The author has successfully used a learning activity titled "The Year I Was Born" to motivate students to conduct historical research and present key scientific discoveries from their birth year. The activity promotes writing, helps students enhance their scientific literacy, and also improves their attitude toward the learning of science. As one student stated, the assignment helped her understand the value of creative thought in various types of scientific research and illustrated for her the development of scientific concepts. After describing the main activity, this article offers six alternative pedagogical approaches to using it in the classroom.