What is a project?
A project is an in-depth study of a particular topic that one or more children undertake... Work on a project might extend over a period of days or weeks, depending on the children's ages and the nature of the topic... Projects usually involve children in advanced planning and in various activities that might require several days or weeks of sustained effort. This approach emphasizes the teacher's role in encouraging children to interact with people, objects, and the environment in ways that have personal meaning to them. As a way of learning, it emphasizes children's active participation in their own studies... An overall aim of this approach is to cultivate the life of the young child's mind. In its fullest sense, the term mind includes not only knowledge and skills, but also emotional, moral, and aesthetic sensibilities." (Engaging Children's Minds: The Project Approach) by Lilian Katz and Sylvia Chard. Find out more about Projects under Curriculum. See examples of projects below.
Kindergarten Projects
Project: Knights, Castles & Medieval Times
- Build a castle in the classroom
- Sing songs about life in medieval times
- Play act medieval life
- Learn poems
- Plant oats & peas & barley
- Visit the Higgins Armory Museum
Project: Narcissus bulbs
- Plant bulbs
- Draw stages of growth
- Measure growth
- Record observations in writing and drawing
First Grade Projects
Project: Japan
- Taste foods
- Cook Japanese food and/or visit Japanese Restaurant
- Learn songs
- Act out Japanese fairy tales
- Write in calligraphy
- Practice Ichebana
- Observe artifacts
- Learn about schools, homes & transportation
- Study geography
Project: Habitats
- Observe animal habitats
- Record observations through words and drawings
- Research what animals need to live
- Create a habitat for classroom animals
- Set up classroom fish tank (pond or saltwater)
- Compare land & water habitats
- Take a field trip to an ocean or pond environment
- Create computer slide shows to demonstrate learning
Second Grade Projects
Project: Acton Long Ago
- Observe artifacts (household/cooking/arts)
- Tour Acton to see old buildings
- Read & hear about Acton life in the early 1900s
- Spend a day in an old school house (field trip)
- Interview people of different generations
Project: Life Cycles
- Observe the life cycle of a butterfly
- Observe the life cycle of an amphibian (frog)
- Draw and record observations
- Visit natural habitats (field trips)
Third Grade Projects
Project: Farm to Factory (Development of Cities)
- Tour Sturbridge Village
- Write journals as members of Sturbridge family
- Research what resources a town provided
- Visit Mills in Lowell
- Read mill stories
- Study geography of Mill towns
- Learn about rivers relations to mills
- Create models of mill towns
Project: Electrical circuits
- Experiment with bulbs & batteries
- Design and build a flashlight
- Draw a diagram of a closed circuit
- Integrate with study of cities.
Fourth Grade Projects
Project: Native Americans
- Study a tribe in depth
- Create diorama of life of the tribe
- Learn music of Native American peoples
- Cook & taste various Native American foods
- Read myths & legends & connect to Astronomy
- Act out Native American myths & legends
- Write about Native Americans
- Stories, first person journals
Project: Astronomy
- Connect to Native American studies
- Observe & illustrate shadows
- Observe the moon and record observations
- Collect data on shadows, moon & movement of stars
- Create Models of Solar System
- Dramatic presentations of knowledge for ASM
Fifth Grade Projects
Project: American History
- Design and create Colonial ABC books
- Research a particular colony of the first thirteen
- Learn technology of graphics & design
- Make trading cards of the Revolutionary period.
- Field trip to Boston Revolutionary sites
- Re-enact debates at Old South Meeting House
- Learn & use note taking skills
- Research paper on an American History
- Role play an historical person or event
- Read historical fiction of the period
Project: Transport Systems
- Research circulatory, respiratory systems
- Create drawings &/or models of lungs & hearts
- dissect lamb or pig hearts & lungs
- Research a disease related to one of the 2 systems
- Interview a medical professional
- Write a report about the disease/syndrome
- Create a "Medical Museum" presentation
- Present new understanding to other students
Sixth Grade Projects
Project: Ancient Civilizations
- Learn about cultures of Ancient world
- Study Egypt, Greece, Rome, Maya
- Read period historical fiction
- Study ancient myths & legends and act them out.
- Create Egyptian mummy cases
- Explore concepts of archeology today ( hands-on)
- Explore Greek & Roman architecture in Acton
- Study geography of ancient civilizations
- Research one ancient civilization in depth
- Produce & present research in a research paper
- Study art of ancient civilizations
- See ancient art at MFA and/or Peabody Museums
Project: Service Learning
- Experience meaningful work for others' benefit
- Work weekly at an off-campus site (1/2 day;1/2 year)
- Plan and prepare for each visit
- Reflect & write about experiences working in service.
