List of Ideas

In this activity, your goal is to have students describe what constitutes an A project. Questions that could lead to this result include:

Think back to a project that you were really proud of, what made you so proud of it?

The last time you went to a science fair, what kinds of things make you remember the project?

What kinds of things do you (or your team) have to do to get a good grade on this project?

What are the steps that go into doing a project like this?

What parts should your project have?

What should your project look like?

Does/How does technology fit into your project?

I keep these lists on file so the kids can go back and look at them and see where they are in the process. The students can always add or modify their lists as they develop more skills and have exposure to more projects.

Sometimes I show them models of good projects and models of horrible projects so they can see what to do and what not to do. I don’t do this very early in the process so they can identify their way. The good model is not the only good model and I don’t want students to feel that there is only one right way to do this.