized circles (which I can't do...)
Picture Analysis
PDF / / Answer a series of thought-provoking analysis questions about a photograph or piece of art.
Picture Frame
PDF / / Design a graphic organizer in the shape of a picture frame about a historical figure.
Postcard from the Past
PDF / / Make a postcard as if you were visiting an ancient civilization.
Report Card
PDF / / Gives grades to a historical figure in categories assigned by your teacher.
TXT MSG SMRE
PDF / / Write a summary of a historical event in the form of a text message to a friend.
Venn Diagram
PDF / / Complete a Venn Diagram (kinda...) to compare and contract two historical figures, events or civilizations.
Wanted Poster
PDF / / Create a wanted (or hero) poster for a person from history.
You are There Letter
PDF / / Write a letter to a historical figure giving him or her advice on a problem.
10 Point Assignments
1 hour to complete
Bio Box
PDF / / A 3-D graphic organizer that highlights the key characteristics and events of a person's life courtesy of mrwoodside.com.
Brain Chain
PDF / / List 10 important people, events, concepts, etc. and 5 generic history terms then create conceptual links between them in a graphic organizer.
Character Clash!
PDF / / Complete two bio-poems side to side to highlight the similarties and differences between two historical figures or groups.
Circle Summary
PDF / / Complete a graphic organizer as a history unit summary. Requires the unit to be broken down into 5 parts to work as shown here.
Comic Strip
PDF / / Create a 3-5 panel comic strip showing an event from a historical perspective.
Flash Cards
PDF / / Create flash cards for 4 key terms from the unit.
Illustrated Map
PDF / / Draw a map and add captions or small pictures to bring the map to life.
Illustrated Timeline
PDF / / Draw a timeline and add captions or small pictures to bring it to life.
Instant Messages
PDF / / Create an instant message conversation between two historical figures about a historic event.
Introduction Speech
PDF / / Write and recite an introductory speech for a historical figure. May require outside research.
Invitation
PDF / / Create an invitation (the who, what, when, where, what to bring, etc.) to a historical event we studied in the unit.
Legal Brief
PDF / / Write a legal defense for a historical figure who may have committed a crime.
Mannequin
PDF / / Draw the clothing a historical figure would likely wear and describe some of his/her inner thoughts and feelings.
Perspective
PDF / / Imagine how a historical figure would view modern inventions and ideas.
Quest for Knowledge
PDF / / A series of activities to help get the most information possible out of a section of reading in the textbook.
Recipe for a Civilization
PDF / / Write a recipe with a list of ingredients it would take to create a given civilization. This definitely requires abstract thinking.
Song Rewrite
PDF / / Rewrite the lyrics to a song to make it about a historical period.
Time Machine
PDF / / Transport yourself back in time and figure out what would happen to someone your age and gender in a given civilization.
Trading Cards
PDF / / Create three trading cards for people, events or objects from a given unit. The cards each include basic information and a "relevance rating." Try to collect them all!
TV Guide
PDF / / Create a television channel line-up based on a recent unit. Decide what shows would on to match up to the culture.
Worlds Collide
PDF / / Draw pictures contrasting key points of two civilizations.
You are There Diary
PDF / / Write a series of diary entries as if you were a certain historical figure going through an assigned event.
20 Point Assignments
2 hours to complete
Create a Crossword
PDF / / Make your own crossword puzzle using terms from the current unit.
Deadliest Warrior
PDF / / Research information on the warriors of two civilizations and then simulate a battle between them.
HiStory
PDF / / Write a creative fictional story using key terms and figures from the unit.
iHistory
PDF / / Imagine what personal information would be included in a historical figures apps.
Magazine Cover / / Design a one-page magazine cover for a given section of the textbook.
Movie Madness
PDF / / Use art and writing to recreate a given unit as a movie. Includes designing a movie poster and writing a movie review.
Papper Bag Puppet
PDF / / Create a puppet of a historical figure along with a list of statements that person might say.
Picture Book
PDF / / Create a children's book about a given topic.
Play / / Write and perform a short play about a historical event. Completed in pairs or small groups.
Social Network / / Create a social network page for a historical figure
Storyboard / / Create a storyboard layout for a movie based on a historical event.
Travel Brochure
PDF / / Create a six-panel foldout brochure that highlights the history, hot spots, and accommodations of a civilization. You also get to design an amusement park!
Web Page
PDF / / Create the layout for a web page about a specific topic from the unit.
What If? / / Flip the script on an event in history. Change one major detail from the event then speculate how this would have changed the outcome. Show your results in a recreated textbook page.
40 Point Assignments
All 40 point assignments require significant work outside of class and take up to 4 hours to complete.
A-Z Book / Specialist / Working with a partner create a picture for 26 key terms each starting with a different letter of the alphabet. If you ask nicely I might let you skip 2 of the tougher letters.
Board Game / Specialist / Create a board game using historical information. Be creative and follow directions carefully.
Model / Specialist / Write a report on and build a model of a historical object or location.
Newscast / Specialist / Working with a group of 3 - 4 students film a short newscast about a historical event.
Newspaper / Specialist / Working with a partner create a newspaper with sports reports, comic strips, ads and other articles about a civilization.
Mind Map / Specialist / Create a large word cluster using terms from the unit. Then write sentences explaining how the words are connected. It is basically a very large Brain Chain.
Slideshow Presentation
(coming soon) / Specialist / Create a PowerPoint presentation on a topic. It must be at least as good as what you see from me in class!
Text Twist
(coming soon) / Specialist / Create a textbook section on a topic from history. Our textbook is terrible so help me make a better one!