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Are you looking for ways to help your kids share their knowledge and understanding in meaningful ways? With the wide range of abilities and needs in classrooms today, written assignments and presentations are not always the best ways for kids to shine. I discovered years ago that providing different choices and ways to share through projects was a better way for children to successfully share what they knew. When I was still teaching, I made sure to do one or two projects with my class each year. Most of them were social studies projects, but I included some science ones.  Our Solar System Project was one of my favourite projects. Every time I did this project, the results were incredible. The kids were fascinated with the planets and eager to learn about them.  I would start with finding out what they already knew about the solar system. This was a real eye opener. I would get them to draw, write, or make diagrams on large sheets of paper. It was amazing to see the range of understanding in the group. Some children had a vast knowledge and understanding of the solar system and how it works. Others had very little background knowledge and they were unaware of what the solar system is. This gave me insight as to how much teaching would be necessary in order to gain a good understanding of the subject.  Once I had an idea of what was needed, I gathered materials, divided the class into small groups and assigned them different planets to research. I told them they would be the experts and teach the rest of the class what they had learned. They took this responsibility seriously and did a good job. To find out more about some of the activities and research done by children in grades 2 and 3, check out Our Space Adventures.  Once the class had a basic understanding of the solar system, I introduced the projects and explained how they worked. They had a few choices for how to share their knowledge. They could create models, make postcards, invitations, or brochures, do an interview, or write an essay or a written report. I believe that engaging them in their learning with hands on activities and projects that they chose made a difference.  I feel that the home/school link is so important. With this project, the family had the opportunity to work together and share the learning. They could help with suggestions and materials, but the child was responsible for doing most of the work. The children presented the projects to the class and visitors during a celebration display. They explained their projects and answered questions. They were given a criteria sheet and a marking sheet at the beginning of the project so that they knew what was expected of them. Most of the children far exceeded the expectations, and they were so proud to share their projects with parents and the rest of the school. The parents were amazed at the variety of projects and the information that the students shared.  After studying the solar system and doing their projects, I gave them another large piece of paper and had them share what they knew about the solar system. Many children needed to use both sides of the paper to share their knowledge.   Now that I am retired, I volunteer at my old school. I have noticed that teaching has definitely become more complicated as classes require more differentiated teaching due to the many different needs in the classroom. It is becoming more and more obvious that not all children are able to demonstrate their knowledge effectively through written reports and essays. They find tests difficult and often are unable to answer questions correctly. They write minimally, and therefore, it is not a clear indicator or evaluation of their understanding.  When I was still teaching, I often did projects with my students. I found that by providing at least one project per year, many of my students were able to share their knowledge through other means. They were thrilled to present to parents and students during our celebration days, and they surprised older students and teachers in the intermediate grades with how much they knew. They were proud of their projects, and they found that having a variety of choices for presenting allowed them to choose something they could be successful with. Project Based InstructionSharing learning with projects works well for most children. Providing multiple ways to present information and knowledge through projects allows all students to share in a way that works best for them. Some kids require more hands on methods of sharing ideas and expertise, as written or oral assignments don't work well for them.  I created a few different projects for my classes. Students had a choice of ways to present their information. Sometimes there were several options, and other times there were only a couple of options, but the specifics were flexible to allow for creativity in the presentations. The hands on and collaborative nature of these projects worked well for the students, and they were very engaged in their learning. See some of the different presentations in the pictures below. The students were very excited to share what they had learned with others, and they presented with confidence.  The key to making these projects work is the home/school connection. Some of these projects involve family research. The heritage project and the flat family project require the child to know something about their family's history or background. You can find out more about my heritage projects here. The bulk of the research and teaching is done at school, but the specifics for the project presentations is done at home. (Note: I have had times where some of my students were unable to get home support. In these cases, I had my educational assistant or the librarian help them out. If I had some spare time while others were engaged in an activity, I would also provide extra support.)  If you are interested in trying out some social studies projects, check out these ones. They include criteria and simple marking sheets to make it clear what is required. I highly recommend giving them a try.  It’s hard to believe we’re already approaching the end of another year. The Christmas season has arrived once again, and with it comes a chance to pause and reflect on everything the past months have brought our way. Some seasons seemed to fly by, while others stretched on with challenges of their own, but here we are, having made it through all of them.  This time of year always reminds me to slow down and appreciate the people, moments, and opportunities that fill my life with joy. I often write about teaching and classroom ideas, but if you visit my home page, you’ll see another part of me too, the part that treasures my family above everything else. I haven’t written about them for a while, so today I wanted to open that door again and share a few special memories.  For many years, our family has taken a camping trip each summer. It’s one of the rare times we can gather almost everyone, except for one daughter who lives in another province, and simply enjoy being together. As the grandchildren grow older and schedules get busier, I realize these trips won’t always be easy to coordinate, so I hold these memories close while we still have them. This summer held another unforgettable moment: my husband and I were surprised with an Alaskan cruise to celebrate our birthdays and our almost 49 years together. It was truly a dream come true, an experience I wasn’t sure we’d ever have. The breathtaking scenery, the quiet moments, and the laughter we shared will stay with me for years.  We’ve also made a shift in how we approach Christmas. Over the last couple of years, we’ve tried to focus more on meaningful experiences and less on traditional gift-giving. This year, because of scheduling, we started a little early. We treated our son and his family to an evening on the Christmas Express, and watching our grandchildren take in the lights and climb aboard a decorated steam train was pure magic. To help keep the memory alive, we gave them a small train set to go around their Christmas tree. Now they’ll remember that night every time the train circles the branches.  New Year’s Eve has its traditions, too. For us, it’s usually a family affair filled with games, snacks, and laughter. Occasionally a few friends join in, but at its heart, it’s about being together. During the height of Covid, we celebrated over Zoom with our kids and their families. It wasn’t the same as being in the same room, but it gave us a chance to connect and welcome the new year despite the distance. Now that we’re spread across different cities, we often celebrate in smaller groups and then share a big message or phone call at midnight. It looks a little different now, but it still fills the night with warmth and connection.  Because we have many teachers in our family, conversations often drift toward the return to school after the break. January can be a wonderful time for sharing stories, but it can also be tough for students who didn’t have a restful or joyful holiday. A gentle, thoughtful start can make a big difference. If you’re preparing for that transition back to school, here are a few posts that might help: How To Have A Successful Start To The New Year After The Holiday Break How To Excite And Engage Kids By Using Special Occasions In The New Year How Special Day Themes Help Jumpstart Kids In The New Year  Once January arrives and students step back into the classroom, everything feels just a little different. Some children return full of excitement, while others come back carrying worries or uncertainty. The first few days are a perfect opportunity to rebuild routines, help everyone feel grounded, and bring a bit of joy into the winter months. Activities that help students feel comfortable, along with a few that spark curiosity, can make easing back into academics much smoother.  As we get ready to welcome a brand-new year, I’m reminded once again of how quickly time moves and how important it is to hold on to the moments that matter, both at home and in the classroom. Whether you’re returning to a room full of eager little faces or easing back into a familiar routine yourself, I hope the weeks ahead bring calm, connection, and a renewed sense of purpose. ]Thank you for being here, for reading, and for sharing a bit of my reflections with me. Here’s to a gentle start, meaningful memories, and a bright year ahead. Have you ever noticed that events or situations in your class have motivated you to create different learning opportunities or activities? I certainly have. As I look back, I see that many lessons or projects I created were based on teachable moments or specific student needs. I'm not totally surprised, but I didn't realize how much of my teaching was directed by these moments. Sometimes these moments sparked some creativity in my thinking. I felt the need to try a different approach or angle.  When I first moved from teaching music full-time to teaching in a primary classroom part-time, I quickly realized that teaching many lessons as a whole didn't work well for some children. I saw the need for differentiating so that I could meet the kids where they were. I knew that I had to cover the content and curriculum, but it could be taught in different ways so that everyone could be successful.  Small group instruction and learning through projects emerged from this realization. A couple of my colleagues agreed that this would be a better model for some subjects. We began to collaborate with reading groups, social studies research, and science activities. For one of our first social studies projects, we studied the provinces and territories of Canada. We started breaking down the research into small groups, then brought the groups together to share as experts in their areas. Each group created a booklet with the research information and pictures, diagrams, and maps and then had them available for the rest of the students. Not only did this help them to dig deeper into their research, it also created a sense of teamwork between the 3 different classes as several people worked on the same province or territory and were able to collaborate when they made the booklets.  In language arts, using anthologies and set lesson guides only worked for some kids, so we worked together to create literacy groups based on where kids were at. We developed different centers and activities for them and a format for working with groups of different abilities. Sharing the resources, ideas, and knowledge of what we needed to help kids learn to read and write effectively was invaluable. We fine-tuned things as time went on, and we moved to different schools or assignments, but the basic building blocks remained, and we found kids thriving.  From there, I moved into projects for science and social studies, and this became a common component of my teaching each year. It started as a focus for a specific need, and grew from there. I will share more about this in future posts.  Related Posts |
About Me Charlene Sequeira
I am a wife, mother of 4, grandmother of 9, and a retired primary and music teacher. I love working with kids and continue to volunteer at school and teach ukulele. 
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