Three MORE student-centered projects that can work from a distance

Scarlett Tannetta

Kelly Knopf-Goldner

Liz Leidel

This week, we would like to share three more student-centered projects you can roll out with little preparation.

These come courtesy of our partner schools and teachers.

Pandemic Playlist
Witness to History
Webquest

If you missed last week's set of three projects, you can find them HERE .

All three fit the FIVE CRITERIA (click for PDF). These are what research and teachers are telling us works in online learning:

#1: Pandemic Playlist

The 8th grade English team at the Collins Middle School in Salem, MA created this high interest Pandemic Playlist assignment to engage and connect with students.

Students create a list of songs, TV shows, movies, video games, etc. that they want to serve a particular purpose for a particular audience .

By allowing for flexibility, students are able to share their interests in a new way with some added skill-building thrown in. The task is outlined below:

STEP ONE : Create your “playlist” using this assignment sheet , and this model example .

STEP TWO : Students read the article “Friday Five: Leon Bridges and John Mayer slow jam the quarantine, Gorillaz go New Order” and respond to these questions.

STEP THREE : Students then walk through a google slide presentation about critiques .

STEP FOUR : Students choose 2-3 items from their playlist to write a critique for using this guide with a model example built in.

#2: Witness to History

Like many educators across the country, the History team at Boston International Newcomers Academy wanted students to document this moment for those who might study it later.

Students, in the role of witnesses, write or create one journal entry a week about life during the coronavirus pandemic.

They may choose to write, interview, photograph, draw--the method is open--to document and reflect on what is happening in their lives and in the world right now.

They can opt in to publishing their accounts on the Boston Teens in Print website at the end of the year.

The assignment sheet is here with examples included.

#3: Webquest

Tracy Pomerenke , a high school STEM teacher at McKinley South End Academy , wanted her students to learn about the engineering features of super tall buildings and then apply what they learned to a design of their own.

This webquest integrates both independent work and direct instruction as well as group check ins as students work through a series of tasks. The process follows these steps:

ENGAGE
EXPLORE
EXPLAIN
APPLY

The teacher has selected a set of articles, videos and interactive websites to include in the process. At the same time, students have choice in which of these sources to use and there is flexibility in the pacing of the work and the format for the final product.

A step-by-step plan that outlines the whole process from start to finish can be found here .

While the content for this particular webquest is engineering, you could easily use this structure and fill in with whatever subject matter is relevant for your class.

You can share a hyperdoc like the one above at the beginning to help students understand the long-term plan and stay on track throughout the project.

Stay In Touch - And MORE Student Writing!

Please forward this to colleagues you think would be interested. If they want to start receiving this resource, they can subscribe by clicking below.

Subscribe to the Coaching Connection Newsletter

Be in touch if you have stories, suggestions or challenges you'd like to share:

Kelly Knopf-Goldner - Liz Leidel - Scarlett Tannetta

Teens in Print COVID-19 Perspective Series

If you didn't see it last week, the Teens in Print youth journalists have written their second articles in the COVID-19 Perspective Series. Check it out!