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History Challenge

(+ Decision Sciences)

The Story of a Historical Decision 

Submission Due Date: March 26, 2021 

Designed for Middle and High School Students

The Challenge

“Decision science can empower us to tackle complex problems – to rekindle our curiosity, revive our capacity to reason with others, and reinvigorate our conversations. In short, to navigate together in the new millennium.”[1]

This Challenge asks you to tell us a story about a decision: a decision that changed the course of humanity, in a small or large way.

Identify a historical figure in whom you are interested. Then select one key decision that that figure made; a decision that had impact and consequences, both personally and societally. And tell us the story of that decision by researching your way into the mindset of your select figure and tracing the trajectory, for the viewer, of the path that this figure took to get to this momentous decision.

To help you tell that story, we are employing a decision-making rubric from a team of Decision Scientists. This framework can serve to guide you through the key questions you need to investigate in order to understand the perspective of your identified figure; in order to trace the path which led them to the moment where the decision was made. Those four stages are: 

1. Frame the Choice: What is this person really deciding?
2. Clarify What Matters: What’s really important to your figure? What matters, personally, to this figure?
3. Explore Consequences: What could happen? What are the options?
4. Weigh Trade-Offs: What’s best, all things considered?

The end of your story should be …the decision! Being that this was clearly a decision of consequence, there is a lot of inherent drama in the process that you are about to re-tell. So, be dramatic!

Deliverables include:

• Digital Story (this is the only Meridian Stories deliverable)
• Decision-Making Outline (at teacher’s discretion)
• First Draft Script (at teacher’s discretion)

Assumptions and Logistics

Time Frame – We recommend that this digital storytelling project takes place inside of a three to four-week time frame.

Length – All Meridian Stories submissions should be under 4 minutes in length, unless otherwise specified.

Slate – All digital storytelling projects must begin with a slate that provides:

1. the title of the piece;
2. the name of the school submitting;
3. the wording ‘Permission Granted’ which gives Meridian Stories the right to a) publicly display the submission in question on, as linked from, related to or in support of Meridian Stories digital media; and b) use or reference it for educational purposes only in any and all media; and
4. We strongly recommend that students do not put their last names on the piece either at the start or finish, during the credits.

Submissions – Keep in mind that each school can only submit three submissions per Competition (so while the entire class can participate in the Challenge, only three can be submitted to Meridian Stories for Mentor review and scoring).

Teacher Reviews – All reviews by the teacher are at the discretion of the teacher and all suggested paper deliverables are due only to the teacher. The only deliverable to Meridian Stories is the digital storytelling project.

Teacher’s Role and Technology Integrator – While it is helpful to have a Technology Integrator involved, they are not usually necessary: the students already know how to produce the digital storytelling project. And if they don’t, part of their challenge is to figure it out. They will! The teacher’s primary function in these Challenges is to guide the students as they engage with the content.  You don’t need to know editing, sound design, shooting or storyboarding: you just need to know your content area, while assisting them with time management issues.

Digital Rules/Literacy – We strongly recommend that all students follow the rules of Digital Citizenry in their proper usage and/or citation of images, music and text taken from other sources. This recommendation includes producing a citations page at the end of your entry, if applicable. See the Digital Rules area in the Meridian Resources Center section of the site for guidance.

Location – Try not to shoot in a classroom at your school. The classroom, no matter how you dress it up, looks like a classroom and can negatively impact the digital story you are trying to tell.

Collaboration – We strongly recommend that students work in teams of 3-4: part of the educational value is around building collaborative skill sets. But students may work individually.

COVID-19 does not mean that students can’t collaborate. This unusual societal circumstance allows students to, paradoxically, focus on their collaborative skills even more through a clear delegation of responsibilities; and tight communication in order to insure that everyone is clear on the scripting and blocking of individual scenes that need to tell a cohesive story, even though the scenes may be shot in isolation. Digital storytelling projects in general move the essential communication about content and learning away from the educator and toward the students themselves. That is part of their educational strength. But in COVID-19, this quality is expanded. With the teacher more ‘unavailable’ than normal, the students must rely on their collaborative skills more than ever. It’s like playing a team sport with less input from the coach. They have to rise the occasion …and they will.

Process

Below is a suggested breakdown for the students’ work.

During Phase I, student teams will:

• Select your historical figure. Choose somebody that interests you. Perhaps a marginalized historical figure that hasn’t received the attention that he/she deserved. Or a historical figure whom you have never quite understood …why they did what they did.
• Identify the key decision around which you are going to create your story; a pivotal decision that had historical consequences for that person and the community/society/country/world, surrounding that person. Be curious. You are going to tell a story that perhaps hasn’t been fully told in the way that you are going to tell it. Find a decision about which you, and your team, are deeply curious. A decision that might begin with the simple question: why did X or Y do that? What could they possibly have been thinking? (That’s the mystery you are going to solve!)
• This Challenge asks you to work through a ‘decision-making’ process that has been designed by decision scientists. Yes, they exist! Why? Because the skill of how to make the best decision is one of the greatest skills an individual can possess. And there is a science to that: a clear process that can guide thoughtful decision making; a process that you can use in your own lives; and one that will structure your research and the story you are about to tell. For the purposes of this digital storytelling challenge, that process comes in four steps and we will be citing The Decision Playbook (a book designed to help us understand decision-making).
• Step One: Frame the Choice: What is your figure really deciding?
  • You already know the decision that was made. But let’s step back in time, before that decision, and look at what’s at stake. Depending on the decision in question, stepping ‘back in time’ could mean three months; three years; or just a single day.
  • Using primary and secondary sources, go back and look at the following:
    • What is the problem that needs to be solved or addressed?
      “When you reframe a problem as a choice, you focus where to pay attention and you launch an organized process for turning your worry and energy into something intentional and productive. Choices give you agency. But choices don’t usually emerge fully formed. You have to delve into the problem to identify which choice you want to address. It’s a bit like deciding where to point the camera when you take a picture – what to include inside the frame, and what to leave outside the frame.[2]”

      That is your first step: take your historical figure and travel back before the decision was made; identify the problem confronting that figure and frame it, clarify it. For example, must a decision be made now or can it be deferred? And if now, why?

      John Lewis, a 17-term Congressman and American civil rights hero who recently passed away, was one of the original Freedom Riders in 1961. The Freedom Riders were a group of 13 individuals – seven whites and six blacks – who decided to ride a bus, sitting next to each other, from Washington DC to New Orleans. This was in support of a Supreme Court decision in 1960 that outlawed segregation on public transportation systems. But, this law was on paper only: it wasn’t being supported or enforced in many southern states. Did something need to be done? John Lewis’s decision to decide to become a part of this action involves a) understanding the depth and range of the problem being addressed; and b) turning the problem into a choice – a big- picture choice.

• As you are working through each step, create a document or a Google Doc that slots in the information you have researched, along with the appropriate citations. By the end of this phase, your team should have bulleted points, ideas and stories supporting each of these four decision-making stages.

• Step Two: Clarify What Matters: What are his/her objectives?
  • You have unpacked the depth and range of the problem and framed the choice. That choice may be to act or not act. To defer or pounce. To move secretly or openly. Now, you need to know two very important things about your select historical figure in this narrative. First, what really matters to this person? What are her or his values? Not in general, but in relation to this decision. Second, what matters to those around this person? The decision of your figure most likely has implications for those around her/him, so what matters to them?
  • Keep in mind that clarifying values and what matters are often in conflict with each other. This is what makes decision-making so difficult. For example, sometimes a decision might put one’s personal safety at risk, while the ‘greater good’ benefits. Personal safety and ‘the greater good’ might matter a lot to your figure. How do they make a choice?
    

    John Lewis saw that a new law was not being obeyed. He also saw that the entrenched traditions in the south were not about to allow a single judgment from the Supreme Court change that way they saw things and behaved. In order to move forward with a decision – a decision to actively move against over 200 years of systemic racism – we have to look at John’s live and ask: what really matters to this man? Does he, for example, have a family whose lives could be put in danger if John is arrested or killed? And you are going to want to ask this of your historical figure: is she/he making this decision alone? In the case of John Lewis, that answer is ‘No.’ So, who is involved and how does that factor into what matters to John Lewis?

• Keep in mind that you are not necessarily modeling a ‘good’ decision here. Part of this process may be, in fact, discovering where and why the wrong decision was made. Did your figure not frame the decision clearly? Did they not think through the consequences – sometimes short-term victories lead to long-term losses: consequences that need to be taken into consideration.

  A second very important idea to keep in mind is this: your anatomy of a decision may not be exactly what went on explicitly in the mind of your historical figure. You can’t actually know the decision-making process that Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto of Japan went through that brought him to the conclusion that bombing Pearl Harbor would bring a swift end to WWII. So, part of this exercise is about re-imagining history; re-imaging the thought processes of your select individual in order to open a new window into that select moment.

• Step Three: Explore Consequences: What are the options and what might happen in each scenario?
  • This is about predicting the future. What are the options, exactly, and what would happen if your figure chooses the first, second or third option? What is your evidence for these possible consequences? And keep this in mind: looking back on history, you know a lot more than your historical figure. So, in your research, be sure to be aware of your own knowledge base when assessing possible consequences.
    

    In the case of John Lewis, we know what this problem is about. We know what matters to John Lewis because you have researched primary sources to see and experience his actual words. We know what the choices are. Now it’s time to map out those options and explore the consequences. He can choose not to be a part of the Freedom Riders and seek a different path to justice.  He can choose to offer a whole other route to his co-conspirators, ensuring that this new rule of law is enforced. He could put forth a plan more aggressive than joining forces with the Freedom Riders…which you’ll quickly realize is not a real option with John Lewis, given his belief in non-violence.

• Step Four: Weigh the Trade Offs and Make A Decision
  • What’s a trade-off? A trade-off is “when you have to give up something you care about to gain something else you care about. …It involves balancing or finding a sweet spot between competing objectives.[3]” This is the final stage of the decision-making process. You have the options, the choices. You know your historical figure’s values: what is important to her or him. And you have explored the consequences of these options and how they factor with what really matters to your figure. Now, it’s time to make the call. To weigh the upsides against the downsides and make the decision.
    

    John Lewis decided to join Freedom Fighters, knowingly jeopardizing his safety for the sake of a larger cause. Was it the right decision? He was jailed and almost left for dead several times, after being beaten by angry white men in South Carolina, Alabama and Mississippi. The answer, he and millions of others will attest to, is: yes.

• All of these steps require research in primary and secondary sources around your select figure. If possible: focus on primary sources as they will bring you closer to the ‘voice’ of your select figure. Your aim is to understand your figure both personally and in the full context of a) the time leading up to that pivotal decision (this could be years or weeks or day); and b) the time of the decision.
  • Teacher’s Option: Decision-Making Outline – Teachers may require that teams hand in a document that charts the research that they have uncovered around their select historical figure, as organized by the four decision-making points.
• By the end of Phase I, you will have all the information necessary to tell your story of a Historical Decision.

 During Phase II, student teams will:

• You now have all the elements of a good story. For example, you have:
  • The Hook: The dilemma. The call to action. The need for a decision.
  • Character Development: Who is this person? What matters most to her or him? And who is surrounding them, perhaps advising to decide one way or the other
  • Rising Action/Plot Complications: This is about, …what happens if?! The various explorations around consequences should raise the stakes, bring us to a climax.
  • Climax: The decision is made!
  • Resolution: What happened as a result of the decision? (Be sure to briefly include some of the historical consequences of this decision.)
• Your job now is to translate the research you have done, using primary and secondary sources, into a story format, in under four minutes. Create an outline of that story, following these four decision-making steps.
• Decide on the format for your narrative. This is an exciting place to be in the project: how are you going to tell this story?? Options include:
  • Photo essay/documentary – Using existing photos and/or video footage from that time, tell the story.
  • Dramatic Re-enactments – Set up the scene; prop it; add costumes; write the script; and shoot it.
  • Talk Show – Pretend your figure is still alive – perhaps they really are – and that they have been invited onto a late-night talk show to be interviewed about this decision that changed peoples lives.
  • Animation – there might be a way to produce a simple animation or stop-motion piece that accurately reflects the story that you have created.
  • First person narrative – Give your character voice and have them tell the story from their experience. Visually, this can be a monologue, with a few simple props, and delivered on a bare stage like a stand-up comic. Or it can include flashbacks where you re-create one or two scenes that lead up the actual decision.
• Once you have decided, take your outline and turn it into a script. And keep in mind that this is a story ‘as based on real events’; a re-imagining of history. While we don’t advise making up characters that didn’t exist, you can create scenes of which there are no records. As Lin Manuel Miranda did with Hamilton, take some liberties for the sake of the story.
  • Teacher’s Option: First Draft Script – Teachers may require that teams hand in a first draft script of their story.
• Pre-produce your story. This means gathering all the materials you need to visualize your story. This might include scouting locations; gathering props; researching and collecting photos and footage; making costumes; researching the time period and looking for items from that time period or location; casting characters; and checking on your video and sound recording devices.
  • If you are shooting scenes in one or more locations, creating a storyboard may be the most organized way to approach the logistics of shooting. Check out the Create a Storyboard, Framing a Shot document for assistance.
• Finalize your script.
• Produce your story.

During Phase III, student teams will:

• Record the voice-over or narration, as necessary.
• Edit the video, adding stills and graphics as desired.
• Post-produce the video, adding music and sound effects as desired.

Meridian Support – The Digital Storytelling Resource Center

Presentation of Learning

Meridian Stories is a proud partner of the non-profit Share Your Learning, which is spearheading the movement of over five million students to publicly share their work as a meaningful part of their educational experience.

The workforce considers Presentational Skills to be a key asset and we encourage you to allow students to practice this skill set as often as possible. These short digital stories provide a great opportunity for kids to practice their public presentational skills. This can be achieved in a remote learning environment by inviting parents to a Zoom/Google/Skype screening of the student’s digital stories.

According to Share Your Learning, Presentations of Learning (POL) promote…

• Student Ownership, Responsibility & Engagement. POLs can serve as a powerful rite of passage at the end of [a project]. By reflecting on their growth over time in relation to academic and character goals, grounded in evidence from their work, students are encouraged to take ownership of their learning. Just as an artist wants their portfolio to represent their best work, POLs encourage students to care deeply about the work they will share.
• Community Pride & Involvement. When peers, teachers and community members come together to engage with student work and provide authentic feedback, they become invested in students’ growth and serve as active contributors to the school community.
• Equity. POLs ensure that all students are seen and provide insight into what learning experiences students find most meaningful and relevant to their lives.

Meridian Stories’ own research indicates this to be a really useful exercise for one additional reason:  Students actually learn from their peers’ presentations – it is useful to hear a perspective that is not just the teacher’s.

It is with this in mind that we you encourage you to plan an event – it could be just an end-of-the-week class or an event where parents, teachers and student peers are invited – to allow the students to showcase their Meridian Stories projects. For more free resources that will support this planning, visit Share Your Learning.

Evaluation Rubric – The Story of a Historical Decision

Essential Questions

1. In the life of your historical figure, what is one of the defining moments in their life? How did this figure’s choice at this time ultimately affect the historical direction of their community/society?
2. What is the personal, political, societal, cultural and/or economic environment in which your historical figure made this choice?
3. How has your understanding of your historical figure and history itself changed by examining your figure in depth and exploring these alternative histories that might have been?
4. What are the key factors that go into the process of decision-making and why is this important to know?
5. How has immersion in the creation of original content and the production of a digital story – exercising one’s creativity, critical thinking and digital literacy skills – deepened the overall educational experience?
6. How has working on a team – practicing one’s collaborative skills – changed the learning experience?

Student Proficiencies

1. The student will be able to identify a significant moment in a historical figure’s life and explain the historical ramifications of her/his pivotal decision.
2. The student will be able to identify the key personal, political and societal circumstances of the time period that shaped the decision-making of the select figure.
3. The student will have a broader understanding of the importance and the potential consequences of any singular decision or moment as well as the multitude of variables that, if shifted, can change the course of history.
4. The student will understand the basic process of how to make a good decision and its relevance to their own lives.
5. The student will utilize key 21^st century skills, with a focus on creativity, critical thinking and digital literacy, in their process of translating their encounter with historical and current events research into a fictional character from the select country.
6. The student will have an increased awareness of the challenges and rewards of team collaboration. Collaboration – the ability to work with others – is considered one of the most important 21^st century skills to develop in students as they prepare for life after secondary school.

Curricular Correlations

The Story of a Historical Decision Challenge addresses a range of curricular objectives that have been articulated by two nationally recognized sources:

1. The C3 Framework for Social Studies, as outlined by National Council of Social Studies (NCSS); and
2. The Common Core Curricular Standards – English Language Arts and History/Social Studies.

Below please find the standards that are being addressed, either wholly or in part.

C3 Framework for Social Studies

Common Core Curricular Standards

English Language Arts Standards – History/Social

[1] Failing, Lee; Gregory, Robin; Long, Graham; Moore, Brooke, The Decision Playbook: Making Thoughtful Choices in a Complex World, Teacher’s Edition (Vancouver, CANADA: GutsNHeads Project, 2019), www.deltalearns.ca/decisions.

[2] Failing, Lee; Gregory, Robin; Long, Graham; Moore, Brooke. P. 28

[3] Failing, Lee; Gregory, Robin; Long, Graham; Moore, Brooke. P. 42