We are very happy to announce that our school now has its own star on the Walk of Fame. Hollywood and the film industry were popular themes during the week in which our first-year students did not have regular lessons, but instead were actively engaged in a subject of their own choice. There was an overall theme, the Unites States of America, but students were free to choose their own project.
During the initial brainstorm sessions, all sorts of subjects were mentioned. Some had to do with biology: a Saguaro cactus, a black widow spider, some were related to geography: the Grand Canyon, the San Andreas Fault, natural disasters, some ideas were inspired by current affairs such as Black Lives Matter and the rights of the LGBTQ+ community; there were cultural subjects: music, jazz, Disneyland and of course also historical ideas: the history of the military and D-Day on Omaha Beach.
Some students exchanged their ideas and sharpened their final decision that way. Others knew right from the start what they wanted to research. Still others needed some gentle coaching, but in the end, everyone knew what to do.
But there was another decision to be made as well. Do I want to work alone or in a group? Group work is difficult. How do you divide the roles? Can you rely on each other? Who makes the decisions and who is the creative brain?
And the final decision that needed to be made was deciding on the shape you were going to choose for the final presentation. A poster or a powerpoint? A drawing or a painting? Crafting a skyscraper or a canyon, would that be possible? Perhaps something the jury could taste or touch? There were all sorts of materials the students could use and they could apply for extras at the end of the day as well. A jury who would step into the classroom to listen to the final presentations in English on the final day.
Most students had a clear idea of what they wanted to do after day one. Some chose to look for background information first, while others started to draw and did not stop for three days.
As a member of the jury I can tell you that I was really impressed by the presentations and the final products our students managed to construct in only a few days. Yes there were some failures as well, there were some misunderstandings and some disappointments, but overall, the students were focused on their tasks and enjoyed doing something different.
Just to give you an idea, here are some photos of final projects:
