Roller Coaster Through The Curriculum – 7001

TIPC Ratings

The students selected the main topic that they wanted to research as a group, Virginia Studies. They also chose which period of Virginia history they wanted to research individually, based on their interests and background knowledge. Next they had to evaluate a multitude of events that occurred during that period in order to narrow it down to the five most important ones.   They summarized the events in a few sentences and found pictures online to illustrate the events.  They presented their information in a cohesive theme of a roller coaster timeline that is authentic and useful to other 4^th grade students (as well as anyone interested in a visual overview of Virginia history).

The students collaborated together to choose the topic and the roller coaster theme. They also worked together to make the videos and present their information. Since they collected their data and resources on a shared Google Doc, they could access it anywhere… in class and at home. They assigned themselves various tasks, such as designing the roller coaster, and they often had to work on this project without adult supervision. Finally they shared their finished project online so it could be accessible to a wider audience than just the intended 4^th grade classes. They also asked for input from their viewers by including a feedback form.

The project was purposefully open-ended so the students could be in control of the decision-making process.  They selected the topic and decided on the best way to present it.  They picked the programs and web tools they wanted to use. Throughout this project the students were making evaluative judgments to determine which events would be most beneficial to include on the timeline. Most of the problems they encountered had to be solved within their small group since this was an independent project, apart from the rest of the class.

The students were encouraged to take risks, try new things, and come up with original ideas… and they did just that! They created the roller coaster idea on their own and one of them tried a new website he had never used before (neither had the teacher!). They wanted their project to be interesting and entertaining, so if something seemed boring or lackluster, they thought of ways to liven it up.  One retook her picture because she realized she looked kind of “meh” and a couple of them re-recorded their videos in order to be more enthusiastic.  They did this without any teacher prompting, just self-evaluation and a bit of peer pressure. Their final project went way beyond the original specifications because they added their own ideas to it.