Both my students and I look forward to pamphlet projects.  I love that they can get creative and they love not writing essays.

student made pamphlets

First and foremost, students have to be concise in pamphlets.  They only have so much space in which to present their information, and depending on the topic they might also have to fit in images and maps.  So they have to decide what the most important, relevant, and compelling things are that they should say, and how to say it succinctly.  Too many times my students ask me “how much should I write” and I always answer with “however much you need to say to make your point.”  This is a great way for students to really practice picking the most important parts of a topic and defending their opinions concisely.

Secondly, and maybe this is just how I’ve chosen to do it, but students can explore a variety of points of view in pamphlets.  History books can’t cover every point of view for each historical event, so I try to work it in whenever possible.  When we do some types of pamphlets, the kids dedicate one flap to a different point of view than is represented in the main part of the pamphlet.  Another way they work with multiple points of view is by grouping up and each makes 3-5 pamphlets, depending on how many points of view we have covered on the topic.

For example, with the New Deal, there were other solutions for recovery and reform proposed at the time than FDR’s New Deal.  So in groups of 3, my students make 3 different pamphlets, one for each major plan proposed at the time (the New Deal, Share the Wealth, and EPIC), and then they make a 4th pamphlet for a recovery and reform plan of their own design (because they so frequently say things like, “why didn’t FDR just do a/b/c” or “why didn’t the someone think of x/y/z” so this is their chance to make their own solution/plan).

In each pamphlet they explain the program’s main points (how it will work, its benefits), how it differs from the other programs, and why it is the best one and should be supported by the public.  For fun, they write a mini-autobiography on the back explaining how they have the authority to tell the public which plan they should support.

As I wrote this post, I thought of a pamphlet students can make to review the causes of World War 1 and you can find it HERE.  I also recently made a pamphlet activity for the French Revolution (has one element in particular that students should have fun with), Revolutionary War (patriots vs loyalists), Civil War (to become an abolitionist or not), and World War 2 (help FDR make 4 big wartime decisions).  You can also find one for the Industrial Revolution, War of 1812, European Imperialism, US Imperialism, the French and Indian War, the Mexican-American War, and the Spanish Civil War.  If you try any of them out I hope your students enjoy them!  Updated to add, I also made a generic template for students to create a pamphlet for any topic, you can find that one HERE.