The Teacher Preview is a quick explanation of what a project accomplishes or teaches. It is divided into seven areas, each of which provides specific information about the project:
Length of Project: The length of each project is given in classroom hour. It does not take into account homework or teacher-preparation time.
Level of Independence: Each project is identified as “basic,” “intermediate,” or “advanced” in terms of how much independence is required of students. The level of independence is based primarily on how many decisions a student must make and the level of responsibility required. It is suggested that students who have not acquired independent learning skills, regardless of their grade level.
For teachers who are interested, there is a correlation between the skills development mentioned here and the progression to higher-level thinking skills typified by Benjamin Bloom’s “Taxonomy of Educational Objectives”:
Level of Independence
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Bloom’s Taxonomy
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Basic
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Knowledge
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Comprehension
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Intermediate
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Application
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Analysis
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Advanced
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Synthesis
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Evaluation
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Goals:
These are straightforward statements of what a project is designed to accomplish. Goals that recur throughout the series deal with skill development, independent learning, and “kids teaching kids.”
During This Project Students Will
: This is a list of concise project objectives. Occasionally, some of these statements become activities rather than objectives, but they are included because they help specify what students will do during the course of a project.
Skills:
Each project emphasizes a specific set of skills, which are listed in this section. Further information about the skills is provided in the “Skills Chart.” You may change the skill emphasis of a project according to curricular demands or the needs of the students.
Handouts Provided: The handouts provided with a project are listed by name. This includes assignment sheets, informational handouts, tests, and evaluation forms.
Project Calendar:
This is a chart that graphically shows each hour of instruction. Since it does not necessarily represent consecutive days, lines are provided for you to pencil in dates. The calendar offers a synopsis of each hour’s activity and also brief notes to clue you about things that must be done:
PREPARATION REQUIRED
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STUDENTS TURN IN WORK
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NEED SPECIAL MATERIALS
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RETURN STUDENT WORK
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HANDOUT PROVIDED
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ANSWER SHEET PROVIDED
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Lesson Plans and Notes
The lesson plan is a detailed, hour-by-hour, description of a project explaining its organization and presentation methods. Projects can be shortened by reducing the time spent on such things as topic selection, research, and presentation; however, this necessitates de-emphasizing skills that make real independent study possible. Alternately, a project may require additional hours if students are weak in particular skill areas or if certain concepts are not thoroughly understood.
Each hour’s lesson plan is accompanied by notes about the project. Some notes are fairly extensive if they are needed to clarify subject matter or describe a process.
Instructional Material
There are five types of reproducible instructional materials included in
The Environment Around Me
Most projects can be run successfully with just a student assignment sheet; the rest of the materials are to be used as aids at your discretion.
Student Assignment Sheets:
Virtually every project has an assignment sheet that explains the project and outlines requirements.
Additional Handouts:
Some projects offer other handouts to supply basic information or provide a place to record answers or research data.
Tests and Quizzes:
Test and quizzes are included with projects that present specific content. Since most projects are individualized, the activities themselves are designed to test student comprehension and skill development.
Evaluation Sheets:
Many projects provide their own evaluation sheets. In addition, the Teacher’s Introduction to the Student Research Guide (see the Appendix) contains evaluations for note cards, posters, and oral presentation. Some projects also supply self-evaluation forms so that students can evaluate their own work.
Forms, Charts, Lists:
These aids are provided throughout the series. They are designed for specific situations in individual projects.
The Brochure
A brochure is a printed piece that pictures and describes your cause. Your brochure can range from a simple leaflet printed on both sides to an elaborate twelve-panel presentation.
Ten Steps to a Successful Brochure
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1. Decide what you want to say, and then say it as clearly and concisely as you can. After you do a first draft, go back over the text and narrow it down to about half that size. Then go over it again and eliminate more words.
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2. Condense your message into one phrase (the theme) to be used on the cover or as the first words your reader is drawn to inside. State your theme at the outset, and let the text and graphics flow from there.
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3. Tell your story in a logical, narrative sequence - and do not be afraid to tug at your reader’s heart strings or “to appeal to your reader’s emotions”.
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4. Use graphics that illustrate, inform, enliven, and tell most of your story in a glance.
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5. Use pictures with emotional impact- pictures that will move your reader- and play the pictures big.
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6. Use pictures with sufficient contrast to reproduce well.
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7. Stress graphics over text. Be generous with the size of your pictures and the amount of blank space. (Blank space is not wasted space.) Be bold with your headlines . Devote at least two thirds of your brochure to pictures, heading, blank space, and other visual enhancements.
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8. Choose a lettering that is big enough and dark enough to be read easily. Strive for sharp contrast by using dark ink on a light background. Keep in mind that white letters on a dark background can dramatically highlight a cover message or principal headline inside.
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9. Consider using a second color to accentuate headings, backgrounds, and graphic features.
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10. Collect brochures and other printed material that appeal to you, and adapt useful ideas and techniques to your own communications.