Elementary school project

Context

(Elementary School: 6 – 11 years old)

This project, described by Proulx (2004), shows the flexibility of the formula of project-based learning like its effectiveness to sometimes solve teaching or organisational problems unforeseen. It acts of a project carried out by Mrs. Lemire, teacher of the primary education, with the collaboration of Mrs. Trépanier, technician in documentation.

This project was born from a need for the teacher to be able to attend with his pupils the library of the school as soon as possible in the year. However, as the room was not accessible to learning, the two women had the idea to present in class the whole of the innovations (250 pounds) of the library. On the other hand, students had to present at their turn these innovations to the whole of the pupils and the personnel of the school. Project PRD (Passion, Reading, Discovered) was born.

It is a team project, of type of resolution of problems.

Nature of the project

1. First contact of students with the new books starting from the reading of a history in classroom. The interest thus created allowed following phase
2. To take elementary knowledge of a system of grading of the literary works.
3. Oral Presentation of the innovations to the whole of the school.

Objectives of the project

• To allow the whole of student from the class an immediate access to the resources of the library
• Making known with the others students from the school the innovations received with the library.

Learning objectives

• To increase the taste and the student's abilities of reading
• To know some rules, principles and processes of documentary classification according to the system in action
• To develop abilities with the oral communication, in particular with the oral presentation of material
• To develop abilities to work in team (assertion of oneself, respect of others, share roles and responsibilities, respect of the decisions taken in team...)
• To distinguish and appreciate the literary kinds and works in order to better be able to choose them according to their preferences or of what is required of them

Preparation of the project

• The teacher exposes at the beginning the problems to students and to explain to them how they could contribute to disseminate information while inserting this type of work in the objectives of training which they continued in French.
• Initially, the works were temporarily laid out in classroom
• Then a table of reading was prepared so that each pupil can register each week the books read there.
• A table of visits of the kiosk of presentation was prepared so that the group-classes can plan their visits with the kiosk to take note of the works classified and presented by the pupils of the project.
• The teacher prepared reading cards which announce the various elements to be taken into account in the characterization of the work.

Implementation of the project

• Preparation of the material
• Reading and classification: each student had to read a work per week, reading which was done in class, because the books could not be lent outside. Recording and classification of the readings on the table envisaged for this purpose.
• Formation of teams according to preferences' of readings of learning and preparation from the presentations
• Presentation of the works read with a table of exposure installed in the library. With turn of role, the other groups attended this presentation

Assessement of the project

• sommative: assessement integrated into the general evaluation of the reacch of the competences aimed in the French course (i.e. abilities of readings, of location of information in a text, of ordering of the ideas at ends of writings..)
• qualitative: evaluation made in various forms:
  • the technician of information provided a feedback to students on the way in which books had been classified in general and on the project as a whole.
  • the teachers and students of the other group-classes made share of their remarks on the presentations
  • the teacher herself required of its pupils to evaluate the project according to what had more or less interested them, encountered facilities or difficulties, contribution of the project in their training, the most appreciated readings...

Layout of the project

The project was concluded on the presentation at the entire school from the recent documentation received with the library. Some interesting continuations happened:

• Students received books that one keeps in class, supporting the continuity of the project
• Regularly, five students are released one hour to go to help the technician to classify volumes.

References

Proulx, J. (2004). Apprentissage par projet. Presses de l'université du québec