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Giants of the Century

Subjects: Geography, Language Arts, Social Studies
Grade Level: High School
Required Software: Microsoft® Word®, Encyclopedia, Microsoft® Internet Explorer, Microsoft® Access

Summary:

The last 100 years has been a period of unparalleled achievements in science, medicine, human rights, and more. In this activity, students will identify key figures in 20th century progress and then document the life and times of each in a searchable database.

Objectives:

To expose you to 20th century history and to the people who shaped it and to introduce database tools and organizing techniques.

Prerequisite Skills:

Basic experience with Microsoft Word and Microsoft Access and basic research skills using the Encyclopedia and Microsoft Internet Explorer.

Time Allotted:

4 - 6 class periods

How to Begin

1. Launch Access . In the opening dialog window, select Create a new database using blank Access database . When the File New Database window appears, name your database "Giants of the Century" and save it to a location.
2. When the Database window opens, double-click on Create table in Design view .
3. Create fields for Name, Nationality, Area of Influence, Decade, Contribution, Picture, and Sources.
4. Click in the Data Type cell for the Picture field. Click the drop-down button and select OLE Object from the list.
5. Click in the Data Type cell for the Name field. Click the drop-down button and select Hyperlink . Do the same for the Decade field. The students will connect these links to their proper destinations later.
6. By default, text fields hold only 50 characters, but you'll want more room than this for the Contribution and Sources fields. To increase field size, click on the field to display Field Properties, and select the General tab. Increase the Field Size value to 255.
7. Close the table. You'll be prompted to assign a primary key, but you don't need to because the database will contain only one table.
8. Now design a form for entering information into the table. In the Database window, click Forms in the Objects column, then double-click on Create form by using wizard .
9. In the sequence of Form Wizard dialog boxes, select all available fields in your table, then choose columnar layout and a style for your form.
10. In the final Form Wizard dialog box, confirm a title for your form, select Modify the form's design , then click Finish . The form will appear in Design view.
11. To prevent images you import into the database from being clipped or distorted, select the Picture field by clicking on it, then select Properties from the View menu. Select the All tab, click in the Size Mode field, and select Zoom from the dropdown list. Close the Properties window.
12. Make any other changes you like to the form in Design view, either by selecting and dragging objects to different locations or by editing properties as in step 11.
13. Close and save the database. Now you can create records (like the sample shown on below) for the individuals they've chosen and link them to biographical and historical information as described in the Student Activity section.

Resources and Web Sites

• A well- organized, word searchable site with lots of history links, focusing on politics, art, science, and technology.
• Go here to find information about people and events in science, technology and medicine over the last 100 years.
• Brief biographies of famous people, from Ross Perot to the Spice Girls.

Student Activity

Description:

One exciting way to look at history is by studying the people who shaped it. In this activity, you and each of your classmates will choose five individuals in each of five different fields ( art, music science, math, etc.) who made the world a better place during the 20th century. Then, in a single database, you'll combine information about their lives, accomplishments, and the historical events that influenced their work.


You can use Microsoft Access to collect information about your history makers.

Step A
Giant Research
Software:Encyclopedia, Microsoft Internet Explorer, Microsoft Access
What To Do:

1. Think about the greatest achievements of the 20th century, in any and all fields of human endeavor. Who made them happen? What names come to mind? Thomas Edison? John Lennon? Mother Teresa? Pick five people in each of five different fields whose accomplishments you admire most, or who you'd like to learn more about.
2. Using the Encyclopedia and Internet Explorer, search for images and information about the men and women you've chosen. The URLs listed below will help you get started on the Web. Request permission to reproduce images if permission is not explicitly given in the source. Cite all sources you use.
3. Use the Access form you created to collect information about each person, including area of influence, and the decade and nature of his or her major contribution(s).
4. When you enter information in the Name and Decade fields, it will appear blue and underlined. These are hypertext links, but they won't work properly until you connect them to their appropriate destinations in Step D.
5. Find a picture of each of your chosen history makers, and include it the Access record. To insert the image into the form:
   • Click in the Picture frame to select it.
   • Go to the Insert menu and choose Object.
   • In the Insert Object dialog box, select Create from File. Then use the Browse button to locate the image you have saved so that the path to it appears in the File box.
   • Click the Link check box, then click OK.

Step B
Get Personal
Software: Microsoft Word, Encyclopedia, Microsoft Internet Explorer


The Microsoft Encarta Encyclopedia Timeline gives you the big picture.
What to do:

1. Create a list of all the people represented in your database.
2. Use Web resources to research and write short biographies on the individuals assigned to you --- no more than a page each. Each biography should be a separate Word document.
3. Make sure you use the same margins, font, and other formatting so that all your biographies share a common look.
4. Use the subjects' last names for your file names, and save them.

Step C
Make History
Software: Microsoft Word, Encyclopedia, Microsoft Internet Explorer
What to do:

1. You will need to research the time around the lifespan of each person you selected to document.
2. Using the Encyclopedia and Web resources, research and write a one-page Word document highlighting the major events.
3. Keep in mind that the purpose of this document is to provide a historical context for the achievements of the men and women you have chosen. The scope of your history document must be broad enough to encompass events that may have influenced all the "giants of the century" who made their major contributions.
   
   Research tip: Encarta Encyclopedia articles about the people you have chosen include links to related historical information. Encarta Encyclopedia also contains a timeline that provides an historical big picture.
   
   
4. When you are done with your history document, save it.

Step D
Pull It All Together
Software: Microsoft Access
What to do: Now you can link your records to the relevant biography and history documents. Here's how:

1. Open the "Giants of the Century" database. In the Database window, click Forms in the Object column, then double-click on the form name to open it.
2. Go to each of the records you created in Step A. Click on the person's name, then cancel any dialog boxes that appear. The name will then be highlighted. Go to the Insert menu and select Hyperlink to open the Insert Hyperlink window. Browse to the location of the biography document for that person and click OK .
3. Repeat this procedure with the decade you've entered in the Decade field, but link to the document that contains history for the corresponding period.
4. Your "Giants of the Century" database is complete. Browse the records. What does it tell you about the 20th century?