I like projects. The next step is getting my learners to like "a project". Over the past few years, I've found success in building big idea projects and allowing learners to take control. Since the Spring of 2014, we've held a film festival, community awards ceremony, and a music showcase. Colleagues have asked, "How do you plan such a big project?" or "Aren't you running out of ideas?". Preparing for these projects doesn't happen over night. And if you're like me, many of my best ideas come at the most random times. So, I thought I'd share how I keep my project planning organized.

You first need to ask, what do you want your final product to look like? For our most recent project, I had always wanted my learners to hold a concert. The only problem - I teach social studies, not music. A lot of questions arose - 1. How do I get a bright group of social studies students to "do music"? 2. How can I tie this project to the standards? 3. How do I make it about the ideas and not the music? I needed to sort out my ideas to determine the big connectors and direction of the project.

Once I figured out that I wanted to make the project more about the community and its relevance to greater world issues, things fell in place.

I like to build my projects in to three stages. (Quick side note: The entire project, from stage one through the end of stage three, takes approximately 14 weeks.) Each stage is independent in its final product, but the learning/knowledge base builds from stage to stage (to stage). Not only does the information build, the depth of thinking also increases within each stage. That doesn't necessarily mean more content, it just means that I'm asking the learners to engage with their information more closely.

For Stage 1 of our Spring project, my students completed a timeline that analyzed a global issue that matched their interest. They researched the past 50 years of the issue to build a contextual understanding of the topic.

Throughout the 14 weeks, students intermittently work on the project. Here's the thing - I recognize that I am not an expert in every topic. I encourage students to seek help outside the classroom. The second stage "strongly encourages" students to gain assistance from professionals - nationally or in the community. 

At first, students are unsure about this component. But they've gotten some pretty amazing results. Some of my students most notable connections were a professor from Columbia, a prominent expert on Olympic history, and a well-respected surfing historian. AND all it took was a simple e-mail! (There were students who also never heard back from someone they attempted to contact. We had some candid discussions about that - and they were okay!)
These connections don't have to be as grand - they can happen within your building or district. Find people that might be willing to buddy up on a project. The art department at my high school is fabulous and usually willing to team up with enough advance notice. For our project last Fall, one of our art teachers worked with my students on the development of an award and the symbolism involved in the process. This was their final product:

And with my assistance, Stage 3 usually has students directly working with local professionals. These connections are built in to the process. For the Spring project, my students worked with local musicians to write songs about global issues. This picture is from an early collaboration session. 

Honestly, there is a lot that goes in to a great project. My students and I have pulled off things that I never imagined were possible. It took a lot of planning, time, and leg-work to pull off these ideas. 
Here's the thing - YOU CAN DO IT! I put together a planner with questions and organizers to help you with the process. Many of the questions are ones that have crossed my mind countless times! Best of luck planning your own project and please let me know if you have any questions!

By the way --- Our entire store is on sale tomorrow and Tuesday! Please be sure to check out the planner and all our other products that are on sale!

Greg here - and it's my return to the blog! Becky has dominated the posts recently (for which I am greatly appreciative), but I insisted on contributing this week.

No, this is not an IMDB review of the popular 2007 film The Bucket List. Although meeting Jack Nicholson or Morgan Freeman is certainly on my extended list of things to do before I kick the bucket. I'm referring to a new project I started this year with my AP US History class.

For those of you unfamiliar with the CollegeBoard or Advanced Placement courses, they made a concerted effort to shift the emphasis away from content and to historical thinking skills. Although I integrated long-term projects in to my AP curriculum for the past several years, the AP course revisions afforded me an unique opportunity to experiment with new ideas.

I wanted students to do research and writing on a regular basis. I also wanted students to see the value and potential experiences that exist in our community (before they leave for college). The bucket list project combined the two and reinforced a litany of standards from the Common Core, PDE, and the CollegeBoard.

The result is a blog that highlights the students work with weekly contributors and links that push out to each of the students' sites. (Check out the about section for a full description of the project.)

The students embraced the concept and have checked off a variety of items from their list. Some of the most interesting are a visit to the Shoe House, volunteering for a local organization, and praying at an abortion clinic. I am humbled by their efforts and am considering items that I need to check off my own list.

Have a great weekend!
Greg