Rule One:
Think the project through.  Are the project's objectives clear?  What do you want the students to learn from the project.  Will students use class time or out of class time to complete the project.  Is the equipment available?  Are there alternate assignments to choose from.  Is this independent work or group work?  How much of the grade will the project account for?  How will it be graded?  Some on-line projects already address these criteria.

Rule Two:
Plan what you want the students to know.   When giving the assignment for research, it is important to either have a list of questions to be answered or have the kids generate the questions they need to research.  If they have certain questions to research rather than just a "report on" scenario, they're less likely to copy word for word.  And even if they do copy word for word, it's a sentence from here and a sentence from there, not an entire encyclopedia entry.

Examples:  Fifth graders research animals from certain habitats.  They generate certain questions:   Where does the animal live?   What does the animal eat?  What does the animal look like?

Rule Three:
Give Instruction on how to record the information.  Use a graphic organizer of some type, like a web, to record the specific information that answers the questions.  Students should not be allowed to write whole sentences while taking notes - this will force them to use their own words later.  Progress is checked along the way and credit should be given for note taking as well as the final product.  If you allow the students to copy and paste text or graphics, they should be able to take notes from the information onto note cards or a graphic organizer.  This will help them put the ideas together to complete the project. (See the Student Instruction Sheet)

Example:   The seventh graders research women scientists, but the focus is a cause/effect essay not just a "report on" so-and-so. The kids must answer the question:  What impact has this scientist had on the world or her field of science.

Rule Four:
Create/use an Internet project where:

• The topic is specific/narrow - with guiding questions (never write a report on---)
• There are eight or ten questions your students can answer using data located on a specific web site (brainstorm or teacher generated)
• The internet sources are  kept to a minimum.  One Web site or Home Page is sufficient
• Note taking strategies can be taught.  (Notecards, sheets of paper with the questions written on the top, an answer sheet to be completed or other graphic organizers will be used)
• Only information that answers the question(s) to be recorded on a note card is allowed
• Students take notes only on information that answers the essential questions.
• Where notes should not be whole sentences.

• Problem Based Learning is a curriculum development and delivery system that recognizes:  1) the need to develop problem solving skills; 2) the necessity of helping students to acquire necessary knowledge and skills.
• It is in the process of struggling with actual problems that students learn both content and critical thinking skills.
• Problem based learning has several distinct characteristics which may be identified and utilized in designing such curriculum.
• Problems drive the curriculum - the problems do not test skills; they assist in development of the skills themselves.
• Problems are truly open-structured - there is not meant to be one solution.
• Students solve the problems - teachers are coaches and facilitators.
• Students are only given guidelines for how to approach problems - there is no one formula for student approaches   to the problem.
• Authentic, performance based assessment - is a seamless part and end of the instruction.

1.  In a Problem Based Learning Activity a problem is stated.

2.  Students are directed to come up with a solution to the problem based upon research.

3.  Each student in the class may be assigned the same or a different segment of the problem to research and all research is reported on to the class for final discussion and analysis.

4.  The questions needing to be answered may be different for each student or group, but the final outcome needs to be a suggested solution to the original problem.

5.  The way the problem is stated dictates how the assignment is done.

Example:  A regular research project, with problem solving, would look like this:
A seventh grade class, studying the history of Islam, is asked to pretend to be Muslims and plan a trip to Mecca as part of the Hajj, or Fifth Pillar of Islam.

• The teacher may create the questions to research and write a question sheet, or chart -- (How much will it cost?  Where will you stay?  How will you get there?   Where will you leave from?  Where do you arrive?  What should you bring with you?  Do you need a visa?  Shots?  What is Saudi Arabia like?  How does the culture of Saudi Arabia differ from California life-style?  What is the weather like? Why are you going?  What will you do when you get there?  How long will you stay?  Who will go with you?)
• The students may create (brainstorm) the questions (they probably would come up with much the same questions)
• The class can be divided up into groups and/or
1.  Everyone researches all the questions individually and puts the best answers together for the group.
2.  Different groups research different questions, then the groups put all the information together into a class packet
3.  Groups divide into individual jobs and look at different web sites to answer the same questions
• However the questions are created and whatever way the class researches (all the questions, some of the questions), note taking is the same.  Only the answer to the question being researched is written, not in sentence form.

• The class is told that each group is a travel agency being asked to plan a Hajj to Mecca for a large group.  Since a limited amount of money is available and ease of getting to Mecca is very important to the group, as well as the need to know what to do, what to take, how to prepare, etc., the group with the best price and best information for the traveler will get the order (and profit).  (An outside teacher(s) or invited parents should hear the final reports and make a decision based upon the information presented.)
• Now the questions are still generated (by teacher or students), but the final outcome is not to answer the questions but to come up with a proposal to sell the travel agency's plan for the trip.
• If the problem is not to research about the Hajj, but who can get there the cheapest, safest and most prepared, then a contest as to which group has the best information spurs the class on.  Each group would then own its information (not share it with a friend in another group, etc.) and present it to the judge(s) to convince the travelers that it should get the order to plan and arrange the trip.

UNSW CITATION PAGE - https://www.student.unsw.edu.au/how-do-i-cite-electronic-sources
How to Cite Web Resources.  Be a team player and give credit where credit is due by creating a reference for every online resource you use.  Teachers, check this page out, it is color coded for ease of use.  Then teach your students what you've learned.
 

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October, 2022