Project Overview

This book was created by 7^th grade students at the King Middle School in Portland, Maine as part of a learning expedition on ancient civilizations, specifically focusing on ancient Greece.

The book includes collage-like portraits and background information on famous figures from ancient Greece, including politicians, warriors and great thinkers. Each student on the middle school grade-level team created an individual page highlighting the life of one historical figure (because there were more students than Greek figures profiled, there are multiple profiles of most figures).

Students used a software program titled “Comic Life” which helped them create the visual look of a graphic novel. The combination of text, digital photographs, stock images and student illustrations provides an engaging means for displaying content knowledge and helps makes the book come alive. Many students also dressed up as the historical figures and used photos of themselves in the collage of images on their page. There is a dose of clever humor woven into much of the history here.

King Middle School students are well-schooled in computer technology. Like all public Middle Schools in Maine, every student is provided a laptop during their middle school years, funded by a state initiative. This book is a fine example of how technology can take a subject that may seem dry and give it an exciting, contemporary look.