Among the Hidden – Shadow Child Project
Students in Mrs. Boyle’s 6th grade GT Reading class used their iPads to assume new identities and bring the book, “Among the Hidden,” by Margaret Peterson Haddix to life. In the book, “Among the Hidden,” families are only allowed to have two children to combat overpopulation in a futuristic society. Any additional children are called Shadow Children and must live in hiding from the population police.
In Mrs. Boyle’s class, students used email to correspond with their teacher about their new identity as a Shadow Child. Once students learned their new identity and where they lived, students researched the location and viewed live feeds and images of their new home. Students then blogged about their Shadow Child identity and responded to each other’s posts in Kidblog. Next, students collaborated using Google Maps to plan their route to a Shadow Child rally in Washington, D.C. Then, students used Prezi to share their research on hydroponics with their classmates. Lastly, when the futuristic government promised to grant fifteen shadow children their freedom, students created persuasive videos in hopes of being made an actual citizen.
Mrs. Boyle’s class took reading a novel to a whole new level. It is one thing to learn about a character, but it is completely different to become one.